Planning the scuba trip of a lifetime doesn't require days of travel with long-distance flights, overseas lodging, and learning a few words in a new language. In fact, some of the very best opportunities for underwater exploration are a lot closer to home than travelers might think. Florida is home to some of the world's most exciting dive spots, boasting sharks, shipwrecks, powerful currents, and vibrant reef ecosystems.
If that sounds too good to be true, it isn't! This southern state is home to over 8,000 miles (12,000 km) of coastline, much of which is bordered by biodiverse and easy-to-access ocean ecosystems. Read on to learn about this underwater paradise hidden in plain sight, and start planning a dream Florida dive trip!
10 The Living Seas at Epcot
- Best For: Non-ocean experiences
- Highlights: Incredible wildlife that divers won't see anywhere else
No trip to Disney World's Epcot is complete without a stop at the Living Seas aquarium. And, the park now allows visitors to take their visit to the next level, doing far more than just gazing through the glass. Through the Sea Quest program, guests can take the plunge in this supersized fish tank, holding over 5 million gallons of water and 2,000 sea creatures.
Because these experiences take place throughout the day, regular aquarium guests get to watch the dives, with lucky underwater explorers encountering sharks, rays, and an incredible variety of fish. For the safety of these animals, visitors are not permitted to use their own scuba equipment.
9 West Palm Beach
- Best For: Experienced divers who don't mind strong currents
- Highlights: Drift diving, healthy reef ecosystem
This destination boasts surprisingly strong currents powered by the Gulf Stream. Just offshore, visitors can explore miles of shallow coral gardens populated by tropical fish, green morays, spiny lobster, and the occasional pelagic. But don't plan on slowing down to take too many pictures - these are full-force drifts.
West Palm Beach is also home to a series of "shipreefs", with 3 sunken vessels close enough to each other that they can be explored on a single tank. Macro enthusiasts can also head to nearby Blue Heron Bridge, home to a vast array of strange and small creatures, like nudibranchs, seahorses, and frogfish.
8 Key West
- Best For: Open water divers who aren't looking for a challenge
- Highlights: Relaxed reef diving
Key West is famous for its party scene, with all-night beach bashes and a bar on nearly every corner. But visitors who don't set time aside for underwater exploration are definitely missing out! This island is home to surprising biodiversity with fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling alongside all kinds of exciting wildlife.
Most dive boats will focus on the island's fringing reef systems known for hard coral and sand channels clouded by colorful fish. There are also several small wrecks worth exploring here that have transformed into thriving artificial reefs crowded by shoaling silversides. Pack plenty of reef-safe sunscreen before a visit, as sunscreen with harmful ingredients is banned in Key West.
7 Dry Tortugas
- Best For: Family adventure, divers of all skill and comfort levels
- Highlights: Thriving coral reefs loaded with wildlife
Less than 1% of the Dry Tortugas National Park is found above water, so diving and snorkeling are the only real options for exploration. Plan a day trip to Dry Tortugas from the Florida Keys using the ferry, or charter a 3-tank adventure touring some of the region's most pristine coral gardens.
Because the park offers wildlife such powerful protection, divers here are likely to spot plenty of larger wildlife, including grouper, tarpon, barracuda, and sharks. Head to the park's eastern boundary, the Pulaski Shoals, for a chance to encounter even more impressive animals like hammerheads and bull sharks.
6 Devil's Den and Blue Grotto
- Best For: Divers with experience in full overhead environments
- Highlights: Caverns, caves, and swim-throughs
The Devil's Den cave system that divers can explore formed thousands of years ago, with a section of the earth's crust collapsing to open a karst window that leads to a stunning series of submerged formations fed by natural springs. Visitors are free to explore the shallow cavernous formations here, but special certifications and permits are required to enter the deeper cave system.
Meanwhile, Blue Grotto offers all-day diving and attractive package pricing, with plenty of room for independent exploration. Cave and cavern certification aren't required here, but it is possible to surpass 100 feet (30 meters), so it's essential to be comfortable with deep diving. Look out for Virgil, the spring's beloved Florida softshell turtle.
Never enter a cave unless trained and certified to do so!
5 Jupiter
- Best For: Advanced divers who are comfortable going deep
- Highlights: Sharks and deep diving
Believe it or not, this is one of the many world-class destinations for shark diving, with a wide variety of species present, including tiger sharks, hammerheads, bull sharks, and lemon sharks - sometimes all in one dive! The baited experiences conducted here take place on a variety of dive sites, including blue water and deep ocean ledges.
Divers will also have a chance to drift along expansive reefs, explore shipwrecks, and hunt for lionfish at depth, all accompanied by these resident pelagics. So, it's essential to keep a camera handy even if the bait box isn't in the water. While diving here, keep an eye out for Snooty - the region's most famous shark.
4 Pensacola
- Best For: Experienced scuba divers comfortable with wreck penetration
- Highlights: Shipwrecks and deep diving
These warm waters are home to the planet's largest artificial reef, the 911-foot (277 meters) USS Oriskany. This former Essex-class US Navy aircraft carrier served for 25 years, cruising primarily in the Pacific during the Korean and Vietnam Wars before being decommissioned in September 1976.
Other nearby wrecks include a World War I battleship, a Russian Navy freighter, and a US Navy barge, all in photo-worthy condition and completely encrusted in coral. Even the most experienced diver should exercise caution here, following set penetration routes and respecting recommended bottom times.
Never enter a shipwreck unless trained and certified for wreck penetration!
3 Venice
- Best For: Experienced divers who are comfortable in a variety of underwater conditions
- Highlights: Finding fossils and sharks teeth
This is one of the few sites in the world where scuba divers can discover and keep fossils that they find underwater. Here, visitors head offshore to an ancient riverbed, where it's common to encounter enormous prehistoric examples of sharks' teeth, including rare and valuable examples of the megalodon.
Visibility is low, and divers won't see any other marine life. But, for many fossil enthusiasts, it's well worth the slightly unconventional experience to bag a "charter tooth" - one worth enough that it could pay for the entire dive trip! Other fossils found here include bones from mammoths, giant sloths, and prehistoric camels and bison.
2 Key Largo
- Best For: Divers of all skill and comfort levels
- Highlights: Thriving coral reef ecosystems
This place seemingly has it all, with colorful reefs, somber shipwrecks, and a mind-blowing variety of fish life. Newly certified divers can keep it nice and shallow here, exploring vibrant coral gardens occasionally visited by parrotfish, southern stingrays, massive grouper, and even nurse sharks.
Other underwater attractions include the 510-foot Spiegel Grove shipwreck, a submerged statue of Christ, and the pristine John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Watch the reef's edge here for schooling jacks, hunting barracuda, and five species of sea turtles.
1 Crystal River
- Best For: Mixed groups of divers and snorkelers
- Highlights: Manatees
The waters around Crystal River and King's Bay area are a hotspot for manatees, which gather here in large groups between November and April. During these months, they seek shallow spring-fed areas with warmer temperatures than the open Gulf of Mexico, where they spend the rest of the year.
A guided manatee excursion in Crystal River typically includes snorkeling only, but divers are likely to encounter these gentle "sea cows" on local reefs as well. Keep a close watch, especially in areas rich with turtle grass - this herbivorous ocean animal's favorite meal.
Manatees are a protected species, and chasing or harassing them is strictly prohibited.