United States Dive Sites

1,024 mapped sites

Best dive sites in United States

Showing 277–288 of 1,024

SS America Wreck

Michigan · 0.6–26 m

The package freighter America ran onto a reef in the North Gap of Washington Harbor in June 1928 and slid down the slope, where she lies on an incline with her bow just 2-4 ft below the surface and her stern at about 85 ft. The midship and stern remain intact, including the engine room, galley, and numerous passenger cabins, making her the most dived and most beloved wreck at Isle Royale — visible even to ferry passengers passing overhead. Her sheltered location makes her divable in most weather.

IntermediateBoat entry

Bruce Rush Reef

South Carolina · Up to 14 m

Artificial reef built from Approximate Center of Reef

Boat entry

Hershey Lake

Nebraska · —

A small, shallow sandpit reservoir west of North Platte that is a favorite of new divers and the training lake for the local dive shop. The lake holds plentiful panfish plus sunken ornaments and statues placed for divers. Entry is from a dock on the west side or by shore diving the north side.

Shore entry

Blue Heart Springs

Idaho · 1–6 m

A spring-fed cove on the Snake River in the Hagerman Valley's Thousand Springs area, famous for vivid turquoise water created by geothermally warmed groundwater welling up through volcanic rock. The site is reachable only by water (kayak, canoe or paddleboard) on a roughly 1.5-mile downstream paddle from Banbury Hot Springs. The pool is shallow and exceptionally clear, popular for snorkeling and easy diving, with spring water holding around 58F year round.

Boat entry

Pinthis Wreck

Massachusetts · Up to 32 m

The Pinthis, a 206-ft steel coastal tanker, was rammed by the passenger liner Fairfax in dense fog on 10 June 1930 and sank in flames with all 19 crew lost. She lies turtled (upside down) in roughly 100-105 feet of water off Scituate on a rock-and-sand bottom that often yields 30 ft+ visibility, with several interior chambers accessible to trained wreck divers. It is one of the South Shore's classic advanced boat dives.

AdvancedBoat entry

Athens Scuba Park

Texas · 0–8.5 m

A 28-acre spring-fed former clay quarry in Athens, East Texas, operating as a dedicated dive park since 1987. More than 25 sunken attractions sit in shallow water, including a Cessna airplane, a Lockheed airliner fuselage, boats, vehicles and training platforms. Visibility is unusually good for a Texas inland site and the shallow depth makes it a popular open-water training and underwater photography venue.

Shore entry

Great Egg - Rothenbach Reef II

New Jersey · 13.7–17.1 m

Artificial reef built from 165' Tanker Barge - "Rothenbach II" NJDEP deployment record: Ship, material: 165' Tanker Barge - "Rothenbach II", deployed 1998.

Boat entry

Hog Heaven

Florida · Up to 21 m

Artificial reef built from 170' X 70' X 11' Derelict Barge, Light House Towers, Dredge Pipe

IntermediateBoat entry

Plum Cove

Massachusetts · 3–6.1 m

Plum Cove is a small, well-protected neighborhood beach in the Lanesville section of Gloucester with clear, shallow water of 10-20 ft and one of the easiest entries on Cape Ann. A small rocky reef lies just outside the cove off the right-hand point, and the sheltered, gradually sloping bottom makes it a favorite for training, night dives and bail-out days. The main constraint is summer parking, which is restricted to Gloucester beach-sticker holders during the day.

Shore entry

Sea Girt - Clifford Lipke Reef

New Jersey · 17.4–20.1 m

Artificial reef built from M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) NJDEP deployment record: Military vehicle, material: M-578 Light Recovery Vehicle, deployed 1998.

IntermediateBoat entry

Light Vessel No. 57 Wreck

Wisconsin · 1.8–3.7 m

Light Vessel No. 57, a 90-ft wooden lightship built in Toledo in 1891, served Lake Michigan stations until 1924, when it was sold for scrap and abandoned off Milwaukee. Its remains — the only known lightship wreck in Wisconsin waters, NRHP-listed in 1996 — lie mostly buried in silt in 6-12 ft of water about 600 ft south of the north tip of South Shore Park. An easy if low-relief shore dive/snorkel with sections of oak hull protruding from the sediment.

Shore entry

Smitty's Cove

Alaska · 3–30.5 m

Smitty's Cove is the classic Alaska shore dive, located in Whittier on Prince William Sound about an hour from Anchorage via the Anton Anderson tunnel. The protected cove holds a collection of sunken features including a train car, an old pier, an airplane, WWII-era debris and artificial reef structures (cement reef balls and pyramids), all hosting dense invertebrate life. Anchorage dive shops use it year-round for training, with the best visibility (up to 70 ft) in fall and winter.

IntermediateShore entry