Pompano Beach Artificial Reef Diving — Broward County's Underwater Junkyard, in the Best Possible Way

Broward County’s environmental division has been dropping things into the ocean since 1979 — ships, Army tanks, bridge spans, New York City subway cars — and calling it conservation. They are not wrong. What started as a solution to a problem (where do you put a decommissioned vessel without paying to scrap it?) has become one of the most productive artificial reef programs in the country. There are now more than 80 permitted reef structures within a few miles of Pompano Beach’s shore, and on any given day the fish count on some of those wrecks rivals what you’d find on a natural ledge that took 10,000 years to develop.

The New York subway cars are the detail that stops people. In the early 2000s, Broward and other Florida counties received thousands of decommissioned MTA cars — 78-foot steel rail cars stripped, pressure-washed, inspected for contaminants, and dropped overboard in 65 to 80 feet of water. The logic: hard structure at depth attracts invertebrates, invertebrates attract small fish, small fish attract bigger ones. Within 18 months of sinking, the cars were coated in coral and sponge, patrolled by snapper, amberjack, and goliath grouper the size of Labradors.

What it is

The Broward County Artificial Reef Program manages a network of structures spread across a 200-square-mile area of Atlantic Ocean from Hallandale Beach north through Deerfield Beach. Pompano Beach sits at the geographic center of that network, and the reefs here range from 15 feet deep (close-in patch reefs, good for beginners and snorkelers) to more than 200 feet (the outer ledge drops, technical territory only).

The headline dives cluster in the 60 to 100 foot range: the subway car site, the tug Mercedes I, the barge Tenneco Towers, the Army M-60 tanks. Most are a 15 to 20-minute boat ride from Pompano Beach’s two main marinas. Bottom temperatures run 72°F in winter, up to 84°F in summer. Visibility averages 50 to 80 feet on a clean day, though this is the Atlantic and it can drop to 20 feet after a weather system moves through.

“Broward County didn’t discover artificial reefs. They just industrialized them faster than anyone else on the East Coast.”

The fish biomass on some of these wrecks is what earns that statement. The Tenneco Towers — a cluster of four oil-rig platforms sunk in 1985 — hosts a resident population of Atlantic goliath grouper that researchers have been tracking for decades. These are 300 to 400-pound animals that will approach a diver and hover at arm’s length, which is either magnificent or unsettling depending on your disposition.

What you do there

Certification and gear requirements: Open Water certification gets you to the 60-foot sites. Advanced Open Water opens up the 80 to 100-foot wrecks. Anything deeper than 130 feet requires technical training and is outside the scope of a typical day trip. A 3mm wetsuit is sufficient in summer; a 5mm is more comfortable October through April. Rent or bring a dive light — the wreck interiors are dark and the amberjack that hang in the shadows deserve a proper look.

Boat access is mandatory. There is no shore access to these reefs. Pompano Beach has two main dive charter operations:

• Scuba Network at Pompano Cove Marina (1 NE 1st St) — operates a fast six-pack and full-sized dive boats, 2-tank dives typically run $75 to $95 per person.
• Ocean Adventures at Hillsboro Inlet — runs similar trips; closer to the northern cluster of reefs.

Both operators handle the navigation GPS coordinates, descent lines, and surface marker buoy management. If you’re a newly certified diver, say so — the captain will pick the right reef for your comfort level.

A standard 2-tank trip runs about four hours: 45-minute boat ride, 45 to 50-minute bottom time on the first site (usually the shallower of the two), surface interval on the boat with snacks, then the second dive. You’ll log anywhere from 90 to 110 feet of maximum depth combined. Nitrox is available from both operators if you want extended bottom time and faster off-gassing.

What to photograph: The subway cars are most dramatic at depth — look for the windows, door frames, and wheel assemblies still visible beneath the encrustation. The goliath grouper at Tenneco Towers are obligatory. Bring a wide-angle lens if you’re shooting video; the light is decent down to 60 feet on a sunny afternoon.

Conditions, honestly

• Best visibility: November through April. Winter cold fronts clean up the water column; summer thermoclines can scatter the light.
• Busiest period: Spring break (March) and holiday weekends. Boats fill; book 2 to 3 weeks in advance.
• Current: Variable. Broward County reefs sit in the path of the Gulf Stream, and current can run from slack to 1.5 knots with little warning. Not dangerous for competent divers, but tiring if you fight it — drift with it, save your air.
• Weather shutdowns: Seas above 3 to 4 feet cancel most charter trips. Summer thunderstorms are fast-moving; morning departures at 7 or 8 AM beat the afternoon storms.
• Marine life hazards: Lionfish are established on nearly every wreck — don’t touch them. Moray eels are common in wreck crevices; they won’t bother you if you don’t reach into holes. Goliath grouper are harmless but large enough to create an involuntary startle response.
• Jellyfish: Atlantic man-o’-war are seasonal, typically October through January. Not a reason to stay out of the water, but a reason to check the surface before descending and to keep your wetsuit on.

What it’s not

Not a drift-diving experience like Jupiter Inlet — these are fixed reef structures and you navigate around them, not past them. Not appropriate for newly certified divers in surge conditions or reduced visibility; the wrecks have tight interiors and disorientation underwater is not theoretical. Not a snorkeling trip unless you’re booking the shallow patch reefs specifically — the signature sites are 60 to 100 feet down, well below breath-hold depth for most people.

And not a pristine, untouched reef ecosystem. These are industrial structures on a sandy bottom, and they look like it from a distance — only once you’re close does the biological layer reveal itself. If you’re expecting Caribbean blue water and coral mountains, manage expectations accordingly. What you’re getting is ecologically productive, biologically rich, and genuinely weird in the best sense.

If you go

Base yourself in Pompano Beach — Atlantic Boulevard has lodging options from budget motels to mid-tier hotels within a few minutes of both marinas. The Hillsboro Inlet lighthouse makes for a good visual landmark when returning to the dock.

Bring: certification card (always), dive computer, reef-safe sunscreen (Florida law on charter boats), a dry bag for your phone, cash for tips. Leave behind: gloves (no-touch policy on Florida reefs). Pair with: the Blue Heron Bridge in Palm Beach County for a macro contrast dive — it’s the same drive north and one of the best night dives in the continental US.

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Artificial reefs are public fisheries infrastructure. Broward County’s program is funded in part by vessel permit fees and voluntary donations. If you dive these reefs, consider a contribution to the Broward County Artificial Reef Program to fund the next structure.