Giant Crustacean in Fort Pierce

Fisherman Steve Bargeron got more than he bargained for when he reeled in this enormous unidentified crustacean recently. He was fishing off a dock in Fort Pierce when he snagged the scary specimen.

Marine biologists are still examining the critter, and haven't yet determined just what it is. The media are almost universally referring to it as a "giant shrimp", but that's not known for sure. It is possible, some have said, that it could be a variant of the Mantis Shrimp - which, despite the name, bears no relation to mantises or shrimps; it's actually a type of crustacean known as a stomatopod.

Urca de Lima

There are many shipwreck sites off the coast of Florida that are now underwater tourism sites, for those who have the gumption to strap on a scuba set and dive down below the murky depths. One example is the Urca de Lima, part of a Spanish expedition that sank off Fort Pierce during a hurricane in 1715.

According to this diving site:

The wreck is marked by an anchor bouy about 1400 feet off the beach at a 45 deg NE angle from the end of the path to the ocean at Bauman. It's in 10 to 15 feet of water. Several cannons are found here and a plaque commemorating the disaster is found on the mooring anchor. Ballast stones are scattered all around and many tropicals make their home here. If you look closely, you can make out the grain of the wood timbers and planks in the bottom."

GPS Locations of some of the prominent features of the shipwreck:

N 27 30.311 W 080 17.959 - Four cannons can be found here; three of them are in a row, and a fourth is just to the south of the center of the three.
N 27 30.313 W 080 17.978 - The ship's anchor is here, with its fluke end pointing towards the northeast.
N.27.50544 W. 80.29931 - A monument/buoy commemorating the wreck, and indicating to divers that you've found the right spot, is here.