Christ of the Abyss Statue
Elkhart Coral
Since it was a calm day Dave and I decided to take the long 15 mile run NE to some reefs we seldom dive. 1st stop was Key Largo Dry Rocks., home of Christ of the Abyss Statue. The original statue of Jesus Christ is located in the Mediterranean Sea . A third bronze statue, from the original mold, was presented to the Underwater Society of America in New York in 1962, and shipped by boat to Chicago, where it was set up for unveiling in the ballroom of the Palmer House Hotel at the Underwater Society of America 1962 convention. On August 25, 1965, it was placed in approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) of water off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, near Dry Rocks, approximately six miles east of Key Largo in the National Marine Sanctuary, just outside of John Pennekamp State Park. The statue weighs around 260 kg, and the concrete base to which it is attached weighs approximately 9 tons. It is located a patch reef frequented by both divers and snorkelers. Visibility is usually not the greatest due to shallow water getting stirred up on windy days. There were some nice stands of Elkhorn Coral on this reef, which is becoming a rare sight.
Click the link below for a brief video of the dive.