The Florida Keys are a veritable candy store of shipwrecks for every kind of diver. Whether you are a complete novice, and need to make easy, shallow water dives, or if you are a seasoned veteran with hundreds or thousands of dives logged, no diver’s log is complete without at least a few Florida Keys dives! Whether you want to dive the old Spanish wrecks, or if you prefer the artificial reefs created by the intentional sinking of vessels like the US Coast Guard Cutter Bibb, or even the U-2513 German Submarine that now rests off Key West, you are sure to enjoy the great diving conditions as well as the fascinating history that makes these shipwrecks so unique.
Atocha
The fabled Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon whose name translates to “Our Lady of Atocha” in English, sunk when she was overtaken by a hurricane in 1622. The Spanish worked to salvage the vessel in 1623, however they lost her position when a storm carried away their marker buoy. It’s not surprising that Spain was so disappointed in the loss of the Atocha, because she carried an incredible wealth of gold and other treasure. Mel Fisher, who spent years searching for the Atocha, finally succeeded in locating the wreck in 1985, and the rest is history. Divers still find coins in the wreckage as well as in the surrounding area, which is in about 55 feet of water off the Lower Florida Keys.
Ivory Wreck
The so called Ivory Wreck, located south of Vaca Key, is mostly buried and has been scattered. She is believed to be the wreckage of a schooner that went down during the 1850’s. Many interesting artifacts have been found at this site, most notably, massive ivory elephant tusks ranging in length from four to six feet. Historians believe that the Ivory wreck could have been a slave merchant ship since it contained numerous leg irons. Cannon balls, brass bowls, and musket shot have also been recovered from the site. Unlike some other popular Florida Keys wrecks, the Ivory wreck is suitable for novice divers. She rests in about fifteen feet of water, south of Vaca Key.
The San Jose Wreck
San Joseph Y Los Animas, called “San Jose” for short, was built in 1728 in New England, and originally bore the name “Saint Joseph.” She was renamed when the Spanish purchased her as part of their treasure fleet, which was to carry riches home to Spain from the New World. The vessel sunk on September 15 of 1733, in a hurricane just off Plantation Key. San Jose was part of the fabled 1733 Silver Plate Fleet, many of which were lost in that same hurricane and rest in various locations throughout the keys. Discovered on May 27, 1968, she was quickly identified by her size and location, as well as her cargo. Marine Tech Salvage Company recovered many artifacts, including wedding rings, coins, clay pottery, and flintlock pistols.
Later, many of the artifacts had to be thrown back onto the wreck site due to a dispute between salvagers and the state of Florida. She turns up coins occasionally, but much of her treasure was scattered when it was dropped back into the deep. Today, San Jose sits in 35 feet of water, about a mile east of Little Conch Reef.