Ft Lauderdale Diving and Spots

Florida has numerous scuba diving hot spots throughout the state. Florida’s diverse ecosystems and tropical climate lend to a variety of scuba dicing activities that can be enjoyed year round. From the springs scattered throughout the state of Florida to its sunny beaches covering almost the entire state, there are plenty of places to scuba dive.

Scuba Diving Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

South Florida is home to the largest artificial reefs and wrecks in the country and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is known as the wreck capital of the state. Ft. Lauderdale boasts over 50 shipwrecks in a 23 mile stretch. The best part? With so many wrecks to choose from, many are perfect for new scuba divers! Wreck sites range from 30′ for the novices to 300′ for the technical scuba divers.

Types of Diving and Best Dive Spots

Drift Diving
The Gulf Stream makes its closest approach to the shoreline along Florida’s southeast and maintains an average one knot current. Because of its close proximity it allows for great drift diving over many of our reefs and some of our wrecks as well.

Artificial Reefs/Wrecks
Scuba divers will find a string of wrecks running the course of Fort Lauderdale’s waters. In addition to the plethora of sunken ships and boats, Ft. Lauderdale is also home to Tenneco Towers, three former oil platforms decommissioned and sunk in 1985 and now forming one of the largest artificial reefs in southeast Florida. Another notable scuba diving feature in the area is Ft. Lauderdale’s Wreck Trek – several of the most popular wreck sites that are so close together, all five can be experienced on one drift dive.

Reefs
Ft. Lauderdale has three natural reef systems which run parallel to the coast. The first reef line extends from the south end near Hollywood, Florida, and extends north to Pompano Beach, Florida. The first reef line may be as far out as 300 yards and depths are generally between 15′ – 25′.

The second reef line is less than a mile from shore with depths generally between 30′ – 50′. To protect the reef, permanent mooring buoys have been placed in five areas. These mooring areas offer some of the most outstanding dive sites in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

The third reef line is about a mile offshore and can have stronger currents. Depths are typically in the 50′ – 100′ range. This reef line offers excellent drift diving opportunities for advanced scuba divers.

For more information, pricing and times on our scuba diving trips, please visit our Dive Trips Page.