Local Dive Spots
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Local Dive Sites
Pensacola is one of the hidden secrets of diving. Offering 100's of sites ranging from historic wrecks, planes, tanks, natural bottom reefs to modern reefing in the form of rubble and substrate from local bridges and piers and the largest artificial reef in the world the USS Oriskany.
Below is a list of some of the most popular dive sites and some of our personal favorites at Bay Breeze
For a list of artificial reefing with GPS coordinates CLICK HERE for the Escambia County artificial reef list.
Dive Spots:
Catherine
N30:18.680 / W87:15.920
Location: West end of Santa Rosa Island on the Gulf side, inside the Gulf Islands National Seashore. It is just off the beach near the Old Coast Guard Station.
The Catherine was a Norwegian bark that ran aground on August 7, 1894. Her broken remains lie in approximately 15 to 18 feet of water. A boat dive is recommended due to the tidal currents and surges but if you choose a dive from the beach will require a strong kick to make it through the surge. Remember to float a diver's flag behind.
3 Coal Barges
30 17.450' N/87 13.257' W
Location: 5 miles ESE of the Pensacola Pass and Approximately 1.5 directly offshore from Santa Rosa Island.
These 200 ft. Coal Barges rest in 45-60 feet of water just off the white sandy bottom and rise 15 to 20 off the bottom to the highest point on the structures.
This site is rich with marine wildlife including frequent visits from Loggerhead turtles and a resident Goliath Grouper or two plus with the white sandy bottom surrounding the barges there are large sand dollars and other nice shells.
This is a favorite spot for training new divers
Spearfishing is good on this spot and in the fall is covered with flounder plus sizable Gag Grouper are known to hide around these wrecks and a lot of black and cubera snapper.
Liberty Ship- Joseph Meeks
details coming soon
Pete Tides II
details coming soon
The Russian Freighter/San Pablo
Lat 30 11.333 N Long 87 13.057 W
The SS San Pablo was a refrigerated cargo steamer built in Belfast, Ireland in 1915 and was owned by the United Fruit Company and was part of the "Great White Fleet". She was 315 feet long, 44 feet wide, weighed 3300 Gross Tons and had a service speed of 15 Knots. The San Pablo typically operated in the Caribbean transporting fruit but also had many stops at Ellis Island in the Mid-1920's. Like many vessels of the merchant fleet during WWII she fell prey to a German U-Boat (U-161 sank her with 2 torpedoes) and was sunk while at pier in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica on July 3, 1942. In early 1943 the San Pablo was raised and then towed back to the US. From here the story gets sketchy, she either sank inadvertently while being towed in for repairs or was used as target practice by the US Army.
The San Pablo commonly referred to as the Russian Freighter (Know one's sure how she came to be known as this) now sits in 75-85 feet of water approximately 9 Miles South of Pensacola Beach. Her wreckage is very scattered and her boilers which are still recognizable are one of her most recognizable features. The wreck holds a lot of fish and is favorite among Photographers and Spearfisherman. Care should be taken when diving this site as it can be easy to become disoriented in lower visibility without site of the boilers. Visibility usually ranges from 20-80 feet.
Tex Edwards
details coming soon
USS Oriskany
details coming soon
Anteres
details coming soon
YDT #14
details coming soon
YDT #15
details coming soon
Triple Deck Barge
Details coming soon
USS Massachusetts
The USS Massachusetts BB-2
The oldest existing American battleship, the USS Massachusetts was one of three "Indiana" class battleships authorized in 1890 for the new "Steel Navy." Among the most powerful ships of their time, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Oregon were the first heavy-caliber, heavy-armor battleships to be built by the United States, and the first to be given hull numbers. Officially commissioned by the Navy on June 10, 1896, she was over 350 feet long, with a beam of 69 feet and a draft of 24 feet. The battleship ship was designed to cruise at 15 knots and was armed with two heavy 13-inch gun batteries and four 8-inch secondary batteries, as well as small ordanance. The larger guns were housed in two turrets, one mounted forward and the other mounted aft, along the ship's centerline as opposed to an offset design. This new feature limited the ship's field of fire but gave addedstability to the craft. Eight 8-inch guns were housed in four raised turrets mounted in the midships section to form a citadel. Together with four torpedo tubes and a host of small arms, the ship's combined firepower was a force to be reckoned with.
To protect the ship, an armored belt up to 18 inches thick ran along the waterline, in addition to side and deck armor plates. Below decks, armored columns extended down from each gun turret to protect machinery, crew and ammunition supplies. The ship was propelled by vertical triple expansion steam engines driving two shafts at almost 10,000 horsepower. The crew included 32 officers and 441 enlisted men; her first commander was Captain Frederick Rodgers.
The Massachusetts saw her first battle during the Spanish-American War. She sailed to Cuba to help blockade the ports of Cienfuegos and Santiago. In the following years Massachusetts performed a variety of duties, conducting battle practice in several different ports. In 1906, she was decommissioned, but in 1910 was refitted with a caged mainmast and other modern hardware, including one of the first shipboard wireless telegraphs. The Massachusetts was placed in reduced commission to serve as a summer practice ship for midshipmen. She also served as a gunnery practice ship for naval reserve crews after war was declared with Germany.
In 1919, the Massachusetts returned to Philadelphia and was decommissioned for the final time. Stripped of her guns and furnishings, the obsolete ship was towed to Pensacola in January 1921 to be used as a target for experimental artillery, and scuttled just outside the entrance to the bay. Scarred and torn, the ship sat peacefully for years in the Gulf, attracting fish and fishermen alike. In the late 1950s, several salvage companies tried to salvage the wreck but with the support of the people of Pensacola, the state filed an injunction to prevent salvage, and when the case was brought before the Supreme Court, title to the Massachusetts was awarded to the State of Florida.
In 1990, the public once again rallied around the old battleship, and the site was dedicated as an underwater archaeological preserve on June 10, 1993, on the 100th anniversary of the ship's launching. Today, the 350-foot hulk is awash in emerald-green water, partially buried in a white sandy bottom. After spending 70 of her 100 years in the sea, the battleship has become a giant artificial reef.
The remains of the USS Massachusetts are in 26 feet of water, a mile and a half south-southwest of Pensacola Pass at Latitude 30 deg 17 min 45 sec N and Longitude 87 deg 18 min 45 sec W, in the Fort Pickens State Aquatic Preserve, which is administered by the Florida Department of Natural Resources. LORAN coordinates for the wreck are 13215.0 and 47108.9. The site is easily located because the ship's two main gun turrets are awash most of the time. The wreck also is marked by a red bell buoy, and its location is shown on nautical charts.
Due to currents from the nearby pass, optimal diving conditions at the Massachusetts are at slack high and low tides. Visibility is best at high tide. Caution should be taken when sea conditions are above 2 or 3 feet, due to increased surge in the shallow water surrounding the wreck. Anchoring at the site should take into account surface currents, wind direction, and anticipated tidal change. Anchoring in the sand at the edge of the site will help to avoid fouling and losing anchors in the wreck. Minimum diving equipment should include: 1) open-water scuba equipment; 2) sharp knife; 3) gloves; and 4) a dive flag. Divers should not penetrate the hull due to structural instability and the presence of entanglements. A laminated underwater field guide is available from local dive shops to orient divers on a self-guided tour of the preserve.
Here is a link to info and a full size Map you can print of the wreck
Information above was taken from the Florida Underwater Archeological Preservation Site
For more info: Please Click Here!
Lost Tug (Mad Dog)
details coming soon
Greens Holes
details coming soon
Timber Holes
Details coming soon
Ft. Pickens Jetties
details coming soon
Ft. Mcray Jetties
Details Coming Soon
Dredge Avocet
29:58.399' N/87:12.630'W
Location: In artificial reef site #20 which is approximately 19.5 miles on a 166-degree course from sea buoy. This huge 2,640 ton, 247-foot clam shell dredge built in 1943 is one of the largest and best wreck dives on the Gulf Coast. The top of the third deck wheelhouse rises 68 feet from a depth of 115 feet. The vessel was sunk as an artificial reef in May of 1991. You'll enjoy a scuba dive here.
