Scuba & H2O Adventures

Divers who enjoy the coral reefs and shipwrecks in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are encouraged to participate as NOAA conducts its first comprehensive review of the sanctuary’s management plan, boundary, regulations, and marine zones. In the Florida Keys, the marine ecosystem drives the economy and the local way of life, bringing visitors to enjoy world-class diving and fishing, year-round warm temperatures, fresh seafood, and a truly unique culture. Approximately 60 percent of the jobs in the Florida Keys are connected the water and the resources within.

On February 19, 1942, in the darkness of the cold winter morning, the stealthy German submarine U-432 followed the silhouette of a lone freighter steaming north fifty-five miles east of Cape May, New Jersey. The order to man battle stations was relayed to the crew. On board the British steamer, most of the crew members were off duty, settled in their bunks sleeping in the early morning hours. The drone of the pounding steam engine was abruptly interrupted by the detonation of two torpedoes that slammed into the targeted ship. Within minutes the force of the sea drew the tortured hull to the sandy bottom. Thirty-four merchant sailors were lost without a word relating the circumstances of their deaths. Only a short entry in the German U-boat’s log had given a vague description of the victim with no name. Somewhere between New Orleans and New York, the S.S. Miraflores was reported missing after failing to reach her destination. Only a short Louisiana newspaper clipping noted the mystery. Miraflores had gone missing, lost without a trace.