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This underwater archaeological preserve features a submerged shipwreck that is available for diving and snorkeling. Part of a Spanish flotilla, the San Pedro was a 287-ton, Dutch-built ship which sank in a hurricane on July 13, 1733. Her remains were discovered in 1960 in Hawk Channel near Indian Key. After major salvage efforts in the 1960s, all that remains of San Pedro is a large pile of ballast stones covering an area 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. The underwater site has been enhanced with seven replica cannons, an anchor, and an information plaque.
The map is part of a chart showing the shipwrecks on the Florida Keys. In July of 1733, most of the ships belonging to the New Spain Fleet were lost to a hurricane just one day after leaving Havana, Cuba for Spain. The wreck of one of those ships, the San Pedro, lies just off Lower Matecumbe and Indian Keys.
This is a site plan of the wreck of the San Pedro. As a result of salvaging both at the time of the wreck and after its rediscovery in the 1960s, little is left of the actual vessel. Replica cannon, a contemporary anchor and a plaque have been placed at the site to help interpret the wreck for visitors.
Ballast stones are all that remain of the actual San Pedro. ballast stones, once taken from Old World river beds, were placed in the bottoms of ships to help them balance. Today, these stones and the other items at the wreck site form an artificial reef, supporting life for many different sea creatures.
These original brochure covers for San Pedro Archaeological Preserve State Park feature drawings of the wreck site and the ship as it might have looked weathering on stormy seas.
