Scuba Diving in Delaware, United States

12 mapped sites

Destination guide

Scuba diving in Delaware, United States

Delaware, United States has 12 public dive sites on PickADive. Use the list below to compare mapped sites by depth, access, difficulty, ratings, and reviews before opening a site page.

Open map view Check condition context

Public sites: 12; Indexed destination pages
Reviews: 0; Catalog review count
Rating: Building; Reviews are still growing
Common access: Boat; 12 dive sites

Seasonal patterns

Best months, historically in Delaware, United States

Typical conditions by month across dive sites in Delaware, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.

Jan56%6°C
Feb58%6°C
Mar52%8°C
Apr69%12°C
May85%16°C
Jun89%21°C
Jul94%25°C
Aug84%25°C
Sep63%23°C
Oct69%19°C
Nov64%14°C
Dec63%9°C

From 12 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast

Best dive sites in Delaware, United States

Showing 1–12 of 12

Gypsum Prince

Delaware · 14.6–24.4 m

A British-built freighter that sank in 1942 after colliding with the tanker Voco at the end of the Harbor of Refuge breakwater off Cape Henlopen, then was wire-dragged and demolished as a navigation hazard. The wreck today is a sprawling field of twisted plates and machinery on sand in roughly 50-80 ft of water that shelters lobster, tautog and sea bass. Its position at the bay mouth means strong currents, and local charters dive it at slack tide.

AdvancedBoat entry

7 - P3 and Dolphin

Delaware · Up to 12.8 m

Artificial reef built from Concrete, Plus 35' and 42' Steel Vessels (“P3” and “Dolphin”)

IntermediateBoat entry

Harbor of Refuge Breakwater (Outer Wall)

Delaware · 1.5–18.3 m

The mile-and-a-half-long outer breakwater off Cape Henlopen, built of more than a million tons of granite in the early 1900s to shelter the mouth of Delaware Bay. The submerged rock slope is heavily encrusted with mussels and attracts tautog, sheepshead, striped bass and record-class black drum, making it the region's storied freediving and scuba spearfishing site; the Gypsum Prince wreck lies at its seaward end. Depths along the wall run from the surface rocks down to about 40-70 ft on the surrounding bottom, with strong tidal flow around the structure.

IntermediateBoat entry

10 - Southern Sword

Delaware · Up to 0 m

Artificial reef built from Barge

Boat entry

10 - YC 725 A

Delaware · 14–20 m

YC-725 was a 251-ft, 2,344-ton steel vessel built in 1918 at Globe Shipbuilding in Superior, Wisconsin (originally the Contoocook, later Elda) and finished her career as a U.S. Navy open lighter barge. She was sunk in 1946 and lies on what is now Delaware Artificial Reef Site #10 in about 60 ft of water, 5.5 nautical miles from Indian River Inlet, where her mussel-covered hull holds sea bass and tautog.

IntermediateBoat entry

China Wreck

Delaware · 12.2–15.2 m

The broken remains of an unidentified late-19th-century wooden sailing ship (often attributed to the 1880 barkentine D.H. Bills) lying at the mouth of Delaware Bay roughly 12 miles off Cape Henlopen. The low rubble mound, about 100 ft long and 6-8 ft high in 45-50 ft of water, still yields fragments and occasionally intact pieces of its Victorian-era English china cargo. It is one of the region's classic artifact dives but must be timed to slack tide because bay currents rip across the flat sand bottom.

AdvancedBoat entry

10 - Mr. G and Rusty Pusher

Delaware · 14–20 m

Mr. G and the Rusty Pusher are two small tug/pusher-type vessels reefed on Delaware Artificial Reef Site #10, which lies 5.5 nautical miles from Indian River Inlet in 55-66 ft of water. The site's wrecks and barges are heavily encrusted with blue mussels that attract sea bass, tautog and triggerfish, making it a regular stop for Delmarva dive and spearfishing charters.

IntermediateBoat entry

Del-Jerseyland Inshore Distribution - Atlantic Mis

Delaware · 31–40 m

The Atlantic Mist was a 185-ft, 640-ton WWII Patrol Craft Escort (PCE-880) later converted to a menhaden fishing boat, sunk as reef material on the tri-state DelJerseyLand artificial reef about 26 nautical miles from Indian River Inlet. The reef site bottoms out at 121-131 ft, making this an advanced cold-water wreck dive shared by Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland divers alongside the destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford.

AdvancedBoat entry

Del-Jerseyland Inshore Distribution - Gregory Pool

Delaware · 31–40 m

The Gregory Poole was a WWII Admirable-class minesweeper (AM-215) later converted to a menhaden fishing vessel, sunk on the tri-state DelJerseyLand artificial reef roughly 26 nautical miles from Indian River Inlet. The wreck rests on a 121-131 ft bottom near the reef's other vessels, including the destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford, and is a staple advanced wreck dive for Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey charters.

AdvancedBoat entry

USS Radford/Del-Jersey-Land

Delaware · Up to 39 m

USS Radford/Del-Jersey-Land is a dive site located in United States. Depths run to roughly 39 m. The site is reached by boat. Rated advanced based on available data.

AdvancedBoat entry

10 - Yon 80

Delaware · 14–20 m

YON-80 is a 110 x 35 ft, 400-ton U.S. Navy yard fuel-oil barge built in 1941 by Dravo Corp of Wilmington, Delaware, and sunk as reef material on Delaware Artificial Reef Site #10 on March 10, 2010. The barge sits in the site's 55-65 ft depth range, 5.5 nautical miles off Indian River Inlet, encrusted in blue mussels and holding sea bass and tautog.

IntermediateBoat entry

Redbird Reef - Chesapeake Cruiser

Delaware · 24–30 m

Redbird Reef is Delaware's best-known artificial reef, 16.5 nautical miles off the coast, built from more than 700 retired New York City 'Redbird' subway cars plus 86 military vehicles, eight tugboats and barges and thousands of tons of ballasted material. The structures sit in roughly 80-110 ft of water and are completely encrusted with cold-water corals, frilled anemones and mussels, with sea bass, tautog and flounder swimming through the car windows. The Chesapeake Cruiser record marks one of the reefed workboats on the site.

AdvancedBoat entry

Plan a dive in Delaware, United States

Compare nearby sites

Delaware has 12 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.

Explore sites on the map

Match depth and difficulty

Current public data shows 6 advanced and 5 intermediate dive sites. Listed depths range from about 0m to 40m where available. Boat is the most common listed access type. Use those signals as a starting point, then confirm the plan against training, equipment, and current local guidance.

Check conditions close to the dive

PickADive can help with research and comparison, but it does not certify that a dive is safe today. Weather, current, visibility, entry, boat traffic, and local rules can change quickly.

How condition context works

Common questions about diving in Delaware, United States

What are the best dive sites in Delaware, United States?

Use the ranked list on this page to compare 12 public dive sites in Delaware. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page.

Is Delaware beginner-friendly for scuba diving?

PickADive does not yet have enough beginner-labeled public site data to summarize Delaware confidently. Review difficulty, access, depth, and recent notes on each site page before deciding.

Are there advanced dives in Delaware?

Yes. PickADive currently marks 6 dive sites in Delaware as advanced or expert level. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.

What depths can I expect in Delaware?

Listed PickADive depth data for Delaware ranges from about 0m to 40m. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.

Can I see Delaware dive sites on a map?

Yes. Use the map link on this page to compare Delaware dive sites by location, coastline, nearby alternatives, and individual site details.