Christ of the Abyss

In 1965 a bronze casting of Il Cristo degli Abissi - the same figure that stands in the Mediterranean off Italy - was set on a pedestal in the sand at Key Largo Dry Rocks, arms raised toward the surface light. Sixty years of storms, algae scrubs, and a few million visitors later, the statue remains the most photographed object in American diving. The dive itself is a gentle wander: brain corals and sea fans on the surrounding heads, sergeant majors mobbing the pedestal, barracuda supervising from mid-water, rays on the sand. At under 8 m it works for snorkelers, new divers, and anyone's first underwater camera. Go early; the site's fame guarantees company.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: The famous statue, easy depths, snorkel-friendly coral heads

التضاريس: Coral heads and sand around a bronze statue on a pedestal

المخاطر: Snorkeler and boat congestion; shallow coral heads in surge.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Within a Sanctuary Preservation Area; do not stand on or embrace the statue - contact damages its encrusting growth.