Go back in time when excavating shipwrecks off Key West was a thriving business.  One man’s loss is another man’s gain as shipwrecks off the coast have provided the Keys with treasures for centuries.

Since the 1500’s the coral reef that surrounds the islands was responsible for scores of shipwrecks as sailing ships often crashed on the reefs as a hundred ships a day would pass.    Ships and their crews became known as “wreckers” as heroes and scallywags watched the reefs from observation towers both day and night.  Wreckers usually set fire to ships when they were done so that there wouldn’t be any markers showing the dangerous reefs to passing boats.  The wrecking industry began to wind down with the advent of lighthouses and the beginning of steam powered ships that could steer around the reefs.

The museum has an entertaining presentation of actors films and artifacts telling the story of shipwrecks off the Keys.  Explore two floors of shipwreck treasures of reclaimed fortunes lost beneath the Sea for hundreds of years.

Over 500 years an estimated 1,000 shipwrecks are located off the coast here, so bring your snorkels.