Scuba Diving in Virginia, United States
Destination guide
Scuba diving in Virginia, United States
Virginia, United States has 25 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.
- Public sites
- 25
- Indexed destination pages
- Reviews
- 0
- Catalog review count
- Rating
- Building
- Reviews are still growing
- Common access
- Boat
- 25 dive sites
Seasonal patterns
Best months, historically in Virginia, United States
Typical conditions by month across dive sites in Virginia, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.
- Jan85%6°C
- Feb87%7°C
- Mar78%9°C
- Apr86%14°C
- May95%19°C
- Jun97%24°C
- Jul100%28°C
- Aug97%27°C
- Sep94%24°C
- Oct97%20°C
- Nov92%15°C
- Dec87%9°C
From 22 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast
Best dive sites in Virginia, United States
Showing 1–12 of 25
U-1105
Virginia · 19.8–27.7 m
U-1105 'Black Panther' is a Type VIIC/41 U-boat fitted with experimental synthetic rubber anti-sonar skin, surrendered in 1945 and scuttled by the US Navy in 1949 in the Potomac River off Piney Point, Maryland. It sits upright in about 91 ft of dark river water with the conning tower at ~65 ft and has been Maryland's first Historic Shipwreck Preserve since 1995. It is an advanced low-visibility dive accessed by private boat via a seasonal mooring buoy; the wreck and artifacts are fully protected.
Blackfish Bank Reef
Virginia · Up to 20.1 m
Artificial reef built from military vehicles
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. Rated beginner based on available data.
Francis E. Powell Wreck
Virginia · 21–27 m
The Francis E. Powell was a 7,140-ton American oil tanker built 1920-1922 and operated by the Atlantic Refining Company. She was torpedoed by U-130 on January 27, 1942, caught fire, broke in two and sank off Virginia's Eastern Shore. The wreck rests in multiple sections, with the stern off Parramore Island in about 90 ft of water, where the broken hull shelters lobster, flounder and sea bass and is visited by Virginia wreck-diving charters.
Triangle Reef
Virginia · 21–30 m
Triangle Reef (the 'Triangle Wrecks') is one of Virginia's signature offshore dive areas, a VMRC artificial reef 16.5 nautical miles from the Chesapeake Light Tower. Four Liberty ships stripped to their main decks and a Coast Guard cutter sit on a roughly 100 ft bottom with 28-32 ft of relief, drawing sea bass, tautog, spadefish, amberjack and seasonal pelagics. It is dived regularly by Virginia Beach charters and is a premier spearfishing destination.
Plan a dive in Virginia, United States
Compare nearby sites
Virginia has 25 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.
Explore sites on the mapMatch depth and difficulty
Current public data shows 3 advanced and 3 intermediate dive sites. Listed depths range from about 4m to 30m 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 worksCommon questions about diving in Virginia, United States
What are the best dive sites in Virginia, United States?
Use the ranked list on this page to compare 25 public dive sites in Virginia. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page.
Is Virginia beginner-friendly for scuba diving?
PickADive does not yet have enough beginner-labeled public site data to summarize Virginia confidently. Review difficulty, access, depth, and recent notes on each site page before deciding.
Are there advanced dives in Virginia?
Yes. PickADive currently marks 3 dive sites in Virginia as advanced or expert level. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.
What depths can I expect in Virginia?
Listed PickADive depth data for Virginia ranges from about 4m to 30m. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.
Can I see Virginia dive sites on a map?
Yes. Use the map link on this page to compare Virginia dive sites by location, coastline, nearby alternatives, and individual site details.