Explore an underwater world off the Texas coast including both natural and artificial reefs. Coral reefs in Texas? You bet! The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is the United States' northernmost coral reef, and offers a world-class scuba diving experience just 105 miles offshore. Perched on twin salt domes, the coral gardens are home to hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, sea stars, crabs and hundreds of colorful fish species. Ocean critters also flock to "artificial reefs" created by offshore oil rigs and shipwrecks, such as the VA Fogg, 35 miles from Freeport.
Best time to go: August is very popular, with visibility best June through September.
Two operators take trips to Flower Gardens Banks NMS (flowergarden.noaa.gov, 409-779-2705) and rigs/shipwrecks: Fish-n-Divers (www.fishndivers.com, 713-304-2070) leaves from Galveston; Gulf Diving (www.gulf-diving.com, 979-233-4445) leaves from Freeport. Two-day packages include sleep-aboard option.
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