Dive sites

What kind of diving does Greater Fort Lauderdale have to offer?

Greater Fort Lauderdale's underwater world is awash in spectacular sea life. Enjoy tropically-warm blue waters and Caribbean quality visibility. Experience coral reefs studded with sweeping soft coral sea fans and statuesque staghorns. Explore more than 75 coral – encrusted shipwrecks that shelter fish from barracuda to wrasse.

A Sampling of Best Dive Sites

Deerfield Beach to Pompano Beach
Our northernmost municipality offers great wreck diving at the freighter Noula Express, the Ancient Mariner, a ‘30's vintage Coast Guard Cutter whose last duty was as a floating restaurant, and the tug, Berry Patch. In depths ranging from 65 to 71 feet, these artificial reefs are teeming with life. Natural reefs such as the Cannon Mounds, Hillsboro Ledge, Abbey Too and the Horseshoe provide excellent sites for a second dive. On night dives, the famous Florida Spiny Lobster are often seen walking north in groups from two to two hundred, single file, scurrying across the sandy bottom. The area is also home to "Stingray Alley" where guided interactive encounters with friendly southern stingrays are offered. Beach diving is accessible from several public areas and off shore from most oceanfront properties, primarily in the Deerfield Beach area.

Pompano Beach to Lauderdale-By-The-Sea
Home to a great diversity of artificial reefs in depths ranging from 15 to over 200 feet, there are dive sites just perfect for the snorkeler, the sport diver or the technical diver. Wrecks such as the Rodeo 25, the RSB-1(Jim Torgeson), a retired navy research vessel, the Captain Dan, a retired U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender whose last days were in the service as a missionary ship, or the newest addition the freighter Guy Harvey, are just some of the dozens of wrecks in the area. Among the reefs here, the Pompano Drop Off leads south to miles of shallow diving sites, easily found by the reef saving mooring buoys attached to them. A night dive along the Dropoff with a full moon overhead is truly magical, with the white sand bottom at the edge of the reef reflecting the moonlight. A dive light almost seems unnecessary. The steel-hulled Copenhagen ran aground on the first reef in the early part of the century hauling coal to Cuba. Her superstructure stood tall in the water for over 20 years and was eventually used as a bombing practice in WWII to keep enemy U-Boats from hiding behind her. Beach diving is available in many public areas and from most oceanfront properties and starts usually only 100 yards from shore.

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea to Fort Lauderdale
Some of the most famous wrecks lie in this area. The world renowned vessel that lodged itself against a millionaires' Palm Beach home, the Mercedes I, shares the neighborhood with the 97' tug Jay Scutti, the 270' freighter Jim Atria, a collection of barges, a lighthouse structure and concrete culverts named Hog Heaven, the venerable 50" Houseboat and more. Mooring buoys identify great diving while saving the second of the three reefs from anchor damage. Beach diving is available with lovely patch reefs sprinkled along the coast in varying depths and distances from shore. South of the pier along the first reef, several concrete "dummy bombs" left over from WWII lie amidst potholes. These holes are home to lobsters, hard and soft corals and every kind of fish. Huge, gentle Whale Sharks cruise over the wrecks in their annual migratory sojourn. Surfacing from a night dive, off shore Fort Lauderdale offers an amazing view of the beach area nightlife scene.

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood to Hallandale
The crown jewel in artificial reef diving in the area has to be the Tenneco Towers. Three levels of a retired oil rig placed at graduating depths provide a rich attraction for sea life. Almost every inch of the site is a feast for the photographers' lens. Barracuda Reef runs for several miles in the shallow waters near shore, dotted with mooring buoys that mark the best spots. Mine Car and Paradise Reefs are two of the prettiest in the region, teeming with marine life. Mine Car is aptly marked by an antique mine car that no doubt slipped over the side of a ship in transit to South American mines. Paradise offers a splendid "spur & groove" formation with sand chutes leading from the top to the lower outside edge. There are many beach dive sites available, from both public areas and private properties. Dive opportunities are usually no more than a half hour from hotel to dive site. After the dive, you can plant your toes in sand and do nothing, or wander through malls or down elegant museum halls. From world class shopping to world class diving and world class relaxing, do as much or as little you wish.