Christ of the Abyss

Christ of the Abyss is a nine-foot bronze statue of Christ in a sand channel off Key Largo Dry Rocks, less than 25 feet below the surface. This is an in-water boat trip, not a roadside stop. If the statue is the reason you’re going, choose a Key Largo trip that names it as a stop; it becomes the focal point of a snorkel or dive outing.

There’s no land route to the statue. You reach it by boat and get in the water, and wind or sea conditions can change a trip’s reef stops. Confirm with your operator that the statue is included. If you’re boating on your own, NOAA advises navigating outside the mooring buoys; cutting across the preservation area can ground a boat on the reef.

The raised arms and stepped platform are the recognizable parts, so keep the base in frame instead of cropping to a close portrait. Water clarity varies. A close photo can be difficult while snorkeling, while scuba gives you more time to look from different angles.

This Key Largo figure is a casting of Guido Galletti’s 1954 original at San Fruttuoso Bay near Genoa, Italy. Egidio Cressi commissioned the casting and gave it to the Underwater Society of America; Senator Spessard Holland suggested John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park as its permanent home. Cothon Construction lowered it into place on August 25, 1965, and it was dedicated the following June 29.