Currently in US, what are the "must go" dive sites?

[superkingkong]

hi guys,

just joined this forum. i came from Malaysia, sent by company, will be here in Boston, MA till June 07.

just did my OW and AOW last year, didn't dive much after that. Since i'm here, i would love to dive at some "shouldn't missed" sites.

what sites do any of you guys recommend?

preferably not so cold places. have a 1.5mil wetsuit currently, planning to get a 5mil. just about it. wrecks will be good, and i'm planning to get a wreck diving certification else reefs would be good too. as long as it's diving!

heard a lot about florida keys... is it good? or any other popular places?

planning to have 3-4 trips during my stay here.

thanks in advance.

 

[CAPT HOOK]

Come to Florida: fresh water springs, drift dive in WPB area, the KEYS!

 

[El Tiburon]

Jupiter, Florida during the lemon shark aggregation going on right now. Tons of tortoises, goliath groupers, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, even a few bull and hammerhead sharks. Saw all that during one dive last year.

 

[H2Andy]

wow... i actually had to think about this one...

let's see:

cold water:

Pacific Northwest: dive with the giant pacific octopus
Monterey: dive the kelp forest
Catalina: dive with the giant sea bass
Pick a Great Lake: dive the intact wooden shipwreck
NE US: pick a good wreck or U-Boat

sort of coldish water:

North Carolina: tons of wrecks. throw a dart.


warm water:

Hawaii -- pick a divesite

Florida:

ocean:
Anywhere from Jupiter down to Ft. Lauderdale
Key Largo
Loe Key
Go a-fossilin' in Venice Beach

fresh:
Ginnie Springs
Devil's Den (for the dramatic underground site)
Paradise Spring (as close to a real cave as you can get without cave cert)

 

[RonDawg]

Unfortunately, if you don't like cold water, you won't be doing much diving near Boston. You'll need to drive a long way, or fly.

Florida and the Caribbean will be your closest warm destinations.

 

[luvturtle]

Nubble light in York Maine is a nice dive.Lots of rocks, lobster and fish.Nice day trip,its a very pretty town too.Maybe 1and 1/2 hrs drive from Boston.It would still be pretty chilly late May/early june though.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Welcome to US diving.

Your question will obviously have subjective answers, so the following is only my opinion. Some of the most spectacular wreck diving in the US must certainly be found off the coast of North Carolina. Due to the proximity of the Gulf Stream, water conditions often include temps in the 70s, visibility of 100' or more, and spectacular life that includes turtles, rays, large pelagics, sand tiger sharks, and hundreds of other forms of smaller fish - schools of baitfish so dense that they obscure the wreck at times. Additionally, these are real wrecks with historical significance, often with connection to World War II. You can read detailed accounts of the attacks and sinking of many of these wrecks, which lends poignancy and interest to diving on the wrecks themselves. Not only US wrecks are found here, but also the German U-boats that sank them may be dived - often either on the same day or the same weekend.

Given the significance and the conditions of the large number of wrecks, together with the stunning profusion of sea life and tremendous visibility, on a good day the wrecks off the coast of North Carolina offer world-class diving that no diver in this region should miss.

Cautions: These wrecks lie 60-70 miles offshore, a boat trip of perhaps 2.5 to 3 hours one way. Divers are in shipping lanes, and must carefully follow the instructions of the charter captains. Depths can range from ~70 fsw up to 170 fsw on the outer wrecks, average depths range from 110 fsw to 130 fsw. These wrecks and the conditions (currents, erratic weather, potential for waves of 2-4' to 3-5', etc.) are not for beginning divers. Weather off the coast of North Carolina can change suddenly, and trips may often be blown out by bad weather.

Still, on good days this area offers diving that can compete with any to be found anywhere in the world. I hope you are able to experience it for yourself.

Regards,

Doc

 

[micks]

Just speaking for the state of Florida- heard West Palm Beach in Florida has the best dive spots because they're the closest to the Gulf Stream- where all the fishies hop aboard for some travelling.

I can't vouch for this- can anyone confirm?

 

[micks]

Lots of good wreck diving in the St. Lawrence River / Thousand Islands area in NY/Canada.

 

[deepstops]

Just speaking for the state of Florida- heard West Palm Beach in Florida has the best dive spots because they're the closest to the Gulf Stream- where all the fishies hop aboard for some travelling.

I can't vouch for this- can anyone confirm?

The Gulf Stream (aka Florida Current) comes closest to Boynton Inlet.