Fort Foster
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Fort Foster is a former military fortress dating from the 18th to 19th century, located at Kittery Point, Kittery, Maine, with shore diving directly in front of the fort accessed via Rocky Beach. The site sits in a confined, shallow setting with a maximum depth of 25 feet (7.6 metres), making it one of the more accessible dive sites in southern Maine for beginners and intermediate divers.
The terrain consists of large boulders encrusted with algae that sway with the tide, transitioning to sandy patches and eelgrass beds. The boulders give way to scattered rock formations across a predominantly rocky bottom, with sections of sandy bottom interspersed throughout.
Marine life at Fort Foster includes garden eels partially buried in the sandy patches with only their upper bodies exposed, as well as crabs, lobsters, flounder, and striped bass moving through the area.
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Entry is a beach or rocky shore approach, requiring no boat. Conditions are best during summer, when water temperatures run between 10 and 15.5°C. Strong currents driven by Maine's considerable tidal fluctuation are a key hazard, and diving on a slack tide is strongly recommended. A wetsuit of at least 7 mm is advisable given the cold water.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
European Green CrabCarcinus maenasReported here · unconfirmed
Asian Shore CrabHemigrapsus sanguineusReported here · unconfirmed
Long-claw Hermit CrabPagurus longicarpusReported here · unconfirmed
Jonah CrabCancer borealisReported here · unconfirmed
Chain TunicateBotrylloides violaceusReported here · unconfirmed
Garden eelGarden eelReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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