Anna Marie Island - The Regina

[Boats]

Thanks Walter!

I am a super history junkie! You have intrigued me!

 

[Salmonboy97]

The last time I was out there the dive shop had a bleach bottle bouy so you wouldnt be able to miss it.
I have also found some soft lead weight and some stone crabs on the swim back from the wreck. I like the history of the ship, but it is not much to see. Leave about 1000psi in your tank after diving the Spanish Rocks and you should have enough to see it all.

 

[stangd1909]

As stated above, they have put a bleach bottle on it to mark it. It is not much, but it is still a dive LOL. Between that and spanish rocks, you can make it an interesting day.

 

[Boats]

Is the bleach bottle out there right now for this season?

It seems to be a mix - review of the site, but I am still intrigued! If I can catch it on a "after dive" from Spanish Rocks, it could be fun!

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Boats

 

[trogloxene]

Boats, Let's do it. I would like to get wet with Regina

Sean

 

[stinggirl]

Hey folks!

While I was down in Florida, I took a run to Anna Marie Island to see if I could dive the Spanish Rocks. Unfortunetly, the storms from the previous few days had murked it up and kicked up the surf.

So, I discovered Sea Trek Divers while I was cruising around playing tourist. By the door in the shop, I found a brochure on the Regina. The Regina is a wreck, 75 yards off the shore of Bradenton Beach, in 12-20 feet of water. She was a 247-foot long steel tanker-barge which sank on the sandy flat in 1940.

My question, has anyone dove this wreck? The lady at the dive shop was friendly, but didn't have much info for me. She thought because of the storms, maybe more of the wreck would be exposed. Or, maybe shifted on the sand bar. She did say, one of the divemaster at the shop offered boat runs to the site on the weekends.

I thought it looked interesting, but while I was down in Clearwater I had never heard of the wreck.

Thanks for any feedback!

Boats

(I thought the next time I was down in Florida, I might try to dive the Spanish Rocks, as well as the Regina on the same trip)

Did you mean " Ana Maria Island"?

 

[Boats]

Hey Trog!

I very well may be taking a trip back down to FL quicker than I anticipated! I'll shoot ya a PM about it!

For sure, lets do Regina!

Boats

 

[trogloxene]

Did you mean "Ana Maria Island"?

I knew where Boats was referring to. However if you are going to be technical about spelling - it is "Anna Maria" Island

Sean

 

[Chad Carney]

In the early 70's and for about another decade the Regina (only known then as the Sugar Barge) was pretty good sized and had a bow post that stuck out above the surface.

Later that crumbled down and you had to know the heading, basically SW off the Gulf Drive Cafe. See pics from Google Earth and my Lat Lon from my hand held GPS here. I kayaked the whole beach from Bean Point down to Longboat Pass. Florida Skin Diver You can get a line up off the buildings on Google Earth too.
Don't count on a jug still being there... even heavy duty markers don't last.

A beach renourishment maybe 10 to 12 years ago really covered up a lot of it, but it's still worth checking out when winds have been easterly and there's been no surf for a while.

Chad