USS Tarpon
North Carolina · United States
USS Tarpon (SS-175) was a Narwhal-class submarine that served throughout WWII before being decommissioned and sunk as an artificial reef off North Carolina in 1957. At roughly 98 metres in length she is one of the larger wreck dives on the Outer Banks, resting in about 36 metres of water with her pressure hull largely intact. The wreck is heavily colonised by black coral, orange cup corals, and an impressive population of amberjack and barracuda that patrol the superstructure.
Conditions
Depth
28 to 38 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually still
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
15 to 25 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
9 to 29°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 10 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 11 |
| Vis (m) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Great Barracuda
Last confirmed Jun 1, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
White Grunt
Last confirmed Sep 4, 2025 · 2 records
Rare
Now and then
Almaco Jack
Last confirmed Sep 4, 2025 · 1 records
Rare
Now and then
Spotfin Hogfish
Last confirmed Jul 8, 2024 · 1 records
Rare
Now and then
Tomtate
Last confirmed Sep 4, 2025 · 1 records
Rare
Now and then
Greater Amberjack
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Sand Tiger Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
African Pompano
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear