Massachusetts Dive Sites
Massachusetts Dive Sites:
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CAPE COD
The popular shore dives in Cape Cod are Sandwich Town Beach (Sandwich), Garbage Beach (Woods Hole, Falmouth) and Corporation Beach (Dennis) and Harbor View Beach (Dennis), all of which are amazing night dives with easy entry/exits. Like much of the coast of New Hampshire, shore diving in Cape Cod is relatively shallow and best to dive at high tide or divers will be walking long distances to get to any significant depth.
The popular shore dives in Cape Cod are Sandwich Town Beach (Sandwich), Garbage Beach (Woods Hole, Falmouth) and Corporation Beach (Dennis) and Harbor View Beach (Dennis), all of which are amazing night dives with easy entry/exits. Like much of the coast of New Hampshire, shore diving in Cape Cod is relatively shallow and best to dive at high tide or divers will be walking long distances to get to any significant depth.
- Sandwich Town Beach (Sandwich)
- Corporation Beach (Dennis)
- Harbor View Beach (Dennis)
- Garbage Beach (Woods Hole, Falmouth)
Want to learn more about the dive sites? Click on the site to access more information.
Back BeachBack Beach is a favorite for beginner divers and night divers. This dive site has a decent entrance and there is metered parking, allowing you to prep your gear right at your car.
Divers should always be respectful while diving, but err on the side of extra caution as some of the local residents aren’t diver-friendly. Parking: metered parking; during the summer weekends parking will be very limited Level: All levels |
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Bass Rocks
Bass Rocks is a fun spot for lobstering. Here you will have a quiet rocky beach almost always accessible to divers. Your non-diver friends can set up chairs and enjoy a few hours of sunshine waiting for you to come back with a catch of lobster for the team. You'll find beautiful vegetation here, loads of crabs and schooling fish.
Parking: You can find parking on a near by street (3-5 minute walk)
Levels: Intermediate & Advanced
Parking: You can find parking on a near by street (3-5 minute walk)
Levels: Intermediate & Advanced
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Cathedral Rocks
This is a dive site for the more-advanced diver. You may still only be up to it when you're feeling bold enough to make the extra effort here. Conditions must be absolutely perfect, or you'll find yourself making your way to another dive spot. Divers will pay very close attention to the tides and even still, it's quite dodgy to say the least.
There are have been fatalities here. The boulders are wildly slippery and steep. With all your gear on coupled with the cumbersome entrance, it's no surprise divers have had accidents.
Parking: Limited; non-metered
Level: Advanced
There are have been fatalities here. The boulders are wildly slippery and steep. With all your gear on coupled with the cumbersome entrance, it's no surprise divers have had accidents.
Parking: Limited; non-metered
Level: Advanced
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Folly Cove
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Folly Cove is a classic dive spots in the area. Divers can explore each rocky side of the cove, both teaming with life. For those who are more adventurous, surface swim out to the left opening of the cove and you'll see that you can quickly submerge 60 feet (not bad for a shore dive!). The downside of this beach is that Folly Cove isn't just teaming with marine life, it's also teaming with very slippery rocks, making the entrance and exit quite difficult at times. You'll probably hear the stories of people rolling their ankles, or possibly breaking them. Be very careful here.
Parking: Resident parking only Level: All levels |
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Front Beach
Front beach is peaceful dive if you can find parking. You can see in the map below, you're within close proximity to restaurants, hotels and shops. You also have folks who want to spend the day at the beach. If you can find parking, it's worth checking this spot out.
Parking: Metered; very limited
Levels: All Levels
Parking: Metered; very limited
Levels: All Levels
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Lanes Cove
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Lanes Cove is a great place to dive. There is limited parking here so the earlier you can get here the better chance you have of grabbing a spot. The entrance can be dicey as there are wet slippery rocks. I've seen at least one or two divers take a tumble so make sure to go slow. It's also not a rare occasion to see divers scooting down the rocks instead of trying to walk. Its important to pay attention to the tides here as it will make your entrance and exit easier.
Parking: Non-metered; limited Levels: Intermediate and Advanced |
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Graves Light
Graves light is only accessible by boat but it's well worth the charter. Here you will find lots of crabs, starfish and if you're lucky you'll get a lobster to take home. One of the best parts of this site, outside of pulling up to the gorgeous lighthouse, is that this is a frequent spot for friendly seals. They'e been known to interact with divers so be on the look out.
Loblolly
This is one of our favorite dive sites. It's one not often visited as parking is limited, or should we say non-existent. If you happen to have a Rockport resident friend, drag them along so you can get free residential parking a few meters away from the dive entrance. If that isn't the case, team up with your dive buddy- and divide and conquer. One of you can man the gear and the other can grab parking a few blocks away.
This dive site is teaming with life. Towards the entrance of the cove- we've seen bait balls, schools of fish, and even a tuna, yes a TUNA. (good thing for the GoPro or no-one would have believe us! Check out the video below)
if you don't feel up to the longer surface swim to drop down towards the mouth of the cove, you’ll still find the dive enjoyable. Make sure you bring your camera, you can capture great photos in the shallow depths on a sunny day.
Parking: None
Level: All levels
This dive site is teaming with life. Towards the entrance of the cove- we've seen bait balls, schools of fish, and even a tuna, yes a TUNA. (good thing for the GoPro or no-one would have believe us! Check out the video below)
if you don't feel up to the longer surface swim to drop down towards the mouth of the cove, you’ll still find the dive enjoyable. Make sure you bring your camera, you can capture great photos in the shallow depths on a sunny day.
Parking: None
Level: All levels
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Old Garden
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Old Garden is one of those classic dive sites. In particular, divers have a great relationship with the residents in the area. Divers and beachgoers have found a way to peacefully coincide during peak hours.
This dive site does get wildly crowded given it's a prime spot for open water classes so it might not be worth giving this one a go during peak hours unless you are looking to network/socialize over having a quieter dive site. Parking: Available several streets away (3-5 minute walk) Levels: All levels |
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The Patriot
The Patriot is a fun dive spot for advanced divers. Here you will drop down about 100ft to the Patriot Wreck so charters will require you to show your advanced certification. There's often lots of life teaming here. For advanced divers, it's a must.
To learn more about the Patriot, visit the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary website.
To learn more about the Patriot, visit the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary website.
Pebble Beach
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Pebble Beach is a great dive spot for all levels of divers. There is plenty of parking along the beach. Make your way over the heap of rocks to set up your dive gear or even just prep your gear right at your car as some find it easier.
There is a good chunk of the dive that is sand. While you will find some beautiful light rays reflecting on the bottom of the grooved sand, along with some hermit crabs, there isn't much of a habitat for marine life. One tip is to surface swim out a bit before you drop down to maximize your diving time. Parking: Non-metered parking Levels: All levels |
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Stage Fort Park
This site is ideal for that diver who wants to bring the family along to hang at the beach while you dive.
There are two dive sites at this location. You'll find different variations of crabs, and our good friend, the moon snail. You'll find loads of different vegetation- tall grass and what looks like fluffy beds of red-pink blankets. I like to bring my GoPro here as you can capture a lot of diverse looks in your videos.
Afterwards, pull out your picnic blanket, snacks and soak in that warm sun and maybe even grab an ice cream.
Parking: Online Reservation-only lot ( Click Here)
Level: All level
There are two dive sites at this location. You'll find different variations of crabs, and our good friend, the moon snail. You'll find loads of different vegetation- tall grass and what looks like fluffy beds of red-pink blankets. I like to bring my GoPro here as you can capture a lot of diverse looks in your videos.
Afterwards, pull out your picnic blanket, snacks and soak in that warm sun and maybe even grab an ice cream.
Parking: Online Reservation-only lot ( Click Here)
Level: All level
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Click on the map below to access a Google Maps list of dive sites.
Rockport Weather Forecast
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Waves
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Lobster and Scallop Diving
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YouTube Video spotlight: Some VERY New England Scuba Diving
We joined Michael Macdonald on an epic adventure, scalloping and lobster diving in New England. Macdonald is SCUBA instructor and technical diver that began diving in New England in 2002. Michael Macdonald spends his summers scuba diving Cape Ann, Lake Champlain and the Great Lakes. And during winters, Michael is cave diving in Florida and Mexico. He hones in on lobster and scallop diving, shipwreck exploration, and being underwater regardless of the visibility or water temperature. |
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Important Dive Regulations
For Divers in Massachusetts: Every scuba diver or group of scuba divers while swimming on or under the surface of the waters of the commonwealth shall display for each diver or group of divers as a warning device to boat operators, a diver's flag, so called, constructed of rigidly supported material at least twelve inches by fifteen inches in area of red background with a white diagonal stripe. The flag shall be displayed on a boat or surface float and shall extend a minimum distance of three feet from the surface of the water. Divers are to remain in an area within one hundred feet of such displayed diver's flag while at or near the surface of the water.
Section 13A: Scuba divers; display of diver's flag required
For Boaters in Massachusetts: A boat operator within sight of a diver's flag shall proceed with caution and within a radius of one hundred feet of such flag shall proceed at a speed not to exceed three miles per hour.
Click on the dive site links below to learn more about each site.
Section 13A: Scuba divers; display of diver's flag required
For Boaters in Massachusetts: A boat operator within sight of a diver's flag shall proceed with caution and within a radius of one hundred feet of such flag shall proceed at a speed not to exceed three miles per hour.
Click on the dive site links below to learn more about each site.
