Amtrak
Depth: 40 ft
A WWII Amtrak sits in a sand channel at 40 feet with a colorful surrounding reef. Popular with boat and beach divers alike. Obviously, Amtrak is not a train. It is an amphibious personnel carrier from World War II. You may have seen an Amtrak in an old war movie; they carry soldiers from the ship to the beach, the gate opens and falls down on the beach and soldiers go charging out of the carrier. The Amtrak is in very good shape and the relatively shallow water makes for some interesting photos.
If making this dive from shore.
AMTRACK (CEMETERY WALL, AGAT) NAVIGATION
1. Head out at 300 degrees to the end of the pipe.
2. Tie up the flag at that point and head due west, 270 degrees
3. The trip takes 15 minutes on a due west heading
4. From the Amtrak, 120 degrees to the reef
5. At the reef, turn to 60 degrees and go to the soft coral mountain
6. Go past the soft coral through the “v” and turn to zero degrees through the cut
7. Head 60 degrees across the sand channel, up and over the ridge
8. Head due East, 90 degrees back to the float
9. Head 120 degrees into the shore
Special thanks to Parker Van Hecke and Kim Harris for the information on the Amtrak and land navigation directions.
The best advice is to take a boat; it is an easy entry and they anchor right next to the wreck. It only takes about ten minutes to discover the entire wreck, the rest of the dive you will spend exploring sand channels and hard and soft coral.
Michael Schuck
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