Top Underwater Attractions in the U.S

Wanderlust Wednesday - Destination Hydration

Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to stay the night under the ocean? Maybe eat a meal, get a massage, or explore the ground floor under the surface? Well, this is your big chance, with some of the absolute best underwater attractions found in the world in the depths of U.S waters! Grab your scuba and snorkel gear, your wetsuit, and get ready for one wild underwater ride!

 

  • Neptune Memorial Reef - Key Biscayne, FL
    This Key Biscayne attraction that is catching the attention of many curious travelers from across the world is considered to be both an underwater mausoleum and a ‘living’ tribute to the lost city of Atlantis. Dive down to pay your respects, to both the fallen people and the fallen city.
  • Enchanted Forest - Table Rock Lake, MO
    If you are near Table Rock Lake in Missouri then you may want to grab your scuba gear for the Enchanted Forest. This former town called Oasis was swamped by a dam, today containing a grove of sunken oaks in what is considered to be the ‘Midwest Great Barrier Reef’.
  • Jules’ Undersea Lodge - Key Largo, FL
    The only true undersea lodge in the entire world today lies in Florida’s Key Largo area, by the name of Jules’ Undersea Lodge. This former 1970’s marine research station is a 21-foot scuba trip below the surface of the mangrove-filled Emerald Lagoon, a true marine adventure that provides you with a 2 bed, 1 bath, hot shower, and pizza delivery system lodge!
  • Dutch Springs - Bethlehem, PA
    Under the surface of the scenic 50-acre lake in Bethlehem, you will find countless underwater platforms, old vehicles, aircraft, and other things to climb all over! You won't be disappointed with what's above the surface, either, a truly fun and expansive aqua park taking up the lake. 
  • Lake Jocassee - Salem, SC
    Welcome to Lake Jocassee, the South Carolina legend that holds an old hotel more than 300 feet below the surface! For a short period of time (due to the elevation level) you can go explore the Attakulla Lodge Hotel, including an onsite basketball court and nearby cemetery!
  • Martha’s Quarry - Lebanon, TN
    Tennessee holds one of the biggest underwater sites of industrial wreckage ready to be explored, Martha’s Quarry holding 40 acres of 50-foot deep factory type leftovers. Swim on the old conveyer belt as you admire the giant catfish swimming by!
  • Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail - Florida Keys, FL
    The entire Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail is over 120 miles long, stretching from Key Largo to Key West. Under the surface along this route, you can scuba by a 524-foot long missile tracker by the name of U.S.S Vandenburg, as well as an artificial reef and various wrecks of early 1700’s Spanish Galleons. 
  • Bonne Terre Mine - Bonne Terre, MO
    Another underwater gem in Missouri can be found in Bonne Terre, the underwater mine considered to be one of the world's’ largest man-made caverns, as well as the largest freshwater dive site, descending 100 feet into mine architecture including elevator shafts, pillars, and car carts.
  • Atlantic Submarine Cruises - Honolulu, HA
    Sunny Hawaii offers perhaps one of the most authentic underwater cruise experiences available today, a 90-minute narrated underwater excursion through a maze of sunken ships, colorful coral, and endless sea life. During the December - May migration season you may even spot a humpback whale or two!
  • Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show - Spring Hill, FL
    Our personal favorite is the Spring Hill Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show, a tradition that began over half a century ago, in 1947. Watch mermaid performers dance around the 538-acre underwater ‘playground’ from the 400-seat submerged theater. This is the perfect option for kids, kids at heart, and mermaid lovers alike.
  • Miami Seaquarium Sea Trek Reef Encounter - Miami, FL
    If you can’t tell, Florida kind of owns the market on underwater attractions, and the Miami Seaquarium Sea Trek Reef Encounter is no exception! Here you can enjoy the state-of-the-art aquarium and then take a walk around the 300,000-gallon tank yourself afterward for a more personal experience with the marine life.
  • Coral Reef State Park - Key Largo, FL
    Welcome to the nation’s very 1st Undersea Park, 70 total miles of underwater exploration. Enjoy seemingly endless fields of coral, as well as the iconic 12-foot bronze Jesus statue, during your underwater discoveries!

Worldwide Must Mentions:

  • Subsix - Per Aquum Niyama - Maldives
    We simply must mention one of the coolest places to eat in the world, Subsix in the Maldives. This underwater eatery provides you with amazing submerged panoramic views of the surrounding Indian Ocean, at 1,640 feet out and 19 feet below the surface! You better believe the food matches the excellent views, plus this lodge holds an amazing underwater spa as well!
  • Underwater Post Office - Vanuatu
    Another worldwide must-mention is the Vanuatu Underwater Post Office, a real working Post Office 9 feet under the water. You can buy a waterproof postcard here to send anywhere in the world, you can even scuba down to the mailbox itself!
  • Cancun Underwater Museum - Yucatan Peninsula
    The Cancun Underwater Museum in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula contains a total of 500 different life-sized sculptures within the Isla Mujeres National Marine Park, a truly outstanding, and kind of creepy, work of underwater art!