Top 15 Activities

Anna Maria Island Florida is a popular vacation spot for families. The island has a little over 8,000 inhabitants and attracts thousands of tourists each summer with its beaches and warm weather.

Here are some of the top things with kids on Anna Maria Island for the perfect family vacation.

Imagine being able to dive or snorkel directly across from your vacation property. When booking with Anna Maria Island Condo Rentals – 601 Gulf Dr. N. Anna Maria Island, Florida 34217 you can do just that!

The Bradenton Beach shipwreck of the Regina makes for a fun Anna Maria Island dive. The dive site sits approximately 175 feet off shore at about 7th Street in only about 20 feet of water and is marked with a buoy. The wreckage itself is over 200 feet long.

The Regina is Florida’s 10th Shipwreck Underwater Archaeological Preserve. The SS Regina built in 1904 in Ireland, sank during a nasty storm in 1940 in about 20 feet of water just off Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria Island. The 247 foot long steel steamer was carrying over 350,000 gallons of molasses between Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to US ports along the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast shorelines. The molasses was primarily used for making rum and other items. The Regina was en route to New Orleans which is a principal port of the world’s molasses trade. The vessel, which had been converted to a tanker barge, was being towed by the tugboat Minima when it encountered a cold front, freezing temperatures, with strong winds and 8 to 12 foot waves. As they attempted to seek shelter in Tampa Bay the towing cable broke and they helplessly drifted toward Anna Maria Island running aground on a sandbar. Only 200 yards from shore the crew stayed aboard, afraid that abandoning the ship would drag them under the turbulent waters. Nighttime approached and the Regina’s hull cracked and broke apart. Anna Maria Island residents built fires along the shore to let the crew know they had been seen, unfortunately their wait was not over. The Coast Guard was unable to reach the stranded vessel and several attempts at shooting a line from the beach to the barge by the Bradenton Beach Police proved unsuccessful. The only non-survivor of the crew of 8 was the ship’s cook and his dog. The cook jumped overboard followed by his German Shepherd and disappeared minutes later beneath the waves. The remaining crew were rescued, but the barge and its cargo were lost.

Read more here: //www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34736421.html#storylink=cpAs they attempted to seek shelter in Tampa Bay the towing cable broke and they drifteThe vessel was seen by a local resident, who reported the situation to the St. Petersburg Coast Guard Air Station. Help would soon arrive, but would it be soon enough?

Read more here: //www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34736421.html#storylink=Anna Maria Island residents built fires to let the crew know they had been spotted, unfortunately their wait was not over. The Coast Guard was unable to reach the stranded vessel and several attempts at shooting a line to the barge by the Bradenton Beach Police proved unsuccessful. The only non-survivor was the ship’s cook who jumped overboard into the stormy sea, followed by his German shepherd, and in minutes disappeared beneath the waves. The remaining crew members were eventually rescued, although the barge and all of its cargo were lost.

Seeking shelter from storm

A cold front swept across the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it strong winds, 8- to 12-foot waves, and freezing temperatures. Those aboard Minima planned to seek shelter from the storm in Tampa Bay, but before they could reach safety, the towing cable attaching the tug to Regina was torn apart in the storm.

Regina and the eight crew members on board began to drift helplessly toward Anna Maria, before running aground on a sandbar.

The vessel was seen by a local resident, who reported the situation to the St. Petersburg Coast Guard Air Station. Help would soon arrive, but would it be soon enough?

As nighttime approached, Regina’s hull began to crack and break apart. The crew stayed on board. Although they were just 200 yards from shore, they feared abandoning the ship would mean getting dragged under the turbulent waters. Instead, they sought shelter in the cramped crew’s quarters at the front of the vessel, despite flooding that reached almost up to their shoulders.

Along the shore, residents built fires to reassure the stranded crew they had been spotted. Unfortunately, their wait was not yet over. USCGC Nemesis and patrol boat CG145, both dispatched from St. Petersburg, were unable to reach the stranded vessel at night in such shallow waters.

Several attempts were then made to shoot a line from the beach to the barge, but each effort fell just short of the stranded vessel. A Coast Guard plane dropped life preserves down to Regina’s crew. All but one were returned to shore by the wind and waves.

One didn’t make it

A man, later identified as the ship’s cook, chose to risk the perilous swim to shore. Onlookers watched in horror as he jumped overboard into the stormy sea, followed just moments later by his German shepherd, only to disappear beneath the waves.

Fortunately, the remaining crew members were eventually rescued, although the barge and all of its cargo were lost. Over the years, the wreck has become a popular destination for scuba divers and snorkelers because of its close proximity to shore.

In fact, Regina is now one of 11 Underwater Archaeological Preserves recognized in the state of Florida. Each site contains interesting archaeological features, and plays host to an abundance of marine life. For more information on these sites and how to find them, visit museumsinthesea.com, and please remember to always use safe diving practices.

Read more here: //www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34736421.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: //www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34736421.html#storylink=cpy

The Regina was being pulled by the tugboat Minima moving towards shelter of Tampa Bay when the tow lines snapped. The Regina drifted south in the storm and finally grounded on a sand bar. The storm was so bad the Coast Guard couldn’t get to the ship and several attempts by the Bradenton Beach with a line-towing gun proved unsuccessful. The heavy, high seas beat the barge to the point that it finally cracked and broke apart. AMI residents saw the ship in distress and built bonfires on the beach to let the ship’s crew know they had been seen. The crew was afraid to abandon the ship because the water was so rough and eventually all but the ship’s cook and his dog, were rescued and the Regina sank.Below is a video of what can be found while diving the Regina Sugar Barge.

This wreck is located across the street from the Sea Kat Dive Shop where you can get information about snorkeling / diving. If you’re are looking to dive the Regina wreck or for any Island dives we suggest calling Sea Kat Divers. They can assist you with any scuba diving/snorkelling inquiries. Sea Kat Divers is conveniently located at 105 7th Street North, Bradenton Beach, FL. 941-779-0100. It is a only a couple minute walk from the condo, therefore, parking is not an issue.

Sea Kat Divers is a locally owned licensed dive shop run and operated by PADI Dive Instructor Jim who has years of experience and local knowledge. Your one stop shop on Anna Maria Island offers friendly, family oriented, full service. This dive shop is ready to meet any of your scuba or snorkelling needs, rentals , gear, service, tank fills, and private chartered trips for both scuba and snorkel. They offer personalized daily snorkel trips for $60.00 per person (3 person minimum) to Egmont Key and a two tank scuba dive trip starting at $90.00 per person (3 person minimum) to multiple reefs, wrecks and local dive spots. Each snorkel and dive trip departs around 9:00 a.m. (weather permitting) from the Kingfish boat ramp on Manatee Avenue. To participate on any of Sea Kat Divers trips you must call or stop by the shop to book! All trips are customized to the individual customers wants and generally last around 4 hours. No need to worry if you didn’t bring your equipment, Sea Kay Divers offer offer rentals and sales on everything you might need. If you’re looking for something specific ask Jim and he will try his best to customize your trip.

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*Please note Anna Maria Island Condo Rentals offers the above company name and any affiliated links as suggestions only. We are not receiving commission and are listing it only to aid our guests. We only recommend services that we or close friends and family have experienced so we know you will be in good hands.

More Things To Do On Anna Maria Island

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Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf features 18 Holes of adventure style golf in which you’ll venture through a pirate ship, caves, waterfalls and live alligators! Each Smugglers golf course has an Educational American Alligator Exhibit that is home to 20-30 American Alligators you can actually feed! At Smugglers Cove you can feed our alligators using cane fishing poles for a fun and unforgettable experience that will last a lifetime.

All of our courses feature a unique, one-of-a-kind layout full of extraordinary obstacles amid a beautiful landscape. We have been voted the "Best Mini Golf in Florida!" 5 years in a row and take great pride in our unsurpassed adventure golf courses.