Where is the Best Diving in Southern Florida (other than the Keys)

[BBQDave]

I am looking to retire to Florida. My wife loves the beach and I love golf and diving. It's easy to find lots of info on beaches and golf but I'm struggling to find the best location to ensure I am reasonably close to some good diving.

I am an experienced diver with wreck certification (like more than wreck dives though).

Where is the best shore diving in Southern Florida? (or is there any?)
Where are the best dive locations South of Tampa - East or West Coast (besides the Keys)?

... Bonus question ... If you had $500,000 to buy a place in South Florida where would YOU look?

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[bvarn1]

If you like golf and scuba diving, then West Palm Beach is a good place to live.

 

[iluvtheocean]

i would suggest somewhere in broward county -- tons of golf courses and great diving both shore and boat -- and easy driving to west palm & miami for more spots.
Tons and tons of great restaurants... i would honestly look west of 441 or the turnpike -- better prices and don't forget the flood zones.

broward has the better nightlife and i think the beaches are better.

 

[diversteve]

Somewhere on the East Coast. There's little to no shore diving on the Gulf Coast - it's too shallow, flat and sandy. Nice beaches though.

Since this is alphabetical you'll have to do some work. Blue Heron Bridge is often mentioned as a good dive site. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Florida, USA East

There's also shore diving off the Ft. Lauderdale area. Join this Meetup group to get an idea of where they're diving locally also. Gold Coast Scuba Divers (954) 616-5909 (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - Meetup

 

[LowVizWiz]

I am looking to retire to Florida. My wife loves the beach and I love golf and diving. It's easy to find lots of info on beaches and golf but I'm struggling to find the best location to ensure I am reasonably close to some good diving.

I am an experienced diver with wreck certification (like more than wreck dives though).

Where is the best shore diving in Southern Florida? (or is there any?)
Where are the best dive locations South of Tampa - East or West Coast (besides the Keys)?

... Bonus question ... If you had $500,000 to buy a place in South Florida where would YOU look?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Anywhere between Pompano Beach and Boynton Beach puts you in a prime spot to enjoy the best of South Florida diving.
There are artificial wrecks scattered all up and down the coast:
(This picture is far from a complete list, it's just to give you an idea)

If you get tired of wrecks you can go a bit north or south to find what you want.
And a short plane ride or ferry ride puts you in the Bahamas!

 

[sportxlh]

I am looking to retire to Florida. My wife loves the beach and I love golf and diving. It's easy to find lots of info on beaches and golf but I'm struggling to find the best location to ensure I am reasonably close to some good diving.

I am an experienced diver with wreck certification (like more than wreck dives though).

Where is the best shore diving in Southern Florida? (or is there any?)
Where are the best dive locations South of Tampa - East or West Coast (besides the Keys)?

... Bonus question ... If you had $500,000 to buy a place in South Florida where would YOU look?

Thanks in advance everyone!

With $500M, I'd look at Lauderdale by the Sea or Jupiter/Juno Beach (close the ocean).

Best shore diving: Lauderdale by the Sea, Dania Beach, Pompano (though a long swim) and Blue Heron Bridge in WPB.

Northern Palm Beach County has a handful of really cool wrecks but they are mostly drift dove. Pomapano has many many wrecks and dive boats normally tie off to the wrecks.

If you like to see sharks, goliath grouper, lots of turtles then Jupiter and WPB (as well as some places in Boynton like the Castor wreck) are the best place.

Really, you can't go wrong anywhere south of Jupiter down to Miami. Its pretty easy getting to any of the dive shops up and down the coast.

 

[Splitlip]

Jupiter. Much less congested than points south and bluer water than points north. If your wife likes beaches, than we have 'em. About 30 years ago the County began buying up beach front land. I've been walking, running, biking to the beach 30 years.
For 500k you can get a lot of house. A few friends just picked up 2/2 and a halfs for under 200. No garages, but walk to the beach. Couple minute drive (or bike if desired) to Jupiter Riverwalk Dive Center and Dive Bar on the water. Maybe another 5 minutes to the ops big brother, Jupiter Dive center. Also on the water.
Google Jupiter and check us out on google earth. I'm sitting outside looking at 276 acres of woods with bunnies and birds of prey. If I walk my dog east, it's the beach. West it's the river. Actually ICW.

Still less than 20 min to the BHB shore dive and less than an hour to Boynton. Boynton for color and jupiter for big animals.

---------- Post added February 17th, 2014 at 09:25 PM ----------

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/476578-dive-repot-lemons-jupiter-today.html

 

[Chugwhump]

Here is my 2 pieces of copper coated zinc.

Other than the Blue Heron Bridge dive in Riviera Beach, and I guess the Lake Worth Inlet "Pumphouse Dive", Palm Beach County does not really have shore dives.
There used to be something called "The Breakers Shore Dive", but the county destroyed it a few successive times with Palm Beach's beach renourishments, and as far as I know it is pretty much gone.
However, there is great reef and wreck diving, some great dive boats, some great facilities if you have your own boat, some great dive shops, and everything else a diver might need in Palm Beach County.
Broward County, specifically the VERY north end of Fort Lauderdale, LBTS (Lauderdale By The Sea), and Pompano Beach, is THE KING of warm water near shore dives in the continental USA, with a very vibrant scene of beach dive/kayak dive aficionados.
lots of new friends to make and people to play with.
Broward County also has all the wrecks and reefs you might want.
The dive shops are pretty good to excellent in SoFla.
The crummy ones do not survive long typically, although there is a smattering of lousy ones here.
private message any of the regulars here on SCUBABOARD for advice.
We mostly do not post the bad stuff here.
I guess my short answer is there is good to great diving from Vero Beach to Key West on the Atlantic.
The west coast of Florida is fossils, spearfishing, a few wrecks, and lots of sometimes cold and murky water inside 20 miles offshore.
As far as Gulf goes, there are not the "oooh-ahhh" reefs and wreck over there that are on the Gold Coast and Treasure Coast.
But, more wrecks are going down as are artificial habitats as time wears on.
As far as SE Florida goes, it's all here.
Ask far as where to buy a home, I tell people that have never been here before, rent for a while first.
live in several places either month to month, or short term leases.
Get to know the place. There is a huge variety here.
Insurance in older waterfront homes has skyrocketed, and will get even worse in the next five years.
We are having a sort of insurance crisis here in Florida in some situations.
Especially regarding older and low lying homes.
You can do lots of research from afar online about that, as well as talking with OLDER WISER real estate agents, or their offspring about the pros and cons of what and where.
Avoid the "I sell RE part time after twenty days of studying and I took a test" real estate agents down here.
Find a experienced professional with serious local knowledge and experience that is plugged into the professional associations and is well networked.


As far as Dade County goes, for me, I would have to be very wealthy indeed to live there.
I often work there, and other than that, I only go there for no other reason other than it is my land bridge to the Keys.


Chug
Thinks golf is mostly stupid, but if your happy, I'm happy.

 

[djtimmy77]

If shore diving is a main criteria as said, then like Chug said, LBTS area and rent at first.

It is a lot more congested down that way, but developers are making it more congested up this way every day, and eventually there won't be much difference...

 

[danvolker]

Keeping in mind this is very subjective.....I am going to say that Palm Beach County is the way to go--my opinion and bound to annoy those that live in Broward .........The thing I like least about Fort Lauderdale, is the disgusting level of suburban sprawl--it is just everywhere in Broward County, and almost no rur-urbs or unspoiled areas other than some of the western area by Davie......Now Palm Beach county has it's share of suburban sprawl also...but not nearly as bad, and Palm Beach has very large wilderness areas and rural feels....And...some very cool towns without all the harshness of cities like Lauderdale..... Lake Worth downtown ( east near inter coastal) is a very nice Entertainment district that is still a mom and pop kind of feel, but with some great restaurants and good POI's. Clematis downtown is also nice, though a real city, it still has a real soul and connection to people....

• If you like shopping--- Discover the many shopping locations in The Palm Beaches, Florida
• Golf-- South Florida Palm Beach FL Golf and Spa and it is amazing here!!!
• Palm Beach--the Wilderness still exists in this part of Florida South Florida Palm Beach FL Eco-Adventure

And a 6 minute tour of Diving here, which includes the shore dive of the BHB ( Singer Island) as well as the near beach bait ball areas off Singer Island and the Pumphouse
[video=youtube_share;BbppKZ3qxfk]http://youtu.be/BbppKZ3qxfk[/video]

And the shore dive off the pump house on Singer Island, Palm Beach.....
[video=youtube;LHEvOKlXfsw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHEvOKlXfsw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
( much easier to do if you live near here on singer Island

---------- Post added February 18th, 2014 at 12:19 PM ----------

Additional...the Lake Worth area which I am suggesting.....this video is decent at supplying the feel...unfortunately they did not shoot the shops and restaurants too much in this...you will just have to find out for yourself it it looks inviting
[video=youtube_share;BuS0wGlgRCM]http://youtu.be/BuS0wGlgRCM[/video]






While a triathlete could swim to it from the shore by the pier you saw in the video prior to this.....this is really a boat dive..
[video=youtube_share;lW1h8PschFI]http://youtu.be/lW1h8PschFI[/video]
From the shore by the pier, this reef line is only out about 200 yards beyond the end of the pier.....
The concentration of corals you see in the video, is about a half a mile down the beach to the North of the Pier. But this is NOT a beach dive.....even if you did not mind swimming out this far( not really that far), the gentle drift current would still move you more than a mile in the duration of an hour of diving.....and you could be MANY miles to the North of where you left your car where you got in !!!