The LuLu, a 271-foot, steel-hulled former coastal freighter originally named Yokamu. Purpose-sunk on May 26, 2013, LuLu sits upright on a 115-foot sand bottom; its picturesque wheelhouse tops out at a rec-diver-friendly 60 feet.
SS United States To Become Worlds Largest Artificial Reef
News Staff • November 2, 2024
There are great diving spots just off the coast of Gulf Shores
The SS United States, once hailed as a fast transoceanic liner when it was built in the early 1950s, will be towed from Philadelphia to Mobile as early as next week ahead of a sinking next year at the world’s largest artificial reef off the Okaloosa County, Florida Gulf Coast.
The ship is almost 1,000 feet long. The county and its partners in the fishing/sports diving venture have allocated $9.1 million to clean, transport and sink SS United States off Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The water’s depth in that location is 180 feet, county officials reported.
GULF SHORES DIVE SPOTS:
In the Gulf Shores and Orange beach area there are many fun spots for local dives.
Poseidon's Playground is a local project, located 3.5 miles offshore of Perdido Pass, Orange Beach, Alabama. The depths are 35-40 feet. It's mission is to create a virtual playground underwater that includes statues and structures strategically placed in a permitted area for recreational diving. These shallow depths allow for young divers, novice divers and training divers to enjoy our underwater wonders.
The Fairfield New Venture is a 250-foot long former research vessel sunk in 2018 about 20 miles off the coast of Orange Beach. The ship’s wheelhouse rests at about 60 feet, with a depth around 125 feet. Holes in the sides of the vessel create pass-throughs for divers, giving the structure more complexity. Open water and advanced divers will enjoy exploring the New Venture.
The Whiskey Wreck is a shore dive from Gulf Shores located roughly 150 yards due south of the beach and Bahama Bob’s Cafe. It lays just beyond a sandbar offshore, and that sandbar provides a useful landmark and staging area. The wreck is a 200-foot rum runner boat in less than 20 feet of water. That depth is shallow enough for snorkelers, non-divers on a Discover Scuba Dive, and Open Water diving students alike to enjoy the wreck. The visibility at the site is usually in the 10 to 15-foot range.
For more information and professional dive excursions, visit Down Under Dive Shop.
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