Dive Sites and Wreck Dives in Miami Beach, FL

Miami Beach has various dive sites for snorkelers, recently certified divers, advanced divers, and everything in between!

As you move Eastward away from the shoreline, there are three notable reef patches running parallel to our coast straight down to the Keys. These reef sites provide habitat for a diverse number of marine life and play a vital role not only as nursery sites for many commercial seafood species, but also in the stability of our coastline when large storms hit. The most commonly visited reef sites due to their location and beauty are Rainbow Reef, Emerald Reef, and RJ's Ledge. Our reefs sit in approximately 25 - 30 feet of water on average and are wonderful snorkeling and diving spots.

Additionally, Miami-Dade has an artificial reef program begun in 1981 which has deployed almost 50 large vessels (shipwrecks), two retired oil production platforms, thousands of tons of cast concrete materials and natural limestone, and U.S. Army surplus military tanks. Most of the wrecks that are frequently visited were placed between the 1980's through the early 1990's, making these prime sites for healthy coral growth and abundant schools of fish today.

All dive sites are color coded to ensure you dive the location appropriate to your skill level:

Beginner: Certified Open Water Divers & Snorkelers/Freedivers
Intermediate: Certified Advanced Open Water Divers
Advanced/Technical: Certified Advanced & Enriched Air Open Water Divers with experience

Belcher Barge

Depth: 60 feet / 20 meters

This 195 ft. steel barge lies upside down - sunk by explosives in 1985. Part of a larger wreck trek, this popular shipwreck lays in close proximity to another barge, tugboat, & rock piles. Hiring a local Divemaster to guide you is recommended.
Patricia Wreck

Depth: 55 feet / 16 meters

This 85 foot steel tug was sunk in 1990 and is also a member of another Wreck Trek that includes the Miss Karline (about 50 feet away), a Police Barge, and various rock piles.
Neptune Memorial

Depth: 40 feet / 12 meters

Unique in the world, this underwater cemetery sits 3 miles off the coast. Designed to resemble the Lost City of Atlantis, it offers divers a unique opportunity to swim along archways & Romanesque columns covered in stunning coral growth.
Army Tanks

Depth: 45 feet / 13 meters

These two M60 Army (WWII-era) Tanks were placed in 1994 along with ~1,060 tons of limestone boulders. The tanks lie facing each other. This area is known for its resident nurse shark and large green moray eel.
Rainbow Reef

Depth: ~30 feet / 9 meters

Rainbow Reef is located approximately 3 miles offshore of Miami Beach, just south of Government Cut. It is a popular spot to see the many coral species that can be found in our reefs and the life that thrive off of them.
RJ's Ledge

Depth: ~30 feet / 9 meters

RJ's Ledge, located north of Rainbow Reef, is an area of patch reef with many limestone rock outcroppings, making it a popular site to see lobsters, eels, and other animals which make use of the topography for cover.
Emerald Reef

Depth: ~30 feet / 9 meters

Located furthest south from Miami Beach, Emerald Reef offers beautiful reef diving with chances to see schooling grunts, snappers, barracuda, angelfish, anemones, sting rays, turtles, and much more.

Orion Wreck

Depth: 95 feet / 28 meters

At 118 feet long, the Orion is a tugboat that worked in the Panama Canal for 50 years before being sunk in the 1980's. Most notable is the pilot house which got uprooted and landed whole next to her body after Hurricane Andrew.
Princess Britney

Depth: 90 feet / 27 meters

This vessel was caught carrying $1.3 million worth of cocaine in the same drug smuggling investigation as the Tacoma. She is a 165-foot ship placed in 2003 and tends to collect large schools of jacks and barracudas.
DEMA Trader

Depth: 80 feet / 24 meters

The DEMA Trader (formerly GGD Trader) is a 165 ft. long freighter, seized by U.S. Customs. Concrete culvert pipes & boxes were loaded into the ship’s cargo hold to create ballast in case of storms & provide more habitat to fish.
Proteus

Depth: 75 feet / 22 meters

Sunk in 1985, the Proteus was as a 220 ft. ferry boat on the Great Lakes before carrying freight & supplies between the Caribbean islands. It sits on sandy bottom near the Biscayne wreck, broken into several large pieces by Hurricane Andrew.
Sheri-Lyn

Depth: 97 feet / 29 meters

Built in Holland in 1952 the Sheri-Lyn (formerly Mirach-N) is a 235 ft. freighter which saw ownership in Greece and Panama before resting in Miami in 1987. It is a fascinating dive, broken in two large pieces after Hurricane Andrew.
Rio Miami

Depth: 75 feet / 22 meters

A 95 ft. tugboat, the Rio Miami (formerly Barbara Moran) was built in 1949 and used in New England. She reached fame from her detonation in 1989 by Hugh Downs which aired on ABC's 20/20 special on Miami's artificial reefs.

Tacoma Wreck

Depth: 120 feet / 36 meters

Sunk in 2002, this 165-foot steel freighter was seized as part of the Operation River Walk, a cocaine confiscation mission with ties from Haiti to South Carolina. She is a very picturesque wreck great for underwater photography.
Tortuga

Depth: 115 feet / 35 meters

One of the most attractive wrecks on the list, the Tortuga was sunk in 1995 for the filming of the movie Fair Game. She is a 165 foot steel ship that has since attracted a variety of coral and marine life.
Ultra Freeze

Depth: 135 feet / 41 meters

Built by the same company as the Deep Freeze in 1959, the Ultra Freeze (formerly Herbert Horn) served as refrigerator freighter also. She was sunk in 1984 - and all 207 feet have remained mostly intact with beautiful coral growth.
Deep Freeze

Depth: 135 feet / 41 meters

Deep Freeze (formerly Marie Horn) was built in 1959 in Hamburg & functioned as a refrigerator freighter before suffering from a fire in 1972. She is 231 feet, sunk in 1976, and is one of our most popular advanced wreck dives.
Etoile de Mer

Depth: 140 feet / 42 meters

This "Star of the Sea" became part of the US Customs Artificial Reef joined by M/V Brandywine and M/V Miguana (~200 feet away from each other) in 2001. In total, they transported $7.7 million worth of smuggled cocaine.

DIVE SITES IN MIAMI BEACH