The Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt was sunk to be an artificial reef and dive spot in 1986 and ranks as the number one dive spot in Marathon. Thunderbolt sits in 115 feet of water with 45 feet of relief. She counts as an intermediate level dive spot. She was a cable-laying 188 foot military ship later used by Florida Power and Light to study lightening. That’s how she got her name. She sank at the docks in Miami and was purchased by divers in the Florida Keys.
Features that Marathon scuba divers flock to on the Thunderbolt are the twin propellers and the engine room. From her lightening studying days, there’s a huge reel of cable on her bow. Divers can descend 110 feet into the hull for further exploration.
Thunderbolt sits just five miles off the shores of Marathon making the proximity just one more thing that makes this site the top dive spot in Marathon.
