It’s no secret that Key Largo is known as the Dive Capital of the World, which is why it’s one of the most sought-after locations for scuba diving. But it’s in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park–the first underwater state park in the U.S., where you will find Christ of the Abyss.
This is one of the must-see dive sites in Florida and it’s located just six miles off the east coast of Key Largo. It’s also one of the most exciting things you can do in the Florida Keys.
Submerged at 25 feet, the Christ of the Abyss 9-ft tall bronze statue is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and one of three worldwide. The original statue was created by Guido Gallettiis and it’s located in Italy.
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This one in particular, and the one in Grenada, were cast from the same mold as the original.
Magical and impressive in its entirety, this is indeed one heck of a site!
How to Get to Christ of the Abyss in Key Largo, Florida
To get to the Christ of the Abyss site in Key Largo, you need to go on a boat. But keep in mind, though, that this is not a site exclusively for divers because you can also enjoy snorkeling in this dive site in Key Largo.
Boats leave from both Key Largo and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
I booked this dive with the Amoray Dive Resort. Each dive and snorkel trip includes two dive sites and the price is very reasonable.
When booking your dive trip, you can actually see the names of the sites. Just choose the ones that you’re most interested in.
For my Christ of the Abyss trip, the second dive site was Grecian Rocks.
RECOMMENDED: Snorker the Reef in Key Largo with this amazing snorkeling tour in the Florida Keys.
Scuba Diving Grecian Rocks and the Statue of Jesus
Not for nothing, but I fell completely in love with both of these dive sites! As I mentioned before, the statue of Jesus is very impressive.
But to actually see it underwater is out of this world amazing!
Overall, I really loved my whole dive leading to the statue of Jesus. The crystal-clear blue water allows you to become fully mesmerized by the beauty of the coral reef.
Diving here was like floating through an underwater maze full of vibrant colors. I was kept entertained the whole time by the beautiful fish swimming in the reef.
And suddenly, there it was. On a tiered pedestal, and shining bright underwater, the Christ of the Abyss statue accentuates the beauty of it all. Finally seeing it in front of me gave me an instant sense of awe!
All I could hear was the sound of the bubbles as I breathed, and the voice in my head repeating the word ‘Wow!’
And just like that, it became one of the best travel experiences of my life!
Grecian Rocks Dive Site
The second dive site of this trip was Grecian Rocks. This is a coral reef that’s actually located within the National Marine Sanctuary in Key Largo.
To get here from Christ of the Abyss, I would say the boat took somewhere around 8-10 minutes..maybe?
Although you will not see any statues here, the site is beyond beautiful! In fact, for some reason, I noticed the water in this area to be even more clear. In the beginning, this dive was just around the sand bottom.
But then, you begin to pass through the beautiful reef and it’s a whole different experience!
Here, some parts were shallow, like around 5 feet, and in other parts, we reached 30 feet of depth.
The only marine life that I saw in Grecian Rocks was mostly tropical fish and eel. Nonetheless, it was enough to call this an underwater paradise!
Would you go scuba diving or snorkeling at the Christ of the Abyss site? Let me know in the comments!
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Yanitza is an avid adventurer with 15+ years of hiking experience and outdoor travel. As a PADI-certified scuba diver, she’s also passionate about ocean conservation. When she’s not exploring the great outdoors, Yanitza obsesses over The Vampire Diaries and dreams of traveling to Mallorca, Spain.
What a cool adventure! We love to scuba dive. Adding to our Florida bucket list. Thanks for sharing!
Yes! You’ll love it!
Looks like an amazing scuba diving site thanks for all the great tips.
It really is an amazing site!
It looks impressive! I would like to scuba dive here to see the Christ of the Abyss closer. But, I don’t think my claustrophobic can handle it.
Oh, you’ll be fine!
Was the statue of Jesus placed there intentionally or did it accidentally sink there?
It was placed here!
The Florida Keys will forever be one of my most treasured memories growing up. We never made it to see this statue though! I need to make a point to take my kids there. So cool. Thanks for sharing how to pull it off.
Thank you so much for reading!