Dry Tortugas National Park guide · 2 min read
Shipwrecks Beneath Tortugas Waters
The Windjammer Wreck, also called the Avanti, is the park's most popular dive. The ship was a three-masted, iron-hulled sailing vessel built in 1875.
In 1901 it was wrecked on Loggerhead Reef while carrying lumber to Montevideo.
The wreck lies about one mile southwest of the southwest tip of Loggerhead Key, with depths from zero feet, where a piece of wreckage reaches the surface, to 20 feet. Because the ship is broken apart, stop at the visitor center for the laminated underwater map before you dive. The map works as a self-guided tour and helps you understand what you see below. Flood tide gives the clearest water, and the bow and stern have the most relief and sea life. It suits snorkelers and scuba divers exploring side by side.
The Bird Key Wreck, also called the Brick Wreck, lies in shallow water only four to six feet deep on Bird Key Bank. Currents can run hard across the bank at times, so stay alert. Dive flags are required whether you snorkel or dive here.
The park lies at the far southwest end of the Florida Keys reef system, which is the third largest on the planet. Its isolation and an eastward gulf current just south of the islands tend to bring larger, more plentiful sea life than other parts of the Keys. Divers and snorkelers can spot lobsters, octopuses, sharks, sea turtles, and tropical fish around the coral. Patches of living coral can be reached in water just three or four feet deep.
Ships moving through the Florida Straits once relied on the sheltered harbor here, and that maritime history ties into the story of Fort Jefferson. Turtles nest on the sand here, so give them room if you come across one. Paddling a kayak out to Loggerhead Key is an option if you have extra time.
