Wreck Trek Lauderdale

Type of Dive

Standard Wreck Dive.

Skill Level

Beginner: Open Water Diver 15 years and older or Jr. Advanced Open Water Diver 12 to 14 years old.

Dive Site Depths

55 feet on top of the Wreck & 70 feet to the sand.

Dive Site Location

Lauderdale wreck trek is located at 5.82 Nm @ 1850 from Hillsboro Inlet & 4.19 Nm @ 0250 from Port Everglades. 1.04 Nm off-shore from Sea Towers Condo.

Ship Description

The wreck trek Lauderdale is actually three shipwrecks in a row. Starting from North to South we have the Merci Jesus (cargo freighter), The Tracey (cargo hauler) and Jay Scutti (large tugboat) all three ships are sitting upright in the sand

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Dive Site Information

The "Wreck Trek Ft. Lauderdale" is a 3 wreck drift dive that includes the Jay Scutti, Tracey and Merci Jesus. You can easily cover 2 wrecks and if the current is right you can do all 3.

This area is a great dive, along with all the marine life you get to test your navigational skills. There are rebar stakes sticking up in the sand in between the wrecks to help guide you along.

The Dive Plan:

2 Dives 2 Locations

We start off the day with our first dive on the Wreck Trek Lauderdale site. Then it's off to our second dive which is typically a drift dive somewhere on the third reef system. The drift dive location is selected based on conditions and visibility.

Dive Times

Divers will have one hour at each location, air and bottom time permitting.

Departure Location

The departure dock location for this dive trip is located in Pompano Beach.

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Wreck Trek Lauderdale video.

Ships History

The 95 foot Aruba harbor tugboat was built in 1961 in the Netherlands. Her original name was Arikok after the first settlers of Aruba. The Arikok was caught while on a marijuana smuggling mission and confiscated. She was later purchased at auction by a local businessman and renamed Jay Scutti, in memory of his son. The wreck was scuttled as an artificial reef on September 19, 1986.

The Merci Jesus was seized by U.S. Customs Officials in April of 1998 for possession of drugs. The ship was then scuttled by the Broward County Artificial Reef Program on August 11, 1998.

The Tracey was seized by U.S. Customs for drug trafficking and towed to the Miami River where it sat derelict. Eventually the wreck sailed to Ft. Lauderdale to become an artificial reef. The ship was deployed on March 2, 1999. There is a plaque on the ship in memory of a well known local diving instructor, Ken Vitale.

Resident Marine Life

This is a well-established wreck site and there is an abundance of marine life that resides in the area. It is common to see large schools of small and medium tropical fish, stingray’s large and small, eels, lobsters and the occasional Turtle or Eagle Ray. Also due to its location it is a good place to look out for whale sharks.

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Extend your bottom time with Enriched Air (Nitrox)

The PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) diver course will certify you to use Enriched Air (Nitrox) to stay down longer during your shallow water dives.

 Also by breathing a higher concentration of oxygen during your dive, you will come back feeling refreshed and ready for more diving.

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