the Editor says: As divers, we are willing to travel to every corner of the world — however winding the road — just to get close to the most beautiful dive sites and the most unique marine life. For divers based in Taiwan, the most commonly planned local dives are the Northeast Coast in the north, Kenting in the south, Xiaoliuqiu in the west, and the eastern outlying islands: Green Island and Orchid Island. Let's take a look at where divers in the United States go to explore their secret dive sites! Editor in charge: Ingrid Wang
Secret Dive Sites in the USA
Monterey Bay, California
Sea lions and cormorants share the Monterey Bay coastline. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve, one of the most ecologically rich areas on the California coast. This pristine area — particularly Bluefish Cove and Whaler's Cove — limits entry to 30 divers per day, so advance online reservations are required. Thanks to this restriction, the area has retained a thriving ecosystem that includes seals, abalone, Leopard Shark, and lingcod — species rarely seen elsewhere in California.
Diving conditions here are suitable year-round. Large boulders run parallel to the sandy beach, making navigation straightforward. During the day, look carefully into rock crevices for moray eels, shrimp, and small fish; at night, nudibranchs on the hunt are easy to spot.
Monterey Bay's crystal-clear water and sheltered coves make it accessible for divers of all levels. Even in summer, water temperatures range from 10–15°C, so a drysuit is highly recommended. Visibility is between 3 and 9 m.
Santa Catalina Island, California
Beautiful beaches and coves on Catalina Island, California. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
There are several dive sites along Santa Catalina Island, and Ship Rock is the standout among them. Located 2 km offshore, this site is home to damselfish, sheephead, giant Pacific octopus, Leopard Shark, and angel shark, all weaving through California's towering kelp forests.
The underwater canyon topography at Ship Rock also attracts pelagic species such as yellowtail tuna and mola mola/ sunfish.
Visibility at this site is excellent, and the kelp forest is vast and impressively healthy — well worth the trip.
Diving depth ranges from 6 to 40 m, with visibility from 12 to 30 m, making it suitable for divers of all levels. Water temperatures range from 13 to 22°C, so a drysuit or thick wetsuit is ideal.
Channel Islands, California
A nudibranch known as "Hilton's" crawls along a reef in California's Channel Islands. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
A red rose sea anemone perched on a reef in Southern California's Channel Islands, attracting a large goatfish. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
Channel Islands National Park is made up of five small islands — San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara — where cold, nutrient-rich currents from the north converge with warm southern waters.
This convergence creates an extraordinarily biodiverse environment — and better yet, the visibility here is consistently excellent. California sea lions and seals are always ready for their close-up; the dazzling variety of nudibranchs provides a riot of color for your camera; and dense, towering kelp forests fill your wide-angle lens. You may even encounter Stingray, giant sea bass, Grouper, and small wrecks. San Miguel and Santa Rosa are better suited to advanced divers, as the wind makes conditions more challenging. Cathedral Cove on Anacapa, however, is a highlight for divers of all levels. Water temperatures range from 13 to 21°C.
Southeast Florida
A sea star about to feast on a sea urchin. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
The West Palm Beach skyline. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
This region is home to the longest continuous coral system on the western Atlantic coast, stretching 37 km from Miami all the way to Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.
The Gulf Stream acts like a pump, drawing warm, clear water toward shore and warming the waters for divers who come to enjoy more than 100 coral and wreck dive sites.
Some sites are accessible as shore dives, and since the current runs parallel to the reef, drift diving is a natural fit. Every dive shop can drop you at one end and pick you up at the other. (When planning this kind of dive, make sure your surface marker buoy (SMB) is fully inflated and ready. For a dive refresher, visit https://divingmate.tw.)
From May to September, swimming alongside sea turtles is a common occurrence. If you keep your eyes wide and scan a little farther out, you might spot sharks or a sailfish in full flight — the coral reef here lies directly on the migration route of whales and large marine animals.
At Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, some of the country's finest shallow-water muck diving awaits. In addition to extensive artificial reef programs, the area also has a series of historical relics bearing witness to humanity's environmental legacy — including three decommissioned oil platforms known as the Tenneco Towers, a sobering reminder of the cost of industrial exploitation.
Florida Keys
Bahia Honda State Park, Seven Mile Bridge. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
The Florida Keys offer divers everything from shipwrecks to coral — a complete diving experience.
The wrecks sit at a range of depths, so divers of every skill level can enjoy them. The USS Spiegel Grove, retired from the U.S. Navy in 1989 and intentionally sunk in 2002, and the Vandenberg, decommissioned in 1983 and sunk off the western end of the Keys in 2009, are highlights — the Vandenberg is currently the world's second-largest artificial reef (the first being the USS Oriskany). It is a truly massive vessel that once tracked Soviet missiles during the Cold War and is now the world's second-largest shipwreck dive site.
While the strong currents at Spiegel Grove make it better suited for more experienced divers, the decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutters Bibb and Duane in the same area — now home to barracuda and jacks — are excellent options for beginners.
Many other wrecks of various sizes are scattered throughout the region, extending all the way to the western end of the Keys and the Vandenberg. Depths range from 14 to 46 m, welcoming divers of all abilities.
Morehead, North Carolina
A sand tiger shark swimming through the wreck of the Indra off the coast of North Carolina. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
If you're an intermediate diver who happens to love shipwrecks and sharks, Morehead, North Carolina will give you exactly what you're looking for.
Local dive shops will arrange a day pass for you to visit a 180-foot-long U.S. Coast Guard cutter called the Spar, lying at a depth of 34 m. This site is also well suited for wreck diving specialty training.
On a lucky day, you might encounter anywhere from 5 to 20 sand tiger sharks. Sand tiger sharks aren't particularly curious about divers, but watching them circle around you is still enough to get your heart pounding and your blood pumping. The Gulf Stream brings abundant prey to the area, drawing the sand tigers in. Several other nearby wrecks — including the Aeolus, Papoose, Atlas, and Caribsea — are also known sand tiger shark hangouts.
Bonne Terre, Missouri
Photo by Shelley Collett
Photo by Shelley Collett
If you're looking for a completely unique experience, head to Bonne Terre, Missouri — just an hour's drive south of St. Louis!
This was once a lead mine used to extract raw materials for ammunition production. Once its resources were exhausted, the mine was inevitably abandoned.
Before the mining equipment and tools could be packed up and removed, the abandoned mine flooded. Today, a professional dive guide can take you along any of 24 routes through the old mine workings. You'll discover all sorts of fascinating artifacts: shovels and picks, ore carts, a machine shop, a geology lab, offices, a movie theater, and even a drinking fountain. Visibility here is around 30 m, and the water temperature is a constant 17°C year-round, so a thick wetsuit or drysuit is the better choice. Non-divers can explore the site on foot or by boat.
Flower Garden Banks, Texas
Photo credit: Ryan Eckert/NOAA
Setting out from Freeport, it's a 160 km journey offshore to reach the Flower Garden Banks.
The Flower Garden Banks are made up of the three northernmost coral reef systems in the United States and are home to all of the Gulf of Mexico's native fish species. While there's plenty of smaller life to discover, that doesn't mean you'll miss out on the big stuff — dolphins, sharks, whales, Hammerhead Shark, and manta rays all make appearances here.
Every year, following the first full moon in August, the coral spawns in a spectacular underwater event that draws thousands of animals to feed.
The coral here is far removed from the mainland — it takes an eight-hour boat ride to reach — and the currents are completely unpredictable, ranging from extremely strong to flat calm. So if you're planning a visit, make sure to keep your schedule flexible. Strong currents and swells can make the trip challenging, and departures can be cancelled at short notice.
Bellingham, Washington
Fort Casey State Park, Washington State, USA. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
Bone-chilling water temperatures and powerful currents set the marine life here apart from anywhere else. Divers unfamiliar with reading precise tidal charts should dive with an instructor — otherwise, it's all too easy to get swept into a shipping lane.
The currents here are no joke, but the diving is absolutely worth it.
You have a chance of encountering a giant Pacific octopus here. In this frigid 14 m dive environment, you may also find wolf eels, large cod, snapper, and a variety of nudibranchs.
Visibility is approximately 2–15 m and water temperatures are a hair-raising 7–11°C, so a drysuit is essential.
Puget Sound, Washington
A giant Pacific octopus can weigh up to 200 lbs. Image source: https://scubadiverlife.com/
This inlet, just an hour's drive from Seattle, offers more than 75 shore dive sites, including fjords, rocky reefs, wooden wrecks, and steel wrecks.
With year-round water temperatures hovering around a cold 10°C, the marine life here includes sea lions, giant sea anemones, orcas, and other cold-water species.
At Edmonds Underwater Park, you can spot ratfish at 9 m — an oddly shaped species widely considered to be a transitional form between bony fish and sharks.
Eight minutes by car from downtown Tacoma, Point Defiance is home to one of the best cliff dive sites in the entire country, called Dead Man's Wall.
This steep sandstone cliff begins at 27 m depth and is a habitat for giant Pacific octopus, skates, and Giant Grouper.
Divers here have a tradition of feeding wolf eels, so if one swims up close, there's no need to panic.
The wall is encrusted with invertebrates such as sea anemones, sea stars, and crabs. Spring and autumn, when algae levels are lower, offer the best visibility — and don't forget your drysuit.
Baranof Island, Alaska
A stunning view of Silver Bay and the Pacific Ocean from Bear Mountain on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska.
If you love diving with jellyfish, head to Smudges! In summer, you can drift through enormous pulsing aggregations of moon jellyfish.
And if diving isn't your thing, simply soaking in Alaska's breathtaking scenery is reward enough. Alaska has glaciers, waterfalls, and winding straits — and you might even spot a grizzly bear!
Lake Huron, Michigan
Presque Isle's coastline stretches 104 km, dotted with only a handful of lighthouses. This may well explain why as many as 75 shipwrecks lie in these waters — including a steel steamer, a wooden steam vessel, and three intact schooners.
Within the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary alone, there are up to fifty shipwrecks, with visibility reaching 15 m.
The most distinctive wreck in this area is the Cornelia B. Windiate, resting at 55 m with all three masts still intact, her tattered rigging drifting gently in the current.
In Grand Traverse Bay, you can explore a sailing vessel that disappeared in a blizzard in 1886. The wreck lies at depths ranging from 2 to 36 m.
Another wreck, the Yuba, sits at just 4.5 m — making it a perfect site for beginners. The wreck diving here is truly endless.
From the cold waters of California on the western coast to the warm waters of Florida in the southeast, every corner of the United States offers a distinctive underwater landscape and one-of-a-kind marine life. Whatever your diving style, you should add at least a few of these to your dive bucket list! Let's explore the beautiful world beneath the waves together!
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