From a replica lighthouse to 1000 mermaids, 7 sensational Florida artificial reefs

Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs among the 15 Gulf and Atlantic coastal states involved in artificial reef development, state wildlife officials say.

Since the 1940s, more than 3,800 planned public artificial reefs have been placed in state and federal waters off Florida's coast, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The benefits are wide-ranging and include providing opportunities for students at Florida's colleges and universities to helping pull in tourism dollars.

While it is not quite the same or as dangerous as taking an expedition to check out the Titanic, there's still the thrill of seeing a sunken ship or even a pair of World War II tanks under water near Miami.

As much as we'd love to take a look at all 3,800-plus artificial reefs in Florida, for now, we have whittled it down to what we consider seven of the coolest artificial reefs in Florida waters. Here is a closer look, including one site in Collier County and one in Lee County.

1-Radio Tower R, Collier County (Marco Island)

• One of six naval radio towers, the “R” tower has a reputation for drawing in some of the biggest marine life.

• Located 29 miles west of Marco Island, the towers were constructed to aid in navigation along the Gulf.

• Beginning at the water’s surface, the steel-beam structure extends down 75 feet to the hard-bottom floor, with schools of pelagic fish populating the upper portions, and large Goliaths becoming prevalent toward the bottom.

• Since there is something to see at virtually every level, there is something to do for every skill level of diver.

FROM 2014: The 10 best places to scuba dive in Collier County.

2-USS Mohawk, Lee County

• The USS Mohawk CGC Veterans Memorial Reef is the first military ship artificial reef to be a dedicated memorial to all U.S. veterans.

• The USCGC Mohawk WPG-78, launched in 1934, retired to its final resting place in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday July 2, 2012.

• The ship, which had been docked in Fort Myers Beach for preparation, was towed some 30 miles off of Sanibel Island before being scuttled in 90 feet of water by six strategically placed charges meant to allow it to rest upright.

• The 165-foot vessel played a part in World War II combat operations, serving U.S. Naval forces in the North Atlantic; during the war the ship was named the USS Mohawk CGC.

• In order to ensure no negative environmental impacts from its aging equipment, experts cleaned and prepared the ship prior to sending it on its last voyage.

• The dive site was turned into an underwater are gallery in 2013.

3-1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef, Palm Beach

• The 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project initially deployed our first sites in Palm Beach County in August 2019 and November 2020.

• This artificial reef is being created by body casting real people in the form of mermaids on ocean-friendly artistically crafted reef modules that will allow their likeness & legacy to live forever on the seafloor.

• Sits about a mile southeast of the Lake Worth Inlet in 45 feet of water.

• The 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project & Gallery of 1000 Mermaids is a monumental public EcoArt project in the form of an artificial reef installation that serves as an underwater eco-friendly destination for tourism and research.

• Mermaids have long been a symbol of humans’ connection to the ocean, this artificial reef models real people in the form of mermaids creating them into artificial reefs.

• These ocean-friendly and artistically crafted reef modules allow their likeness to live forever on the sea floor off of the coast of Florida in Riviera and Hollywood beach.

4-MV Castor, Boynton Beach

• The MV Castor is a 258-foot-long by 37-foot-wide Dutch freighter.

• Over the years the ship has been broken up by hurricanes the stern section containing most of the house structure has rolled on its starboard side. The deck is 95-100 feet and the bow rises to about 80 feet.

• Adorned by orange cup corals and sponges, the Castor is one of the most colorful wrecks on the Palm Beach Coast.

• The ship was built in 1970 at the Bodewes shipyard, Martenshoek, Netherlands.

• Upon its completion in 1970 originally called M/V Dorothee Bos, the ship was used for cargo and supplies until 1988.

• Under a new name of M/V Mer Star, the captain and the crew embarked from Spain to Mobile, Alabama and remained working within the Caribbean waters for the last twelve years with several different names.

• In 1999 the M/V Castor was seized by U.S. Customs agents after being stopped by the Coast Guard carrying 10,127 pounds of cocaine hidden in brown sugar bags.

• On December 14, 2001 the ship was sunk by Palm Beach County to be part of the Artificial Reef Program.

5-U.S.S. Oriskany, Pensacola

• In 2006, the USS Oriskany came out of retirement 22.5 miles off the coast of Florida. Its mission: provide barnacles and sea creatures with a murky new home and, in the process, divers of all skill levels with fresh adventure.

• The aircraft carrier is 911 feet long, and weighs 32,000 tons, making it the largest ship intentionally sunk as an artificial reef.

• The Oriskany sits in about 215 feet of water, which means divers will first encounter her tower at around 84 feet.

• Below, they can explore the historic decks, hangars and sunken corridors of the Vietnam-era ship in the relative comfort of clear, warm Gulf Stream waters.

• USS Oriskany, was one of the few Essex-class aircraft carriers completed after World War II for the United States Navy.

• The ship was named for the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War.

• It is also known as the "Mighty O."

6-SS Breconshire, Vero Beach

• Named after a historical county in Wales, the SS Breconshire was an iron-hulled, schooner-rigged steamer ship built in Sunderland, England in 1833, or 1883, or 1884, depending on who you ask.

• Some reports suggest that the ship was originally named SS Numida and owned by a company called Porteous & Senier until it was purchased in 1886 by Jenkins & Co, a company based out of London. While owned by Jenkins & Co, the vessel and its crew typically ran routes from England to the Mediterranean and New York, picking up and delivering cargo.

• Though the date the ship was built and its early history remain somewhat of a mystery, all accounts agree that the fateful day it sank along the coast of what is now Vero Beach was April 30th, 1894.

• Up until the early 2000s, the boiler of the SS Breconshire could still be seen poking out of the water and visible from shore, earning it the title of the “Boiler Wreck” among locals.

• The Breconshire is a Vero Beach landmark located 150 yards offshore. Just look for the American flag proudly waving from its underwater mast position

7-Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, Palm Beach County

• The 17-foot tall replica of the Jupiter lighthouse was successfully deployed in the middle of the Andrew Red Harris Foundation No Shoes Reef site off the Jupiter Inlet in October 2017.

• It weighs 10 tons (20,000 pounds).

• The lighthouse is in 55 feet of water and more than a mile northeast of the Jupiter Inlet along with 100 other four-ton artificial reefs and a 250-ton boulder pile reef.

• The actual Jupiter Lighthouse was built in 1860 and is operated by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society. Its range, characterized by two white flashes every 30 seconds, is 25 nautical miles.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida's artificial reefs feature warships, shipwrecks and tanks