Camille Quintos

The Blue Heron Bridge has been voted as one of the top shore diving destinations in the US. The Blue Heron Bridge offers a unique and exciting underwater experience. The bridge, which spans the Intracoastal Waterway, is home to a wide variety of marine life, including tropical fish, eels, crabs, and stingrays. You can also find seahorses, pipefish, octopus, sea robins, batfish, frogfish and even stargazers. Located at the Phil Foster Park, the Blue Heron Bridge was chosen in 2013 as the best dive site in the world by PADI’s Sport Diver magazine. Its famously clear water is not only full of exotic sea creatures but also statues and sunken artifacts.

Phil Foster Park is located at 900 Blue Heron Boulevard, Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Driving down Blue Heron Boulevard, you must first drive over the Blue Heron Bridge (heading east) before reaching the entrance to Phil Foster Park and arriving at this amazing dive location .Phil Foster Park, which is situated beneath Blue Heron Bridge, serves as your starting point. Divers can enter from the shore and begin their exploration. From the swimming area, snorkelers can access the Snorkel Trail.

Diving enthusiasts can also expect to see a wide assortment of sea life in a fairly small area.If you are really lucky, you just might spot an angelfish or even a manatee! The Phil Foster Artificial Reef and Snorkel Trail is composed of nearly two acres and 600 tons of limestone boulders. Large rocks placed upon smaller piles of rocks have created a habitat of cracks and crevices for sea creatures to live and hide in. Shallow and close to shore, this man-made reef makes a convenient and scenic spot for snorkelers and nature lovers.

Below is the Blue Heron Bridge scuba diving map

Although Blue Heron Bridge makes for an easy and enjoyable experience, there are a few key considerations that must be made.The tidal flow around the Blue Heron Bridge area can be strong when it is not a high slack tide. You will want to enter the water 30 minutes prior to the High Tide time and exit the water 30-60 minutes after high tide. Low tide has dirty water from the inlet so visibility will be at its worst. Water can be green and murky at these times too. For the complete tide schedules, you may visit this link:Blue Heron Bridge Tides | Scuba Schedules. Scuba divers are required to, and should always, use dive flags, otherwise there is a chance of being injured or fined. The best time to dive is generally one hour before and up to one hour after a high tide when current is slowest and clean, clear ocean water has flooded the lagoon. Since the average depth of your dive will be in the 10-16 foot range, a typical dive at this location can last from 60 – 90 minutes, depending on air consumption / SAC rate. Parking must also be considered so make sure to plan accordingly. Parking can be very limited at the Blue Heron Bridge. Oftentimes on the weekends and on holidays the park will be closed due to no more parking. There are very few parking spots available close to the bridge’s beach section. There are around 120 boat trailer parking spots and approximately 200 regular parking spots. If you are unable to find parking at the park You will need to park nearby and carry your gear into and out of the park by foot if you arrive after the park closes because of parking.

So without a double – the one dive you don’t want to miss it’s the Blue Heron Bridge! This shore dive is the best out there for all levels of divers. It is no wonder that Paul Humann and Ned Deloach, authors of the Reef Fish Identification books, called the Blue Heron Bridge, “Florida’s exotic critter capital.” If you want to experience masses of marine life and one of a kind colorful marine ecosystems, then this dive site must be included on your dive bucket list.

Below are some of the enchanting marine animals you may encounter while diving:

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Blue Heron Bridge offers breathtaking views and fantastic marine life. You won’t want to miss this location’s great photography and sight-seeing possibilities. If you have experienced diving in this majestic shore dive location, do not hesitate to share with us your photos! Tag us on our Instagram @divingnotesand you might get featured!

Learn more about Shore Diving in this blog!

Updated on: December 05, 2023