Oriskany

USS Oriskany is an aircraft carrier deployed as an artificial reef in May 2006. Recreational divers can explore the multiple tiers of the central island that loom 60 feet (18 meters) above the deck while experienced tech divers can explore the cavernous hanger bay below decks.

Pensacola, FLORIDA
GPS: 30°02.569’N, 87°00.399’W

Considered the largest artificial reef in the world, USS Oriskany is an aircraft carrier deployed as an artificial reef in May 2006. She was built in 1944 in New York, and it took 26 charges and a total of $19 million to sink her off the coast of Pensacola. She now rests in over 200 feet (61 meters) of water. The flight deck was originally within recreational SCUBA depths, but the wreck has settled another 15 feet (5 meters) into the mud since she was first deployed. Recreational divers can still explore the multiple tiers of the central island that loom 60 feet (18 meters) above the deck while experienced tech divers can explore the cavernous hanger bay below decks. The wreck is well-colonized by soft corals and reef creatures, including snapper, barracudas, grouper, jacks and many different species of shark. She is part of the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail.