Joes Tug

JOE’S TUG

Any Key West diving center will include Joes Tug as an interesting wreck dive site.

Key West Diving – Joe’s Tug

Located 41/2 miles south of Key West, the wreck is sitting in 65ft of water on the sandy bottom.

If you go scuba diving, Florida Key West diving centers will tell you the story of how this boat sank at Safe Harbor in 1986.

It was agreed that after being raised, stripped and cleaned Joes Tug would be used as an artificial reef off Miami’s coast. Mysteriously the boat was towed out of Key West and sunk at its present location the day before it was due to be moved to Miami.

Since it’s sinking in 1986 the boat has been ravaged by Hurricane Georges in 1998 followed by further hurricanes in 1999. This has left the wreck without its wheelhouse.

Key West centers will also inform you that the wreck now has some interesting residents. ‘Elvis’ the jewfish roams the wreck which is also inhabited by a large moray eel often found in the keel section. The holds are full of grunts, and barracuda are often seen in and about the wreck.

The wreck is now surrounded by various hard and soft corals together with sponges which makes the surrounding area a delight.

Key West Scuba Videos

Key West has some very popular dive sites and many have been photographed. Scuba diving videos are probably the most popular method of recording dives and below is a brief video of a typical wreck dive at Key West.

This video is the wreck Cayman Salvage Master and gives you a sample of what to expect when diving off the Florida coast (Press the button second right on the bottom of the video player to see it in full screen)…

Terence’s Log

Joe’s Tug
Depth: 1-20m (3-65ft)
Visibility: 9-39m (30-130ft)
Plenty of fish
Intermediate to Advanced
Wreck Diving
Snorkeling: No

I always enjoy Key West. Diving here provides plenty of opportunity to take underwater photos and Joe’s Tug didn’t disappoint.

When diving to wrecks such as this I would always advise carrying a torch or light as there is nothing more frustrating than being at a dive site and not being able to explore a wreck fully.