Key West Diving Information
Some of Key West's most exciting and beautiful, pristine reefs are located just a few miles from shore and are easily visited via the many Key West dive and snorkel charter guides. Fabulous snorkeling is also possible right from the many shorelines found throughout the keys. An exciting facility is run by the non-profit group Reef Relief and the City of Key West. Please visit our video about Reef Relief on KeysTV.com!
The Sinking of The Vandenberg off Key West
The ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration on 1 May 1999. Her projected transfer to the state of Florida, for use as an artificial reef, received approval on 13 February 2007. The ship was sunk 6 miles (10 km) off the Florida Keys in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The sinking was originally set to take place on 15 May 2008 but was postponed because the ship was placed under "Federal Arrest" by a US Federal Court for failure to pay shipyard fees related to the clean-up and preparation for the sinking. It was later ordered sold at auction to pay the shipyard fees. A group of banks and financiers from Key West was able to arrange to pay the fees and title of the ship was transferred to the city of Key West.
On April 12, 2009, the Vandenberg left the shipyard and began the long tow to Key West. On April 22, 2009 it arrived in the Key West Harbor where it was moored at the East Quay Pier. The sinking took place on Wednesday, May 27, 2009.
The Vandenberg provides probably the best wreck diving experience in the world! You can watch the entire sinking process on ConchTV.com
Also, Key West provides some of the best diving in all of the Caribbean. You can also take part in many of the snorkel charter boats popular to Key West. These ultra modern catamarans with fully trained crews will take you and your family out to the reef where you can snorkel in the crystal clear waters and experience endless diving opportunities among the beautiful coral.
Imagine diving in the very waters where millions of dollars in gold and treasure lie just beaneath the sandy bottom. The Attocha was discover here and yielded not only many millions in gold and emeralds, but also provided an insight into the rich history of Spain and her sailing ships.
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