Destination guide
Key Largo anchors Florida diving inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Spiegel Grove is a 510-foot Navy ship scuttled in 2002 about six miles offshore — a boat wreck listed as advanced to roughly 40 m, with an interior used for wreck-penetration diving. Molasses Reef, marked by its light tower at the sanctuary’s seaward edge, is a spur-and-groove reef with mooring-buoyed sites from snorkel depth to about 27 m, listed as intermediate and often dived as a drift in mild current.
Seasonal patterns
Typical conditions by month across dive sites in Florida, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.
From 142 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast
Best time to dive Florida, United States: full month-by-month data →
Featured dive guides
Start with these richer site pages when you want article-style planning notes, FAQs, condition context, and local logistics.
Read the enriched Molasses Reef guide for access, depth, difficulty, conditions, marine-life notes, and FAQs before comparing reviews.
Read the enriched Spiegel Grove guide for access, depth, difficulty, conditions, marine-life notes, and FAQs before comparing reviews.
Showing 1–24 of 143
Florida · 0.9–7.6 m
Shallow reef and protected historic wreck area near Alligator Reef Lighthouse off Islamorada. Divers and snorkelers visit coral habitat, fish life, and ballast/wreck remains traditionally associated with USS Alligator, while acknowledging some uncertainty about exact wreck attribution. This is a boat-access Sanctuary Preservation Area style dive/snorkel site, not a shore dive.
Florida · 3–7.6 m
Lugano is a 350-foot British iron cargo steamer on Long Reef in Biscayne National Park's Maritime Heritage Trail. The wreck lies in about 25 ft / 7.6 m and is best treated as a shallow protected archaeological wreck on reef, not a penetration dive. Expect low-profile iron hull and frame remains with reef growth and fish life.
Florida · 0.5–3.6 m
Mandalay is a 112-foot steel-hulled schooner wreck embedded on Long Reef in Biscayne National Park. It is one of the park's best shallow wreck experiences and is especially useful for snorkelers, freedivers, and beginner scuba divers when conditions are calm. Treat it as a protected archaeological reef site rather than a wreck-penetration dive.
Florida · 18–40 m
Artificial reef made from decommissioned oil-platform structures off the Broward/Hallandale area. Three main structures are in recreational deep-diving range, while deeper components push the site toward technical planning. The steel framework attracts coral, sponges, reef fish, pelagics, turtles, and sharks.
Florida · 16.8–50.3 m
Large intentionally sunk military transport and missile-tracking ship off Key West. The wreck stands high in the water column, with shallow superstructure reachable by advanced recreational divers and deeper deck, hull, and penetration routes reserved for properly trained deep/wreck/technical divers. Use moored charter access and plan conservative gas, ascent, and no-decompression limits.
Florida · 3–7.6 m
USS Amesbury, locally called Alexander's Wreck, is a former U.S. Navy destroyer escort/high-speed transport on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Trail. The shallow wreck lies in about 25 ft / 7.6 m roughly 5 nautical miles west of Key West. NOAA documents two hull/superstructure sections about 600 ft apart, including recognizable gun mounts and a debris field.
Florida · 1–6.7 m
Shallow iron shipwreck southwest of Loggerhead Key in Dry Tortugas National Park. The site has two main wreckage fields and is suitable for careful snorkelers and beginner-level scuba divers when reached by boat in calm conditions. Treat the wreck and coral as protected cultural/natural resources.
Florida · 17–19.8 m
Artificial reef built from East/West Chain of 28 Sites Roughly 200' Apart-Coordinates for Center
Florida · 17.1–19.8 m
Artificial reef built from East/West Chain of 24 Sites Roughly 200' Apart-Coordinates for Center
Florida · 16.8–19.8 m
Artificial reef built from SE/NW Chain 13 Sites Roughly 200' Apart-Coordinates for Center
Florida · 5.8–8.2 m
Artificial reef built from 1 Goliath, 7 Ultras, 13 Pallets and 27 Bay Balls, 5 of 7 drops this grant and day
Florida · 16.5–22.9 m
Artificial reef built from 500 tons of Concrete Poles, Pilings, Culverts and Barricades
Florida · Up to 30.5 m
Artificial reef built from 210' Freighter Formally the "Ocean alley", Near Looe Key
Florida · 1.5–7.6 m
Alexander Springs is a first-magnitude spring in the Ocala National Forest and the only site in the forest where scuba diving is allowed. The broad, gin-clear pool slopes from a sandy swim beach to roughly 25 ft over the vent, making it one of Florida's best easy dives for newly certified divers and training classes. The recreation area includes a campground, bathhouse and canoe launch on the lush, palm-lined spring run.
Florida · Up to 38.1 m
Artificial reef built from 200' Steel Ship, the "Almirante"
Florida · Up to 24.4 m
Artificial reef built from 440' Freighter, the "Amaryllis"
Florida · Up to 26.5 m
Artificial reef built from 170' X 30' X 31' Cargo Ship - the "Ana Cecilia"
Florida · Up to 21.3 m
Artificial reef built from 165' Steel US Coast Guard Cutter, the "Nemesis"
Florida · Up to 31.4 m
Artificial reef built from 165' Steel Ship, "Andro". 5th of 6 Ships this grant
Florida · 3–6.7 m
The reef off Anglin's Fishing Pier in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is one of Florida's most famous beach dives, with two ledgy nearshore reef lines starting roughly 100 yards off the sand in 10-22 ft of water. The town brands itself the 'Shore Diving Capital of South Florida,' and the Datura Avenue/Commercial Blvd entries give easy access to coral ledges packed with tropicals, lobster and the occasional turtle or nurse shark. Note that the pier itself partially collapsed in Hurricane Nicole (2022) and remains fenced off, with rebuilding not expected before about 2028 — dive the reef, not the pier.
Florida · Up to 39.6 m
Artificial reef built from 387' Freighter, the "Antares"
Florida · 29–34.1 m
Artificial reef built from 240' Dutch Freighter, the "Poinciana"
Florida · Up to 35.1 m
Artificial reef built from 247' X 40' Dredge Boat, the "Avocet"
Florida has 143 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.
Explore sites on the mapCurrent public data shows 60 intermediate and 33 advanced dive sites. Listed depths range from about 0m to 95m 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.
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 worksSpiegel Grove off Key Largo is the state’s best-known wreck — a 510-foot Navy ship scuttled in 2002 inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, listed as an advanced boat dive to roughly 40 m. Molasses Reef, a few miles away, is listed as intermediate with mooring-buoyed reef sites at more moderate depths. Both site pages carry depth, access notes, and forecast-derived condition outlooks.
Molasses Reef is listed as an intermediate boat dive, with mooring-buoyed sites from shallow reef gardens to roughly 27 m along the outer ledge, and it is often dived as a drift in mild current. Confirm site choice and depth with a Key Largo operator against your certification and experience — the decision is yours.
The Spiegel Grove is listed as an advanced boat dive to roughly 40 m, with a large wreck interior used for wreck-penetration diving; strong, unpredictable Gulf Stream current on the mooring lines is a recorded hazard. Confirm the planned route, maximum depth, current strength, and the certification or logged experience your Key Largo operator requires before booking.
The Florida Keys, especially around Key Largo, hold the state’s best-known dive sites, including Molasses Reef and the Spiegel Grove wreck, both inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Use the map and site list on this page to compare depth, access, and difficulty across the wider Florida catalog.
No. PickADive helps with destination research and site comparison in Florida, but it does not certify that a dive is safe today. Site pages show forecast-derived condition outlooks and historical seasonality — planning aids computed from measured data, never a judgment that a particular dive is advisable. Check current conditions, training limits, equipment, local rules, and operator guidance before diving.