New York

St. Lawrence 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

Schermerhorn Landing

Keystorm

This dive is not recommended for beginners! It is not advised to stay a long time without an air reserve. The crew of the dive boat must have a way to signal you the arrival of a cargo boat for example. Also please take note that if you don't control adequately your buoyancy you may touch the bottom which is covered of crude oil...not easy to clean.

It is extremely important to take note that any cargo ship passing by will create a large water draft. You must be prepared for any situation. For example, if you are 40' deep and you have to make a rapid ascent (for any reason), you may find yourself directly under the propeller!!! If such a situation has to arrive, stick to the bottom!. Dump the air of your BC. Watch your air. Have a reserve of air or a second bottle of air, be near your buddy otherwise, and stay calm! Wait for the boat to pass. If nothing goes wrong then you will have a full bottle of air for your next dive... 



American

Kinghorn is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Ontario which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Kinghorn

 STRONG CURRENT throughout this dive.

 The Darya is a 219 ft steel freighter that struck a nearby shoal on November 20th, 1941, carrying a load of coal, which is found in relative abundance nearby. The gash she suffered was too great and down she went with the loss of one crew member. She landed on the bottom inverted with bow upstream and is literally against a canyon wall to starboard with a mere ten feet separating them in spots.
 Hand over hand it down the line to the props to save your legs for later or, if you're with an experienced charter skipper you can drift onto the wreck from upstream.
 If you drift it and want easy recovery, grab the line at the props and make your way to the surface marker.
 If you take the line descent, once at the props, you have two choices. Head left down a secondary line and move to the cargo area and duck under and in to have a rest and explore this vast space. Check out the gash that sank her and if you're properly wreck trained, penetration here can be rewarding. The options are towards the bow, there is a hatch to get into the bow spaces ( well lit by port holes) but depending on your size, you may need to doff your gear to squeeze through. The other place to gain entry is via a doorway with inverted stairs, at the aft end of the cargo space, starboard side. Tie your line off on the stairs. You can turn right, go a short distance and then jog left to an electrical room or duck down a deck and emerge between machinery on the starboard side of the wreck. Alternatively, if you're not a mud puppy, you can instead go straight ahead from the doorway and down a corridor that's about 5 feet high and 40 or so feet long. At the end, drop down a stairwell and either exit under the stern ( very low here) or continue down the stairwell to the engine room. CAUTION: Even the best divers will stir something up here. It WILL silt out on you so get your look at the machinery while you can and never lose touch with your line. This wreck has claimed at least one VERY experienced diver in this area of the ship.
 Heading outside the wreck from the cargo bay and closest to the bow, swim, grab/haul to the bow and spiderman up to the top (bottom :))and get ready for the flying experience of your life. The current will whisk you almost dead centre down the hull. Grab the prop line or duck under the stern at the end. Personally, I'm usually too pooped to duck under as it will require some effort.
 If you chose to explore under the stern ( in the lee) from your descent from the props, there is a hatchway leading up and into the corridor and stairwell I mentioned earlier.
 The fish here almost always tend to be Walleye and are in abundance between the wreck and the canyon wall.



By boat: The wreck is marked with a buoy.

The Henry C. Daryaw

Ivy Lea Campground Beach is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Ontario which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Ivy Lea Campground Beach

Ash Island Barge is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Ontario which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Ash Island Barge

STRONG CURRENT. I can't emphasize this enough. The only reasonable way to get around this wreck is to drift down it and use hand holds on it or rocks on the bottom to pull yourself towards it's stern ( yes, oddly enough, her stern is pointing INTO the current). If using rocks, be careful what you grab as she was carrying a load of coal and that is akin to grabbing a grain of sand. It's won't hold you.
 All that said, she's a neat ship. She sank after striking a rock in 1877 and her cargo shifted. She's a 131 foot schooner that lies inverted on a rock ledge. She's partially over the edge and the only thing holding her on is the current. Eventually, she'll make the plunge to bottom which is 170 feet there. Penetration is possible and the ship's stove is located midships. Many artifacts have been found on the wreck and are located in bins attached to the island side of the vessel. Look, touch but don't take. A unique view of the centre board and it's housing can be found drifting down current over the hull. Once at the bow, drop down into it's lee to explore or begin a hand over hand journey back to the stern using whatever you can hold onto.
 If you plan on extending your drift, past the escape lines, be warned. About 4 minutes down stream is some rock formation that causes a down draft. I guarantee, that's you'll be at 130 ft minumum before being able to kick out of it even fully inflated. The good news? You won't get deeper than 170 unless you brought a shovel.

Actual entry is a shore dive, however, the wreck is located beside Sparrow Island, Brockville and requires a boat to land at the public dock on the island. Once on the dock, you'll need to hump it overland with your gear to the entry points. There are two methods of diving this wreck. Drift from shore on the western most tip of the island or follow the anchor chain that's attached to the ship's anchor on the north west edge of the island. STRONG current. Forget finning, use the chain if you chose this entry. If you chose to drift on, stay at 30- 40 feet and hug the island. You'll be on the wreck in 30 seconds so get down quickly. When you're done with the dive, you have two options. Exit on the anchor chain or drift along the wall at 40 feet and be ready to grab one of three of the famous "Lillie Parsons escape lines. Miss these and you'll be in Brockville before you know it unless you're fortunate enough to ascend up and over the wall edge into the lee of Sparrow Island ( you have 30 seconds or so to figure this out). Be wary of boat traffic in this area as it's near the dock.

The Lillie Parsons is also known as The Lilly Parsons.

The Lillie Parsons

The Robert Gaskin is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Ontario which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

The Robert Gaskin

Centeen Park is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Canada, Ontario which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Centeen Park

Wooden three masted schooner lying in 60 to 150 feet. The Vickery was was built in 1861 and sank on August 17, 1889.

Rock Island Shoal, St. Lawrence River, New York side. There is a buoy just upstream of the Rock Island Lighthouse.

A.E. Vickery is also known as J.B. Penfield.

Keystorm

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Keystorm