Located 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater, FL, a dream of Dr. Haywood Mathews rests in 40 feet of water–the Circle of Heroes–the first of its kind and the nation’s only underwater dive memorial honoring our veterans. There you’ll find 13 statues that have all been carefully placed in a circle, facing a pentagon-shaped memorial in the center. The first 12 figures depict our service men and women in different poses from engagements of the past. The concept for the second phase of the Circle is to give a more personalized touch to the site and began early last year with the 13th statue, United States Coast Guard seaman apprentice William Flores. Flores was given the Coast Guard Medal; the highest non-combat award one can receive and he can be seen wearing it proudly. The idea for the next 11 statues will be the same, honoring brave soldiers like the first hard hat Navy diver, the Tuskegee Airmen and Special Forces to name a few. 
Receiving the approval and funding for this project took years of planning and lobbying by Dr. Mathews and his constituents. The statues were finally placed in July of 2019 and the ribbon cutting took place shortly after in August of that same year. It was obvious from the very beginning that all the hard work was well worth it. The Circle of Heroes has become a dive destination attracting veterans and divers from across the nation.
The site is intended to be a therapeutic escape for our veterans, as well as, an addition to the artificial reef program Dr. Mathews started in the 1970’s. The Circle, located at Veteran’s Reef, is marked with mooring buoys at the surface and at the bottom. Guide lines attached to the bases of each statue serve to make navigation to and around the site straightforward. You’ll find a bronze plaque at each base describing the statue along with the names of the donors that helped to make this dream a reality.
What began as pristine concrete with amazing detail has now become covered with numerous soft and hard corals, sponges and loads of various marine life. Macro photographers come from all over to shoot amazing photography with the tiny creatures that call these statues home. It has been rewarding to watch this site take shape over the last four years and see day by day how life builds in our oceans.
We make regular visits to the Circle of Heroes and you’ll certainly find us there on Memorial Day to pay our respects to those that allow us the freedom to do what we love. Come join us and check this one-of-a-kind dive site off your list.