datura avenue shipwreck snorkel trail

pier nearby keeps boat traffic away. colorful fish, turtles, shark(nurse), lobsters...usually others out there as well so even though you swim a small distance from shore you don't feel out on your own.

The area off Datura Avenue beach is regarded by many as the “Best Shore Dive in Florida.” The REEF survey database for this area includes over 300 species of fish recorded by shore divers. This site is ranked #5 in species diversity for the Tropical Western Atlantic. (the first four are shore dives in Bonaire) Created in 2002 because of Datura Avenue’s popularity among divers, the Marine Archeology Council (MAC) and South Florida Reef Research Team (SFRRT) spent four years obtaining the permits necessary to place a Shipwreck Snorkel Trail just before the first reef line. This site is a replica of what would be left from a shipwreck in the early 1800s. All artifacts are within a 100′ x 20′ area. A set of two concrete replica cannons is on the North side and three on the South side of the site. There is also an authentic anchor and has a pile of ballast stones in the middle. The ballast stones, made from limestone, have become home to a variety of juvenile tropical fish. Get your light out and spend some time looking around the pile and see how many different fish you can find. The dive here by Snorkel or Scuba is simply AMAZING: We saw multiple sharks, Rays, a loggerhead turtle, a dolphin and numerous other fantastic sea life. This reef will bring out the Jacques Cousteau in you: Don't forget to bring your underwater camera. It is amazing here underwater. It truly is one of the best beach dives for scuba or snorkel in South Florida. Best of all: It's free and right off the beach.