RSSThe Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail: Florida’s Newest Underwater Cultural Attraction!
Jun 25
Uncategorized Destin, FAMI Tugboats, Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Panhandle, Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail, Heritage Tourism, Panama City, Pensacola, Port St. Joe, SCUBA, Scuba Diving, shipwrecks, Underwater Archaeology, USS Oriskany, YDT-4 No Comments
Hey all you SCUBA divers out there in cyber land! Florida’s Panhandle has a new attraction for your underwater enjoyment! This month the Florida Bureau of Archaeological
YDT-4, one of the wrecks featured on the trail. This is one of two U.S. Navy diving tenders sunk as artificial reefs in 2002 off the coast of Pensacola.
Research, Division of Historical Resources and their many partners have launched the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail. This underwater trail includes twelve shipwrecks off the coast of the panhandle from Pensacola to Port St. Joe. Each of these wrecks has a different, interesting story to tell and is home to a wide variety of marine life. The trail includes fascinating dive sites, such as the USS Oriskany, which is the world’s largest artificial reef, and the FAMI Tugboats, with one piggy-backed atop the other! The twelve wrecks are located in varying depths, and you can start the trail on any wreck and go in any order you would like. The official website, www.floridapanhandledivetrail.com provides divers with all the information they need to plan their trip. It gives details about the site itself, the current weather conditions and much more. While there you can even get a glimpse of the site by watching video clips of each site! To help guide visitors along the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail, an official passport is available at participating dive shops and charter boats. You can find the location of all participating dive shops and charter boats on the website as well. The passport contains a dive log to record each stop along the trail and includes a place to validate your visit with an official sticker and signature! This makes a great souvenir of your underwater adventure along the coast of the Florida Panhandle.
You can pick up your own passport to commemorate your dives at any of the participating dive shops or charter boats!
You can also join the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail’s Facebook page to share photos and stories of your visits to the various dive sites!
Of course, we want to ensure that these sites remain in pristine condition so that the marine life and other divers can continue to enjoy these beautiful resources. The Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail aims to promote underwater cultural heritage tourism and stewardship. It focuses on responsible diving and local stewardship to ensure that these resources will be sustainable and that we can all continue to enjoy them for years to come. Remember, take only pictures and leave only bubbles! So strap on your fins and suit up! The water is beautiful, so dive on in to your next underwater adventure along Florida’s Panhandle!