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Overview
Dutch built coastal freighter scuttled in 1985 off Lower Matecumbe Key, Islamorada's signature wreck dive and one of the four hulls on the Florida Keys Wreck Trek. Hurricane Georges snapped the 287 ft hull in two in 1998 — the bow and stern now lie about 100 ft apart on a sandy bottom, listing to starboard. Mast tops climb to 22 m, deck rails sit at 24 m, propeller and rudder rest at 33 m. Resident goliath grouper claim the cargo holds and machinery spaces; great barracuda hang motionless off the kingposts; tarpon, amberjack, jacks, and dense bait clouds drift through the gap between the two halves. Gulf Stream eddies push moderate current most days. Wreck certification is needed for hold penetrations.
Briefing note
Listed on the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail. Penetration of the cargo holds and engine room requires formal wreck certification — the broken hull has overhead hazards and silt outs. Mooring buoys are maintained by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; do not anchor. Late summer brings goliath grouper aggregations.
What you'll see
7 species curated- year-roundGoliath grouper
- year-roundGreat barracuda
- seasonalTarponPeak: Apr · May · Jun · Jul
- year-roundBar jack
- year-roundGreater amberjack
- year-roundYellowtail snapper
- year-roundAtlantic spadefish
Reef data for this area
Jurisdiction-level snapshotsBenthic snapshot — NOAA NCRMP
Florida Keys (NCRMP)
Current mean coral cover
6.7%in 2022
Earlier survey
6.2%in 2014
↑ +0.5 pts
Stratified random benthic transects across NCRMP Florida domain (fore-reef + patch reef sites). Florida Reef Tract has been at historically low cover since the late-1990s white-band epidemic; SCTLD spread (2014–present) and the 2023 marine heatwave have kept means in single digits.
Reported at the jurisdictionscale, not the dive site — the published surveys don’t resolve a single reef. NOAA NCRMP Florida benthic 2022 status report →
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22–24 °C | 12–20 m | moderate |
| Feb | 22–24 °C | 12–20 m | moderate |
| Mar | 23–25 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Apr | 24–26 °C | 18–28 m | moderate |
| May | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Jun | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Jul | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Aug | 29–31 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 18–28 m | moderate |
| Oct | 27–29 °C | 18–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 25–27 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Dec | 23–25 °C | 12–20 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
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