Benwood

The Benwood is a freighter that sank in 1942 off Key Largo after a collision in the dark, waters made tense at the time by wartime blackout conditions and reports of German U-boats nearby in the Straits of Florida. The wreck now lies broken up on a sandy bottom in a maximum depth of around 13.7 metres, its scattered structure encrusted with coral and sponge growth after decades submerged. It sits close to French Reef and is a popular stop for boats out of Key Largo, often paired with a reef dive on the same trip. Visibility is generally good with light current, making it a beginner-rated dive, though divers have reported patches of moderate current and fire coral to watch for around the wreckage. Marine life reported at the site includes barracuda, grouper, lobster, moray eels, sea turtles, and snapper tucked into the structure.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
• Moray eelMoray eelReported here · unconfirmed
• LobsterLobsterReported here · unconfirmed
• Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Bicolor DamselfishStegastes partitusReported here · unconfirmed
• Redband ParrotfishSparisoma aurofrenatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
• Brazilian Ocean SurgeonfishAcanthurus bahianusReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowhead WrasseHalichoeres garnotiReported here · unconfirmed
• Clown WrasseHalichoeres maculipinnaReported here · unconfirmed
• Slippery DickHalichoeres bivittatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowtail SnapperOcyurus chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
• SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
• GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
• BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed