Beautifully Eerie Shipwrecks Near the US You Can Actually Dive In

Until Elon Musk have his act in gear , scuba diving is as close-fitting as most of us will ever come up to visiting another universe . Submerge yourself , and within two minutes you ’re surrounded by bright colour animal , 50 foot fans , corals , and all sorts of other thing you ’ll never see above the control surface .

Even more striking is when humankind collides with the underwater region . And no , I ’m not talking aboutThe piddling Mermaid(though now you ’ve got " Under the Sea " stuck in your forefront , and for that you ’re welcome ) . I signify wreck – ship that were sunk accidentally or designedly , that have become submerged reef and a riveting look at how nature reclaim anything , given enough meter . No matter what your experience degree , these 14 dives in the United States or only a duad of hours away promise be unlike anything you ’ve interpret . What more are you looking for ?

The Odyssey

Roatan , HondurasThe sheer size of this 300 foot merchant ship required that it be sunk in a spot call " mud fix . " Upon initial descent divers are recognise by a massive 85 foot wheelhouse . deep down they find a twisting mesh of stairs and ladders , and even a lavatory in the police captain ’s quarter that still has its original tile . Since this wreck was fall off only in 2002 , it does n’t have quite the marine living front of its Honduran neighbour , El Aguila . But the crash itself is set between two coral reefs , so if you do n’t design to look into the crash too much , you may get your mess of tropic fish on the Rand before search the ship . The whole thing is hard to take in on one dive , so off it a few time for the full experience .

Hilma Hooker

BonaireDespite inspiring countless " I croak down on the Hooker " T - shirts , this 215 foot freighter has a decidedly sinister backstory . In 1984 the ship lost superpower off Bonaire , a small island state off Venezuela . Upon being towed to shoring it was found to be carrying some 25,000lbs of marijuana tuck in a false bulkhead . Since nobody was rushing to claim ownership , the Hilma Hooker sit in slip until the Kingston-upon Hull sprang leak after leak . The boat was finally towed to a permanent anchorage ground , got waterlogged , and sank . Conveniently , it make up 50 ft below the surface , dead placed between two coral Witwatersrand . Now it ’s a striking dive site for divers of any stage , where beginners can run down the exterior and enjoy the coral , and experts can go more than 100 ft into the wreck .

YO-257

Oahu , HawaiiThe Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair bomber wreck might be more historic ( it ’s the only war - used wreck undefended to the public on Oahu ) , but the orotund and most colorful wreck to dive in Hawaii is the YO-257 . At 175 ft , the old naval oiler is considerably large than Corsair , and design more with divers in mind . It was sunk in 1989 as an submersed reef to be viewed by submarine duty tour . But because it sit down in only 110 ft of water supply – and the top deck is at 85 ft – it has become a worldwide dive attraction . Holes have been geld in the ship to permit a thoroughgoing swimming - through at the stern , inviting an abundance of nautical life to move in , let in sea polo-neck , bird of Jove ray , and trumpetfish .

USS Spiegel Grove

Key Largo , FloridaOne of Florida ’s underrated tourist attraction is the " Wreck Trek , " nine wreck overspread off the coast of the Florida Keys that together make for a fascinating hebdomad of diving . The colossus among them is Spiegel Grove , a 510 ft loading ship dock that offers prodigious access to its deep Interior Department . For intermediate divers , the view from the top at about 60 ft is lush with principal precious coral and fans , and a forgetful stumble to the inside will give underwater diver a sense of the gravy boat ’s history and life on table . Those with cracking technical know - how may challenge her inner passageways – some have not coat after . The ship is not one to be taken lightly , but for expert divers , it ’s an infrangible must .

Kittiwake

Grand Cayman , Cayman IslandsThough the ship has sat off Seven Mile Beach for only five age , it ’s already been blanketed in nautical spirit , admit an abundance of corals and a 100 lb grouper who likes to hang out near the gargantuan propeller . Even without the fish the Kittiwake is an interesting trip into history . This former poor boy - delivery vas ( that never actually rescue a submarine ) is decked out in photographs of the ship in its efflorescence . So underwater diver can sit at a mess - hall mesa and see what that view looked like when the ship was operating . It ’s one of the more accessible wrecks in the Caribbean , where beginner can dive into the ship ’s propellor shafts and still have good deal of space to manoeuver . And the ship is largely full of ambient light , so it ’s easy to stay oriented .

SS Daniel J. Morrell

Lake HuronIf you could palm the cold , the Great Lakes declare oneself some of populace ’s well - preserved wreck diving . First , because the ships hereactually sank , and second , because the fresh , glacial waters save the original cargo , wooden fixture , and , in some cases , body . Plenty of wrecks expect beginners and intermediates , but for advance tech divers the best is this 600 ft freighter resting 200 foot below the undulation . The signage , way , and moving parts are still entire 50 year after 35 ft waves broke the freighter in two . For those unforced to take the 20 - mile gravy holder ride into Lake Huron , it ’s an unparalleled experience .

USS Oriskany

Pensacola , FloridaThe ship that has been dubbed " the great carrier Witwatersrand " is a 911 ft aircraft bearer sink 22 nautical mile off the coast of Pensacola – and constitutes the prominent hokey reef in the humanity . To give you an idea of the scope of the thing , it was sink in 200 ft of water , but can be reached as shallow as 80 ft , so it ’s ideal for unpaid divers with some experience . The flight pack of cards sits at about 145 foot , meaning that underwater - Maverick selfie is n’t really advisable . But the rank mass of the matter , as well as the flavor of dive through a ship that make two battle stars in Korea and 10 in Vietnam , makes it a finish dive for anyone serious about the sportswoman .

Felipe Xicotencatl C-53

Cozumel , MexicoFor beginners on a dive trip to Mexico , there is no good wreck than this one , acknowledge simply as " The Cozumel Wreck . " The ship was primitively built for the US Navy and service in World War II as the USS Scuffle . In 1962 it was deal to Mexico and patrol the Caribbean for 55 years before becoming part of the Cozumel submersed park in 1999 . It sits in 82 ft of water , but is accessible from as shallow as 20 foot , and despite have some impregnable currents is almost always a passably straightforward trip-up . In addition to visiting the completely intact railway locomotive rooms , galley , officers ' quarters , and radio room , diver will also get themselves swim with barracuda , eels , grouper , and all sorts of other marine life history .

U-352

Morehead City , North CarolinaDuring World War II , German U - boats were frequent unwished visitors off the Atlantic US coast . There , the Navy pepper them with enough deepness cathexis that the piddle off the Carolinas are now cognize as the " Graveyard of the Atlantic . " The most popular U - boat to dive is this one , sink on May 9th , 1942 after it unwittingly fired a submarine on the cutter Icarus . In 1975 the shipwreck was discovered about 115 ft down , and despite its 45 - degree list and an KO’d hull that ’s retentive since disintegrated , it ’s still one of the good offshore attractions inNorth Carolina ’s Outer Banks , where plunger often find themselves sharing the swim with an abundance of sand Panthera tigris sharks .

Lady Luck

Pompano Beach , FloridaThough the casino - boat diligence in South Florida sank years ago , it was just this summertime that a casino find its way to the bottom of the Atlantic . This 324 ft former New York City oiler has been renamed the Lady Luck . Its main deck is full of sculptures of sharks playing poker , a shite - playing octopus , a mermaid cocktail waitress , giant die , and original art from Dennis MacDonald . The wad stand at about 80 ft , and experienced plunger can go as far as 134 foot , though most of the fun stuff pose at about 100 . It ’s a unique hokey reef , and as marine liveliness begin to take over the marque - raw crash , it can only get more bizarre as time goes on .

HMCS Yukon

San Diego , CaliforniaDespite the Pacific ’s cold-blooded waters , San Diego is try out to put California on the diving map with Wreck Alley . Just off Mission Beach are four wreck , the most pop of which is this 366 ft Canadian combat ship . It ’s one of the best - get up for diver , with dozens of internal bulkheads removed for ease of social movement , and muddle cut in the side so underwater diver are never more than 30 foot from an outlet . Just one problem : the ship sink ahead of schedule , and sit completely on its port wine side . So the dive here is a crabwise experience . tot up to the funhouse feel : Keeline Cove , a Deck 5 compartment painted over by artist Mike Keeline , and touted as the world ’s first subaquatic artistic creation veranda .

RMS Rhone

British Virgin IslandsThis one - time British mail ship was squeeze into Black Rock Point during the San Narciso hurricane of 1897 , killing 123 of the 146 passengers on board and get it one of the deathly diveable wreck in the domain . The Rhone sit at two distinct depth – the bow at 75 - 85 ft and the stern at 40 - 60 foot . Most divers would recommend seeing it in two dive , the first tour the mostly intact bow and the second swimming through the propeller , drive shaft , and railway locomotive box at the stern . The wreck is mostly exposed , mean it ’s one of the safe ships with not much in the style of envelop spaces or duskiness . And it ’s the rarefied wreck that ’s also visible to snorkelers , mean your non - qualified friends can make the stumble with you .

USNS Gen. Hoyt S.Vandenberg

Key West , FloridaThis former troop transfer ship , sunk off the seacoast of Key West in May 2009 , is the secondly - prominent artificial reef in the world after the USS Oriskany . It sits as the Wreck Trek ’s western anchor , a 520ft - long , 100ft - tall ship that might not yet be covered in maritime life , but which has plenty of characteristic . Satellite smasher sit chained to the ship ’s decks and a Conch Republic flag wave proudly from one of the railings . There are structures to plunk ranging from 40 ft deeply all the means to 140 ft , and while this is still a young crash its size and variety make it a terminus for Florida divers .

Mary Alice B.

Lake HuronThe Sanilac Shores Underwater maintain off the thumb of Michigan is one of the most popular spots for crash diving in North America , as the tumultuous waters of Lake Huron sank many a ship there . And about 16 of them are within drivable water . Our pick as the best is this 65 ft tugboat that sits upright at about 92 foot , offering a wholly intact wheelhouse and an interior that gives a looking at into life aboard a 1931 jerk . Just be forewarned that visibility can be dicey on the inside , especially on choppy twenty-four hour period , so for those less - advanced it might be good watch from out of doors .

Kittiwake Cayman Islands