Underwater artwork delights Florida scuba divers
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — It’s not every day you get to flipper-kick your way through the staterooms of a sunken ship and gaze at artwork while you’re at it. But for scuba divers who visit Fort Lauderdale, it’s as simple as paying a visit to the Lady Luck, an underwater art exhibit located off the coast of Pompano Beach.
It’s the latest addition to Shipwreck Park Pompano, a cluster of shipwrecks off the coast of Pompano Beach. The centerpiece is the Lady Luck, a 324-foot tanker vessel built in 1967 that was sunk off Pompano Beach on July 23, 2016.
As divers swim in and around the ship (which is as long as a football field), they are treated to underwater artwork created by local artist Dennis MacDonald. We’re talking poker tables, “card sharks,” slot machines on the ship’s deck, a cascade of gigantic dice, starfish and an octopus dealing craps.
All make for great scuba selfies.
“I wanted the entire project to evoke a sense of playfulness and good humor, and in this regard I consider the project to be a success,” says MacDonald.
This permanent collection of artwork sculpted out of concrete, steel and recycled ship parts is about more than just photo ops and fun, though. The modus operandi here is for the Lady Luck to become a new home for marine life. As the months go by, the ship will evolve and change.
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Since opening late last year, the Lady Luck has already attracted a large school of Atlantic spade fish and schools of pelagic fish like blue runners.
“As coral recruitment begins, the Lady Luck will be adorned with soft and hard corals with their vibrant colors,” says Jeff Torode, president of South Florida Diving Headquarters. “As the coral and algae forms on the ship’s hull, fish seeking shelter from predators will move into the Lady Luck.”
Altogether, Shipwreck Park has 16 wrecks, some that date back to the 1800s, teeming with marine life.
“From the very tiny invertebrates like arrow crabs right up to the king of the underwater jungle: sharks,” says Torode. “Ships, because of their tall structures, attract schools of amberjacks and barracuda and huge bait balls followed by pelagic predators.”
Beyond the Lady Luck’s artwork, divers also get to explore 16 staterooms, the captain's deck, galley, engine room and tanker holding bays. In the future, the museum plans to features a variety of rotating underwater art exhibits.
Other underwater sculpture gardens worth a visit include: the Cancun Underwater Museum, one of the biggest underwater sculpture museums in the world; the underwater sculpture park in Grenada showcasing 26 sculptures; the Christ of the Abyss statue in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo; and the Guardian of the Reef statue created by artist Simon Morris in the Cayman Islands.
If you go
What to know: Lady Luck’s art exhibits are on the deck of the ship, whose bottom is resting in 120 feet of water and stack reaches to about 50 feet of water, so you need to be a certified diver to view them. South Florida Diving Headquarters offers a four-hour, two-tank dive to Lady Luck and Rodeo 25, a Dutch freighter wreck that offers lots of great silhouette photos thanks to its towering wheelhouse. Price: $60, $10 tank rental or $45 full-gear rental.
What to do above the surface: Take a SUP class with Sunrise Paddleboards. Choose from manatee tours, nighttime tours, SUP yoga sessions and fitness workouts. For something a bit more extreme, consider flyboarding with Flyboard Fort Lauderdale. It’s part hoverboard, part jetpack, thanks to high-powered water jets that send you 30 feet into the air.
Where to stay: Bahama Beach Club, which has charming one-bedroom apartments, is a short walk away from South Florida Diving Headquarters. Nearby, Pelican Place has studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments perfect for families. Coral Tides Resort is another cozy option.
