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Stetson Bank dive site, Flower Garden Banks
Advanced≤30 m

Stetson Bank

Dive site in Flower Garden Banks, United States

Siltstone pinnacles crusted with fire coral and sponges, home to the golden smooth trunkfish, found in only two places in the world.

Usual dive
27 m
Deepest point
55 m
Level
Advanced
Best months
Jul–Sep
Entry
Liveaboard
Current
Strong

Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The story

Stetson Bank is an oblong bank of uplifted siltstone and claystone 80 miles off Texas. Its crest is a coral community dominated by algae, sponges and fire coral, and it joined the sanctuary when Congress reauthorized the National Marine Sanctuaries Act in 1996.

Source: flowergarden.noaa.gov

The dive

A reef and pinnacle dive from a liveaboard. Known for whale sharks, manta rays and sandbar shark.

Who it's for

Advanced≤30 mSource: scubadiving.com

Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).

  • CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
  • DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
  • Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
  • The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.

Conditions

Dive type
Reef, Pinnacle, Wall
Entry
Liveaboard
Source: scubadiving.com
Current
Strong
Source: flowergarden.noaa.gov
Environment
Open water
Water
Sea water

What you might see

  • Whale sharks
  • Manta rays
  • Sandbar shark
  • Silky sharks
  • Turtles
  • Stingrays
  • Crustaceans
  • Moray eels

Why divers come

  • Geology
  • Remote

Season in Flower Garden Banks

  • Best
  • Good
  • Possible
  • Closed
  • Not documented yet

Best months: Jul–Sep.

Source: scubadiving.com

Where is Flower Garden Banks?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

The point shows the Flower Garden Banks area, not the exact dive site.

More dives in Flower Garden Banks

Everything about Flower Garden Banks

About this page

Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.

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Photo credits