Dive 1 &2: Eagle. Seas 2-4 feet, depth 110 feet, vis 50 feet, water 84 degrees, minimal current. What began as a planned descent onto the mighty Spiegel Grove took an unexpected—and thrilling—turn. Just before departure, our crew of seven divers learned that due to rough conditions at the Spiegel, the intrepid team at Conch Republic made the call to reroute us to another legend of the deep: the Eagle. And what a call it was. After a short delay, we set sail with great anticipation—some of us were about to explore the Eagle for the very first time.
Resting in 110 feet of blue water, the Eagle is a wreck with character: split in two and shaped by the power of the ocean and recent hurricanes, its mooring buoys scarce or submerged, making the visit feel like a discovery mission. We descended along the mast near midship and were immediately welcomed by a nurse shark lounging on the sand, completely unbothered by our arrival. As we moved through the wreck, it felt like every shadowed nook was guarded by green moray eels, peeking out like secret sentinels of the ship. But the real stars of the dive stole the show—massive goliath groupers patrolled the site, boldly weaving in and out of the ship's jagged remains. Just when we thought we’d seen it all, a lionfish of unbelievable proportions drifted into view—easily one of the largest any of us had ever laid eyes on. The switch from Spiegel Grove to the Eagle turned out to be an amazing gift —a dive full of surprises and close encounters.
Photo by Jean Gruss
Photo by Jean Gruss
Photo by Rudy Lopez
Photo by Jean Gruss
Photo by Rudy Lopez