Delivery Confirmed 51 Year Later!

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

mselenaous

Island girl
ScubaBoard Supporter
Scuba Instructor
Messages
5,118
Reaction score
1,965
Location
Key Largo, FL... Dive Capital of the World
# of dives
I just don't log dives
Delivery Confirmed 51 Year Later!
Spateros Reunited with Christ of the Abyss Statue

Gabe Spateros, 81, was an avid diver since 1956 until macular degeneration impaired his vision. Through the Diveheart Adaptive Scuba programs he was able to scuba dive again. Spateros expressed his desire to dive the Christ of the Abyss Statue in Key Largo. Spateros, a restaurateur from Chicago, met Egidio Cressi, the Italian Scuba Entrepreneur, during a wine tour in Italy. Cressi donated this Statue to the Underwater Society of America in 1962. Spateros volunteered to assist him in bringing the statue to the United States. Spateros coordinated the effort of transporting the statue from Genoa, Italy via Chicago, IL to Key Largo, FL and installed at no cost. Spateros met with John Pennekamp and was one of the instrumental people who helped select the appropriate dive site for the statue to be placed for the world to see. The Christ of the Abyss statue is a 9-foot tall, 4000 pound bronze statue that has been placed in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The statue sits in 18 feet deep water and is one of the most popular site for snorkelers and divers worldwide. This underwater statute has become Key Largo's trademark.

Gabe-earlydaysdiving.jpg

Spatero in his early days of diving (circa 1950s).



The Statue arrives in the US (1962). Spatero on the right.

Here is Gabe Spateros’ interview:


Spateros finally returned to Key Largo 51 years later, to see the now world famous diving landmark. Saturday, May 19, 2013, was a beautiful sunny Key Largo afternoon for Spateros and his support divers from Diveheart to go diving
.
IMG_42271.jpg

Hello My Old Friend


Delivery Confirmed!



A word of advice for the many who wish to visit the Christ of the Abyss Statue in Key Largo sometimes referred to as “Touchdown Jesus” by local captains: Don’t touch Christ because that warm tingly feeling isn’t a religious experience, it’s fire coral.

Diveheart
volunteers included Jim Elliot, founder of Diveheart, Michael Kaufman, Scuba Siren Wilhemina Stanton, Chuck Baldwin, owner of US1 Scuba. Also diving with Mr. Spateros was Eric Douglas, author and Scuba Diving Magazine columnist , John Cole from History of Diving Museum, D.J. Wood owner of Rainbow Reef Dive Center, and from ScubaBoard Peter Murray, Elena Rodriguez and Wyzmar Clealand. Special thanks to Rainbow Reef Dive Center, Captain Dean and the crew of Tropical Voyager, and also to Cressi for supplying the scuba gear for Mr. Spateros’ dive.


---------- Post added May 24th, 2013 at 06:27 PM ----------

More Images can be viewed in this Gallery:Gabe & Diveheart at the Christ Statue - ScubaBoard Gallery

IMG_41831.jpg




IMG_41652.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is incredibly inspiring! What a great organization Diveheart is :D
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom