Location: Ft. Lauderdale
Depth Range: 65-72'
Skill Level: Open Water
Want to dive on three wrecks on one tank? The Ft. Lauderdale Wreck Trek is designed to be a drift over 3 wrecks that sit in 65-70 ft of water. The current in this area mostly runs from south to north, so the boat will usually tie up to the 100 ft tugboat the Jay Scutti. The Scutti was used to assist oil tankers in Aruba but was caught smuggling drugs and was put up for sale. It was bought and donated to Broward County in 1986 and placed as an artificial reef and memorial to Jay Scutti. Look out on the sand near this wreck and you will hopefully see southern sting rays, and follow the rebar stakes and cinder-blocks to the north to the next wreck.
Following this drift is the crowd favorite, the Tracy or also known as the Ken Vitale. The Tracy was an oil rig supply boat and it also was caught smuggling drugs and sold to Broward County to be sank as an artificial reef in 1999. It was then renamed the Ken Vitale in memory of a local scuba instructor. This boat is 132 ft in length and has lots of easy wreck penetration areas for advanced training dives. It has an amazing overhang swim-through that schools of grunts like to hang out under. At 50 ft the wheelhouse of the wreck is full of orange cup corals and lots of fish like to hang above it, especially barracuda. Off the bow of this ship is a sand trail with rebar and tires to lead you north to the next wreck.
The last wreck in the line up is the Mercy Jesus. This wreck was placed in 1998 as another artificial reef and not much is know about its origin. Its a smaller wreck in length (90 ft) and has holes in the haul which are easy to explore in. Lots of life can be found on this wreck, including schools of grunts, angelfish, and parrotfish.
To dive this site, contact Force-E Pompano Beach or Force-E Boca Raton for boat schedules.
