​USS Oriskany Dive Site
25 miles south of Pensacola, Florida

Most Iconic Sites as reported in SCUBA Diving magazine, May 2011

"You'll need a chin strap to dive the USS Oriskany to keep your jaw from dropping once you experience the Everest-like proportions of the world's largest artificial reef.  The aircraft carrier - now scuttled off the Florida Panhandle - saw action in Korea and Vietnam, and is more than three football fields long and 15 stories high.  The flight deck down is strictly for technical diving, but the ship's superstructure rises to 80 feet and is a divers' playground.  Innumerable swim-throughs include access to both the flight and observation bridges, which make excellent photo ops.  Underwater for nearly five years, marine growth is accumulating rapidly, and the Mighty O will only get better with age."  Daryl Carson

"The Oriskany is 25 miles south of Pensacola.  Two-tank trips start at $150 (tank rentals not included).  Local operator MBT Dive and Surf (mbtdivers.com) has artifacts and photos on display - a must-see for history buffs."
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Sport Diver magazine, September 2011, has a lengthy article beginning on page 36, about the preparation for purposely sinking a ship such as the USS Oriskany, to become an artificial reef.  Pictures, graphs and diagrams tell the story of the complexities of such a mission.  The Discovery Channel has televised many times a documentary describing the same thing.

Photos by Leonard Copperwheat