The Eagle Wreck Dive - From the moment you descend the buoy line, the scale and structure of the ship commands your entire field of view. The Eagle, an ~90 meter freighter just off the coast of Islamorada, lies on its starboard side in ~115 ft. of water. Thanks to Hurricane Georges in 1998, the ship is fractured in two, creating a magnificent opportunity to see deep inside the hull, and well into the "belly of the beast". It's super structure, now heavily encrusted in coral and sponges, provides an extraordinarily ornate sanctuary for baitfish, and a host of resident reef fish.
Built in 1962 (in Holland) and originally named "Raila Dan", this ship carried several names in is lifetime. "Barok", "Carmela", and "Aaron K", to name a few, before carrying its final name to the sea floor - "Eagle" - in honor of the Eagle Tire Company who donated generously to offset the cost of its sinking in 1985.
Today, the Eagle Wreck Dive is regarded as one of the quintessential "wreck trek" dives off the coast of the Florida Keys. Scuba diving the wreck of the Eagle treats divers to a spectacle of natural wonder - massive cascading schools of sardines, cigar minnows, and grunts pour over the ship's port side while jacks, blue runners, and yellowtails swirl about the super structure. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a goliath grouper, or the occasional bull shark.
In this video, we head out with Key Dives of Islamorada for a deep dive on The Eagle, followed by a shallow dive on "Rocky Top" to check out the staghorn coral transplants put in place by ICARE.
If you're interested in the Eagle Wreck Dive, charters are available from multiple dive centers, including:
www.islamoradadivecenter.com/
keydives.com/
www.floridakeysdivecenter.com/
Interested to support coral restoration in Islamorada? Check out ICARE:
www.icareaboutcoral.org/
8 июл 2022
