Is Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami) good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 5 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Neptune Memorial Reef, Pompano Ledge and Cable Crossing. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?

The water is usually between 20 °C and 29 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?

Divers regularly see spinner shark (Nov–Apr), turtles (May–Jul), goliath groupers (Aug–Oct), caribbean reef sharks, lemon shark (Nov–Apr) and nurse sharks.

Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)

Diving in United States

11 documented dive sites, 5 of them for Open Water divers. Known for spinner shark, caribbean reef sharks and lemon shark.

Best months: May–Sep
Water: 20–29 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: FLL

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami) in October

Good season

Sea: 29 °C; at the surface
Air: 29 °C; 23 °C at night
Rain: 190 mm; one of the wettest months
Wind: 12 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Diving is year-round (DAN). Summer has the calmest seas and warmest water and is shown as best (May–Sep); goliath grouper spawning runs early Aug–Oct. Nov–Apr is shown as good, not off-season: cooler water (upper 60s–mid 70s °F), but it is shark season (spinner, lemon, bull, sandbar sharks) and, per Pura Vida, has the most dynamic fish life. There is no sourced information on hurricane-season disruption, so Sep/Oct are not downgraded on that basis.

Source: dan.org

Dive sites in Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m5 sites

Artificial reef

down to 15 m

Neptune Memorial Reef

An underwater memorial reef inspired by the Lost City of Atlantis, in about 15 m of water 3.25 miles east of Key Biscayne.

Open Water

Reef

down to 8 m

Pompano Ledge

A shallow 5–8 m ledge on the Pompano Drop-off with 34 moorings, rated great for beginners; look for sailfin blennies and yellowhead jawfish.

Open Water

Reef

down to 7 m

Cable Crossing

Short, shallow coral reef off the Breakers Hotel used for introductory dives, with chances of manta rays, sea turtles, nurse sharks and guitarfish.

Open Water
Manta rays

Reef

down to 9 m

Emerald Reef

Probably Miami's largest natural reef, with many large rocks where interesting critters hide.

Open Water

Wreck

down to 9 m

SS Copenhagen

A 325 ft steel cargo ship wrecked in 1900 in 6–9 m off Pompano Beach, a State underwater archaeological preserve since 1994.

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m5 sites

Drift

down to 18 m

Breakers Reef

Miles of continuous coral ledges, undercuts and patch reefs at 13–18 m off the Breakers Hotel, drift-dived past turtles, rays and eels.

Advanced
Tiger sharks

Drift

down to 27 m

Hammerhead Reef

Over two miles of reef from Dania Pier toward Port Everglades, rising up to 24 ft off the sand, drift-dived past turtles and southern stingrays.

Advanced
Turtles

Drift

down to 28 m

Juno Ledge

A 6 m-high deep ledge from 21 to 28 m, drift-dived past schooling gamefish, goliath grouper, moray eels and soft corals.

Advanced
Goliath groupers

Wreck

down to 20 m

MG-111

Broken-up barge at 20 m off Jupiter where DAN reported gatherings of 40–50 goliath grouper during the Aug–Oct spawning season.

Advanced
Goliath groupers

Wreck

down to 26 m

Mizpah Corridor

A 1700 ft drift along three wrecks, led by the 185 ft former yacht Mizpah at about 26 m, whose decks goliath grouper congregate in.

Advanced
Goliath groupers

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m1 site

Artificial reef

down to 37 m

Tenneco Towers

Five oil production platforms sunk in 1985 form South Florida's largest artificial reef, from about 20 m at the tops down to 34 m.

Experienced

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Spinner sharkSource: dan.org
TurtlesSource: dan.org
Goliath groupersSource: dan.org
Lemon sharkSource: dan.org
Sandbar sharkSource: dan.org
Bull sharksSource: dan.org

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Caribbean reef sharks
Nurse sharks
Eagle rays
Stingrays
Barracuda
Tarpon
Frogfish
Nudibranchs
Octopus
Seahorses
Moray eels
Whale sharks
Manta rays
Blacktip shark
Hammerhead sharks
Tiger sharks
Guitarfish

Where is Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: FLL

Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami): frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?: The best months to dive Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami) are May–Sep. Diving is year-round (DAN). Summer has the calmest seas and warmest water and is shown as best (May–Sep); goliath grouper spawning runs early Aug–Oct. Nov–Apr is shown as good, not off-season: cooler water (upper 60s–mid 70s °F), but it is shark season (spinner, lemon, bull, sandbar sharks) and, per Pura Vida, has the most dynamic fish life. There is no sourced information on hurricane-season disruption, so Sep/Oct are not downgraded on that basis.
Is Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami) good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 5 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Neptune Memorial Reef, Pompano Ledge and Cable Crossing. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?: The water is usually between 20 °C and 29 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?: Divers regularly see spinner shark (Nov–Apr), turtles (May–Jul), goliath groupers (Aug–Oct), caribbean reef sharks, lemon shark (Nov–Apr) and nurse sharks.
How do you dive Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)?: The nearest airport is FLL.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash