Miami Wrecks

This weekend’s dives took the group of eight divers offshore Miami to explore two of the area’s most popular wrecks: the Sheri-Lyn and the Dema Trader. Both sites offered ideal conditions for wreck diving, with calm seas, decent visibility, and plenty of marine life to make each descent unforgettable.

Dive 1 – Sheri-Lyn Wreck
The first dive of the day took the group to the Sheri-Lyn, a 235-foot freighter resting upright in about 110 feet of water off Miami. Visibility improved once on the wreck, where a light, manageable current made for comfortable conditions. The ship lies in two sections, separated by roughly 150 feet, and has transformed into a thriving artificial reef draped in sponges and corals. A magnificent ray was seen gliding gracefully across the sand just off the bow, while inside the wreck’s open spaces divers encountered angelfish, grunts, and even a striking Florida Regal Sea Goddess nudibranch crawling along the banister. With its size, layout, and abundance of life, the Sheri-Lyn offered plenty of opportunities for exploration and proved to be an excellent start to the day.

Dive 2 – Dema Trader Wreck
After a short surface interval, the group descended onto the Dema Trader, another freighter intentionally sunk to form an artificial reef. Sitting in about 80 feet of water, the wreck is upright and easy to navigate, with large openings and swim-throughs accessible to divers of all levels. Conditions here were calm, and the site was alive with movement—schools of fish hovered above the deck while stonefish hid in plain sight. Within the cargo area of the ship, divers encountered a massive rainbow parrot fish, while numerous midnight parrotfish circled the outer areas of the ship.  The dive ended with a slow pass along the upper deck, where sunlight cut through the water and lit up the wreck, giving the site a striking final view before the ascent.

--Safety Officer Rudy Lopez

^{Underwater photos by Rudy Lopez.} 

^{Samantha Weisz, Enrique Menocal, Hilda Balbi, Rachel Davis, Rudy Lopez, Gabriel Mera Miyares,  Roger Bach}