The Vandenberg Artificial Reef is the newest spot to dive, although the longer you wait to dive this incredible sunken ship, the more marine life you’re apt to see.  Sunk May 2009, this 522 foot former Navy transport ship from World War II features large satellite dishes that come up to within 50 feet of the surface.  When the water is clear, even snorkelers can see them!

The beam is 72.5 feet and she has eight decks.  Now resting in about 150 feet of water, she makes an excellent choice for you next Key West diving vacation.  There are access openings cut into the sides of the ship, and all doors and hatches have been removed. In fact, there are lots of access openings:

Second deck – 46 access openings
• Upper deck – 50 access openings
• Superstructure deck 34 access openings
• Between bulk heads interior 60-80 access openings

Access openings are 79 inches in diamter.  In addition, all vertical passageways have been cleared of covers, which helped the sinking of the Vandenberg, but also contributes to safety for advanced divers who penetrate the wreck.

A Conch Republic Flag was raised on the Vandenberg once the ship was sunk, and within a few days giant barracuda were already lurking all around the ship.  Most Key West dive companies run trips out to the Vandenberg.  The dive can be combined with a stop at either Nine Foot Stake or
Joe’s Tug.

Photos by Mike Mccallister

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Cottrell Key

Cottrell Key is also on the Gulf of Mexico side, and on the way to Alexandar’s Wreck. It’s a popular spot for snorkeling catamarans on windy days, since it’s on the Gulf side and pretty shallow. It’s protected by mangrove islands and grassy flats on one side. There are visible and easy to find remains of a wreck here, and it’s one of the few wrecks that snorkelers can enjoy from the surface.

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Alexander’s Wreck

Alexander’s Wreck is really the USS Amesbury, a steel-hull vessel sunk in 25 feet of water. The top of the wreck sticks out of the surface and the deepest part is in 40 feet of water. She broke in half shortly after runnign aground here while being towed out to deeper waters to become an artificial reef. Alexander is the name of the salvager who was towing the wreck.

Alexander’s Wreck lies in two pieces 150 feet apart. The site is home to Goliath Grouper, and many other kinds of marine life. It’s locate five miles west of Key West on the Gulf side. Originally a 300-foot destroyer, Alexander’s Wreck is now a great snorkeling and scuba diving spot.

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Joe’s Tug

Joe’s Tug has moved and broken apart during recent storms, and there’s not much left. There’s a piece of hull left, and maybe part of a pilot house, just remnants. Perhaps the hull is still visible because it was made of steel. Joe’s Tug may not be the most exciting wreck, but the story is pure Key West!

First, let’s set the record straight: Joe’s Tug is not and was never was a Tug boat. It was an old steel-hulled shrimper. Docked in Key West, Joe’s Tug was bound for Miami to be sunk as an artificial reef. It has been cleaned to environmental standards of the day, ready for sinking. the night before it was to be transported to Miami for sinking, some locals tried to tow it away (to make their own artificial reef? who knows?) and it sunk in 65 feet of water just south of Stock Island.

Joe’s Tug is now sitting in the sand and considered an intermediate dive. There are lots of types of corals here, and water is usually pretty good.

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The Cayman Salvager

The Cayman Salvager is popular with divers in Key West. It’s got a steel hull, so it’s easy to see the boat’s shape and size. Also, it sits on sandy bottom, making it easy to photograph. The Cayman Salvager sunk at the docks in Key West, and was then dragged out to its present location in 90 feet of water. This is a popular spot for dive boats out of Key West and Stock Island to visit. It’s one mile south of the nine foot stake, another good spot for diving although for novices or snorkelers.

The Cayman sits in 90 feet of water, although this was not her intended resting spot. Intentionally sunk in 1985, she had been through a lot before coming to rest in her present post. She was built in 1937 as a cable layer but was used by the US military as a mine layer. She was also used as a buoy tender and for freighting.

She was used in the Muriel boat lift incident of the late 1980s, when Fidel Castro released Cubans from his prisons, nut houses, and other undesirable spots. Boats ferried them across to Key West and Miami, illegally. The US Government seized the vessels used in the operations, including the Cayman. She was sitting at dock and sank unexpectedly. They tried to tow her out just beyond the reef to become a dive spot, but she sank on her own on the way out. There she still is, in 90 feet of water.

The Cayman is an advanced level dive, and penetration of the wreck is done cautiously. Plan in advance what you are going to do. There are strong currents here, and it’s deep.