Wreck Diving the Duane at 120ft!
On the last day, we visited the USCG Cutter Duane,
a sunken ship at about 120 ft. It had a big hull (biggest I've seen
yet) with multiple layers of doors and inner decks. It even had a huge
mast with a crows nest at the top. I'd say it was about 70ft from top
to bottom. We only swam through one overhead environment since some
areas were dark and considered cave zones - diving there requires special
wreck certification...
"The Duane, and her sister
ship the Bibb, were sunk in November of 1987. The Duane is named after
Secretary of the Treasury William J. Duane who served under President
Andrew Jackson."
"The wreck of the USCG Cutter Duane. The Duane is a 327 ft.
Coast Guard Cutter sunk in 1987 as an artificial reef. It was
voted the most popular wreck dive in the United States
by divers sending in their votes to Rodales Scuba Diving.
This is an advanced dive due to the moderate to heavy current
flow and its depth of 103' to the main deck. The Duane is
quite wonderful and eerie at the same time as one descends the
mooring line to the deck. She sits upright in about 125 ft.
of water with the crow's nest looming at about 60 ft. with
the ever vigilant barracuda hanging about. Just about any
variety of fish life can be seen due to its proximity to the
open sea." - Florida Keys Dive Center
Pictures of Nick and Darren diving
the Duane !
