Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek: Diving the Jay Scutti

On the southernmost portion of the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek lies the Jay Scutti Shipwreck – a 95′ tugboat encapsulated with coral growth after resting for decades on the Fort Lauderdale ocean floor.

Diving the Jay Scutti Shipwreck:

This article provides you with everything you need to know about diving the Jay Scutti Shipwreck in Fort Lauderdale. By the end, you’ll know what to expect on your dive, how to get there, and learn other tips to diving in South Florida.

For more on the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek and its shipwrecks:

• How to Dive the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek
• Diving the Tracey Shipwreck
• Diving the Merci Jesus

History of the Jay Scutti Shipwreck in Fort Lauderdale:

Originally built in the Netherlands in 1961 as the Arikok, the former tugboat was seized after being caught redhanded smuggling marijuana from port to port.

Soon after, the Dutch boat was purchased by a local South Florida businessman and renamed to the Jay Scutti, in memory of his son. In 1986, the Jay Scutti was donated to the Broward County Artificial Reef Program and was sunk on September 19 to form the beginnings to the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek.

Jay Scutti Shipwreck Dive Overview:

Similar to the Peter B. McAllister and Donald McAllister, the Jay Scutti is yet another tugboat that calls the depths off of Fort Lauderdale Beach its home. The 95′ vessel sits upright in the sand approximately 70′ below the surface.

The wheelhouse sits jets upward to 50′ with the top deck topping out around 60′ – an ideal wreck for open water divers. Just be mindful when you head down to the sand to get that Instagram worthy image of the massive propeller swim-through towards the stern of the boat.

To the south of the Jay Scutti Shipwreck, you can find another wreck named the Pride connected with a line (it’s certainly worthwhile to check out). To the north, rebars will guide you to the Tracy (aka Ken Vitale), the middle shipwreck of the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek!

Dive Planning on the Jay Scutti Shipwreck:

When available, we highly recommend Reef Smart Cards for any dive. They create beautiful waterproof cards that play a critical role in your dive plan. Additionally, we use their Dive Guide book for all of our diving in the Fort Lauderdale area.

For more: 23+ Dive Planning Resources for South Florida

What Dive Shops go to the Jay Scutti?

• American Dream Dive Charters behind the Hilton on 17th Avenue just south of downtown. They run a great, clean, and basic operation aboard their Newton Dive Boat. Don’t hesitate to book with their crew!
• Sea Experience in Bahia Mar Marina on Fort Lauderdale Beach. This is a full dive shop with classes, charters, retail, and guides. If you’re a new open water diver, we suggest you book with Sea Experience to ensure everything is taken care of. If you want a dive guide, call and request for (Andrew or Laura) and tell them we sent you!

More Photos of the Jay Scutti Shipwreck in Fort Lauderdale:

For more on the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek and its shipwrecks:

• How to Dive the Fort Lauderdale Wreck Trek
• Diving the Tracey Shipwreck
• Diving the Merci Jesus

Help Protect the Coral Reef During Your Dive

Sunscreen! Shocking, I know! In fact, many popular sunscreen brands contain extremely harmful chemicals to our coral! Specifically, oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Because of this, we’ve partnered with our favorite brand of reef safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea! We want to get YOU discounts so you can help save our coral reefs with reef safe sunscreen!