To some, May 5th is the day to celebrate Mexican independance. To me, it’s a day to celebrate the ocean. I call it ’sinko de mayo.’ This year, it’s the 7th anniversary of the world’s only artificical reef designed as a margarita bar. The structure was built and deployed by Diageo, the world’s largest liquor distributor, on behalf of the Jose Cuervo tequila brand.
The bar (pictured above) sits in 20 feet of water, about 200 yards from shore. It’s due east of Nikki Beach at the southern end of Miami Beach.
In tribute to the bar, I am posting a video I did to promote the Port Royal Exhibit at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Port Royal is where Captain Henry Morgan hung his hat, as well as a few of his crew.
I like to imagine the underwater bar on a moonlit night, alive with the spirit of adventurous people who loved the ocean, from Captain Morgan to Jacques Cousteau.
One of the patrons might be Dave Shaw, an Australian deep diver who lost his life trying to recover the remains of someone he never met from South Africa’’s deepest, darkest underwater cave.
Up on stage, guitar in hand, is Zachary Breaux, a jazz musician who died trying to rescue a woman from the undertow along Miami Beach in 1997. Although he could not swim, he entered the surf and tried to save someone he never met.
Not too far from Ocean Drive is an underwater bar that’s really a dive. 22-tons of solid concrete, provide a place for the fish to meet. A dive flag roof and six bar stools. A mermaid named Nikki enforcing the rules: Don’t drink and dive. Don’t stay too long. Don’t mess with the fish or they’ll soon be gone.
I imagine such a bar in the water near Port Royal…
Very interesting post I didn’t know anything about Port Royal until now.