Rodeo 25

The 215-foot Dutch freighter, built-in 1956, had many names during her three decades of service as a cargo transport vessel. She was deteriorating and the decision to turn her into an artificial reef was made. The Rodeo 25 was prepped for penetration and loaded with drums of ether, which had been seized during raids on illegal drug labs. The county’s bomb squad detonated the drums and the Rodeo 25 was sent to the seafloor in May of 1990 while tens of thousands of spectators watched. The name was chosen to celebrate the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo’s 25th anniversary. When Hurricane Irma passed through the region in September 2017, the wreck was shifted and pushed slightly onto her starboard side and caused further deterioration of her main deck, which now rests in pieces at a depth of 113 feet. The seafloor is at a depth of 125’.