Wetsuit thickness for Florida diving???

[K Mejean]

A 7 mil will be fine as well. Its whatever you think you will be most comfortable in. There is no such thing as overkill when it comes to comfort while diving. If you are only going to be diving the Tampa area then I have three recommendations for you. Get with Capt. Ty here on the Board and see if he has any openings on a trip out of St. Pete. He is by far the most highly recommended Capt. in the area. If he is all booked up there are some other charters you can go with. I also recommend trying to hit the Sapnish Rocks in Bradenton. Its a shore dive right off of the beach and it is a great dive. Last but not least take a ride about an hour and a half north and dive Paradise Springs. This one is my favorite spring. It is an overhead environment though so before you go you need to be certified, experienced and comfortable with an overhead. If you are then it is a great dive.

 

[I Dive]

Wow,

I would not be diving any other part of Florida except in this vicinity so would a 7mm be an overkill, no hood, no heated torso, just booties to fit my large Atomic split fins??

Thanks,

MG

You will be fine in a 7, just make sure you know how much weight you will need with it. Most charters will have extra weight avail for you, but if you shore dive, I'd hate for you to get all suited up, enter the water, and then find you are floating like a buoy marker...

 

[brucetrinity]

How long will you be visiting FL? I know you prefer to dive in the Apollo Beach vicinity but if you are going to be here for a week or so I highly recommend (like others) a visit to the east FL coast. The difference (dive wise) between the east and west coast is quite remarkable.

This is the east coast:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...379-boynton-dive-chronicles-new-improved.html

west coast ... not so many pics .... the gulf is somewhat featureless.

So as not to get everyone antzy .... I live on the west coast and like it (but it's not the best SALT WATER diving).

 

[Twistedarts]

Mike - I was out there diving the gulf a few weeks ago, go with the 7mm I'm glad I did as it got a little chilly by the second dive. i dove with narcosisscuba and had a great time. give them a call.

 

[mikeguerrero]

How long will you be visiting FL? I know you prefer to dive in the Apollo Beach vicinity but if you are going to be here for a week or so I highly recommend (like others) a visit to the east FL coast. The difference (dive wise) between the east and west coast is quite remarkable.

This is the east coast:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...379-boynton-dive-chronicles-new-improved.html

west coast ... not so many pics .... the gulf is somewhat featureless.

So as not to get everyone antzy .... I live on the west coast and like it (but it's not the best SALT WATER diving).

Wow,

Those pictures are spectacular I really never thought the east coast diving of Florida could be so beautiful...

Okay now I'm very interested in diving Florida, mom has just been tugging for me to go, I'm thinking January 09...

Does anyone have any pics from what the Tampa area has to offer, Wrecks etc???

Thinking about my 7mm while diving in warmer waters is kinda of making me think twice about the 3mm suit. I do have the torso heater at 3mm so my core would be a solid 6mm and my extremeties at 3mm, boots at 6mm hands at 4mm...

That would give me so much more freedom, have you guys dove 7mm full suit, 3mm core heater, 7mm hooded vest? With all the weight that we use in California its a workout. Divers can hardly wait to jump into the water to beccome neutrally bouyant.

I can hardly wait to feel the freedom of a 3mm suit with just a 3mm heated core for warmth.

Anyone know of any dive shops near Apollo Beach? I want to see if I can rent steel tanks that are DIN, I don't have yoke regulators.

Thanks,

MG

 

[giles45shop]

If you do get cold, I would definitely suggest going w/ the 7mm full suit. You won't need the core warmer or hooded vest, so it won't be anywhere near as bulky or restrictive and you should be able to drop some weight as well.

As far as Tampa/ West Coast diving, it's okay but not anything like the East Coast or what you are used to in CA. The water is much shallower, you'll go 15-20 miles off shore to get to 60' of water and the bottom is mostly sand with rock ledges scattered around. It's definitely not Pt. Lobos! (dove there in June).

The shore dives are few and far between, either South of Apollo Beach in Venice or Spanish Rocks which is on Anna Marie Island (still a little ways from Apollo Beach). Max depth you'll see is ~20' and the vis will be 10-15' to 1' depending on winds/tides. You can also do a shore dive off the South end of the Skyway bridge, once again max depth is 20' or so.

So you're best bet is to try and get on a boat trip, Capt Tye is a good one. You can post on the Tampa sub-forum and get more local info and probably someone to dive w/ while you are here. The Sheridan and Blackthorn are two popular wrecks.

Not sure about dive shops in Apollo Beach, but I do know Jim's Dive Shop in St. Petersburg rents DIN tanks (mostly HP 100's or 80's, may have some 120's)

You may also want to try some springs. This is one of the biggest draws in FL diving. Crystal clear water which is always 70-72F. You will have to drive a couple hours North, but well worth a trip. Lot's of different ones to choose from.

Post up the the Tampa forum when you get some dates and I'm sure they will be happy to help.

John

 

[brucetrinity]

Wow,


Does anyone have any pics from what the Tampa area has to offer, Wrecks etc???

Anyone know of any dive shops near Apollo Beach? I want to see if I can rent steel tanks that are DIN, I don't have yoke regulators.

Thanks,

MG

I have no pics of Gulf .... it's a sand bottom with a few ledges. Wrecks are quite a few miles off the coast and very "iffy" to get to in winter.

Apollo Beach is not really close to the Gulf (it's a long run across Tampa Bay). Either St. Pete area to the north or Sarasota area to the south would be closest in your quest for DIN.

 

[ScubaBill1955]

I agree if you get a chance go to the SE coast of Fl for a dive. Real nice. I live on the west coast of FL too!

 

[Splitlip]

Make the drive.

[ECHENG.COM] West Palm Beach - Feb 16

http://www.echeng.com/travel/westpalm2003/feb16/images/20030216_111350_1.htm

http://www.echeng.com/travel/westpalm2003/feb16/images/

 

[mikeguerrero]

Hey Floridians,

Thanks for all your wonderful feedback you have all been incredibly helpful in stopping me from making another wetsuit purchase...

Since I own the 7mm wetsuit and do get cold I will just bring that suit to Florida... I need to know how long the drive is to cross over from Apollo Beach to the West coast for some diving???

Do you guys have the website for the boat trips on the West side of Florida for some awesome diving, I'd love to get some turtle pics and some of those rocks are full of coraline algae growth...

I currently dive 18 lbs of lead 12 lbs being ditchable, I probably can shed off 6 lbs if I don't use my hooded vest nor heated torso warmer...

MG

p.s
This is a pic of me fully suited up at San Carlos Beach in Monterey, I just got buzzed by two rather large sealions and my eyes were buggin out, have you ever seen how quickly these animals move in the water and how large they are?