Pirates of the Caribbean’s ‘Black Pearl’ Now Open to Divers

Divers looking to channel their inner Captain Jack Sparrow can now explore the famed Black Pearl off Florida’s Emerald Coast. The 97-foot steel-hulled vessel was built as a prop for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and was recently sunk as part of Panama City Beach’s artificial reef program. It sits in 75 feet of seawater on a flat, sandy bottom, providing critical habitat for marine organisms.

Related Reading: Ultimate Guide to Diving the Florida Panhandle

“By placing these artificial reefs out there, we are creating that habitat that was not there to begin with,” Erin Council Graham, Artificial Reef Coordinator and Coastal Resources Manager at Visit Panama City Beach, says in a press release. “Because the boat was destined to be a movie prop, a lot of the typical things that we would have to remove, the boat didn’t have to begin with, and it became a perfect artificial reef.”

Welding students from Panama City’s Tom P. Haney Technical College crafted several embellishments to give divers the full pirate experience. See the Jolly Roger fly, take helm at the captain’s wheel, find a treasure chest full of booty, walk the plank—or simply fin around and discover what sea life has made this artificial reef home.

“Expanding our artificial reef program supports sustainable fisheries while creating incredible new places for divers and anglers to explore,” Jayna Leach, Senior Vice President and CMO of Visit Panama City Beach, says in the release.

Related Reading: What It's Like to Dive the USS Oriskany

Florida’s Emerald Coast, which stretches 100 miles from Panama City to Pensacola, is dotted with dozens of spectacular dive sites, many of which are purpose-sunk wrecks such as the Black Pearl. Other local highlights include the 911-foot-long USS Oriskany, the USS Strength World War II minesweeper, and the Underwater Museum of Art, a permanent sculpture exhibit off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park.