Any suggestions for US diving, possibly fresh ?

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Murphy in NC

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Messages
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Location
North Carolina
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So during the week of Spring Break it looks like I am limited to $1200 plus a night in the keys.
Leaving US seems difficult, CA waters cold.

So I am looking for suggestions, possible inland fresh water dives.

My son has Raynaud's syndrome so cold water becomes problematic.

Need to get wet !

Any suggestions?
 
Depends on when your Spring Break is, but I'd guess most U.S. fresh water diving other than Florida will be cold for a while to come. Salt water options for a car trip would most all be in Florida -- Jupiter, Pompano, Blue Heron Bridge. Perhaps SC or the Florida panhandle might be warm enough, depending on when your Spring Break is.

We are looking at St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands in mid-March. Need a Covid test and negative result within 5 days prior to arriving in USVI, no test or quarantine required coming back. Hotels are much cheaper than in the Keys. Airfare was pretty good when we booked (we are flying from ATL, 3 hours away from us). Boat dives are higher than Key Largo (about $125 for 2 tank dives), but guided shore dives are around $90 for 2 tank dives and help bring down the average cost. Also may do some shore dives on our own when comfortable -- the 1500 foot Frederiksted Pier is supposed to have excellent diving day and night, and we can follow the Pier columns out and back on our own for the cost of $20 each for 2 tanks each + weights.
 
Water offshore from Southern NC to Daytona will be around mid 60s or better.About the same as the warmer springs.Inshore will only be a bit cooler. Charters are ongoing in some areas and about to start soon in others.
S. Florida is open with some modest beervirus restrictions on boat capacity.
 
Inland fresh water? And not cold? That rules out the Great Lakes. We don't start boat diving them until perhaps mid-April at the earliest. They stay cold well into the summer.

For spring break? Sounds like your best options are going to be FL or somewhere in the Caribbean.
 
So during the week of Spring Break it looks like I am limited to $1200 plus a night in the keys.
Are you a hotel snob? Hotels.com has several high end properties starting at $316/night, and Kayak has some starting for less. I am amazed that I didn't see any decent properties for $50/night like I used to when I dived there a decade or so back, but I am guessing that they're there - just not booking thru such sites. I guess the Keys have changed a lot, but I'd bet that a dive op could help find better deals.
 
Head down to North Florida. We have several springs you can dive that are 72* year round. Rainbow river is a fun drift dive. Some other “open water” options are: Alexander springs, crystal river, king spring, blue grotto, Ginnie Springs.
 
Head down to North Florida. We have several springs you can dive that are 72* year round. Rainbow river is a fun drift dive. Some other “open water” options are: Alexander springs, crystal river, king spring, blue grotto, Ginnie Springs.

For the kid with Raynaud’s, I wonder if 72 is warm enough.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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