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| Diving the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary |
Dive site and trip info for the Flower Garden Banks
The normal trip starts with boarding the boat at 8:30 pm, leaving
port about two hours later and arriving the following morning at
either the West or East Bank. This can vary depending on a few factors
and is the Captain's call. After tying up to a buoy, a boat divemaster
enters the water to check conditions and rig a line from the boat to
the mooring line for divers use. A dive briefing is given at each
location and if conditions change. Buddy team diving is the rule. The
shop you book your trip through will have a divemaster in the water
for your comfort and safety.
Most trips will afford diving at the West and East Banks, and Stetson
Bank the morning of the last day. An oil rig is usually also thrown in for
variety. Returning to port around 5-7 pm completes the trip. Check the
website of each boat to find trip dates. Weekend and mid-week (which
cost less) trips are available.
The East and West Bank dive sites are similar in nature in that they
radiate out 360 degrees from the mooring ring at the reef crest with
coral literally in every direction. This allows divers to pick the direction
that their buddy team wants to go and helps keep the dive from being
a mass of divers that some dive destinations are known for. Unless
you take a shovel with you, almost all of the sites max out at a depth
of 90' or shallower. Technically, there are 5 dive buoys at the West
Bank and 6 at the East Bank. Ships occasionally run over them and
tear them out.The Gulf Diving boats have the contract to replace them.
Stetson Bank has 4 buoys that are relatively close together due to it's
small size. The water gets deep fairly fast due to the sharp drop offs,
although there is plenty of diving area in the 60 - 100' range. Stetson
doesn't have the coral heads like the East and West Banks. Most
divers describe Stetson diving, "like diving on the moon." You don't
want to miss Stetson.
You will be amazed at how great diving the Flower Garden Banks is!
The normal trip starts with boarding the boat at 8:30 pm, leaving
port about two hours later and arriving the following morning at
either the West or East Bank. This can vary depending on a few factors
and is the Captain's call. After tying up to a buoy, a boat divemaster
enters the water to check conditions and rig a line from the boat to
the mooring line for divers use. A dive briefing is given at each
location and if conditions change. Buddy team diving is the rule. The
shop you book your trip through will have a divemaster in the water
for your comfort and safety.
Most trips will afford diving at the West and East Banks, and Stetson
Bank the morning of the last day. An oil rig is usually also thrown in for
variety. Returning to port around 5-7 pm completes the trip. Check the
website of each boat to find trip dates. Weekend and mid-week (which
cost less) trips are available.
The East and West Bank dive sites are similar in nature in that they
radiate out 360 degrees from the mooring ring at the reef crest with
coral literally in every direction. This allows divers to pick the direction
that their buddy team wants to go and helps keep the dive from being
a mass of divers that some dive destinations are known for. Unless
you take a shovel with you, almost all of the sites max out at a depth
of 90' or shallower. Technically, there are 5 dive buoys at the West
Bank and 6 at the East Bank. Ships occasionally run over them and
tear them out.The Gulf Diving boats have the contract to replace them.
Stetson Bank has 4 buoys that are relatively close together due to it's
small size. The water gets deep fairly fast due to the sharp drop offs,
although there is plenty of diving area in the 60 - 100' range. Stetson
doesn't have the coral heads like the East and West Banks. Most
divers describe Stetson diving, "like diving on the moon." You don't
want to miss Stetson.
You will be amazed at how great diving the Flower Garden Banks is!