Texas Clipper

The 473-foot former merchant marine training vessel for Texas A&M University was sunk November 17, 2007, in the Gulf of Mexico, 17 nautical miles off the coast of South Padre Island. The ship did not follow the sinking plan as designed and now lies on its port side in about 134 feet (41 m) of water. The highest point on the ship is 62 feet (19 m) below the ocean surface. The Texas Clipper, while not as well-known as the USS Oriskany and USS Spiegel Grove, is the country’s third-largest ship sunk as an artificial reef and the largest outside Florida.
Depths to: 134 feet (41 m).
Visibility: Peaks at 100 feet (30 m) from March through October, and is about 50 feet (15 m) in
the winter.
Water temperature: Mid-70s to mid-80s Fahrenheit (24-29 degrees Celsius) from March through October, and high 60s (19-20 C) in the winter.
Aquatic life: Count Atlantic spadefish and pinfish among the early inhabitants but Texas officials expect the vessel to be encrusted with barnacles, corals, sponges, clams, bryozoans and hydroids.
Fees: Check with charter boat companies.
On-site amenities: South Padre Island has multiple dining and lodging services.
More info: Visit www.texasclipper.org or www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/
artificial_reef/texas_clipper.phtml.
Open: Year-round.
Getting there: Dive charters are available along the Texas coast. To reach South Padre Island from Houston by road, take U.S. 59 South, merge onto U.S. 77 South, and continue past Corpus Christi and Harlingen. Then follow Route 100 east through Port Isabel to South Padre Island, crossing the 2.5-mile Queen Isabella Causeway, the longest bridge in Texas.