Scuba Diving in Vermont, United States

8 mapped sites

Destination guide

Scuba diving in Vermont, United States

Vermont, United States has 8 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: 8; Indexed destination pages
Reviews: 0; Catalog review count
Rating: Building; Reviews are still growing
Common access: Boat; 8 dive sites

Seasonal patterns

Best months, historically in Vermont, United States

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

Jan89%
Feb91%
Mar85%
Apr84%
May92%
Jun91%
Jul97%
Aug92%
Sep96%
Oct91%
Nov89%
Dec86%

From 8 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast

Best time to dive Vermont, United States: full month-by-month data →

Best dive sites in Vermont, United States

Showing 1–8 of 8

Burlington Bay Horse Ferry

Vermont · 13.7–15.2 m

The only known surviving example of a horse-powered turntable 'team-boat,' a once-common 19th-century North American ferry type, discovered by side-scan sonar in 1983 in Burlington Bay. The 63-foot wreck rests in about 50 feet of water with its horizontal flywheel, gear shaft, and both paddle wheels (iron hubs and oak spokes intact) still visible. Its identity and sinking date remain unknown, making it one of the most archaeologically significant wrecks in the Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve system — and one of its most fragile.

IntermediateBoat entry

General Butler

Vermont · 10–12.2 m

An 88-foot schooner-rigged sailing canal boat built in 1862 that crashed into the Burlington breakwater in a December 1876 gale while hauling marble, her crew leaping to safety onto the icy stones before she sank. She rests upright and remarkably intact on her keel in just 40 feet of water, 75 yards west of the breakwater's southern end, with dead-eyes, windlass, and mast tabernacles still visible. As the shallowest and most popular Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve wreck, it is an ideal first freshwater wreck dive; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Boat entry

General Butler Wreck

Vermont · Up to 12 m

General Butler Wreck is a wreck dive located in United States. The site is reached by boat.

IntermediateBoat entry

O.J. Walker

Vermont · 18.3–19.8 m

An 86-foot schooner-rigged sailing canal boat built in Burlington in 1862, sister-type to the General Butler, which sank in a sudden windstorm on May 11, 1895 while hauling bricks and tiles from Mallett's Bay. She sits upright in about 65 feet of water in Burlington Bay with her ship's wheel, masts, anchors, and cargo of bricks (plus the hand carts used to move them) still in place. It is the only Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve wreck that requires a per-dive permit, reserved in advance at the Burlington Community Boathouse.

IntermediateBoat entry

Phoenix

Vermont · 18.3–33.5 m

Launched in 1815, the 146-foot Phoenix was the second commercial steamboat on Lake Champlain; she burned to the waterline on the night of September 4, 1819 en route from Burlington to Plattsburgh, killing six of the 46 aboard. The fire-charred hull now lies on the northern face of Colchester Shoal reef, bow in about 60 feet of water and stern dropping past 110 feet, with charred frame ends, engine mounting rods, and rudder hardware still visible. One of the oldest steamboat wrecks in North America, she is the signature advanced dive of the Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve system.

AdvancedBoat entry

Phoenix Wreck

Vermont · 18–34 m

shipwreck in Lake Champlain

IntermediateBoat entry

Sloop Island Canal Boat

Vermont · 24.4–27.4 m

An unidentified standard Champlain Canal boat ('Wreck Z') built after the 1873 canal expansion, which sank in distress around 1915 with its coal cargo and a family's household goods aboard. The remarkably intact 97-foot wreck sits upright in about 90 feet of cold, dark water roughly a quarter mile north of Sloop Island near Charlotte, Vermont, with windlass, anchor, wheel and steering gear still in place. It is part of the Vermont Underwater Historic Preserve system, but the preserve is currently listed as closed.

AdvancedBoat 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

Plan a dive in Vermont, United States

Compare nearby sites

Vermont has 8 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 4 intermediate and 2 advanced dive sites. Listed depths range from about 10m to 34m 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 Vermont, United States

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

Use the ranked list on this page to compare 8 public dive sites in Vermont. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page.

Are there advanced dives in Vermont?

Yes. PickADive currently marks 3 dive sites in Vermont as advanced or expert level. That includes 1 marked expert. Listed depths in the catalog reach about 34m at the deepest sites, and 8 dive sites are recorded as boat access. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.

What depths can I expect in Vermont?

Listed PickADive depth data for Vermont ranges from about 10m to 34m. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.

Can I see Vermont dive sites on a map?

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