Dry Tortugas Diving

The Florida Keys have long been known as one of the best diving locations in the United States. The Dry Tortugas, west of Key West is one of the least accessible locations in the United States to explore a vast coral reef environment. Many parts of the Dry Tortugas are protected and removing any wildlife from these areaa (via fishing, diving, or otherwise) is strictly prohibited.

There are many areas in the Dry Tortugas to scuba dive, there are shipwrecks, coral reefs, and an endless variety of undersea wildlife to observe.

Finding a Dry Tortugas Dive Boat

Most of the dive boats that visit the Dry Tortugas can be found out of Key West, you can find various trips and packages include custom charters for your group. You will also need to be a certified diver to go on one of these trips, make sure you have the proper certification and dive gear for the depths you will be diving.

Dry Tortugas Shipwrecks

The waters around the Dry Tortugas have a long maritime history, there have been many boats lost in these waters in the past several hundred years. Some of these wrecks are popular with dive boats out of Key West while others are waiting to still be discovered. These wrecks usually prove to be great dive spots. A partial list of some of the shipwrecks known to be lost in the Dry Tortugas area is available here: Dry Tortugas Shipwrecks.

Dry Tortugas Wildlife

You probably see new and different species of wildlife on every dive you make in the Dry Tortugas. For detailed information on the different species see the Dry Tortugas Wildlife section. Please don’t disturb the animals!

It is not uncommon to literally see thousands and thousands of fish on a Dry Tortugas dive, there are giant schools of fish to be seen here. There are numerous invertabrates to observe including dozens of coral species.

Dry Tortugas Snorkeling

If you spend some time at Fort Jefferson or take a ferry there, you can do a little snorkeling right off the island itself, there are many things to see in the shallow waters around the Fort. Snorkeling is a lot less expensive (gear wise) and you can still see the beautiful wonders of the sea without having to go many fathoms deep! Although there are no boats that do snorkeling only trips (It takes several hours just to get to Fort Jefferson), you can still spend some time doing it if you are already visiting Fort Jefferson. The areas around the Fort are shallow and crystal clear; perfect conditions for snorkeling!