Discover the vibrant underwater delights of South Florida

Travellers looking for a unique location for their scuba diving holidays should take a trip to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea in South Florida where they can divide their time between beautiful pristine Broward beaches and the warm ocean waters which are home to an abundance of colourful marine life.

Broward County has numerous diving sites including coral reefs which are accessible by fins rather than by boat which makes it a popular tourist destination for scuba diving holidays.

Image by divemasterking2000, on Flickr

The county has an extensive artificial reef program and over the last 25 years when it was first launched, over 75 ships, tugboats and freighters have been sunk into the waters.

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea has a Shipwreck Snorkel Trail which was constructed by the Marine Archaeological Council to promote the regions' maritime heritage and beautiful marine life. The artificial reef and underwater trail features an anchor, five concrete cannons and a ballast pile where snorkelers can explore the beautiful marine species which have made the trail their home.

Image by Images Of Life Photography, on Flickr.

Just 100 metres from the shoreline of the beaches, the living coral reef is home to spiny lobster, grouper, rust-coloured barrel sponges, protected corals, sea fans, manta rays, lionfish, and an array of brightly coloured tropical fish.

Tourists scuba diving in South Florida can take a trip to the famous 19th century cargo steamer ship, the SS Copenhagen which hit a coral reef and sank on 26th May 1900. The shallow wreck attracts many tourists enjoying snorkelling and scuba diving activities in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. The ship was en-route to Cuba from Philadelphia with nearly 5,000 tonnes of coal before it struck the coral reef three quarters of a mile offshore. The cargo was saved many attempts to shift the ship off the reef failed and it eventually sank after remaining above sea level for a number of decades.

Image by divemasterking2000, on Flickr

Between March and October every year, the beaches on the east coast of Florida are nesting sites for Loggerhead Sea Turtles and Broward County works hard to ensure this important nesting season is protected, including the relocation of nests to more desolate and safer areas on the beaches.