Getting Wrecked in Ft. Lauderdale

Wreck enthusiasts don?t have to travel halfway around the globe to go exploring when there are great ship remains strewn up and down Florida's East Coast. The southern half of the state, in particular, is well known for the dozens of accessible wrecks. From Deerfield Beach, stretching 20 miles south through Fort Lauderdale to the edge of Miami, divers can choose from some of the most prolific reef and wreck systems in the United States. This bounty was on display at the fourth annual Ocean Fest 2000, held recently in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Dive legend and shop operator Neal Watson and his staff organized another fun-filled extravaganza that included exhibits, seminars and live music on the beach. The festival also featured dives on some of Florida's foremost shipwrecks. Three separate coral reefs run parallel to the beach in South Florida, each one divided by a sandy plateau. The first reef, 10 to 12 feet deep, is popular for snorkeling. The second one is 30 to 40 feet deep and home to many wrecks. The third reef's wrecks lie in 60 to 110 feet of water and attract an abundance of marine life from the Gulf Stream. Divers can pick and choose from an array of wrecks, including tugs, tankers, freighters, schooners and oilrigs. Most of these have been put down during the past 20 years by local governments, dive clubs and fisheries. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew beat up a lot of these shipwrecks, but most are still around. Some divers think that the hurricane actually made a few of these wrecks more interesting to explore. The Mercedes, a 198-foot Venezuelan freighter sunk in 90 feet of water off Fort Lauderdale's Sunrise Boulevard, took a hit from Andrew that broke it in two. The ship's history and its location near the Gulf Stream - where it draws an array of pelagics - makes it the ''anchor'' wreck of the string. Mercedes' bow rammed into socialite Mollie Wilmot's swimming pool in posh Palm Beach in 1984. Abandoning ship, the Venezuelan crew scampered across the yard, prompting Wilmot's maid to announce, ''Madame, we have visitors.'' Neither Mollie nor Rose Kennedy, her next-door neighbor, was amused. They were further perturbed when local officials took four months to remove the eyesore. Abandoned by its owners, the vessel was towed to Fort Lauderdale, where the doors, windows and hatches were removed. In the spring of 1985 the Mercedes became one of Fort Lauderdale's first and most popular artificial reefs. A great way to see two of the area's best wrecks is with Captain Tony Coulter, who runs his 30-foot custom Island Hopper Diversity out of Deerfield Beach.The Noula Express is a Danish freighter that sank in 1987 in 80 feet of water. Divers can penetrate its cargo hold, where schools of grunts, damselfish and bar jacks reside. A four-foot barracuda cruises the wreck and frequently joins divers during their safety stop. The Sea Empress, within a stone's throw of the Noula, doesn't look very inviting at first glance. Sunk from an overload of concrete conduits, this sea barge suddenly comes alive with friendly sea creatures. A 100-pound jewfish hovers above one of the holds, then disappears into it. Two Southern stingrays follow so closely that divers can reach out and stroke them as they cruise by. Most amazing is the 6-foot-long green moray eel with a body as thick as a grown man?s thigh. Not content to stay in its hole, the moray cruises in and out of the conduits where damsels, hamlets, wrasses and chromis seek refuge. Most wrecks along South Florida's coast are in 50 to 70 feet of water. But the Hydro Atlantic is a notable exception. The casualty of an accidental sinking in 1987, the 300-foot-long dredge/freighter sank in 185 feet of water. The plates of the Hydro Atlantic sprung leaks while she was in tow and she almost took the tugboat down with her. Tech divers love the Gulf Stream fish and pelagics on this wreck: Caribbean reef sharks, cobia, pompano and crevalle jacks are a few of its many residents. South of Fort Lauderdale in Dania, Captain Walt DeMartini treats divers to the wrecks of Florida and the Bahamas on his 48-foot Louisiana crew boat Dry Martini. A 50-minute jaunt with DeMartini south from Port Everglades is Hollywood Beach, where the Donal McAllister lies in 75 feet of water. Sunk two years ago as an artificial reef, this former New York harbor boat affords divers safe penetration into the pilothouse and cargo hold. Juvenile anemones, sponges and soft corals thrive on the railings and decks of the 110-foot wreck. Coneys, fairy basslets and squirrelfish hide in its nooks and crannies, while yellowtail snappers and horseye jacks cruise its perimeter. Another of DeMartini's favorites is Tenneco Towers, a three-floor oil-drilling platform. Donated by the Tenneco Oil Company to create an artificial reef, it is off Hallandale just north of the Dade County line. Pompano Beach claims the Copenhagen, the only historical preserve in the area. Members of the Broward County Archaeological Council have mapped, gridded and photographed the remains of this British steamer that sank in 1900. This wreck today is the ribs of the hull and debris scattered in less than 20 feet of water. The Jim Atria, Guy Harvey, Qualmann Tugs, Jay Scutti, Rebel and Monomy are a few of the many other wrecks that make Fort Lauderdale one of South Florida's hottest dive spots. For more information about Ft. Lauderdale diving and its fleet of sunken ships, click onto the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Visitors Bureau home page below.