Top destinations in Florida

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poolecw

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Messages
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Location
NW Georgia
# of dives
0 - 24
Guys,

My wife and I are looking to make a 3 day SCUBA trip in late July. She will be certified in May and we already have a week planned at PCB in June with our children (more of a family vacation but we will do a two tank dive while there). We are open to anywhere in Florida. I have enough hotel reward points to have 3 free nights at any Hilton chain. We will be coming from southeast GA. We are willing to drive as far south as St Augustine, but will probably fly if going any further south.

I was looking at West Palm or Boca Rotan but have read on here that inexperienced divers may be a little intimidated with the drift diving there.

I want to expose her to both wrecks as well as amazing reefs.

Thanks for your help!
 
Why not just go to like Key Largo?
 
It's hard to beat Key Largo for new and relatively inexperienced divers. There are a lot of really beautiful shallow reefs, a few intetesting shallow wrecks like the City of Washington and the deep wrecks like the Spiegel Grove, the Duane, the Eagle and the Bibb (you probably won't do the deep wrecks until your have a few more dives completed).

Jupiter, Boynton and WPB drift diving is awesome, but might be more appropriate once your wife had just a few more dives under her belt.

Even though I've done most of my diving in Palm Beach County prior to moving to Ga a couple years ago, I always find myself going to the Keys instead of Palm Beach County when I return to south Florida for a diving vacation. The Keys have a pretty cool diver-centric vibe that you really don't find anywhere else.

BTW, in PCB, you'll only be diving on wrecks or bridge spans. You'll get your fill of wrecks there.
 
Thanks all. Key Largo was what I had in my mind. I guess I just needed confirmation.

Now...on to looking at dive charters in the area.
 
When I go there I always use Sea Dwellers and stay at the Holiday inn right across the street. Their boat is docked at the Holiday inn so its exit your room and get on the boat...
 
Key Largo is nice. In fact, I'll be doing a Keys trip in early May.
But for my money, the BEST diving in Florida is between Jupiter and Palm Beach. Jupiter tends to be deeper (70-90) with more current. Palm Beach diving has great 60 foot reefs and even wrecks. Plus the world famous Blue Heron Bridge shore dive. In July the current tends to be very mild, the waters flat and the diving awesome.
yeah, i'll take Palm Beach over the Keys anytime. The diversity of the sea life and diving is truly fantastic.
 
The three shops in Key Largo I use the most include:

-Conch Republic Divers: great staff, big stable boat and it goes to some lesser visited reefs because its a little further south than the other shops. This is my all time favorite operator

-Rainbow Reef: great boat captains and they supply free guides unlike most shops: super good with newer divers. They are popular so boats are always full, but they are big boats so there is still some room to move around.

-Quiescence: six pack operator. Great choice if you don't get seasick easy since you can go to almost any site you want. Boats are small but that gives lots of schedule flexibility because only 6 divers will be on the trip
 
All three good operators ! Enjoy your trip to Key Largo with which ever dive shop you choose .
Have fun diving and be safe .
Sea Dwellers
 
For newly certified, I would second Florida Keys and particularly Key Largo. Long bottom times in crystal clear swimming pool like conditions.
 
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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