11/30/24 Governor's River Walk 8:00 AM

In February 2002, Palm Beach County’s Artificial Reef Program expanded with the intentional sinking of the Shasha Boekanier. Known as the Shasha to local divers, this 184-foot coastal freighter was the first of three former drug smuggling vessels seized and sunk off Palm Beach County. Following the Shasha was the St. Jacques (180-foot) and the Gilbert Sea (170-foot). Almost as a gift to divers, Palm Beach County added the Thozina to Governor’s Riverwalk Reef in December 2002. This 174-foot coastal freighter was donated to Palm Beach County’s Artificial Reef Program, and now lies with the others in 90-feet of water. The wrecks are quickly becoming a haven for game and tropical fish as they rapidly become overgrown with coral and algae.
Governor’s River Walk Reef is approximately 1½ miles south of the Lake Worth Inlet in about 90 ft. of water. It is due east of the natural reef, South Double Ledges. The four ships making up Governor’s River Walk Reef were all turned over to the County by U.S. Customs as part of Operation River Walk, a program to eliminate drug smuggling operations on the Miami River. Each ship had been seized while the crews were trafficking drugs. The reef’s name honors Governor Bush’s effort to make Operation River Walk a success.

Lies in 55 to 90 feet of water just south of the Palm Beach Inlet.

There is a great variety of tropical fish, turtles and sharks to be seen here. There is a memorial statue placed by the Delray Beach police and firefighters at the northern tip of the Shasha Boekanier.

This is a wonderful sight for advanced recreational diving, and introductory to technical diving.