Cruz del Sur
Wreck · Miami Beach
25° 58.161' N 80° 04.619' W
Technical Hypoxic Trimix Max 240 ft Avg 220 ft Hot Drop
Today AMPoor
Details
Technical Hypoxic Trimix
Minimum recommended certification
- Max depth
- 240 ft
- Average depth
- 220 ft
- Access
- Hot Drop
- Sea state today
- AMPoor PMPoor
Video
🎥 ISDC
Pictures 1
Where it is
25° 58.161' N 80° 04.619' W
Next boats to this site 0
No confirmed trips to this site are listed yet.
Operators that dive here
Best Gas
Gas prices
| Diluent tank | $35.50 |
| O2 tank | $10.00 |
Gas prices
| Aluminum 80 | $10 |
| Steel HP 100 | $10 |
| Steel LP 85 | $10 |
Wreck Details
Sunk December 16, 1986
Freighter
257 ftLength
41 ftBeam
Site description
This is one of the most spectacular technical dive sites in South Florida. The wreck sits just inside the county line between Miami-Dade and Broward counties. This freighter is intact and upright with its bow pointing south. Its massive size and depth makes it an easy yet challenging target for dive operator captains to drop their divers.
Marine life is abundant for a site this deep. Pompanos, jacks and other large silver fish are often found here.
This wreck has everything a technical diver may be looking for: good location, penetration opportunities, marine life and depth. The only drawback is that dive operators don't schedule this dive very often, and if they do, filling a boat with enough divers may pose a challenge, as not all tec divers are certified to dive below 200 feet.
Route & typical conditions
Route
This dive always starts as a hot drop. If divers make the target they will see this massive wreck rising from the sand at around 200 feet - where the top of the superstructure begins.
Divers are encourage to give the wreck at least one lap. Bottom time will be limited as this wreck needs, and deserves, more than one dive.
The stern superstructure offers a lot discover and there is a hole in the port side where you can access the engine room directly - a must-do if you’re qualified.
Typical conditions
Conditions are often good at this site. It tends to become a little dark given its depth but visibility may still be good - ranging from 30 to 60 feet. Current can be strong in this site, and it's not unheard to have 1 knot down at the sand level.
Wreck history
The Cruz del Sur, originally launched as the Tronstad on July 7, 1956. It was a 1,995-ton freighter built by the German shipbuilder Lindenau in their Kiel shipyard. With an overall length of 258 feet and a breadth of 41 feet, it underwent several name changes over the years: first to Eva in 1962, then Caribbean Tamanaco in 1969, and finally Cruz del Sur in 1977.
On March 3, 1985, the US Coast Guard seized the Cruz del Sur for drug smuggling. A boarding party from the U.S.C.G.C. Mesquite discovered three pounds of marijuana hidden onboard. As a result, the vessel was forfeited and purchased jointly by Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
On December 16, 1986, the Cruz del Sur found a new purpose as an artificial reef. It was scuttled with explosives in 240 feet of water, positioned near the border of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, less than a mile south of the Tenneco Towers site. The wreck now rests upright and intact, its forward kingposts reaching within 140 feet of the surface. Divers exploring the site are usually treated to excellent visibility, and while the cargo holds are mostly bare, the colorful layer of invertebrate growth on the decks hosts swarms of small tropical fish1. Quite a transformation from a smuggling vessel to an underwater haven!
Divers' uploaded pictures
No diver pictures yet.
