Texas Flower Gardens

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary encompasses a variety of habitat types, including the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States. Located about 115 miles directly south of the Texas/Louisiana border, the East and West Flower Garden Banks are perched atop two salt domes rising above the sea floor

The nearest tropical reefs to the Flower Gardens are 400 miles away off the coast of Tampico, Mexico. Scientists believe that corals at the Flower Gardens probably originated from Mexican reefs

Amazingly, this location in the northwestern Gulf provided all the comforts of home for hard corals: a hard surface for attachment, clear sunlit water, warm water temperatures (between 68 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit), and a steady food supply. The corals now form the basis for a complex, yet balanced ecosystem, providing a regional oasis for shallow-water Caribbean reef species

At the turn of the century, only a few long-line fishermen knew the bounties of what they called the Flower Gardens. The name for these oases came from the colorful corals and sponges visible from the surface, pieces of which the fishermen sometimes landed, fouled on fishing hooks. The reefs appeared on nautical charts in the 1930s, but in 1950 the first detailed contour chart of the area was produced, marking the beginning of the age of exploration for the Flower Gardens.

The Flower Gardens offer a nearby opportunity to experience some of the best diving on the planet at a low cost. From the very small to the very large, the Flower Gardens offers the diver a rainbow of animal life to encounter; baby moray eels to manta rays, whale sharks, and huge schools of silvery jacks and many other fish frequent the area. You will be delivered to the Flower Gardens on the M.V. Fling in the capable hands of of Gulf Diving Charters and their highly professional staff. The Fling offers all the amenities: a sunning deck, air conditioning, air compressors and (most importantly) great food all day long! On a standard two day trip you'll be making a total of five dives the first day on the East and West banks, and two dives the following day on Stetson bank. Trips are run February through October each year. February and March are when the hammer head sharks are schooling at the Flower Gardens.

Click the graphic to the right for a printable calendar of trips: 

Satellite View of Texas Flower Gardens & Stetsons Bank:

East Bank

West Bank

Stetsons Bank

Average Water Temperatures at the Gardens
(broken down by month)