Into the Deep

Diving the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail

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Whether you are new to diving or have more than 100 hours logged underwater, there’s something utterly spooky and thrilling about approaching a shipwreck. It’s not just the whimsical fantasy of discovering treasure, or the ominous aura of a ship’s demise. It actually takes a beat or two to resolve the cognitive dissonance of a hulking, man-made metal structure deep in the blue. As your eyes adjust, what at first appears so incredibly unnatural and out of place comes into focus, and the dark, shadowy silhouette of a ship morphs into a wildly spectacular habitat teeming with sea life—bright, hard corals, undulating soft corals, slow-moving Goliath grouper, sinister-looking barracuda, thick schools of baitfish. It's a recreational diver’s wonderland. 

By some estimates, there are more than 5,000 shipwrecks off Florida’s 1,200 miles of coastline. Although Florida’s eastern coast gets the lion’s share of attention from divers, there are hidden-in-plain-sight wonders—like the USS Oriskany, a.k.a. the “Great Carrier Reef”—to be explored along the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail. For divers planning an excursion, Panama City Beach (dubbed the “Wreck Capital of the South”) is a great place to start the adventure.  

[Read this: Under the Surface - Oil platforms off the Louisiana coast offer some of the most unique diving opportunities in the world]

“The biomass off Panama City Beach is unlike anywhere most people dive,” said Patrick Green, owner of Panama City Diving and a lifelong resident of Panama City. Temperate, subtropical seas around the shipwreck trail and freshwater from estuaries along the Gulf Coast combine to create the perfect environment for algae and the sea life that feeds on those nutrients, Green said. 

The story of the Panhandle Shipwreck Trail is one of innovation born from adversity. When the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill spewed an estimated 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf in 2010, communities across the coast scrambled to save their tourism economies. Although Louisiana’s coast was more directly affected, a large portion of BP’s $20 billion settlement funded cleanup efforts and coastal restoration across the Gulf, including the Panhandle, and continues to this day.  After the spill and cleanup, the Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Archaeological Research (BAR) spearheaded the effort to create a shipwreck diving trail similar to the Florida Keys Wreck Trek.  

The trail launched in 2012 with twelve shipwreck sites, most of which were sunk intentionally as artificial reefs because conditions in the Gulf (limited light, freshwater input, strong currents) aren’t conducive to natural reef structures like Florida’s Atlantic coast.  Today, the trail incorporates twenty wrecks off the panhandle from Pensacola to Port St. Joe. And, there’s an historic, retired ocean liner making the slow journey to the Gulf coast right now (see below: "From Luxury Ocean Liner to Underwater Playground"). 

Along with spectacular underwater wildlife, each shipwreck on the trail offers a unique glimpse into maritime history. For Gulf South divers excited to conquer this frontier, the experience is an easy road trip just a few hours from home. For more information about each wreck, visit floridapanhandledivetrail.com. 

Do I need special certification to dive a shipwreck?

It depends on how deep the wreck is. An entry-level Open Water certification with PADI, SSS, or NAUI can be obtained over a three- or four-day course and allows divers to explore down to sixty feet. But many of the wrecks along the Panhandle lie at lower depths. Nitrox certification may be required, and you will need an additional Advanced Open Water (PADI), Deep Diving Specialty, or Advanced-Adventure Diver (SDI), or Deep Diver (NAUI) certification to dive wrecks up to 130 feet. Look for dive operators that offer deep-diver “add-on” courses to wreck charters; after completing an e-learning course, divers are trained and tested on-site at deep wrecks to complete the certification.   

[Read this: Underwater Treasure]

Visibility Report

Although you can dive year-round along the Florida Gulf coast, mid-May to mid-June is peak season for visibility, which ranges from forty to sixty feet at offshore sites or thirty to forty feet at shallower depths. “It’s the end of the spring drought, so there’s minimal freshwater input,” said Green. “Sediment in the water tends to go away when we get more southerly winds that push the Gulf Stream closer and bring deeper, cleaner, and clearer warm water closer to land.”

"By some estimates, there are more than 5,000 shipwrecks off Florida’s 1,200 miles of coastline. Although Florida’s eastern coast gets the lion’s share of attention from divers, there are hidden-in-plain-sight wonders." 

Dive and Discover

Divers can pick up a Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail Passport at participating dive shops and charter boats and collect stamps and signatures for diving each shipwreck on the trail. Click on the map below to expand it, and learn more about the trail's destinations. 

An Insider's Guide to the Best Dive Sites 

Panama City Diving operator Patrick Green offers an insider’s take on must-see wrecks and dive sites off Panama City Beach—even some that are not part of the official "Dive Trail". 

USS Accokeek

“This is the one we hit most. Every reef fish you can imagine lives here, and resident Goliath grouper are a major draw. It has good swim-throughs and checks all the boxes for what makes a wreck interesting.”

USS Chippewa

“Similar to the Accokeek, but with more light penetration, so you can see your way in and out. It has all the large fish on it.” 

Twin Tugs (FAMI Tugs)

“This is a cool site because it’s two wrecks, deliberately set next to each other with chain from bow to bow to navigate. Hurricane Ivan picked up one of the tugs and put it on top of the other, so it’s taller—a three-story structure you can explore.” 

Stage 1

“This is an old naval diving stage similar to an oil rig structure. The site is so big—about 150-feet by 150-feet, with all of these ‘legs’ from seventy feet down to 105 feet. An artificial reef pipe structure in the middle is filled with all types of wildlife. It’s been there so long, it’s covered in gorgonians [a type of soft coral], sponges; and red, white, and yellow sea fans.” 

Bridge Spans (Dupont and Hathaway)

“Overall, [these are] my favorite dive sites; they’re easy to navigate and hold a tremendous amount of wildlife—more than anywhere else around here. The steel beams that form the spans have tiny grids inside (like a jungle gym), so there’s a lot of microstructures that form the substrates where coral can grow. You have the perfect habitat across a very tall, vertical reef, and the top gets a lot of sunlight.” 

From Luxury Ocean Liner to Underwater Playground

When the SS United States, the longest and largest ocean liner ever built in America, is scuttled into the waters off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, the flagship vessel will become the world’s largest artificial reef. (The USS Oriskany, located twenty-two miles south of Pensacola, currently holds the title of world’s largest artificial reef.) The iconic ship, at 990 feet long, 101.5 feet wide and 175 feet from keel to funnel, is about 100 feet longer than the Titanic and the height equivalent of a twelve-story building. The ship has been docked at Pier 82 on Philadelphia’s Delaware River since 1996 but was purchased by Okaloosa County in October 2024 and began its long, slow journey south in February 2025. The ship is currently en route to its final resting place and is expected to be scuttled in late 2025 or early 2026. Track the SS United States on its voyage to the Panhandle at share.garmin.com/ssunitedstates.  

Surface Interval

After a long day of wreck diving, re-fuel at some of Panama  City Beach’s most popular restaurants.

Breakfast

Andy’s Flour Power

A local diner offering the full monty breakfast/brunch favorites—rolled, crepe-thin omelets, Benedicts, shrimp and grits, hearty French toast and more. (Don’t miss the biscuits or a chance to chat with the gregarious chef/owner, John Certo.) andysflourpower.com. 

Thomas Donut & Snack Shop

Enjoy a bonkers variety of daily doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches at an adorable beach-front institution that’s been around since 1971. thomasdonutandsnackshop.com. 

Lunch

Schooner’s

Sit at the bar, soak up the truly local scene, and dig into a beachy, seafood-focused menu of fried fish platters and sandwiches, smoked tuna dip, hearty salads, and more. schooners.com. 

Finn’s Island Style Grub

Grab a picnic table and a local craft beer and enjoy a laidback, al fresco lunch of street tacos, burritos, and ceviche at this more-than-a-food truck outdoor eatery. finnsgrub.com. 

Dinner

Mosey’s Downtown 

For a super-casual, chat-with-the-neighbors vibe, head to this very local, downtown pizza joint/dive bar with an outstanding live music lineup. facebook.com/moseysdowntown. 

Captain Anderson’s

For a touch of finer dining, Captain Anderson’s offers the right scene and solid menu of seafood classics. Instead of fried, think grilled or broiled here (they know what they’re doing), particularly any whole fish on the specials. Fun fact: The enormous ship propeller stationed outside is from the Empire Mica (#20 on the shipwreck trail). captandersons.com. 

visitpanamacitybeach.com. floridapanhandledivetrail.com. 

Disclaimer: This trip was partially funded by Visit Panama City Beach, though the opinions of the writer are entirely her own and formed independently of this fact.