Got2Dive The Neptune Memorial Reef
Our Got2Dive scuba diving adventure started in Miami before heading down to the Florida Keys for a week of scuba diving. We booked our dive with Paradise Divers located in Crandon Marina. Omar and the crew were awesome. They loaded up our scuba equipment and then with a fifteen minute boat ride we reached our destination. Our first scuba dive spot was The Neptune Memorial Reef located in Key Biscayne Florida. We geared up and jumped into the delicious warm eighty degree waters of Key Biscayne.
The Neptune Memorial Reef is also referred to as the “Lost City of Atlantis” that was built by Poseidon so the old urban legend goes. The Neptune Memorial Reef was open in 2007 and was actually built as a cremation burial option for those loved ones that enjoyed the sea so much that their remains could be buried at the memorial park. The Neptune Memorial Reef is a unique undersea cemetery and is the largest manmade reef ever and covers over 600,000 square feet of ocean floor.
As we scuba dive down to fifty feet in warm green colored saltwater a dark colossal silhouette appears. Two very large sturdy encrusted lion monuments become visible as we get closer to the underwater cemetery dive site. The majestic lions standing at the gate entrance give the impression that they are keeping watch over this unique watery grave where loved ones are interred. As we drift over and through the center known as the “Welcome Feature” of the underwater graveyard we count over forty large Roman like columns that surround the Neptune statues, archways, pathways and bench area all covered in five years of aquatic growth. There are plaques and concrete starfish with engraved names of loved ones resting in peace.
The Neptune Memorial Reef is a flourishing ecosystem that is abundant with a variety of colorful marine inhabitants such as eels, fish and sting rays. All living and thriving in this underwater memorial park. This is truly a distinctive way to memorialize loved ones and a one of a kind underwater cemetery in addition to being a unique scuba dive site that I have seen. I am looking forward to watching the blossoming growth of the marine life in the years to come. I recommend adding this special scuba dive site to your Got2Dive scuba plan!
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