Coastal Sites: Snorkel and Dive Sites near Tampa

Tampa’s West Coast location makes it the perfect anchorage to explore the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. From Clearwater to St. Pete Beach, the area has a variety of wrecks and artificial reefs for divers and snorkelers to explore. A private boat slip on Tampa Bay, the Hillsborough River or another inland river or canal gives you easy access to these coastal sites.

U.S.C.G. Blackthorn shipwreck

Photo: Wikimedia

The 180-foot long buoy tender sank in a collision with the 600-foot long freighter S.S. Capricorn in 1980 near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It’s one of the best-known dive sites in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Both ships were eventually found to be at fault as they failed to follow proper passing procedures and neither was on their side of the channel.

The Blackthorn was moved to the Pinellas #2 Artificial Reef site for the purpose of diving and fishing. With a beam of 37 feet and profile of 20 feet, it’s a fairly big structure. Don’t enter the ship as parts are broken off, but it’s a great exterior dive. You just might get to swim alongside sea turtles and angelfish.

Sheridan Artificial Reef

School of Barracuda (Photo: Wikimedia)

A popular dive site, Sheridan Artificial Reef is about 575 feet away from the Blackthorn wreck. It’s home to goliath grouper, barracuda, snapper, amberjack and Spanish mackerel. There’s a 180-foot tugboat, upright and intact, that sank in 1988. Advanced wreck divers can explore inside.

Gunsmoke Shrimper Wreck

Spearfisherman (Photo: Wikimedia)

The Gunsmoke Wreck has a storied past of gunfights and marijuana smugglers. It sank around 1977 and lies in 68-78 feet of water about 20 miles south of St. Pete. The small shrimping trawler is partially buried and listing to one side. The area has lots of baitfish so it’s popular with spearfishing fans as well as divers. Be cautious as there are lots of shrimping nets still there. This is one of the lesser known Gulf Coast wrecks, so you might have the whole place to yourself.   

Indian Shores Reef

Goliath Grouper (Photo: Wikimedia)

Indian Shores Reef, started in 1965, is one of the oldest artificial reefs. It’s about 11 miles from the Clearwater Pass and 13 miles from the John’s Pass entrance marker. Constructed out of concrete slabs, parts of shipwreck and culverts, it’s considered to be one of the best inshore reefs in the area. Along with barracuda, blacktip sharks, goliath grouper and Spanish mackerel, there’s a 240-foot long upside-down barge (called, interestingly enough, The Upside-Down Barge) and two WWII landing ships.

South County Artificial Reef

Photo: Pixabay

Located 11 miles west of St. Pete and the Pass-A-Grille entrance marker, South County Artificial Reef was constructed between 2001 and 2003. It’s filled with bricks and piles of rubble, which might sound unappealing to us, but the fish love it. The site is home to a steel harbor tugboat named Orange. If your boat dock for rent is on Tampa Bay or a nearby canal, it’ll be an easy sail to this Florida dive spot.

Veterans Reef

Photo: Veterans Reef Facebook

Located 10 miles west of Clearwater, in about 40 feet of water, the Circle of Heroes Memorial at Veterans Reef is a unique and inspiring diving destination. There are currently 12 life-size sculptures of military men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. The statues are arranged in a circle and have scrub brushes attached so divers can clean them if they so choose. This is a fairly new project, and more statues are planned for the site.

Egmont Key State Park

Photo: Wikimedia

If you’re more a fan of the snorkeling scene, sail out from you boat lift rental and head to Egmont Key State Park. It’s located at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Swim along the historic ruins of Fort Dade and check out the colorful coral, sponges and seagrass beds of this secluded wildlife refuge. The park is a sea turtle nesting ground, so you may get to see some of these fun creatures. Be on the lookout for snapper, shrimp, crabs, tarpon and grouper.

Looking for more things to do while boating in Tampa? Check out our Tampa City guide. See you on the water!