Explore Texas

Diving in Texas offers a unique blend of environments, making it a hidden gem for underwater explorers. The state's diving highlights include the vibrant reefs of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, divers are greeted by stunning coral formations and a plethora of marine life, including playful dolphins and majestic manta rays. These offshore sites often require boat diving, providing thrilling adventures for enthusiasts seeking rich marine biodiversity.

Beyond the Gulf, Texas also boasts remarkable spring-fed diving sites such as San Solomon Springs and Spring Lake. These locations are known for their crystal-clear waters, maintaining a constant temperature of 22°C/72°F year-round, ideal for divers who enjoy serene, freshwater environments. For those interested in wreck diving, Lake Travis and Athens Scuba Park offer submerged barges, airplanes, and more, creating a diver's playground of submerged history. While the Gulf of Mexico's water temperatures range from 24°C/76°F in winter to 31°C/88°F in summer, divers should be cautious of the hurricane season from May to October. With various international airports, access to these diving spots is convenient, making Texas a surprisingly diverse destination for diving enthusiasts.

Upcoming Events

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Computer Diving

Contact the Center for more information.

SSI designed the Computer Diving program to help certified divers become familiar with the features and benefits of using a dive computer. By understanding and knowing how to use all the functions of a dive computer, you will not only increase your dive safety but also make planning and executing your dive easier. The SSI Computer Diving program explores the functions and capabilities of different dive computers and explains how to use these functions before, during, and after your dive. Often, divers purchase a computer and only use it for its basic information. Get the most out of your investment by learning to use your dive computer to its full potential. Start your SSI Computer Diving specialty online today!

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

React Right - Course Combination (FA, CPR, AED, O2)

Contact the Center for more information.

React Right is SSI’s emergency first response course and provides you with the training and knowledge you need to act as a first responder in a medical emergency. In this flexible dive program, you can choose which subjects you want to learn about, including primary assessment, first aid, CPR and primary stabilization techniques. You can also learn about oxygen administration in diving emergencies and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) basics. Using a combination of academic sessions and practical training scenarios, this program will give you the tools and confidence you need for emergency response. By the time you are certified, you will be able to act as an emergency first responder, provide first aid and CPR, administer oxygen and provide AED support in a medical emergency. Earn your SSI React Right specialty certification. Get started today!

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Deep Diving

29 Dec 2025

The SSI Deep Diving Specialty will teach you all you need to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a mixture of academic sessions and open water dives. You will learn to plan and safely complete your deep diving adventures and use computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most from your deep dives. Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore beautiful deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for some advanced training, making it the next logical step to take in your dive education.

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Wreck Diving

29 Dec 2025 + 1 more

Many of the ocean’s best dive sites are wrecks. These impressive structures attract unusually high densities of marine life and give you the chance to immerse in living history as you dive. There is nothing quite like wreck diving and the SSI Wreck Diving specialty will give you all the skills and knowledge you need to become a safe and confident wreck diver. With a combination of academic and confined water sessions, you will be taught how to safely conduct non-penetration dives around wrecks and artificial reefs, up to a depth of 30 meters. You will also get to practice your wreck diving skills during open water training dives. All of which will ensure you can enjoy wreck diving with confidence and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion of this program, you will earn your SSI Wreck Diving specialty certification. Continue your adventures and become a wreck diver. Get started online today!

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Night Diving and Limited Visibility

31 Dec 2025

Night diving requires different skills from diving during the day. The SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty is the best way to learn about night diving and practice the techniques you will need to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program, you will be provided with all the knowledge and skills you need to safely and comfortably dive at night or in limited visibility conditions. With a combination of online learning and open water training dives, you will learn how to enter and exit the water, use specialized equipment, and how to communicate with your buddy easily at night or in limited visibility. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty certification and be ready to go night diving with confidence.

Professional Level Programs / Courses

High Tide Scuba and Water Sports

Assistant Instructor

31 Dec 2025

The Assistant Instructor rating is the next step after becoming a Divemaster along the scuba instructor pathway. It allows you to collect valuable teaching experience, practice briefings, teach academics, and conduct in-water training. If you want to further your career as a dive professional, you can finish the Instructor Training Course, pass the Instructor Evaluation, and become an Open Water Diving Instructor.

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Shark Ecology

31 Dec 2025

In the SSI Shark Ecology program, you will learn how to interpret shark behaviours, why they are often misunderstood and how dive with sharks. This is a perfect course for shark fans and for divers who are nervous about sharks but want to overcome their fear. Upon completion of this program, you will earn your SSI Shark Ecology Specialty certification and no doubt become an avid shark diver. Start today!

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Scuba Divers Paradise

Open Water Diver

01 Jan 2026 + 38 more

This globally recognized certification program is the best way to begin your lifelong adventures as a certified scuba diver. Personalized training is combined with in-water practice sessions to ensure you have the skills and experience required to become truly comfortable underwater. You will earn the SSI Open Water Diver certification.

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Scuba Divers Paradise

React Right - Course Combination (FA, CPR, AED, O2)

02 Jan 2026

Diver Level Programs / Courses

The Scuba Shop

Scuba Skills Update

10 Jan 2026 + 1 more

It is easy for dive skills to get rusty and to lose confidence when you have not dived for a while. With the SSI Scuba Skills Update, we will get you back in the water and diving with ease in no time. This scuba refresher course allows you to review and practice scuba skills you learned in your Open Water Diver program, under the guidance of an SSI Professional. This is a great course to take just before a dive holiday, so you spend less time worrying about your skills and more time admiring the marine life. If you are a non-certified Open Water Diver student, a Scuba Skills Update is ideal for practicing your dive skills before your open water training dives. With no fixed course duration, you can take your time and focus on the skills you need help with.

Diver Level Programs / Courses

High Tide Scuba and Water Sports

Open Water Diver

10 Jan 2026 + 1 more

Diver Level Programs / Courses

Dive Masters Of San Antonio

Open Water Diver

10 Jan 2026

Dive Sites Show on map

Divetech, Inc, 77007 Houston

Valhalla Missile Silo (★4.5)

This dive site is privately owned and rented out to official dive groups from their website. Just google it. Suggested for those in good physical condition as there are a lot of steps down.

GULF COAST SCUBA, 77027 HOUSTON

Mammoth Lake (★4.0)

Located just one hour south from downtown Houston, Texas, this 70 acres dedicated scuba park is a fun destination for scuba divers of all levels. For more information please check their website: https://mammothlaketexas.com/

Ascuba Venture, Inc, 78412 Corpus Christi

Joe’s Place Marina & Resort (★4.1)

This dive site has camping & RV sites. The office building is right next to the designated scuba area. The building has a Party Room that can be rented. Phone 830-612-3775 Website: www:joesmarina.com Availability is Wednesday through Sunday, 8 AM to Dusk. Call to verify rates.

Ascuba Venture, Inc, 78412 Corpus Christi

Windy Point Park (★3.7)

Deep diving off the wall. Several platforms and things to dive on and around. First come first serve on the camping - NO reservations. NO Glass Containers or Firearms. Phone # 512-266-3337 Website: windypointpark.com Check website for current fees.

Ascuba Venture, Inc, 78412 Corpus Christi

The Blue Lagoon - Texas (★3.6)

This is a disused quartz rock quarry, which is now filled with water. Maximum depth 8 - 10m. Phone 936-438-8888, call ahead to make reservations for dives and check rates. Website: bluelagoonscuba.net. Visit website to check rules and fees.

Ascuba Venture, Inc, 78412 Corpus Christi

North Park, Canyon Lake (★3.6)

North Park is a Primitive TENT CAMPING park ONLY! NO DAY USE! This means the park has a restroom, no showers, two water fountains with drinkable city water, and that each site has a table, benches, fire ring/grill, and lake access. Campsites for weekend use only. Not open during the week. Open 1 April to 30 Sept.

Misty L. (#2993364)

South Padre Island (★4.5)

The South Padre Island Jetties are accessible through Isla Blanca Park, managed by Cameron County Parks. Parking is available. There is a fee to enter the park. This is shore diving and conditions vary greatly. Always check local tides and weather before diving this site. Average visibility is 5 feet or less.

Dive Masters Of San Antonio, 78216 San Antonio

Overlook Park, Canyon Lake, Texas (★4.0)

Overlook Park is a public, day-use park with spectacular views of Canyon Lake’s south side. Trek through the park’s 1-mile loop hiking trail or meander the Verada Real walking trail, which will take you all the way across the dam.

Dive Masters Of San Antonio, 78216 San Antonio

Aquarena Springs / Spring Lake (★4.3)

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, formerly known as Aquarena Springs, has been a local favorite for outdoor and water recreation. Due to protected and endangered species, water access is limited to those in scuba classes or volunteer divers who have completed the Center’s Volunteer Diving Program.

Scuba Divers Paradise, 76513 Belton

Stillhouse Park (★4.3)

Stillhouse Hollow Lake is located in central Texas and is open year round. Stillhouse Park is an easy shore dive and popular amongst locals. There is a dive shop at the marina on the NE side of the lake making air fills convenient. Visibility is usually 5-15 ft.

Arnie W. (#3091638)

Scuba Divers Paradise Dock (★4.3)

Training Dock located just outside of the Dive Shop. Divers giant stride into 12 feet of water and follow the buoy down to the platform. “This is the official “Starting Point“ of dive.

Paul H. (#379630)

Brandy Branch Reservoir Boat Launch (★2.8)

4.1 Miles South of I-20 on FM 3251. (Look for sign “Public Boat Ramp“) Its only a mile down Boat Launch. Vegetation can be thick in the summer. Start dive at boat launch. 330° or NNW 200 yards and your out of the vegetation. Depth is about 24 feet. A lot of stumps and trees. Wall of grass you can follow.

Ascuba Venture, Inc, 78412 Corpus Christi

Port Aransas Jetty South (★2.6)

Water entry is off of very large boulders. Incoming/outgoing tides need to be considered. BE AWARE people are fishing in the adjacent along the Jetty. Visibility varies with tides and weather (fair to poor). Sandy bottom around 20-foot depth (+/-) dependent on the tide.

Andrew S. (#4635776)

Longhorn Lake, League City, Texas (★3.4)

This is a lake available to swimmers, scuba divers and fishermen. People use this lake to train for triathlons and other water activities. There are boats, boat motors, bathtubs, and other items sunken to find while scuba diving.

James T. (#2188058)

Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (★5.0)

The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory is an astronaut training facility and neutral buoyancy pool operated by NASA and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility, near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Diving in Texas

Texas may not be the first place that comes to mind for diving, but it offers a variety of underwater experiences worth exploring. Lake Travis is a top spot for shore dives, featuring sites like Windy Point Park, where divers can explore sunken boats and unique underwater sculptures. Another notable location is the Texas Clipper off South Padre Island, a popular wreck dive that provides divers with a breathtaking glimpse into marine history.

For those seeking unique experiences, night dives in Texas' freshwater lakes offer encounters with nocturnal freshwater creatures. Divers can enjoy a balance of shore and boat diving; however, liveaboards are less common, making shore and day-boat options more popular. Whether you're interested in shipwrecks or the tranquility of a night dive, Texas provides diverse opportunities for divers of all levels.

The best Months to dive in Texas

Diving in Texas is a year-round activity, though conditions can vary with the seasons. During the summer, water temperatures range from 26°C–30°C/79°F–86°F, making it the most comfortable time for divers. However, visibility can be affected by increased water activity and warmer currents. In winter, temperatures drop to 15°C–20°C/59°F–68°F, offering clearer waters but requiring thicker wetsuits for comfort.

Spring and fall present moderate conditions, with temperatures averaging 18°C–24°C/64°F–75°F. Visibility is generally good, ranging from 15 to 30 meters/49 to 98 feet, though can be impacted by wind and freshwater inflows from rain. While diving is possible year-round, late winter and early spring may be less favorable due to cooler temperatures and potential storms affecting water clarity and safety.