New York

Ulster County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

Short walk from parking lot to water along marked trail. Dress at your car or on shore. Dive along wall to you left or right. Stay out of the swimming area to the right. 

Minnewaska State Park Preserve
5281 Route 44-55
Kerhonkson, NY 12446

Diving alowed between 9AM and 4PM daily. Except when ice in on the lake.

Must check in with park office, pay $25 annual fee, have dive buddy, dive flag, and leave your certification card with office. Don't forget to pick it up as you leave. Great training area. Cold water.

Kerhonkson

Lake Minnewaska State Park

This is a spring fed lake. There is a lot of natural cover and wildlife. If you bring a boat you can get to some nice spots or swim from the boat launch. 

there is a puplic boat ramp off of county rd 4004 

Fairview lake

Reservoir with lots of boat traffic on weekends and in summer. 



Lake Wallenpaupack

The south side of the jetty is the more sheltered side with better visibility.  There is a fair amount of marine life here with some lobsters.  Due to the sheltered nature and shallow depth this is also a good site for training and first dives. 

Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 39 North, Glen Cove Road, Rt 107 to the end and turn right, then your first left onto Mill Hill Rd.  Mill Hill becomes The Place Rd. Make a left onto McLoughlin Street to the end is Morgan Park.

Morgan Park Jetty is also known as Glen Cove Jetty.

Morgan Park Jetty

You can reach this site through Caumsett State Park but you will need to set this up in advance as you need a permit to drive to this site.  Shore access is a short walk from the parking lot.  Depth changes the further you go off shore and the greater the chance of boat traffic.  Area is good for lobster and other local marine life.

From either the LIE or Northern State take the Round Swamp Rd exit north to the end.  Turn right on Rt 25, left on Oakwood Rd, left on High St and right on Woodbury Rd.  Woodbury Rd turns into West Neck Rd and later into Lloyd Harbor Rd.

Lloyd Neck is also known as Caumsett State Park.

Lloyd Neck

The Gwendolyn Steers is a tugboat that sunk in about 55ft of water.  The wreck sits upright and comes to within about 25ft of the surface.  It is 96ft long with a 20ft beam.  Visibility is usually poor, there is a fair amount of boat traffic and nets have been present in the past.

Access is by boat only.

Gwendolyn Steers Wreck is also known as Gwendolyn Steers.

Gwendolyn Steers Wreck

There have been at least two railroad accidents at this spot: the first on May 18, 1948, and the second in the evening of September 11, 1975. In the first derailment, the locomotive jumped the tracks, killing two crewmen. The cars somehow stayed on the tracks, sparing the 76 passengers. It is rumored that the locomotive is still somewhere in the river mud, but there is little evidence of this. In the second accident, two engines and thirteen cars of a freight train went into the river. The train’s crew was unhurt in a third engine. Most of the wreckage was cleaned up, but several cars remain, including a closed boxcar in 14 ft of Miller Beerwater, and nearby a flatbed car with a semi-trailer full of real Miller beer bottles In the CNJ tables of the FRA database, this wreck is listed. The specifics are: Lead unit CNJ 3068, nearest station is listed as Slateford Junction, temperature was 62 degrees, train speed was 37 mph, train number was 99 (ES-99), with 2460 tons, 17 loads, 41 empties, equipment damage was $546,840, track damage was $11,243, for a wreck total of $558,093. It also lists the time as 8:18 pm.

This information was also found about DWG:
Most of the people who have been on the train wreck will probably tell you it’s a ’one and done’ dive. From what I’ve personally seen, it’s either hit or miss. That also depends on if anyone has been on the wreck before you got there. On a good day you can almost make out the wreck from the surface. The top of the wreck starts around 7ft in the summer time, with a deep, dark hole downstream at the back bottoming out around 14ft. Getting to the wreck site is only part of the fun. There is a large parking lot across the highway from the river, however I would suggest that you park on the shoulder and unload there. Just before the road rounds the corner, and the wall starts on the train tracks is a large area to pull off on. It’s far safer unloading here. In fact, while I don’t know if it’s legal or not, we just simply parked there without problem. Playing dodge-car isn’t much fun with your arms full of expensive equipment. Even more fun will be had getting your equipment from the road to the river. The easiest way I’ve found so far to get your kit to the water, besides making your buddy carry it for you, is to assemble it by your car, put it on, and hike down the bank to the water’s edge. Securing a rope to hold onto is highly suggested here, not only for the trip down, but also for the trip back up the bank. Once you’re ready to get in, be absolutely certain you have your diver down flag, and a person on shore if at all possible. One of the first things you will notice in this area is that boaters have NO clue what a diver down flag means. Your surface support person will most likely have to wave off a boat or two. The easiest way to hit very closely, if not right on top of the wreck, is to enter the water next to the yellow painted railroad rail on your left, and the large tree on your right. With the tree directly behind you, take a bearing straight across the river, submerge, and head out approx. 20ft. This should run you into the boxcar. Most of the remaining freight car is full of river muck now, with lots of fishing hooks, and monofilament all over the area. You will definitely need a good sharp knife. Every now and then, you might find yourself face to mask with rather large pike. Search in the muck, on the side heading out to the river and you might come up with a bottle or two. The rest of the wreck is located upstream from the boxcar. Current is almost non-existent here in the summer when the water is lower, and you’ll be in a very slight back eddy. Take your time and look around. More bottles from the wreck have been found upstream in the 2002 summer season. If you decide on heading out towards the center of the river, be warned that it comes close to 50ft, it’s cold, dark, and murky. You will want a light with you, and watch out for the current. It can get very swift in the channel. From the reports of the others that dove with us the last time we were there, there’s not much to see out that far besides discarded tires, and trash.

Delaware Water Gap (Beer Train Wreck)

Natural spring fed lake with summer boat activity.

Chapman Lake is a private lake and access is with permission only.  It is spring fed and best to dive with a dry suit.  Water temperature below 20' is usually 46 degrees F year round with surface water in the 60's to 70's during the summer.  There are sunken boats in a few areas.  Visibility is typical for fresh water but slightly better than average on most days.

Chapman Lake is also known as Chapman Lake, NEPA.

Chapman Lake



Summer time can be tricky as a large portion of the beach is resident access only, however there is a public access next to the beach. Because of this parking may be limited in the high use summer months. However I have never had an issue in all the years I have been going.

Russell Pond

Reef is made up of a barge and tires.  Lots of marine life including lobster.

Site is about a mile offshore and can only be reached by boat.  The site is sometimes marked by a buoy but due to a fair amount of boat traffic that is not usually the case.  Without a GPS you will have a very hard time finding this site.

Smithtown Bay Artificial Reef

Manhattan Beach is a 5.0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in New York, USA East which is accessible from shore based on 3 ratings.

Lake Minnewaska State Park

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Lake Minnewaska State Park