wreck

Log This Dive

Orion wreck

The Orion wreck, just north of Key Largo, is one of those wrecks we keep going back to. We love it because it’s a real classic Keys wreck: not too deep, well-colonized, and with enough history to make you feel like you’re diving a piece of the past. Dropping down, you’ll find it sitting upright in about 25 metres of water, mostly intact with a slight list to port. The visibility here is often fantastic, 20 metres isn't uncommon, letting you really appreciate the scale. What really gets us about the Orion are the penetrations. Nothing too crazy, but there are some accessible swim-throughs in the cargo holds that are just begging to be explored, especially if you’re comfortable with overhead environments. Inside, the light plays through the openings, illuminating schools of grunt and snapper that hang suspended, seemingly undisturbed by divers. Outside, the superstructure is draped in soft corals, and we’ve often found substantial goliath grouper lurking in the shadows near the bow, huge and placid. Our favourite is exploring the stern, where the prop is still visible and often surrounded by clouds of silversides. It’s a rewarding dive for advanced open water divers looking for a bit of wreck exploration without the extreme depths.