Scuba Diving Boat Tours to some of the Best Dive Sites in Florida

El Capitan

Book a scuba diving boat out of Islamorada and they will take you to some of the Spanish galleon wrecks such as El Capitan

On July 15th 1733, the Silver Plate Fleet was struck by a hurricane whilst on its way back to Spain from Havana, Cuba. Some 20 ships and their treasures were lost to the ravages of the storm.

One of the ships in this Spanish fleet was the El Capitan. Located just 4 miles southeast of Plantation Key and discovered in 1948 by Reggie Roberts when operating a charter boat. Nothing much is left of the galleon other than some ballast and cannon stones, with some timbers in the sand.

Islamorada scuba diving boat crews encourage scuba divers at this site to hunt for treasure.

Coins have been found over the years and even now after hurricanes have disturbed the seas, coins can be found in the outer regions away from the wreck. If you plan to dive for treasure bring a solid item such as a plastic board as you will need to fan the sand to uncover hidden treasures.

terence the turtle Terence's Log

Booking a scuba diving boat out of Islamorada was a great way of travelling to all of these Spanish wrecks.

There was more to see at this wreck than the El Infante but again nothing exciting found at or near the dive site.

Still, having soaked up the history of these Spanish wrecks it was still a thrill to dive so close to history.

Scuba Videos

One of the attractions of Florida Key scuba diving is that you will be able to take underwater photographs or underwater videos such as the one below. With excellent light and clear waters you will be able to get some excellent shots.

Although this video was not taken at El Capitan, it does give you an idea of what to expect diving off the Florida coast (Press the button second right on the bottom of the video player to see it in full screen)...