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Project T1.1 visited all wrecks in Miami-Dade county
lying between 120 and 170FT depth, excluding those wrecks in the
extreme southern section of the county. The project began
on March 2, 2003, with a dive on the Deep Freeze by Joel
Svendsen and Robert Bognar. The project was completed on
July 4, 2007, with a dive on the Narwal by Joel Svendsen,
Matthew Hoelscher, and Ralph Figueroa.
Narwal 115FT
The bow and stern of the Narwal are
reasonably intact, but her midsection is a tangle of twisted
metal. An interesting site, despite generally poor
visibility at this location.
Ultra Freeze 120FT
The Ultra Freeze is a large and impressive
wreck. She is bent and partially broken amidships.
There is extensive penetration possible, but fallen electrical
cables and general deterioration make penetration of this ship
particularly hazardous. This site suffers from chronically
bad visibility.
Captain Harry 120FT
Incorrectly listed by the county as a 90
FT steel ship, this is actually a Barge. A great deal of marine
life is present, but the barge itself is unremarkable
Merci Rabi 120FT
This is a barge sunk along with a huge
load of concrete culverts which are spread over a wide area.
The county mistakenly called this site the "Merci Rabi."
The Merci Rabi is sitting in 165FT of water, and after her
sinking was renamed the Nick Comoglio (see below).
Bunnell Barge 130FT
Rather similar to the Captain Harry, this
is an unremarkable barge lying upside down in about 130ft.
Deep Freeze 135ft
A large freighter, she sits upright on the
bottom. Her superstructure was removed
prior to sinking. The stern section has broken away and is twisted
about 30 degrees to starboard.
Lakeland 135ft
Almost completely upside down, with a very
large debris field around the wreck. Penetration potential is
extensive but hazardous. Much of the inside of the Lakeland has
been surveyed. The debris field around the Lakeland is
vast; even with DPV's it is a challenge to see it all on one
dive, and contains a great deal of interesting marine life.
Pimellous 135ft
Upright and intact, this vessel has almost
no freeboard or superstructure. The wooden decking is long gone,
leaving steel support beams behind. A large and interesting crane is in the sand
behind the wreck.
Customs Reef - 120ft / 131ft / 138ft / 145ft
Four large, impressive looking vessels, all
upright and intact. Two of the four are easily seen from one
another, the other two are a considerable swim away.
Jack Falafian 150FT
An 80ft steel tugboat located in 150FT. Upright and
intact; very impressive bow to stern penetration possible.
This is a small but pretty wreck.
Watson Island Barge 150ft
A big, completely intact box; no
penetration possible at this time.
Nick Comoglio 150ft
The wreck now officially known as the Nick
Comoglio was located by the Miami Wreck Exploration Project soon
after her sinking, and lacking official confirmation of her
identity she was named the "Skeeter." Around two years
after her sinking, Miami-Dade county published her location, and
named her after Nick Comoglio, a young Miami free diver who
perished on a training dive as part of an attempt to break the
free diving depth record. The vessel's pre sinking name
was "Merci Rabi," and confusingly that same name was given to a
barge sunk one month after her. Upright and intact, the
Nick Comoglio is a small wreck but with a great deal of
growth and some interesting penetration. (Note that while
the official depth is listed as 150ft, the actual depth is
nearly 170ft)
Jupiter Star 155ft
Intact, lying on her port side with some
damage to her superstructure and rudder, most probably from her
sinking. Major penetration (cave diving rules apply here) down
the funnel all the way into the engine room. This is a very
large and impressive looking wreck.
Hopper Barge 160ft
Impressive looking hopper barge, upright
and intact except the stern (or is it the bow?) bulkhead is
missing from the north end of the wreck.
Railroad Barge 165ft
An intact box with some limited access for
penetration, although the inside looks tight.
Gimrock Barges 165ft
Impressive looking barge full of wreckage
of a second barge
Water Tower 170ft
Retired Miami Beach water tower lying on
the bottom next to an impressive looking barge. Considerable
debris inside the barge, mostly consisting of the support
structure for the water tower when it was on land. |