Sanctuary waters are filled with unique ecosystems waiting to be explored, harboring a spectacular array of plants, animals and historical artifacts. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the national marine sanctuaries, and dive these spectacular locations.

Enjoy Technical Diving at the Best Spots in the Nation

The National Marine Sanctuary System has not only some of the best recreational diving anywhere around, but the sites are available for technical divers are truly special.

From the warm, sunny shores of the Florida Keys to the deep, clear waters of the Great Lakes, the sanctuary system has something for everyone. Careful resource protection and management have made sanctuaries some of the best-preserved and most vibrant sites in U.S. waters.

Sanctuary education and interpretive efforts often help enhance a visitor's experience in these special places. Interpretive dive slates are available for many shipwreck sites through the system that allow divers to more thoroughly explore the history of sunken vessels.

Is technical diving allowed in national marine sanctuaries?

Yes. Contrary to the misconception that national marine sanctuaries are off-limits to divers, we encourage divers to visit and explore our sanctuaries in a sustainable manner.

Each location is different. Some sanctuaries, like Thunder Bay, are developing buoy programs, while others like Florida Keys work directly with operators to educate them on best practices. Many sanctuaries also develop educational materials to help divers better understand how to enjoy diving with minimal impact to natural and cultural resources.

What's there to see?

The National Marine Sanctuary System offers great technical dive sites for all interests. Cordell Bank is a series of rocky pinnacles on the edge of the continental shelf off San Francisco, California, ranging in depth from 115 to 250 feet. Seasonal upwelling in the sanctuary leads to incredibly abundant and diverse marine life, from colorful invertebrates to massive swarms of juvenile rockfish.

The Flower Garden Banks are home to some of the most magnificent coral growths anywhere. Massive coral caps grow atop salt domes, with coral coverage reaching down to 160 feet deep!

OK, what else?

Shipwrecks! Our national marine sanctuaries are home to some of the best deep wreck diving anywhere in the world. Thunder Bay, Stellwagen Bank, Florida Keys, and Monitor national marine sanctuaries in particular have extraordinary deep-water wreck diving.

Thunder Bay, located in Lake Huron off Alpena, Michigan, harbors one of the most incredible collections of intact shipwrecks anywhere in the world. Many of the most sensational sites lie in water 140-300 feet deep. The cold, fresh water allows for unparalleled preservation of wooden vessels. In some cases, mast are still standing on wrecks that sank in the 1850s! A wide range of dive types and skilled operators are available.

America's first marine sanctuary is perhaps the most iconic warship in U.S. history. The wreck of the USS Monitor rests in 235 feet of often warm, clear Gulf Stream waters surrounded by abundant marine life, making the site a unique destination for the wreck diving community. The site is 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. in an area rich with shipwrecks in the technical diving range. Monitor is a National Historic Landmark and requires a permit, which is easily obtained for scientific and recreational diving.

Do I Need a permit?

Every sanctuary is managed differently, but in general, each works to balance resource protection and access. While all sanctuaries are accessible, in some cases a permit is required to help minimize damage to sanctuary resources. At Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, for instance, a simple permit is required for recreational diving and there is no cost. Thunder Bay, Florida Keys and Stellwagen Bank national marine sanctuaries do not require a permit for recreational diving but do have other regulations, such as use of mooring buoys. Other sites may require a permit for installing downlines or anchors. Check with the site permit coordinator if you are unsure.

What is restricted?

Generally removal of anything from a national marine sanctuary is prohibited. This includes artifacts from shipwrecks, as well as corals and other marine life.

Though most sites do not have permit requirements to dive, some anchoring regulations exist that may differ from site to site. Please check individual site policies to ensure that your are in compliance.

These best practices are in place not to inhibit diving, but to ensure it is done in a way that protects the sanctuaries' unique cultural and natural resources for other divers, and for future generations.

Getting Involved?

Many national marine sanctuary sites are in locations with vibrant recreational diving industry. Commercial and private charters are often available to take divers exploring the depths of the nation's best-preserved sites. Check sanctuary websites to learn more about great dive spots.

Volunteer diving and partnerships are a big focus for ONMS. The sanctuary system supports joint projects in the recreational and technical diving communities to document historic shipwrecks like the Robert J. Walker off the coast of New Jersey. On projects like these, archaeologists come together with local divers to learn more about maritime heritage.

Sanctuary Specific Diving Information

Divers know better than anyone the wonder national marine sanctuaries hold, because they can immerse themselves in the splendor. Learn about the habitats, species and conditions of each dive-friendly sanctuary.

Sanctuaries that are not included in this section have hazardous conditions (temperature, depths or currents), limited accessibility or lack of suitable infrastructure to support dive operations.

1. Olympic Coast, Washington

Dry suit divers can enjoy spectacular rocky reef and kelp forest diving among rockfish, sea urchins and the giant Pacific octopus. Remote locations and dangerous dive conditions make this a destination for advanced divers. (Click Here for More Info)

2. Monterey Bay, California

This cold-water destination is one of the most diverse marine environments on the planet, home to sea lions, sea otters, rockfish and other kelp-dwelling marine life. Experience excellent shore diving from many locations along the sanctuary’s 270 miles of shoreline. (Click Here for More Info)

3. Channel Islands, California

This cold-water area is known for its rich biological diversity, featuring northern elephant seals, California sea lions, anemones and giant sea bass. Federally protected historic shipwrecks dot the floor of the sanctuary, and its kelp forests, sea caves and coves offer some of the best diving in the world. (Click Here for More Info)

4. Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale, Hawaii

View monk seals, dolphins, manta rays, green sea turtles and white-tip sharks. Please keep a safe distance from marine life, especially North Pacific humpback whales, as they come to these waters to breed, calve and nurse their newborns. (Click Here for More Info)

5. American Samoa

With water temperatures around 82°F year round, this sanctuary is one of the most untouched marine environments in the world. Divers view rich marine life and tropical reefs, including turtles, whales, sharks, giant clams, anemones, clown trigger fish, manta rays and tuna. It is recommended that you bring your own gear, rent air tanks on island and charter a vessel to get out to the dive sites. (Click Here for More Info)

6. Flower Garden Banks

Located 110 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary hosts the northernmost coral reefs in the United States. Rising to within 66 feet of the surface, the Banks are an attractive home for shallow water Caribbean reef fishes and invertebrates. Today it has become a premier diving destination and attracts scientists from around the world. (Click Here for More Info)

7. Thunder Bay, Michigan

The cold, fresh waters of Lake Huron have preserved more than 200 shipwrecks in and around this sanctuary. The variety of sites allows snorkelers, recreational and technical divers to explore some of the nation’s best-preserved historic wrecks. Many of the most popular dive sites are marked with seasonal mooring buoys. (Click Here for More Info)

8. Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts

Explore the seldom visited, offshore underwater environments of New England, including shipwrecks located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. Visibility is usually good, but depth, strong currents and cold water make it suitable for advanced divers only. (Click Here for More Info)

9. Monitor, North Carolina

Located 16 miles off Cape Hatteras in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” this sanctuary protects the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. This wreck presents a challenging dive, with strong currents and deep depths limiting it to technical divers. (Click Here for More Info)

10. Gray's Reef, Georgia

Divers can expect to see loggerhead turtles and more than 200 species of colorful reef fish as they explore the ledges covered by marine life within Gray’s Reef, one of the largest nearshore live-bottom reefs in the nation. Drift diving is recommended, since anchoring is prohibited and no mooring buoys are provided. Spearfishing is not allowed in the sanctuary, and the southern third is a research area where diving is restricted. (Click Here for More Info)

11. Florida Keys, Florida

This sanctuary is an internationally renowned dive destination that protects the only living coral barrier reef in the U.S. Discover an abundance of marine life, including reef fish, moray eels and threatened elkhorn coral, and explore sites along the historic Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail. Mooring buoys are located throughout the sanctuary to limit anchoring into the coral reefs and other precious resources. (Click Here for More Info)

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For more information on diving your National Marine Sanctuaries, visit: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/diving/