Scuba Diving

Explore the water on a Tampa Bay cruise. Encounter The Tampa area is world famous for spear-fishing. An abundance of large game fish such as, cobia, snapper, kingfish, bonito, mackerel and grouper, can be found in the Gulf waters. For those who don’t spear, there are oysters, scallops, stone crab and slipper lobster.

 The Tampa area has one of the most extensive, well-maintained artificial reef systems in Florida. These artificial reefs consist of wrecks, bridge rubble, culverts and even some army tanks. The waters from St. Petersburg north to the Tarpon Springs area has more than 40 artificial reef sites ranging from 200 yards to 38 miles offshore. Reef building first began in the 1960s to improve the marine environment, encourage the growth of fish, and to provide areas for recreational diving and fishing.

 Pinellas County Artificial Reefs
Located offshore of Florida’s Gulf Coast are natural limestone ledges. These ledges are a remnant of Florida’s pre-historic past when due to varying water levels Florida’s coastline was constantly changing. Many ledges have deep undercuts and can vary in height from a few inches to well over twelve feet. These ledges provide habitat for a wide variety of sea life. Florida’s Gulf Coast is world famous for spearfishing and is home to game fish such as, grouper, hogfish, snappers and amberjack.

The natural formations offshore of Tampa are limestone ledges that are the ancient shoreline of Florida. Currents have created deep undercuts where fish hide in huge schools. The ledges vary in height from 2-12 feet and are found at depths of 35-60 feet.