It’s been just over six months since the USS Vandenberg was sunk. Our artificial reef is coming along nicely- not everything is stark white any more, but covered in growth at this point. We were out snorkeling and freediving recently, and the vis was about 80 feet. No current, and hardly any wind. Perfect Key West snorkeling conditions! Here are a few photos.
- You can see the growth
Sometimes when it’s windy, it’s fun to head out in the boat to the Gulf side, or Back Country. It’s different there, and snorkeling is just as much fun as out on the reef. In these pictures you can see lobster, hogfish, red grouper, puffer fish, snapper, angel fish, spade fish and more.
If you live in Key West, you have the pleasure of meeting interesting people from all over the country who come here on vacation. For the spearfishing community, it’s fun to meet spearfishing buddies you’ve previously known only online. Check out these pics, taken on the Gulf side for a change, when the vis was exceptionally clear for the Gulf. We noticed lots of parrot fish, and surprisingly healthy and abundant patches of reef in certain areas. Great day for snorkeling!
Key West snorkeling is always great, but lately we had some clear water on the Gulf side. We headed out to the back country to check it all out and voila, beautiful coral heads, fish, and nice calm waters. Ahh, July in Key West!
You Can See Scuba Divers Below this Freediver
After all those months of anticipation for the Vandenberg sinking, we finally got to dive it last week. Freediving the Vandenberg is definitely the ultimate wreck experience for freedivers. When the vis is good, you can see the Vandenberg from the boat! That’s because the top decks, satellite dish, and almost all other parts of the ship are painted white. They’re not covered with growth yet, either. You can look down from the surface and see a barracuda outlined against the floor of the top deck.
In fact, barracuda seem to be the only major fish that have shown up yet, at least ones you can see while freediving the Vandenberg. The top deck is about sixty feet down. I can get down to 45 feet if I crunch my eardrums a little, which means it’s my limit for now. One guy we were with swam under a beam (no tanks, remember) but I’m not there yet!
The fun part was freediving down, tankless, and seeing scuba divers nearby with all their bubbles streaming out behind them, all that gear, oy! In some of the pictures below, you can see the scuba divers. The Vandenberg is exciting for everyone, including Key West scuba enthusiasts. But for me, freediving the Vandenberg was the ultimate experience. I can’t wait to go back.
Freediver Sitting on the Vandenberg Crane
A spearfishing friend of ours who works for FWC was among the first to dive the Vandenberg, the day after the sinking. He took some amazing pictures, so here they are. The satellite dish did come loose in the sinking process, but not totally loose. It’s still attached via a huge cable, and sits on the deck of the ship, where it will remain. Thanks for the awesome pics, Mike!
The warm water here, and Key West snorkeling is really taking off. No longer do you need a wetsuit, the water is so warm. Just a stylish rashguard and shorts or bikini bottom will do…with lots of sunscreen on those uncovered parts! The water is finally calmer, and some days the ocean around Key West is like a lake. Don’t get me wrong- the winter cooling breezes are always a welcome part of any Key West snorkeling trip. But smooth water is excellent for snorkeling.
These pictures were taken today, and although conditions were excellent for snorkelers, the water was a bit green, making the vis a little bit compromised. But as you can see in the barracuda picture, taken at about 20 or 25 feet, you can still see bottom. This barracuda was following us, lurking, as it seems lots of barracuda do. They think all boats are fishing boats, which means wonderful bits of chum showering down for them to eat. Not this time! They get close, making picture taking fun and easy. But don’t worry, they are afraid of people, they won’t harm you.
This is big, really big. A 528 foot ship will be sunk south of the Cayman Wreck this month, to become the world’s second largest artificial reef. It’s the former troup transport ship from World War II, the USS Vandenberg. Everyone is excited, and here are some pictures of the ship, which is now docked at Truman Waterfront while workers clean out debris and make it ready for sinking.
