There are more than 100 reasons Fort Lauderdale is considered one of the world’s best dive destinations – and they start less than a football field’s distance from shore.
There are real shipwrecks (and replicas, too), a wide variety of artificial reefs, clumps of coral, and long stretches of natural reef. All teem with marine life.
A distinctive three-tiered natural reef system runs from Hallandale Beach to Deerfield Beach, beginning in just 20 feet of water. The Snorkel Shipwreck Trail sits by the first reef, just east of Datura Avenue. It’s a re-creation of what a wreck from the 1800s would look like today. Cannons, a real anchor and a cluster of ballast stones lie scattered on the sandy bottom.

Anglin’s Pier, at the end of Commercial Boulevard, was once picked by Scuba Diving magazine as the East Coast’s best beach diving site. It’s got an assortment of coral and rock formations filled with brightly colored tropical fish, sponges, and a multitude of barracuda, yellowtail and mackerel that come in to feed – all starting in just 15 feet of water a short swim from the beach.

The remains of the Copenhagen, a 325-foot English steam ship that sank in 1900, is now one of the state of Florida’s “Museums of the Sea.” Almost entirely intact and packed with sea life, it sits in 15 to 30 feet of water three-quarters of a mile off of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea.
In addition, more than 75 artificial reefs have been placed in a broad swath off of Fort Lauderdale. They range from decommissioned Coast Guard buoy tenders and cutters to freighters, schooners and barges, all deliberately sunk to attract and promote marine life.
You can find a listing of the artificial reefs and their locations at Broward County’s artificial reefs web site at broward.org/NaturalResources/BeachAndMarine

No wonder Scuba Diving magazine’s readers named Fort Lauderdale one of the Top Ten World’s Best Wreck Diving, Marine Life and Value Dive Destinations.

There are more than 100 snorkel and scuba dive sites with permanent mooring off of Fort Lauderdale. Some of the best are:

Hog Heaven Reef Photo: scububble.com Hog Heaven
Skill level: Intermediate
East of Port Everglades and upside down in about 70 feet of water, this 180-foot barge boasts a large radio antenna tower, plenty of openings for swimming through, and lots of fish. It was sunk as part of Broward County’s Artificial Reef Program in 1986.  Two other artificial reef components, the remains of the Pacific Reef Lighthouse and a 70-foot barge, the Wayne, rest nearby.

Tenneco Towers
Skill level: Advanced
Sitting in 70 to 110 feet of water east of Hallandale Beach, this former oil platform sunk in three sections in 1985 has grown into one of the best dive sites in the Southeast. The sections are covered with growth including yellow cup coral and red encrusting coral and surrounded by huge schools of jacks and tarpon. It’s also a place to spot some sharks.

The Captain Dan
Skill level: Advanced open water
Once a 175-foot Coast Guard buoy tender, the Captain Dan sits upright and nearly intact in 110 feet of water east of Pompano Beach. It was sunk as part of the artificial reef program in 1990. There’s plenty of sea life, including some goliath groupers that have taken up residence, and generally good visibility.

The Jim Atria
Skill level: Advanced
Originally a 240-foot Dutch freighter named the Poinciana, this wreck was renamed for a Broward County developer and diver after it was sunk. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew moved the wreck more than a quarter mile from its original resting place. It settled east of Fort Lauderdale, upright, at a depth of 135 feet. Her two masts, however, rise to 70 feet and are covered with corals and sea fans. The wreck is home to a spectacular collection of sea life, including black grouper and hogfish.

The Mercedes
Experience: Advanced 
The Mercedes I made national headlines after crashed against the seawall of a wealthy Palm Beach socialite on Thanksgiving night, 1983. It took weeks to pull the 197-foot freighter off the beach. Broward County bought it for its artificial reef program and sank it in more than 60 feet of water east off of Fort Lauderdale the following spring. Hurricane Andrew dealt the wreck a severe blow, but the wreck has attracted a rich population of diverse sea life. It also sits in the migratory path of whale sharks.

The Ancient Mariner – USS Nemesis
Skill level: Basic Open Water
A decommissioned Coast Guard cutter that served as a floating restaurant before it was finally sunk as part of the artificial reef program in 1991. The 165-foot ship may be best remembered among locals as the site of an infamous Hepetitis-A outbreak. More than 100 patrons and employees came down with the disease in 1986. The vessel now rests in 70 feet of water east of Hillsboro Beach.