Eagle

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Fast Facts:

Avg Rating:

Avg Depth: 80 ft. / 24m

Max Depth: 110 ft. / 34m

Skill Level: Advanced

Features:

• Artificial Reef

• Mooring Buoys

• Wreck Site

The Eagle is a freighter that was obtained by the Eagle Tire Company after a fire rendered it no longer useful for cargo transport. Islamorada dive shops and tourism interests worked together to have the Eagle become an artificial reef and popular dive spot off Lower Matecumbe Key. The ship was cleaned and holes blasted in the sides before it was sunk in 1985.

The ship settled in 110 feet of water on her starboard side. A hurricane in 1998 broke the ship in half. Mooring buoys are located at its bow and stern. Divers should descend on anchor lines as the current can be quite strong. A smokestack, crow's nest and mast are all intact. Because its profile reaches 40 feet and there is great visibility, divers will need to descend only 65 feet to reach the ship. The entire ship can be seen at a range of 65-100 feet.

There are several places where advanced wreck divers can penetrate the ship. It is generally well-lit, and divers report seeing amberjacks, grunts, silversides, cobia, jewfish, and nurse sharks. The masses of coral that have grown on the ship are well-developed. Spiny oysters and sponges abound.