Sirena head out this morning to dive the Danny McCauley Memorial reef and Midreef. With 1-2 foot seas we headed north of the inlet. It has been just over four months since the Danny McCauley wreck was sunk and the growth on it is already showing.
A good abundance of marine life, both large and small, have settled around this wreck. Most of the metal is covered in a sheet of algae and encrusting sponges. This is the first step in the buildup of a gorgeous reef system. If the other wrecks and artificial reefs in the near vicinity serve as a clue as to what we can expect, in no time will we start to see many of the colorful colonies of sponges starting to grow in size throughout this wreck.
This new wreck in Palm Beach will serve as a great addition for the upcoming goliath grouper spawning aggregation that takes place during late August and early September. Already on the northern wrecks, the tug and barge and the Spud barge, we saw today numerous goliath groupers. Some of which were tagged. Hopefully as the day approaches, we will see some of these groupers make their home on the Danny wreck.
With minimal current, we traveled from the Danny McCauley wreck to the tug and barge wreck that sits just north-northwest from the wreck. Numerous goliath groupers, barracudas, and many tropicals swarmed this unique wreck. If you have never seen this dive site, we highly recommend it!
We traveled east from the tug and barge wrecks to the bridge tender debris where we encountered the regular Caribbean reef sharks that live in this area. Under the enormous structure of debris, which appears like the ice palace in one of the old Superman movies, numerous other goliath groupers and stingrays took refuge. Traveling north we arrived at the Spud barge, which also contained many more goliath groupers in its maze of structure. From the Danny wreck to the Spud barge, these wrecks are some of the most unique in Palm Beach.
On our second dive we headed just south to Midreef where we encountered numerous sea turtles on the ledge, eels, and tropical fish of all kind. With 40-45 feet of visibility, 77 degree water temperature and a very minimal north current, the group enjoyed a day of diving the wrecks and reefs of Palm Beach.
Come out with us and explore the Danny McCauley wreck and the gorgeous reefs of Palm Beach for yourself!
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