USS Vandenberg
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
The USS Vandenberg is a former U.S. Air Force missile tracking ship, later sunk in 2009 as an artificial reef off Key West, Florida. At around 160 metres long, it is one of the largest purpose-sunk wrecks in the world and rests upright on the sandy bottom a few miles south of the island. Depths run from its shallower structures down to a seabed of about 44.2 metres, and the site is rated an advanced dive overall. The superstructure, including its large radar dishes, draws both recreational divers exploring the upper decks and technical divers penetrating deeper sections, and currents in this part of the Florida Straits can be brisk. Grouper are a regular sight on the wreck, and divers have also reported angelfish, barracuda, reef sharks, and even whale sharks passing through the area.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Whale sharkWhale sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
Bicolor DamselfishStegastes partitusReported here · unconfirmed
Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
Slippery DickHalichoeres bivittatusReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowhead WrasseHalichoeres garnotiReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowtail SnapperOcyurus chrysurusReported here · unconfirmed
Redband ParrotfishSparisoma aurofrenatumReported here · unconfirmed
Brazilian Ocean SurgeonfishAcanthurus bahianusReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
Clown WrasseHalichoeres maculipinnaReported here · unconfirmed
Whale SharkRhincodon typusReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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