From the Shallows to the Deep

The stories behind the vessels are just as fascinating as the dives themselves. The San Pablo, a fruit transport ship sunk by a German U-Boat torpedo in WWII off the coast of Costa Rica was refloated and enjoyed a few more years afloat before making her final resting place a few miles south of Fort Pickens. Recently declassified documents reveal a top secret U.S. military weapons test scattered her wreckage across the sea floor. Now an expert diver’s dream, you’ll have to ask your dive charter captain to take you to the “Russian Freighter,” as she is now known by locals.

If you’re a seasoned diver with current certification, hiring a dive charter is your ticket to underwater adventure and exploration of our emerald waters. We’ve got 5 major shipwrecks to explore varying in depth and intensity. We’ve also got some secret or not so secret live bottom areas as well, but the creme de la creme lies 22 miles southeast of Casino Beach. The USS Oriskany is the only aircraft carrier in history to be intentionally sunk for a reef project, and holds the record for the largest artificial reef in the world. Dubbed the “Great Carrier Reef” in a nod to its natural Australian counterpart, the Oriskany is a bucket list dive.

Coming back toward the Fort Pickens Pass, we’ve got four more sunken vessels to explore. You’ll never forget the experience of swimming through the pilot deck of the Pete Tide II surrounded by thousands of Snapper and Spadefish, or the heartbeat skipping brush with a 12 foot hammerhead as it gracefully exits the superstructure. You can hit two wrecks in the same day or spend the week with us and tackle them all. Traveling with dive gear is not necessary as we’ve got the best rental gear around, available at our world class dive shops. And much like our unwritten slogan on the beach, “Take your time, leave only footprints,” when you’re in the water it’s important to remember “Take pictures, leave only bubbles.”