South Florida News: Marine Tourism Gets A Boost From A Sinking In The Palm Beaches
Marine Tourism Gets a Boost from a Sinking in The Palm Beaches
The Ana Cecilia cargo ship, once used in both an attempt to smuggle $10 million worth of cocaine on the Miami River and as the first ship to carry cargo from Miami to Cuba in 2012 after 50 years of embargo, now has a new destiny underwater in The Palm Beaches as an artificial reef.
The ship, a 170-foot Halter Marine general cargo ship built in 1972, was sunk on July 13, a little over a mile off the Lake Worth Inlet in 85 feet of water (coordinates: 26 47.118/-80 00.960). Here, it is part of the artificial reef system managed by the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management.
It will soon become a diver’s dream, bustling with underwater activity as it is colonized by the algae, sponges, and corals that support sea life such as Goliath Grouper, sea turtles, thorny oysters and green moray eels.
Chris Kennan has written for ALL AT SEA since 2005.
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