Video: Freediving South Florida's Enchanting SS Copenhagen Wreck

For this month’s adventure I teamed up with local freediver John Cienfuegos to film him freediving some of the reefs and wrecks that Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, has to offer.


Lauderdale-By-The-Sea is a charming little town and is known as the beach diving capital of South Florida. It is a great place for beginner divers as most of the sites are accessible right from the beach and are only 15 to 30 feet deep.

It is also home to a very interesting wreck, the SS Copenhagen, which was an old cargo steamer that crashed into the reef off Lauderdale-By-The-Sea back on May 26, 1900. For many years the shipwreck was stuck on top of the reef and during WWII, U.S. Navy pilots used her as target practice.

Today the SS Copenhagen is a very popular dive site and has been designated as a State Underwater Archaeological Preserve. Over the years a lot of the wreck has been absorbed into the reef, but some features are still easily identifiable, like the iconic anchor adorned with fan coral. While diving the SS Copenhagen it is common to see schools of bait fish, spiny lobsters and moray eels. At times, you may even see the occasional turtle or octopus.

For more of Jacob's videos and photography, check out his website and Facebook page.

To read more about the adventures awaiting off Isla Mujeres and the rest of the 50 Best Dive Sites in the World, click here.