Early the next morning the fleet was scattered by a massive hurricane and Nuestra Senora de Caplano found itself wrecked off the shore of what is now known as Lauderdale by the Sea.  The survivors salvaged the cargo and, over the years, worms ate away the wood of the ship itself.  All that remains of this grand vessel is the ballast pile (a pile of rocks that were used as weights to keep the wooden ships up right in rough seas), 5 cannons and the anchor. 

The Nuestra Senora de Caplano is a fictitious ship but its story is representative of the numerous wrecks that sprinkle the coast of south Florida.  In order to stimulate awareness of the rich maritime heritage that lies off our shores, the Marine Archaeological Council (M.A.C.) has constructed a shipwreck snorkel trail and artificial reef just south of Anglin's Fishing Pier in Lauderdale by the Sea at Commercial Boulevard and the ocean, which represents the final resting place of the imaginary Caplano.

Jean-Michel Cousteau assisted in the dedication of the Shipwreck Snorkel Trail at OceanFest in May 2002.  Following the dedication, the final cannon, 8 feet long and weighing almost 400 lbs. was pulled along the beach to the site by MAC members and willing volunteers. A 55 gallon drum was used to float the cannon over the site where it was lowered and then cemented in place. 

The snorkel trail is the culmination of almost 4 years of hard work by M.A.C., a non-profit organization founded in 1976 dedicated to documenting and preserving  the maritime heritage of Broward County.  A resolution was passed on July 28, 1998 by the Town Commission of the Town of Lauderdale by the-Sea authorizing the creation of the artificial reef. For the next 3-1/2 years, M.A.C. worked with the various governmental bodies to obtain all of the required permits.  The permits allowed them to create an artificial reef consisting of an anchor, five cannons and a ballast pile. Construction was finally started in February, 2002. 

The management program was revised numerous times.  The number of yearly surveys required by two Government agencies was two.  The third required four.  In addition, due to the moving sands in the area, when they first picked the site there was nothing on the exposed hard bottom. After three years of working on 
the permits, further surveys of the bottom later showed that Palathoia (false coral) had settled in.  Another area had to be found.  They found a site closer to shore, changing once again the site coordinates. 

While the ballast pile on an actual ship of that era would have been composed of river rocks (their rounded shape made them easier to stack), M.A.C. was required to use rocks that were stable and would provide a good substrate for the promotion of marine growth and that met the requirements of FDOT Design Standards for Rubble Rip Rap.  The rocks were required to be of a specific gravity and metamorphic and there are only three quarries in the state of Florida that can mine rock this dense.  This type of rock is often placed in the water for bank and shore protection, underwater groins and jetties.  To insure that the ballast pile was not disturbed by visitors or storms, all of the rocks were cemented together.  Nothing has been or will be placed on the Live Hard Bottom and a minimum buffer of 50 feet was required between the artifacts and living exposed bottom.

These materials will increase clean hard bottom surface area for marine habitat. This will be an "Artificial Reef", although it is also M.A.C.'s intention to create interest in underwater archaeology for snorkelers as well as scuba divers. The "ballast pile" is low profile and high density, thereby being stable and a good substrate for the promotion of marine growth. There is a many toothed conger eel living there already. 

The cannons were made from a mold provided by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources.  The mold was made from an actual cannon recovered from a ship that sank in the late 1500’s.  CSR Rinker Materials graciously donated the concrete for the cannons.  The 11 foot anchor was recovered in the 1930’s off the Hillsboro Inlet and donated by Mink & Mink. 

Many divers and snorkelers visit the reefs just off Lauderdale By The Sea each year.  This new artificial reef will take some pressure off the natural reefs in the area, while at the same time educating the public and creating an appreciation for underwater archeology while increasing fish habitat. 

Its purpose is to stimulate awareness of the rich maritime heritage that lies off our shores.  This is often lost due to improper preservation techniques and/or inadvertent removal by people who are unaware of the historical significance of such sites. M.A.C. cemented the rubble together to avoid this problem yet still divers are trying to pry it apart to get at lobsters and tropicial fish. This is just another example as to why the public needs to be educated. 

The entire project was paid for by donations and volunteer help.  The reef will be monitored on a quarterly basis to insure its stability as well as to study and measure the marine life attracted to the site. The South Florida Reef Research Team, Inc. will be studying the site to determine the increase in marine life within it as well as check on its stability.  SFRRT invites you to help as a volunteer diving to collect long-term data or through educating the public.   There will be a reef clean-up at the site in conjunction with earth day April 20, 2003 from 9 AM till noon. Call or e-mail David Kaplan at flakaplan@aol.com or 954-275-5638 for more information. 

The snorkel trail is located at the foot of Datura Street, one block south of Commercial Boulevard, in approximately 12 - 14 feet  of water depending on the tide.  When standing at the beach entrance at Datura Street, look east and you will see the white swim bouy.  The site is 150 feet east and 150 feet south of the bouy.  All of the artifacts are within a 100 X 20 foot area. It is an easy swim from shore and provides an interesting attraction for snorkelers and scuba divers and has already attracted a considerable amount of marine life.  You do require a dive flag to visit. 

Since its creation, the Council has located 25 historic shipwrecks in Broward County waters and has conducted archaeological excavations on two of these sites under the direction of competent marine archaeologists.  The snorkel trail is the first project of its kind the Council has undertaken and plans are underway for additional trails.

For more information, contact 
The Marine Archaeological Council
P. O. Box 590746
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33359
954-562-3169
954-731-7071
bkato2@aol.com