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OceanShipwreckArtificial ReefUnverified

NBM Dive Site Resource

Lead Wreck

Brevard County, Florida, United States

Lead Wreck is a freighter 425' documented in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission artificial-reef inventory off Brevard County on Florida's atlantic coast. The deployment rests in approximately 70 feet of water. Relief was not documented in the official inventory.

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Original NBM Artwork

Original historical illustration of Ocean Venus under way, viewed from a elevated three-quarter stern view.
Illustration — original NBM artwork created when no suitable rights-cleared historic image was available.Naturally Buoyant Media original illustration · Naturally Buoyant Media original artworkSource ↗
WaterMarine
AccessBoat dive
ExperienceAdvanced recreational
Maximum depth70 ft / 21 m
Best seasonYear-round; weather dependent
VisibilityVisibility varies

Aquatic life at this dive site

What divers may encounter

Three reviewed connections are featured here. Sightings vary by season, conditions, and chance, so they are never guaranteed.

Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) — photograph
Possible high-relief wreck encounter

Atlantic Goliath Grouper

Epinephelus itajara

FWC notes adult goliath grouper prefer high-relief structure including shipwrecks. A careful, non-contact sighting near openings or relief is possible.

Dan Schofield

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Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus) — photograph
Likely artificial-reef encounter

Gray Snapper

Lutjanus griseus

FWC identifies snapper among fishes using Florida artificial reefs. Gray snapper may school around structure and adjacent water; conditions affect sightings.

LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA

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Great barracuda swimming in open water, photographed by Scott Carroll
Likely water-column encounter

Great Barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

FWC identifies barracuda among fishes found over or near Florida artificial reefs. Look in the water column above and alongside the wreck.

Photo by Scott Carroll, Owner at Naturally Buoyant Media

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Site media

Photographs

Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.
Ocean-class cargo ships at South Portland, Maine, in August 1942, shown as a same-class reference for Ocean Venus (Lead Wreck).
Sister ships / same class — Ocean-class cargo ships at South Portland, Maine, in August 1942. Representative vessels of the class of Ocean Venus (Lead Wreck); this is not a photograph of Ocean Venus.Albert Freeman / U.S. Office of War Information; Library of Congress, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-DIG-fsa-8b07497, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. · Public domainSource ↗
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending

Contributor media

Dive videos

Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending

Published reference location

Location map

The marker shows the public coordinates associated with this profile. Confirm current access, moorings, and departure details before the dive.
Published reference coordinates28.38951, -80.29525
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Map zoom level 1 of 11

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Recent field observations

Diver-reported temperatures

Automatically checked observations from dives during the past 14 days. Three reports are visible at a time; scroll for more.
Automatically checked
No recent diver reports from the past 14 days

A report that passes the automatic checks will appear here with the dive date, diver’s display name, and temperatures at each depth.

Reports are automatically checked for plausible dates, depths, and temperatures. They are observations, not forecasts; confirm conditions before diving.

Diver field observation

Report temperatures

Reports publish automatically when the date, depths, and temperatures pass the checks. You must be signed in to submit.

Depth readings

Connected artificial-reef collection

Deployment history

This dive site is included in the deployed Artificial Reefs search, where deployment records and connected news updates are gathered together.

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Why divers know this place

Highlights

Freighter 425'; relief was not documented in the official inventory.

Before you arrive

Access notes

Public coordinates are from the official FWC artificial-reef inventory. Confirm current charts, notices, site condition, weather, and local operator guidance before departure. No current charter connection is implied.

Plan within your training

Conditions and hazards

Changing marine weather, current and visibility, boat traffic, entanglement, sharp or unstable structure, and overhead/penetration hazards.

Independent resource notice

This record is a starting point for independent verification. Access, closures, moorings, weather, currents, depth, visibility, operator availability, and site conditions can change without notice. Confirm current information with the responsible operator, property owner, managing authority, or another qualified local source before planning or attempting a dive.