South Florida Dive Sites

South Florida has an abundance of dive sites, including many wrecks along the eastern coast. Many of these were purposefully sunk to create artificial reefs and are inhabited with numerous species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks looking for a good hiding place. As the coral grows, these wrecks get transformed into beautiful reefs full of life. They attract an abundance of fish and they also attract many scuba divers.

Exploring these wrecks and discovering hidden creatures or just admiring the many species of fish is a delight. It’s like going on a mini vacation in another world.

Wreck diving is most enjoyable and we like learning about the interesting history behind these sites. What happened? How did they get there?

We will continue to expand our list as we see more dive sites and we will update this page on a regular basis. The movement of storms and weather can also affect some of these wrecks so it’s a good reason for us to visit them often!

South Florida Dive Sites:

Ancient Mariner – Army Tanks – Belcher Barge – Blue Heron Bridge – C-One – Castor – Conception – Copenhagen – Dema Trader –Hog Heaven – McAllister Tug  – Mike’s Wreck – Neptune Memorial – Okinawa – Radio Towers – Rapa Nui – Spiegel Grove – Tenneco Towers – Tracy (Vitale) – United Caribbean – Vandenberg

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Ancient Mariner

• Depth: 70 ft
• Size:  165 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of Pompano
• Condition and history: The wreck sits in 70 ft of water (to the sand) and is pretty big at 165 ft in length and 25 ft across. It has a lot of open spaces to explore and those comfortable with penetration have multiple opportunities to enter. The top deck of the Ancient Mariner was washed away during a hurricane and now rest next to the wreck in pile of metal in the sand. Originally, it was a Coast Guard ship named the Nemises. It dates back to 1933. The South Florida divers club of Hollywood purchased her and she was donated to the Florida artificial reef program and sunk in 1991.

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Army Tanks

• Depth: 50 ft
• Size:  Two 40-foot Tanks
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of North Miami Beach
• Condition and history: In 1994 these two M-60 army tanks dating back to the Vietnam War era were placed at a depth of 50 ft in order to create an artificial reef. This dive site makes for an interesting dive, as one would not expect to find army tanks resting on the seafloor in South Florida. The limestone boulders placed around the tanks create a safe haven for lobster and other small sea creatures. Abundant sea life frequents this artificial reef including some pretty big barracudas.

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Belcher Barge

• Depth: 60 ft
• Size:  195 ft Barge
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of South Beach
• Condition and history: This 195-foot barge was sunk in 1985 and rests at about 60 feet of water. It’s turned over but there are many openings and one can easily swim through some of the structures and see an abundance of life within. Barracudas, stingrays and Goliath Groupers are known to frequent this site.

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Blue Heron Bridge

• • Depth: 5-20 ft
  • Size: Many spots around the bridge and artificial reefs
  • Difficulty: Open Water
  • Location: Under the Blue Heron Bridge, in Phil Foster Park
  • Condition and history: This site was voted best dive site in the US because of its amazing sea life. You can see all sorts of creatures here including seahorses! Pretty cool!
    Be sure to check the tide tables and don’t stray far from 1 hr before and 1 hr after high slack tide. Currents get strong and can bring you out into the boat channel. Not good! Stay within these windows and visibility is often the best.  Definitely one of our favorite spots!

 

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C-One

• Depth: 60-70 ft
• Size: 120 ft
• Difficulty: Open Water
• Location: Inside the Sunny Isles Artificial Reef Site
• Condition and history: In 1990 this tugboat was sunk on purpose to create an artificial reef. The vessel is at about 60-70 ft of depth and is in one piece with lots of growth and full of life. The fact that it’s tilting over at almost 45 degrees makes for many interesting photos. It has multiple entry points for exploration and a prolific sea life.

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Castor

• Depth: 110 ft
• Size: 258 ft
• Location:  Just south of the inlet offshore from Boynton Beach
• Difficulty: Medium/ Advanced (depending on current)
• Condition and history: The M/V Castor was built in the Netherlands in 1970 and intended as a cargo ship for dry goods. In 1999, it was seized by the coast guard for drug smuggling and eventually sunk to form this beautiful artificial reef in 2001. This has allowed plenty of time for lots of growth but the real treat at this site is the Goliath Groupers that have come to call it home. Its been reported that as many as 60 have been spotted at this dive site during spawning. While originally the wreck was 237-foot-long, over time rust, and storms have blown around parts of the wreck leaving much of the ship at a 45 degree angle but the bow is still upright. This site can have strong currents and due to its depth requires advanced certification.

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Conception

• Depth: 68 ft
• Size: 165 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Inside the Sunny Isles Artificial Reef Site
• Condition and history: This Honduran freighter met its demise in 1991 when it ran aground during storms. Later that year it was moved to the Sunny Isles Artificial Reef Site where it now sits in 68 ft of water. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew broke the ship into three sections and the stern got separated and moved roughly 40 ft away. A multitude of fish can be found around this artificial reef.

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Copenhagen

• Depth: 15-35 ft
• Size: 325 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
• Condition and history: The broken up steamer ran aground on the Pompano Drop Off more than 100 years ago making it a historical shipwreck. Since 1994 the SS Copenhagen is protected under the Florida Underwater Archeological Preserves. This shallow dive site is available to divers and snorkelers alike.

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Dema Trader

• Depth: 80 ft
• Size: 165 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water / Advanced due to Depth
• Location: Inside the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site
• Condition and history: This freighter was sunk in 2003 to create an artificial reef. It has a prolific sea life and the windows were removed to allow penetration into the cabin. It rests on its keel at a depth of 75-80 ft. Heavy concrete culvert pipes and junction boxes were added in the cargo hold for more stability during storms and these double up as extra living and hiding places for many underwater creatures.

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Hog Heaven

• Depth: 70 ft
• Size: 180 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Just off Fort Lauderdale Beach
• Condition and history: Hog Heaven is a site that includes a 180 foot barge that was intentionally sunk in Sept, ’86 as part of Florida’s artificial reef program. 30 plus years of growth is well evident on the wreck and it is literally covered in coral and growth and has lots of life. While there are a lot of areas where experienced wreck divers can penetrate, it is obvious that the years have corroded away a lot of the structure, and the remains look to be fragile and potentially dangerous to those not properly trained so beware. In addition to the wreck, this site also has some other scenery including the remains of a lighthouse which was brought and sunk on the site

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McAllister Tug

• Depth: 70 ft to the sand, 50 ft to the top of the tug
• Difficulty: Open Water
• Size:  100 ft
• Location: 5 miles south of Port Everglades
• Condition and history: This wreck was full of colorful corals and had lots of reef fish making it  an exiting dive. Shallow enough for open water divers and lots of areas for advanced or wreck divers to explore. The form of the harbor tugboat is very recognizable and while our visibility was only 40 ft or so it must be more spectacular in clear visibility.

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Mike’s Wreck

• Depth: 20-25 ft
• Size:  100 ft or so but highly scattered
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Elbow Reef in Key Largo
• Condition and history: This wreck is the remnant of an unknown steel-hulled ship that sank on Elbow Reef. Parts of the ship are now intertwined with the reef. The prolific sea life is varied which makes it an excellent site for photo opportunities. The shallow depth is ideal for new divers as well as snorkelers.

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Neptune Memorial

• Depth: 40 ft
• Size:  About an acre of area
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Outside Key Biscayne
• Condition and history: Neptune Memorial Reef is an artistic rendition of the Lost City of Atlantis complete with high pillars and lions and lots of interesting things to see. This is the final resting ground for many, and you can see the various plots with their copper nameplates on sculptures such as turtles and sea stars. We understand that you can have your ashes mixes with the concrete and be buried in this site. This aspect gives the site a solemn respectful aura as you dive down between the pillars and what looked to me very much like an open cathedral.

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Okinawa

• Depth: 70 ft
• Size:  107 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of Pompano
• Condition and history: The Okinawa was sunk on Aug 9, 2017 and is an army tugboat measuring 107 ft with a 26 ½ ft bow. The wreck lists at about 30 degrees since Hurricane Irma. It sits at 70 ft depth but only 40 ft to the top of the wheelhouse. Be sure to check out the mermaid statue holding a once silver ball, and the many sculptures that adorn the deck. Even after a short time, there is an impressive amount of growth and an abundance of sea life. The wreck has many good spots to penetrate.

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Radio Towers

• Depth: 50 ft
• Size:  Each tower is about 20 ft square and 50 ft high.
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of North Miami Beach
• Condition and history: These radio towers (19 in total) were sunk with the intention of creating an artificial reef and the result was successful. Great barracudas hang out at the top and multitudes of tropical reef fish can be found at this site. Sometimes if you are lucky you will see nurse sharks. The base of the towers rest at a depth of 50 ft and the top is at about 30 feet. The radio towers are arranged into pyramidal structures giving the site an interesting look.

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Rapa Nui

• Depth: 60-80 ft
• Size:  150 ft
• Difficulty : Open Water
• Location: Off the coast of Deerfield Beach,  just east of the Deerfield Beach Pier
• Condition and history: This 150 fT barge was sunk complete with a number of Polynesian sculptures made by a Dennis McDonald of Pompano Beach. Unfortunately the barge turned upside down and crushed most of these pieces of art. Divers have salvaged a couple of them and secured these to the top of the upside down wreck. There are ongoing plans to restore and/or replace more of the sculptures by the local community but in the meanwhile the sea life is already making a home here.

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Spiegel Grove

• Depth: 80-130 ft
• Size:  510 ft x 80 ft
• Difficulty : Advanced Dive
• Location: Off the coast of Key Largo
• Condition and history:  Sunk in 2002 the ship had a mind of it’s own and started to sink prematurely,  as she went down, it left her bow protruding from the water and the authorities deemed this a navigational hazard and threatened to blow her up. Fortunately a salvage group completed the sinking but the ship ended up on it’s starboard side. To everyone’s surprise after Hurricane Dennis the Spiegel Grove was found fully righted. Thank You to mother nature for one of the most spectacular dive sites ever.

Spiegle Grove Gallery

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Tenneco Towers (shallow site)

• Depth: 97-110 ft
• Size:  The towers are about 40 ft square and raise up almost 80 ft.
• Difficulty : Advanced for shallow tower, second tower below recreational limits
• Location: Off the coast of Hallandale Beach, lined up with the Hallandale water tower
• Condition and history: In 1985 the Tenneco Oil Company transported five decommissioned oil production platforms from the Gulf of Mexico and created the largest artificial reef in southeast Florida. Three oil platforms are within recreational dive limits and were ideal for our deep dive during our AOW course. The shallower platform rests in 97 ft of water and the other two are at a depth of 110 ft with the top at 60 ft. The platforms are covered in soft coral and they attract a prolific sea life including sharks, great barracudas, Goliath groupers, queen angelfish and so much more.

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