Christ of the Abyss

On August 25, 1965, a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Christ was lowered into 25 feet of water off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Known as Christ of the Abyss, this submerged statue’s raised arms are an invitation to divers, symbolizing peace and understanding.

Located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary near John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, this iconic landmark is actually the third of its kind cast from the original Italian mold.

The original Il Cristo degli Abissi, or Christ of the Abyss, was lowered into the Mediterranean Sea on August 22, 1954, just off San Fruttuoso on the Italian Riviera. The bronze statue was the work of Guido Galletti, inspired by a concept by Italian diver Duilio Marcante. It represents Christ in the new world below the waves, a memorial for the people who lost their lives at sea and a monument to those who continue to dive beneath it.

Seven years later, a second bronze sculpture was cast from the same mold. This time, it was submerged off the coast of St. George’s, Grenada, in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Placed on October 22, 1961, the statue was a gift from Italy. It recognizes the Italian crew saved from the M.V. Bianca C, a passenger ship that sank off St. George’s earlier that year.

Italian dive equipment manufacturer Egidio Cressi donated to the third and final incarnation of Galletti’s sculpture to The Underwater Society of America. Christ of the Abyss originally arrived in Chicago in 1961, where it was kept in storage as dive councils in Illinois, Michigan, and other locales petitioned for the 4,000 pound sculpture.

Key Largo was eventually agreed upon as its best eternal home, and it was moved to Orlando in 1963, where it was on display until its 20-ton concrete base was completed. Finally, on August 25, 1965, the larger-than-life bronze statue was submerged in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was the first underwater park in the United States, established to preserve part of the only living coral reef in the country. Located about an hour-and-a-half by car from Miami, the park boasts approximately 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove swamps; a variety of shore birds, marine life, and tropical vegetation; and gorgeous nature trails and beaches. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Today, Christ of the Deep is one of the most famous underwater attractions in the Upper Keys, one of the most photographed undersea sites in the world, and even a popular destination for underwater weddings.

The top of the statue is about eight to 10 feet below the surface, making it visible to snorkelers. While scuba divers get the best views (and selfies) of Florida’s Christ of the Abyss, it invites everyone, arms outstretched, to swim among the living coral reefs and appreciate the ocean’s conserved beauty.