North America · United States
Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
Summer sea turtles on the jetties and fish-crowded Gulf oil rigs
The Texas coast at Port Aransas and Corpus Christi is dived mainly from shore on the jetties: the Port Aransas South Jetty, the boat-only North Jetty and the Packery Channel Jetties, where hundreds of sea turtles gather in summer. Channel depths run about 12 m (40 ft) and visibility is usually short. Offshore, oil platforms such as Mustang Island-828 Reef stand as vertical artificial reefs, reached only by private charter.
About diving in Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
A diving day here usually means the Port Aransas jetties at the north end of Mustang Island. The South Jetty can be reached by car, while the North Jetty, on St. Jose Island, can only be reached by boat. Copeland's in Corpus Christi, the oldest dive shop in Texas, covers the jetties and the offshore rigs as its local diving. No dive boat runs a daily schedule: the rigs need a chartered boat, best planned with four or more divers sharing a substantial fuel bill.
At Packery Channel the large granite boulders of the jetties hold hundreds of sea turtles in summer. In the Port Aransas channel the bottom lies at about 12 m (40 ft), and on the beach side at about 5 m (15 ft). Visibility is limited as a rule and reaches 9 m (30 ft) only on a rare day; the North Jetty usually has clearer water than the South Jetty because of the prevailing wind. Offshore, the platforms work as vertical artificial reefs, crowded with barracuda, Atlantic spadefish, cobia, snappers, groupers and jacks.
The coast suits Texas divers prepared to wait for a good day and to organise their own boat for the rigs. Conditions are too variable to plan a trip far ahead, the Packery Channel jetties are small and often busy with fishermen, and nothing here resembles the daily boat diving of the Florida Keys or Cozumel. Divers after coral reefs should look to the Flower Garden Banks, whose boat leaves from Freeport, a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Corpus Christi.
Best time to dive Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Diving runs from late spring to late autumn and peaks in summer; winter and early spring rarely suit offshore trips, and sea conditions change from day to day.
Dive types & marine life
Hundreds of sea turtles use the Packery Channel jetties in summer. On the rigs, barracuda, Bermuda chubs, Spanish hogfish, lookdowns, spadefish, cobia, snappers, groupers and jacks are common. Whale sharks, mantas, rainbow runners and African pompano turn up less often.
- Reef
- Sea turtles
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
- 1
Packery Channel Jetties
A small pair of granite jetties where hundreds of sea turtles gather in summer.
- 2
Mustang Island-828 Reef
Four-pile rig jacket 27 nautical miles off Port Aransas, standing in about 50 m (165 ft) of water.
- 3
Port Aransas South Jetty
Jetty reached by car, with about 12 m (40 ft) in the channel and 5 m (15 ft) on the beach side.
- 4
Double Yellow
Twin platform structure 35 km (22 miles) east of Port Aransas in 37 m (120 ft) of water.
- 5
Port Aransas North Jetty
Boat-only jetty on St. Jose Island, usually clearer than the South Jetty with the prevailing wind.
Site guides
Artificial reef
Four-pile platform jacket rising from about 50 m of open Gulf water
Artificial reef
Hundreds of sea turtles on the granite boulders in summer
Artificial reef
Drive-up boulder jetty with a 12 m channel side and a 5 m beach side
How to get to Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi International Airport lies 10 km (6 miles) west of the city. Mustang Island runs 29 km (18 miles) from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas, and the free Port Aransas ferry links the town to the mainland around the clock. The dive shop is in Corpus Christi.
Questions divers ask
Where are sea turtles seen at Port Aransas and Corpus Christi?+
Hundreds of sea turtles use the Packery Channel jetties in summer. Diving runs from late spring to late autumn and peaks in summer.
What certification do the Port Aransas rig dives need?+
Rig dives call for advanced divers with excellent buoyancy. Mustang Island-828 stands in about 50 m (165 ft) of water, and the rigs are reached only by private charter.
Can Port Aransas be dived from shore?+
The jetties are the shore diving: the South Jetty is reached by car, with about 12 m (40 ft) in the channel, while the North Jetty on St. Jose Island is boat only. Visibility is usually short and channel currents can be too strong some days.
How do divers get from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas?+
Corpus Christi International Airport lies 10 km (6 miles) west of the city, and Mustang Island runs 29 km (18 miles) to Port Aransas. The free ferry links the town to the mainland around the clock.
Sources
- Local diving — Copeland's
- Where to dive — Transformation Scuba
- The Gulf of Mexico's hottest diving spots are decommissioned oil rigs — Smithsonian Magazine
- Gulf rigs: artificial reefs, real marine life — Scuba Diving
- History — Copeland's
- Port Aransas, Texas — Wikipedia
- Corpus Christi International Airport — Wikipedia
- Port Aransas water temperature — seatemperature.org
- Mustang Island — Wikipedia
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