Over the last few years, one of the most popular pastimes for any holidaymaker has been that of scuba diving. Just the sheer relaxation and feeling of peace and solidarity makes up for any expense that the excursion may cost. Although you may associate this activity with the likes of Australia and the Bahamas, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that there is also excellent scuba diving in Florida, specifically the Florida Keys.
Since this area of Florida shares similar temperatures and environments to the Caribbean, it makes for a superb diving location. This is especially true of the Upper Keys area, where you will find coral reefs with a variety of wonderful sea life. Since the Keys don’t really suffer from traditional winter weather conditions, and the summer brings a hot and humid period from June to September, it’s an area unlike the rest of America and this makes it perfect for scuba diving.
There are two main areas that scuba divers tend to frequent when diving in Florida. One of the most popular destinations is the South East, where you will find the coasts of Boynton Beach and West Palm. With a water temperature that can reach up to 84F during the summer months, it’s as warm as any tropical destination. The variety in fish once under the water here can often be stunning; with a mixture of moray eels, turtles, barracuda, jacks, grouper and even the odd shark now and again, there really is a good variety on offer.
As well as these fish, you can also view the likes of many tropical fish, as well as snappers and little grunts. Since this is such a warm area, you will also encounter multi-colored corals and sea sponges when scuba diving in the Florida Keys. With the ability to dive to up to sixty feet, the reefs here offer a great diving experience.
Should you head northwest instead, you’ll find a wondrous cave diving experience, as well as crystal clear waters and springs. The temperature here never falls below 72F, even in the winter, so it makes for an ideal solution to the less traditional winter scuba diving. Places like the Devil’s Den offer the diver a sixty-foot excursion into a deep and dark underwater cave, surrounded by beautiful fauna and sea plants. This is typical of the northwest, and makes it easy to understand why this is such a popular stop for scuba diving in Florida.
Regardless of which direction you aim in, this part of the United States offers a surprisingly extensive area in which to find both fish and corals, and with temperatures as good as the Bahamas, ensures scuba diving in Florida is just as enjoyable as other, more traditional parts of the world.
By: Marco Cello
Posts Tagged ‘Tropical Fish’
Scuba Diving in Florida
April 23rd, 2010Diving Florida’s East Coast
March 24th, 2010
From Saint Augustine to Key West, there is a smorgasbord of diving adventures awaiting you with a pointed difference in each of the regions diving Florida’s East Coast.
South Florida’s visibility is much more clear than in the northern part of the state. And there are great wreck dives and rock ledges off the Central East Coast. More reef area off the Southern East Coast of Florida makes underwater photography a memorable addition to your dives.
Starting in the North East Coast of Florida from around Saint Augustine, diving the artificial reef systems and spear fishing are popular diver activities. The best time of year to venture up here for a dive is during the summer months when your visibility is around thirty to fifty feet. Expect a seven to twenty mile ride out to dive at depths of sixty to one-hundred feet. Try to spot a Hogfish while you are out taking in the site of the Triggerfish and Grouper.
Diving Central Florida’s East Coast offers a variety of challenging dives from WWII freighters and Monster Hole, to spear fishing and bug snatching. You can bag a monster lobster here. Summer months, again, are the best time of year to dive with visibility fluctuating between twenty five to seventy five feet, the best vis being off shore approximately eight to twenty miles.
Areas for beach dives start becoming frequent as you progress south beginning with Vero Beach. As you venture out around two to four hundred feet the views begin happening of sponges, soft corals and tropical fish hanging by the rocky reefs in depths of ten to thirty feet.
The city of Fort Pierce leads the introduction to the diving off Florida’s South East Coast. Three particular dives stand out in this section, a Civil War era paddle wheeler, the site of Urca de Lima Florida’s first Underwater Archaeological Preserve, and then there is Inlet Park which has a large variety of rock formations and ledges, with monster lobsters and outstanding fish observation or photography.
Stuart, Florida dives are not for the beginning diver. Visibility is low, the massive rock reef system begins about three miles offshore at depths of sixty to sixty five feet, and the outer ledges are at depths of one-hundred and twenty to one-hundred and sixty feet. Fewer divers mean a large variety of fish and monster lobster, but take this with a local Dive Master.
Florida reefs really start to emerge as you take the plunge diving Florida’s East Coast. A drift diving paradise from West Palm south to the Florida Keys offers reefs, wrecks, cleaning stations, multiple species of marine life, and the commencement of the warmer waters with good visibility.
Getting down toward the Keys, dives are more regulated, but beautiful and brilliant with lots of wrecks and marine life. Bring your camera on these dives, you might run into a Goliath Grouper, Moray Eel, or Caribbean Reef Shark. Some of the best photo opportunities diving Florida’s East Coast can be found in South Florida. Always check with your local dive shop for current conditions, plan your dive and dive your plan.
By: Wallace Haile
