AQUANAUT WRECK

The Aquanaut dive is a 55-foot-long wooden tug boat located 75 feet down on the Middle Sambo Reef off the Florida Keys. It is a 55-foot long wood-hulled tug that sank in 1967. The boat sits upright at a depth of 75 feet. The tug rests on the bottom near the edge of the Gulfstream.

Since the Aquanaut was made of wood, her remains are now scattered and rotten, so she is no longer very interesting as a ship, though her larger pieces have become very lively coral reef sites. Some of the species that now call the Aquanaut their home include crabs, lobsters, spiny oysters, yellowtail, shrimp, angelfish, groupers, and others.

If you’re familiar with Alexander’s Wreck, then you’ll be interested to know that this is a related wreck. Alexander’s Wreck is a shallow dive to an artificial reef created out of the wreck of the Naval destroyer USS Amesbury. The Aquanaut tugboat belonged to Chet Alexander, the marine salvage purchaser of the USS Amesbury. Alexander was the person who sank the Amesbury to create the artificial reef that is now home to many species of fish.

With the clear visibility of the water, the Aquanaut is considered one of the better photographic opportunities in the waters surrounding the Florida Keys, though of course conditions may vary.

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