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| Miami Vacation Rental Apartments |
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Miami, of course, shares Fort Lauderdale's proximity to the Gulfstream, making it a natural destination for
establishing artificial reefs. It doesn't take long for shipwrecks and other man-made items to become an integral
part of the underwater landscape here.
From Miami vacation rental apartments or efficiency rent Miami
Coral Gables you can visit Tenneco Towers: Local divers will tell you that Tenneco Towers
is the best artificial reef dive in South Florida. Sunk as a joint venture between Broward and Miami-Dade counties,
and donated by the Tenneco Oil Corporation, the five former oil-drilling platforms were placed about a mile and a
half offshore. The currents from the Gulfstream pass through its open structures. Only three of the platforms are
within recreational diving limits, with top decks in depths of 60, 80 and 100 feet of water.
When you swim beneath, in the giant shadow of the platforms, the structures are almost disorienting. Light streams
through and around the huge steel legs that have the healthiest and most mature sponge and coral growth of any
artificial site in Florida. In the winter months, keep an eye into the blue because you'll almost always see Bull
sharks patrolling the perimeters. There are also angelfish, jacks, amberfish and tropical fish here.
From Miami vacation rental apartments you can also visit The Doc DeMilly: Experienced divers will want to explore
the impressive 287-foot steel freighter Doc DeMilly. Resting on the ocean floor in 150 feet of water east of the
Pacific Reef Lighthouse, it was built in 1949 as the Nuevo Rio and renamed to honor a legendary Miami veterinarian
and pioneer.
The Doc DeMilly went out with a bang in 1986, when air force jet fighters staged a mock attack on her, dropping
concrete bombs while remote-controlled charges took her to the bottom. Visiting the huge ship is an awesome
experience. Divers can touch down on its 70-foot profile superstructure and never fully see the wreck in one dive.
The Tarpoon may also be visited from the Miami vacation rental apartments; local dive operators are also fond of
the Tarpoon, which in 1988 was sunk in 70 feet of water just south of Key Biscayne. The bad news is that this
175-foot grain carrier was violently torn apart during 1992's Hurricane Andrew. The good news is that its
twisted pieces of wreckage are still fascinating, along with the wreck's marine invertebrates and schooling fish.
Stay at Miami vacation rental apartments and visit The "Wreck Trek":
New divers will enjoy a trio of wrecks just
off North Miami Beach. Dubbed the "Wreck Trek" by local dive operators, the site is connected by underwater trails
with steel stakes anchored to the sea bottom as markers. The trek includes the 85-foot tug, Patricia, the 100-foot
steel fishing vessel, Miss Karline, and the old Radio Mambi antenna that was welded into 19 pyramids.
Two Tanks: In 1994, two miles east of the Eden Roc Resort & Spa and the Miami vacation rental apartments, two
U.S. Army tanks with their huge gun turrets still intact were sunk in just 50 feet of water. It's known, of course,
as the best "two tank dive" in Miami.
On your next stay at Miami vacation rental apartments you can visit Celebrity Sinkings: In keeping with its
star-gazing character, Miami boasts some celebrity sinkings as well. Hugh Downs, an avid diver and former host of
ABC's 20/20 was on hand in 1989 when the 105-foot tug Rio Miami was sunk in 80 feet of water. Nearby, the 1995
sinking of the 180-foot freighter Tortuga (renamed Fair Game) brought the artificial reef program even more
publicity. Cindy Crawford is known to have that kind of effect on just about any event (the ship was sunk as part
of a movie Crawford made with Billy Baldwin). The huge ship is easily penetrated and has attracted lots of marine
inhabitants.
The Orion: It's been more than 20 years since Miami's first intentionally sunk ship became the beginning of a very
successful artificial reef program. And it's still one of the very best dive sites.
The good ship Orion is the perfect introduction to artificial reef diving and summarily the best ending. Underwater
since 1981, the 120-foot tugboat guided ships through the Panama Canal for almost 50 years before it was sunk off
Key Biscayne.
Now you are fully aware that on your next South Florida holiday you may combine sightseeing and underwater
activities, all from the comfort of the Miami vacation rental apartments.
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