Scuba diving in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is one of the most famous diving
destinations in Florida. Its natural reef structure attracts
divers from all over the world.
Fort Lauderdale dive sites
offer excellent drift diving for advanced divers. Its reefs
give you the opportunity to watch underwater creatures in
their natural habitat like gorgonians, sponges, fans and
numerous tropical fish as well as schools of grunts and
yellowtails.
Always dive according to your level of training.
Never enter the water without checking with
Fort Lauderdale dive
centers for safety, additional information, level required
for each dive site and without being accompanied by a
professional.
All the information provided is purely informative for our
readers and shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.
Average annual temperature: Between 24°C and 26°C. (82° F
and 86° F)
Average water surface temperature: Between 22° C - 23° C
(72-75°F)
Visibility often averaging: 40 feet
(12 meters)
Coldest time: January
Warmest time: July
Possible to dive all year round.
Fort Lauderdale offers both natural and artificial reefs.
There are about 90 artificial reefs including ships,
vessels, concrete modules and limestone boulders. It offers
diversity in dive sites; from deep and shallow reefs to
wrecks and artificial reefs, that suit all levels of
expertise. Fort Lauderdale dive sites are rich in all kinds
of aqua life, both big and small. Its wrecks became shelter
to lobsters and home to hard and soft corals, gentle whale
sharks, shellfish, hydroids and barracudas. Exchange your
new experiences with other divers gathering in
Fort
Lauderdale diving Clubs.
Some of Fort Lauderdale dive sites.
Barracuda Reef is a shallow reef about 20 - 35 feet (6 - 11
meters) deep. The reef ledge rises 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5
meters) from the bottom. It is great for fish watching. It
offers a variety of sea life like lobsters, crabs and moray
eels. Staghorn, star and brain corals grow here.
Guy Harvey is at a depth of 115 - 140 feet (35 - 43 meters).
The ship was sunk in 1997 to be part of this artificial
reef. It is an advanced dive site. A variety of sea life can
be seen in this reef like barracudas, hogfish and lobsters.
Capt. Dan Wreck was deliberately sunk in 1990 to form an
artificial reef. It was named after Captain Dan Garnsey, a
well-known drift fishing boat owner. It now lies in 90 - 110
feet (27 - 34 meters) of water. It is intact with large
holes easy for divers to penetrate. Special care must be
taken when penetrating wrecks and this should only be done
if the dive guide gives you permission to do so. Goinginto
wrecks could be dangerous.
Mercedes I is the most famous diving site of Fort
Lauderdale's wreck sites. The ship was sunk in 1984 during a
terrible storm and now it lies in 60 - 100 feet (18 - 30
meters) of water. Hurricane Andrew hit the area in the year
1992 and tore it in two. The visibility in the area is great
and it is an advanced dive site. The wreck became home to
abundant sea life.
Copenhagen was built in England in 1898, before it sank in
1900 and became a historical shipwreck. The wreck lies in 15
- 35 feet (5 - 11 meters) of water. It is a great site for
snorkeling and shallow dives. The site is home to lots of
tropical fish, lobster, snapper and grouper.
Houseboat is an artificial reef at a depth of 75 - 87 feet
(23 - 27 meters), where a houseboat named Duzaway sank in
the area. The wreck is covered with beautiful colors of soft
coral and baitfish inhabit the area. You may see schools of
large barracuda and the site is good for underwater
photography.
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