Advanced Diving

MID-SHORE, OFFSHORE, AND ORISKANY CHARTERS

Pensacola has lots of options for advanced divers to explore. The challenge of diving deeper and farther offshore offers scuba divers more excitement and more chances to see large pelagic species. Most of our advanced dives are the mid-shore and offshore range which is 9-25+ miles from shore.  Depths are usually 80-130 feet. We also have several rigs that drop down to 175. Most of our natural bottom dives are considered advanced diving due to the depths.  Of course, there is the crown jewel of Pensacola advanced dive, the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier and the largest artificial wreck in the world.

In order to scuba dive on the sites we consider to be an advanced dive, we do have basic requirements and guidelines before we will take you out to these sites. Safety is always on the forefront of our mind, and if we do not feel you are prepared – both in experience and equipment – we will suggest you dive on another site. Please check with us if you have any questions about your qualifications and experience.

When diving on the more advanced sites, we ask that you have the experience to conduct such a dive. Obviously, you will want to have an Advanced Diver certification through your training agency to dive deeper than 60 feet. Even with an advanced certification, you need to have the experience in diving to conduct a dive of this type. As a guideline, you should have at least 25-50 dives under your belt and are comfortable scuba diving. If you are not comfortable diving, we have some amazing dives that are less deep. You also need to have good, quality working dive gear and your own dive computer. Given the depths, a dive computer is an essential piece of scuba equipment.  Nitrox certification is strongly recommended. Our advanced dives are square profiles, which means the the top of the wreck or reef is well under the surface and not a gradual slope down. This is perfect for Nitrox to maximize your safety and bottom time. We can assist you in selecting the correct mix for the dive site, but typically a mix of 30% is perfect.

If you don’t have the experience but still want to dive these sites, you can hire a private divemaster to assist you. This is at an additional expense, and individual dive guides set their own rates. We can assist you in finding an experienced local dive guide for your advanced dives here in Pensacola.

Be sure to read our Trip Info page for detailed info about diving with Niuhi Dive Charters.  Need to rent tanks or gear for your dive? Please visit our friends at Dive Pros Dive Center in Pensacola for a great experience.

Timber Holes

Timber Holes is a reef diving site with a depth of 120 - 130 feet. The Timber Holes are similar to other natural limestone reefs in the area. It gets its name from the numerous holes stamped into the face of the limestone. It is believed that these holes were caused...

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Paradise Hole

Paradise Hole is another natural limestone reef with sections and heads spread over a wide area. Depths range from 80ft to 110ft, and there's usually one to three feet of relief.Paradise HoleMax Depth: 80-11o Top of Wreck: Distance from Pass:Additional Pensacola Dive...

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Greens Hole

Greens Hole is a natural limestone reef resembling a tabletop sitting a few feet above the sandy bottom with scattered ledges, overhangs, and coral heads. Depths range from 95ft to 115ft.Green's HoleMax Depth: 95-115 Distance from Pass:Additional Pensacola Dive Sites

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YDT-15

YDT-15

Originally designated YF-336 in 1942, this vessel was assigned to the New York and Potomac River Naval Commands before reassignment to the Naval District of Washington, at which point her name was changed to Suitland. In 1965 Suitland was assigned to the 5th Naval...

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YDT-14

YDT-14

Originally built in 1942, the YDT-14 is one of two U.S. Navy dive tenders sank as artificial reefs in the year 2000. YDT-14 is mostly intact. In order to make the wreck safer for recreational divers, decking has been removed fore and aft of the bridge. The YDT-14 sits...

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USS Oriskany

USS Oriskany

The USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) also known as “The Great Carrier Reef” is a 904ft long US Navy aircraft carrier. The Oriskany saw significant combat service in both the Korean and Viet Nam wars. She was intentionally sank as an artificial reef on May 17, 2006. This wreck...

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Tenneco Rig

Located roughly 26 miles SSE of Pensacola Pass the Tenneco Rig Site consist of two 500 ton structures donated to Escambia County by the Tenneco Oil Company. The Tenneco Rig is a retired oil rig jacket deployed in 1982 as a part of the “Rigs to Reefs” program and this...

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PC Barge

Sank in 1995, The PC Barge is now a deck suspended 6ft from the bottom upon a hollowed-out frame in 81ft of water. Galvanized radio tower sections rest in the sand on each side of the barge. It make for a good dive with easy underwater navigation. Lots of marine life...

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Oops Barge

The wreck got its name when it sunk about two miles from its original location all on her own on October 2, 1995. It was originally slated as an artificial reef. The 65ft steel barge now rests in 75ft of water with about 5ft of relief. What's left of this barge still...

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