USS Oriskany Reef — public FWC wreck 22.5 nm off Pensacola
USS Oriskany (CVA-34) is a public FWC artificial reef: a 911-foot carrier sunk May 17, 2006, about 22.5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in 212 feet of water. Official island GPS is on the FWC page. This is a technical dive, not a bay-boat wreck.
By Sebastian · Published September 14, 2026
Public-source briefing only. We have not surveyed this water. Official source maps are not a substitute for a navigation chart. Confirm coordinates on the cited agency files and a live NOAA chart before you leave the dock.
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What the state published
- Official name
- Oriskany Reef / USS Oriskany (CVA-34), “Mighty O”
- Sunk
- May 17, 2006 — U.S. Navy, FWC, and Escambia County
- Size
- 911 ft long; FWC: first naval warship and largest artificial reef intentionally sunk in U.S. coastal waters
- Distance / depth
- Approximately 22.5 nm southeast of Pensacola Pass; seafloor ~212 ft
- Profile (FWC)
- Flight deck ~145–150 ft; island decking top ~84 ft; gun platform 107–109 ft; bridge 118 ft; 80 ft clearance to surface
- Island GPS (FWC)
- 30°2.555′ N, 87°0.397′ W (also 30° 2′ 33.3″ N, 87° 0′ 23.8″ W)
- Orientation
- Upright, north–south, bow facing due south
Oriskany is the public Gulf wreck people actually search — and FWC already published the numbers. Cast Cruise is not a dive charter and has not been on this wreck.
What FWC published
- 911-foot carrier, sunk May 17, 2006, about 22.5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass
- Seafloor ~212 ft; flight deck ~145–150 ft; top of island decking ~84 ft; 80 ft navigational clearance
- Upright, bow due south
- Uppermost structure: 30°2.555′ N, 87°0.397′ W
FWC says storms and settlement have changed depths. Talk to a local shop before you plan a dive. This page is not a chart.
Who this is for
FWC: going below 135 ft needs technical training; beyond 100 ft needs advanced training. Do not treat this like Barnegat Light Reef in 46–58 ft.
Gear that belongs on the boat: plotter with current Gulf charts, fixed-mount VHF with DSC, satellite messenger, PFDs. Handheld-only 22 nm out is a bad plan.
Florida rules (not New Jersey)
Florida sells a saltwater fishing license. FWC: required to take or attempt to take saltwater fish, and required to land saltwater species in Florida regardless of where they were caught. Resident annual $17; non-resident annual $47 on the FWC license page (vendor fees extra).
Private-vessel reef fishing for listed snapper, grouper, hogfish, amberjack, and triggerfish also needs the free State Reef Fish Angler designation, including many people who are license-exempt (65+, some military/disabled). Under 16 and for-hire customers are among the exceptions. See Florida saltwater license and reef-fish rules.
Download more public Florida reefs from FWC’s map / PDF / Excel. FWC notes materials move and some database rows are unverified history.
Sources checked
Electronics and comms, not $10 staples
Satellite backup 22 nm offshore
Garmin inReach Mini 2
$349.99 on Garmin when checked; Amazon listing for the Mini 2 also live
Fixed-mount DSC VHF
Icom IC-M330G
$228.12 when checked on Amazon for the black GPS model
Mark the island, then confirm on FWC
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv
$999.99 when checked on Amazon for the GT54 transducer bundle