United States Dive Sites — Page 42

Continued from the United States dive sites guide, which covers regions, seasonality, and planning details.

Vortex Spring

Florida · 1.5–35.1 m

Vortex Spring is the largest commercial dive facility in Florida, a privately run spring resort in the Panhandle near Ponce de Leon producing about 28 million gallons of 68°F water daily. The 200 ft diameter basin slopes to a cavern entrance at 58 ft, with a gated cave continuing to 115 ft for certified cave divers (measured passage ~1,640 ft). Resident freshwater fish and even introduced koi make the shallow basin a favorite for open water training and check-out dives.

AdvancedShore entry

Wachapreague Reef

Virginia · Up to 13.7 m

Wachapreague Reef is a dive site in United States. Maximum depth is around 14 m. The site is reached by boat.

Boat entry

Wai'anae Artificial Reef - Corner A

Hawaii · Up to 14.9 m

A dive site in United States. The site reaches a maximum depth of about 15 m. The site is reached by boat.

Boat entry

Wai'anae Artificial Reef - Shallow LCU

Hawaii · Up to 29 m

Wai'anae Artificial Reef - Shallow LCU is a dive site in United States. Maximum depth is around 29 m. The site is reached by boat.

IntermediateBoat entry

Wakulla Big Bend Regional Reef 1

Florida · Up to 6.7 m

Artificial reef built from 24 Pre-Fabricated Cubes 1M on a Side 50M Spaced Hexagon

Boat entry

Wakulla Big Bend Regional Reef 2

Florida · Up to 6.7 m

Artificial reef built from 96 Pre-Fabricated Cubes 1M on a Side 50M Spaced Hexagon

Boat entry

Wallace Reef

Alabama · Up to 30 m

Wallace Reef is an artificial reef formed from a Liberty ship that was split into two pieces by Hurricane Frederic (1979), lying off Orange Beach in roughly 100 ft of water. It is a recognized offshore wreck dive.

IntermediateBoat entry

Water Witch

Vermont · 24.4–27.4 m

Built in 1832 by steamboat pioneer Jahaziel Sherman at the mouth of Otter Creek, Water Witch ran as a steamboat for only a few seasons before her machinery was removed and she was converted to a lake schooner. She foundered in a gale on April 26, 1866 while carrying iron ore, taking the captain's infant daughter down with her. The 83-foot wreck, discovered in 1977, lies in about 90 feet of dark water a quarter mile south of Diamond Island, with her graceful 12-foot tiller bar, draped foremast, and intact bowsprit; the preserve is currently listed as closed.

ExpertBoat entry

Wayne Upchurch Reef

South Carolina · Up to 18.9 m

Artificial reef built from Approximate Center of Reef

IntermediateBoat entry

Weeki Wachee Spring

Florida · —

Weeki Wachee Spring is a first-magnitude spring famous for its 1947-era underwater mermaid theater, now operated as a Florida state park with the Buccaneer Bay swim area and river cruises. It sits atop the deepest known underwater cave system in the United States, explored past 400 ft by Karst Underwater Research divers under special permit. Public scuba diving is not allowed; swimming is limited to the adjacent Buccaneer Bay area.

Shore entry

West Flower Garden Bank (Flower Garden Banks NMS)

Texas · 18–39.6 m

The western of the two coral-capped salt domes in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, about 110 miles off Freeport and 12 miles from East Bank. Its reef cap (roughly 60-100 ft) carries the same dense boulder star and brain coral cover, with deep sand flats and reef margins sloping past recreational limits. Dived from liveaboard charters on sanctuary mooring buoys, usually combined with East Bank and Stetson Bank on 2-3 day trips.

AdvancedBoat entry

West Lake Okoboji (Arnolds Park / Pillsbury Point)

Iowa · 3–41.5 m

West Lake Okoboji is a 3,800+ acre glacial lake and the clearest, deepest natural lake in Iowa, with visibility ranging from about 12 ft in summer to 40-70 ft in winter and early spring. Popular dives include three submerged pipelines (Pillsbury Point, the Milford Tower and The Inn), a truck that fell through the ice in the 1940s in Smith's Bay, scattered boat remains, and rocky points with drop-offs. Most aquatic life is seen between 10 and 40 ft, though the lake bottoms out around 136 ft.

IntermediateShore + boat

Whiskey Wreck

Alabama · Up to 7 m

The Whiskey Wreck is a roughly 200-foot wooden rum-runner lying in about 15-25 ft of water just past the offshore sandbar, around 150 yards due south of Bahama Bob's Beach Side Cafe at 601 West Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores. Little remains beyond a low (2-3 ft) section of hull wall covering about 300 square yards, and it is one of the few true shore/snorkel-accessible wreck dives on the Alabama coast. Visibility is typically 5-15 ft and depends heavily on wave action.

BeginnerShore entry

White Coast Tug

Florida · Up to 20.7 m

Artificial reef built from 38' Steel Tug, the "White Coast"

IntermediateBoat entry

White Horse Beach (Flag Rock)

Massachusetts · 1.5–9.1 m

White Horse Beach in the Manomet section of Plymouth is a shallow Cape Cod Bay shore dive centered on Flag Rock, the landmark boulder at the north end of the beach that has carried a painted American flag since 1941. The rocky bottom around the rock holds lobsters and typical New England bay life in roughly 10-30 ft of water - about 35 ft is possible only on the highest tides - making it a good beginner or cobweb-shakeout dive. Average visibility runs around 16-20 ft. Summer parking is the main challenge, with resident restrictions near the beach.

Shore entry

White Rock Park

Indiana · 3–7.6 m

White Rock Park is a privately run recreation park built around flooded stone quarries in St. Paul, Indiana, offering swimming, cliff jumping, camping and scuba diving. The dive quarry holds a sunken school bus and a boat in roughly 25 feet of water, and on-site operator Aquatic Dreams Diving runs Try Scuba experiences and open water certification courses. It is a shallow, beginner-oriented site rather than a destination dive park.

Shore entry

White Star Quarry

Ohio · 3–24.4 m

White Star Quarry is a 15-acre spring-fed former limestone quarry inside White Star Park, a Sandusky County park in Gibsonburg, and is the main inland dive destination in northwest Ohio. Average depth is about 40 feet with two deeper holes at roughly 60 and 80 feet, one at the base of a submerged stone crusher, plus sunken boats and multiple training platforms. The quarry is known for clear water with 30-50 feet of visibility and is heavily used for open-water training.

Shore entry

White Water Reef

South Carolina · Up to 9.1 m

Artificial reef built from Concrete coated steel trees

Boat entry

Wildwood - Capt. Ray Vandegrift Wreck

New Jersey · 12.8–18 m

Artificial reef built from 85' Commercial Fishing - "Ray Vandegrift" (formerly - "Lady Dee")

Boat entry

Wildwood - Fallen Friends Wreck

New Jersey · 12.8–18 m

Artificial reef built from 40' Deck Barge - "Fallen Friends Wreck"

Boat entry

Wildwood - Military Vehicle

New Jersey · 12.8–18 m

Artificial reef built from M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) NJDEP deployment record: Military vehicle, material: M-551 Sheridan Light Tank, deployed 1996.

Boat entry

Wildwood - Philip A. Cameron, Jr. Reef

New Jersey · 12.8–17.1 m

Artificial reef built from M-60 Patton Main Battle Tank (MBT) NJDEP deployment record: Military vehicle, material: M-60 Patton Main Battle Tank (MBT), deployed 1995.

Boat entry

Wildwood - The BassBarn - MAELSTROM

New Jersey · 12.8–18 m

Artificial reef built from 71' Commercial Fishing - "the BassBarn - Maelstrom" (formerly - "Maelstrom") NJDEP deployment record: Ship, material: 71' Commercial Fishing - "The BassBarn - Maelstrom" (formerly - "Maelstrom"), deployed 2005.

Boat entry

Will Goldfinch Reef

South Carolina · Up to 17.1 m

Artificial reef built from Approximate Center of Reef

Boat entry