Florida

Miami-Dade County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

The Blue Fire, a 175-ft freighter, was sunk in January 1983 in 110-ft of water.

This vessel was seized by the Coast Guard during the Cuban Exodus. This wreck is fairly broken up, though sits fairly upright on a white sandy bottom. It is an easy and safe wreck to penetrate and abounds with sea life which reportedly includes cobia, grouper, amberjack, barracuda and parrotfish.

Great dive for photographers!

Located in the Dade Sport Fishing Council Site North. The Bluefire is slightly south and east of Fowey Lighthouse.

BlueFire Wreck is also known as Bluefire Wreck.

Islandia

BlueFire Wreck

The Arratoon Apcar, named after her original owner, Apcar and Company, was built in 1861 at a shipyard in Scotland. She was a 260-foot iron-hulled screw steamer with a beam of 35 feet.

On February 17, 1878 while on a voyage from Liverpool, England to Havana, Cuba, the Arratoon Apcar slammed into Fowey Rocks nearly colliding with the Fowey Lighthouse which was currently under construction. Ironically, the lighthouse was being erected on that very spot to warn vessels of the dangerous reef line which had already claimed more than one ship, including the HMS Fowey in 1748. Heavy seas and strong winds pounded the grounded vessel, pushing her further onto the reef. Heavy swells continuously lifted the ship, and then dropped her back down onto the cutting rocks. She quickly tore apart and was abandoned as a total loss.

The Arratoon Apcar is one of five historic wrecks designated as part of the Biscayne National Park "Shipwreck Trail". The shallow waters and surrounding coral reef make this a fantastic snorkeling and dive location. Boaters are advised to use caution as the shallow waters near the reef often create strong surge conditions.



Arratoon Apcar

The Steane D'Auray, often referred to as the "St. Anne", is a 110 foot North Atlantic trawler, sunk in only 68 feet of water. It has over 28 feet of relief and is basically still intact. There is still a picturesque air vent on the port side, the perfect backdrop for the underwater photographer. Some of the wreck has been torn apart and scattered across the bottom in the sand after Hurricane Andrew in August of 1992.

The St. Anne was sunk on March 28, 1986 and has a tremendous amount of growth. The rich nutrients of the Gulfstream have brought an abundance of life to her structure. Brilliant soft corals undulate in the current while the dark passageways beckon you to investigate her inner structure.



Steane D'Auray is also known as St. Anne.

Steane D'Auray

The Ultra Freeze ia a steeled hulled, 195' freighter with 45 feet of superstructure still attached. She was placed in the RJ Diving Ventures artificial reef site by the South Florida Spearfishing Council in the summer of 1984.



2 miles north of Fowey Reef Lighthouse (into RJ Diving Ventures Site).

Ultra Freeze

In 90 feet of water lays Sheri-Lynn, a 235-foot freighter. It took 400 pounds of high-explosives to bring this ship down. Dutch-built, she carried a small crew as she was launched in 1952 and used for shipping. When she had been docked for several years without use, it was assumed that this ship was abandoned and ownership was gained by the Department of Environmental Resource Management.

The vessel took a hard hit from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and was spread across a wide area. Her bow lies 60 feet away from the rest of the wreck. This allowed for increased marine life to inhabit the remains. Although prior to this she was intact and upright, she now has a larger variety of sea life. She has many foot holes cut through bulkheads that allow for exploration. South of the bow lies 50 Chevron tanks, each 30 feet long and 8 feet in diameter with the ends cut off. Twenty cement-mixer tanks also lie near by. The variety of wreckage provides home to large amounts of pelagic life.



Sheri-Lynn

Emerald Reef is a small shallow-water patch reef one mile east of Key Biscayne. It's considered by many to be one of the most beautiful reefs in Miami, rivaling those found further south in the Florida Keys.

The reefs are in 10 to 20 feet of water and support living elkhorn and pillar coral, a variety of sponges, and schools of juvenile tropicals. The clarity and color of the water makes this a spectacular snorkel or dive location. Please protect our reefs and dive carefully. 



Emerald Reef

The Neptune Memorial Reef project is the largest man made reef ever conceived and provides an extraordinary living resting place for the departed, an environmental and ecological masterpiece, a superb laboratory for marine biologists, students, researchers and ecologists, and an aesthetically exquisite, world-class destination for visitors from all walks of life.

3.25 miles of the east of Key Biscayne, FL. 


Neptune Memorial Reef

The Orion was sunk as a part of the artificial reef program in 1981. It is a steel hulled tug boat. 

The wheel house broke off during hurricane Andrew and lies off to one side. It is often passed over for the larger ships in Key Biscayne, but it is a well established and a very nice for a shorter second dive.

3 miles off Key Biscayne (SW corner of the reef). 

Orion wreck

The Lugano was a 350-foot single screw, iron-hulled British steamer with a 40-foot beam. Built in 1882 by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, she originally sailed under the name Navarro. In 1897, the Navarro underwent a major overhaul and was renamed Lugano.

On the afternoon of March 9, 1913, the Lugano ran hard aground on Long Reef while on a routine voyage from Liverpool to Havana. She was ferrying 116 passengers, most of whom were emigrating from Spain to Cuba, and her cargos where filled with wine, silks, and assorted goods. As high winds and heavy seas pounded the grounded ship, a tug was dispatched to the site and all passengers were safely transported from the ship. Wreckers managed to recover most of the cargo over the next several weeks. However, the Lugano herself could not be saved. The damage to the hull caused by the reef, and the heavy seas eventually flooded her holds. She was abandoned early in April, nearly one month after sealing her fate on Long Reef.

Today, the superstructure is essentially gone, but large portions of her skeletal hull and ribs remain. The remains are encrusted in beautiful and colorful corals and sponges. The site provides a habitat for large numbers of tropicals, small grouper, and schools of yellowtail. Spotted eels, morays, and lobster can be found under the collapsed hull plates.

There are three mooring buoys nearby. Boaters are advised to use caution as the shallow waters near the reef often create strong surge conditions.

The Lugano is one of five historic wrecks designated as part of the Biscayne National Park "Shipwreck Trail". The shallow waters and surrounding coral reef make this a fantastic snorkeling location.



Lugano

This is a great reef for the beginner diver. It is located south of Patty's reef and it is another excellent dive. It is a medium in profile but it has tropical fish, hard and soft corals everywhere.


Mooring balls lie in a N-S line.

Rainbow Reef

The Mandalay was a 128-foot double-masted steel schooner in the Windjammer Cruises fleet. She ran aground on Long Reef near Elliott Key on New Years Eve 1966 at the end of a 10-day Bahamas cruise. Fortunately, all passengers and crew were rescued, but the Mandalay suffered a watery fate. When the wreck was hard aground, looters quickly stripped her clean. Tug boats arrived shortly thereafter to attempt to pull her off the reef, but they only succeeded in opening the ship's hull further. The Mandalay was pummeled by rough seas and quickly sank.

Resting in only 10 feet of water, the Mandalay is now considered to be one of the best wreck dives in Biscayne National Park. Large sections of the ship remain intact and are easily accessible to snorkelers. After almost a half-century under the sea, the schooner Mandalay is covered with hard corals, sea fans, and schools of colorful fish. This is a site not to be missed.

The Mandalay is one of five historic wrecks designated as part of the Biscayne National Park "Shipwreck Trail". The shallow waters and surrounding coral reef make this a fantastic snorkeling location.



BlueFire Wreck

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at BlueFire Wreck