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Scuba diving
wreck or wreck scuba diving has always some
mysterious components.
Do I find
a treasure below there, gold, pearls, ancient
pottery, or simply a few relics from long time ago.
Or will I only find a few curious fish similarly
astonished over me like me over them, or what else ?
Maybe a rotten
Spanish galley or a old metal war ship wreck from
the second world war, incredible things can happen.
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Wreck Scuba Diving in
Florida
By J Aubin
Some of the most enjoyable
diving you may ever do is wreck scuba diving. Because travel
by ship was the main way of going from continent to
continent prior to development of air travel, and because
the technology used on ships and in weather forecasting was
not advanced at all, many ships sank in waters around the
world providing dives that are interesting and fun. There
are so many wrecks that only the Florida wreck diving will
be covered in this article.
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In fact, there
are so many Florida wreck scuba diving spots
available, you'll have plenty of difficulty choosing
which ones to dive. Hurricanes, coral reefs, shoals
and pirates all help sink the ships that are often
quite near the shores.
During the Spanish colonial period, the Florida
Straits were the most frequently used passage for
ships to access the Gulf Stream to get the boost of
these fast-flowing currents for their trip home
across the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these ships were
never to return safely home but were trapped into
one of the many tragedies that happened to the then
ill-equipped vessel when challenging Mother Nature.
Many of these unfortunate victims of the sea have
been excavated and are awaiting your arrival.
One great wreck scuba diving destination is
Pensacola in the Panhandle of Florida. There are
lots of ships within a small area. In Pensacola Bay,
eleven ships were to become victims of a hurricane
during 1500. The colonists that were becoming
settles on the shore at what is now known as
Pensacola Bay were unloading vessels when the
massive storm overtook them. Of course, there were
no storm warnings like we have today and they were
taken unaware. The result of the loss of the eleven
ships was to soon become the demise of the colony
which only lasted 60 years.
The Trinite is another great wreck scuba diving
spot. This French wreck lies off St. Augustine and
went down during a storm in 1565 while the Frenchmen
were preparing to attack the Spaniards who had
colonized this section of the northeast Florida
coastline. After the vessel sank, the attack did not
occur. Today you can not only scuba dive the wreck
at St. Augustine but you can also see other sights
like the nation's oldest school house and oldest
drug store, tour the fort as well as get in some fun
in the sun.
You can do some wreck scuba diving at the resting
place of the Tierra Firme fleet. Two ships from the
fleet of 27 vessels, the Atocha and the Santa
Margarita, went to their watery graves along with
380 sailors |
during
a hurricane in 1622. The fleet had more than $250 million in
cargo among them and the Atocha proved to be quite a
profitable salvage job once it was located and now you can
see it for yourself along with her sister ship in the
Florida Keys.
In 1700 the Henneta Marie, a slave trade vessel that had
unloaded slaves in Jamaica and was in the Key West to load
sugar from the plantations sank. Today you can visit Key
West during your wreck scuba diving vacation and see the
oldest know wreck of a slave trading vessel that has been
identified by name.
While you are in the Florida Keys for wreck scuba diving, go
see the San Pedro which was one of the last vessels from the
New Spain fleet to cross to what is now the United States.
In 1733, this ship was taken victim by a hurricane along
with several other ships traveling with her. There are
wrecks covering over 80 miles of the Florida Keys oceanscape
from this storm. The Spanish salvaged this ship only to find
that she had been burned to the waterline so that pirates
could not loot her.
In 1713 a vessel named Urca de Lima owned by the Spanish ran
aground on a shoal off Florida's Atlantic coast during a
hurricane. There were nine other ships lost during this
hurricane but because the Urca de Lima was grounded and did
not sink like the others, she was used as a supply ship to
provide for the survivors of the other shipwrecks as well as
the one remaining French vessel that had been accompanying
the Urca de Lima. Over 1,000 men lost their lives in this
tragic hurricane.
You can find still dive and find shipwrecks under the waters
of the Atlantic Ocean on Florida's eastern coast as well as
some in the calmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico which run
along the western shore of Florida and the southern edge of
the Florida Panhandle.
Florida is a great place to go wreck scuba diving and you
will find the waters warm enough to dive even in the winter.
In fact, the winter is the peak season in this southern
state. You can obtain discount rates if you choose to travel
to Florida during the off-season which is May through
November. You'll also enjoy less crowded areas and beaches
with fewer visitors.
As you plan your wreck scuba diving in Florida, be sure to
have all your dive equipment checked by a professional so
that you won't experience any problems while visiting a
wreck. If you do not want to take your own dive gear, there
are many dive shops located along the coastlines of Florida
ready to provide for your every need.
If you want to ensure that finding the wrecks, scuba diving
with a charter boat that specialized in wreck diving is
practical. These captains know exactly where to visit
quickly and easily locate the wrecks you want to visit.
These locals can also point out other places of interest to
see and things to do in the area during your holiday.
While wreck scuba diving, remember that safety must always
come first when in the water. Don't take unnecessary
chances. Be sure to stay with your dive party and your trip
will be a great success.
Wreck Scuba Diving and other Scuba Diving Vacations
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Aubin
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