KEY WEST - A Diving Adventure

Ernest Hemmingway lived, fished and wrote on this island he called home.

Join Dive Travel, a video adventure series, for its first production, filming the introduction from the front lawn of the famous Hemmingway house in Key West.Then, come along with us as we dive the Atlantic Reef, America's only living coral reef. This 150 mile (241.4 km) system parallels the Keys four to five miles (8 km) offshore from Biscayne Bay to the Marquesas.

We also take you to two of the Key West's popular wrecks; the Cayman Salvage Master and Joe's Tug. But before we dive we take you on a mystical tour of party town in Key West style where you will observe the landmark southern most point in the continental United States. Key West is the home to key lime pie, a naval base, exotic foliage and natural coconut trees, almost 30,000 year round residents and its free roaming chickens.

Now let's talk about the dives. The Cayman Salvager now lies one mile southwest of the Nine-Foot Stake. This 187' (57 meters) steel-hulled buoy tender was built in 1937 for the Coast Guard and was later used as a cable layer. While being towed out for sinking, she prematurely sunk in just 90' (27.4 meters) of water where she currently resides. Bar jacks and schools of silversides frequent this site. Divers have reported that a 200 lbs (91 kg) jewfish and a six-foot (two meter) green moray eel call this vessel home.

"Joe's Tug" in fact, is an old steel hulled shrimper. Joe's Tug which is 75' in length now sits in about 65' (20 meters) of water in the sand, no longer intact. In 1998, Hurricane Georges picked up the wreck and tore her in half. The hull is easily accessible and is usually filled with schooling fish. She sits up right on the ocean floor surrounded by soft and hard coral formations and large sponges. This wreck is home to some very friendly moray eels and inquisitive fish. Joe's Tug is an easy and rewarding dive for both beginners and experienced divers. We hope you enjoy Key West, Florida.