Jupiter, Florida, United States

Zion Train

The Zion Train is a 50-metre former cargo freighter built in 1965 that worked Caribbean trade routes before being decommissioned and sunk as an artificial reef on 17 May 2003 about 1.5 nautical miles off Jupiter Inlet, Florida. The name and a memorial plaque honour reggae musician Bob Marley. She landed upright on a sand bottom at 27 metres with the main deck around 24 metres and the highest superstructure at about 18 metres. The wreck has matured into a heavily encrusted reef of tube sponges, corals and gorgonians. From August through October it is one of the most reliable Florida sites for the goliath grouper spawning aggregation, with 30 to 100 large adults gathering on and around the ship. Schools of horse-eye jacks, barracuda, queen angelfish, and the occasional bull shark are also seen. Currents from the Gulf Stream can be very strong; Jupiter operators run drift dives with surface markers and an experienced live-boat captain.