Best place to dive in the US - article

[MB NZ]

Thinking about the last couple of posts. Let me explain. I've done a lot of dives, close to a thousand. A fraction of what many on ScubaBoard have done, but not an insignificant number. I've been lucky enough to have seen a lot of things and visited a lot of places. Not much excites me these days, but I still very much enjoy the feeling of being underwater, more so when I'm warm and the visibility is good! A camera always adds interest even in the most of barren of sites.

 

[mattfish]

Best diving in the US?

I would have guessed Hawaii. Or if you want to include the territories, Guam, American Samoa, or even the Virgin Islands.

I would definitely put California over Florida though.

 

[scubadada]

Best diving in the US?

I would have guessed Hawaii. Or if you want to include the territories, Guam, American Samoa, or even the Virgin Islands.

I would definitely put California over Florida though.

Hi @mattfish

Where have you dived in Hawaii, California, and Florida to make that statement?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Best diving in the US?

I would have guessed Hawaii. Or if you want to include the territories, Guam, American Samoa, or even the Virgin Islands.

I would definitely put California over Florida though.

I haven't dived Hawaii that much, maybe 10 dives total during two trips. It was nice warm water, great vis etc. but to be honest I got fairly bored after a few dives. Everything begins to look the same, same light violet and greenish corals, lot's if fish butts. The turtles are pretty cool though.
In California where I'm at the water is freezing cold. That's a hard no for most people and the low vis is also a deal breaker. However the terrain and structure is breathtaking. A lot of walls and huge rocks, pinnacles, drop offs, there used to be kelp but unfortunately the purple urchins are having their way with it right now. As far as shore diving All of California has a lot of shore diving access especially up here in Norcal. As you go south the beaches get sandier and more vast. There are outcroppings of structure in the southland but not like up here. In the middle is Monterey, a little gem of a place. Monterey is a dive town. There is a lot if shore diving there too. California has a very long coastline.
When you get up in the far north starting up in Humboldt county it gets too rough and it's too remote.
California is totally different than Florida, I don't see how the two could be compared.
I have acclimated to the cold and low vis. I really like diving here. I'm also a hunter/gatherer and being able to go hit a beach and bring home dinner with fish, uni, or scallops is also special, without somebody around telling me what a terrible person I am for spearfishing.
It's very uncrowded.
So all combined, this to me is what makes great diving, for me anyway.
I suppose the Catalina Marine park is fun for a dive or two, and who knows who or why they wrote the article, but to each their own.
I'm very happy diving here and for now and I don't have any desire to go somewhere else.

 

[ROUS]

My dive there: