JCDdiver
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I was wondering if there is any good diving in the Clearwater area? I'll be down over Thanksgiving. If so what are the dive sites and which LDSs should I go to?
Diving in Clearwater area?
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I don't know much about the local dive shops over there but Pinellas County has a bunch of artificial reefs so the diving is good. Although I think the diving is good as long as I get wet so I might not be the best judge. If you don't have a boat you can always drive south a little and shore dive in Bradenton and Venice. There is always a dive somewhere around here. There should be this is " PARADISE NORTH" !
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There are a lot of shops in the local area. I would contact each one to see where they are running while your here. Do you want wrecks, Artificial Reefs, Freshwater Springs? The 2 dive charters in the Clearwater area we use occasionally are / Tanks-A-Lot dive charter & Sea Fox Dive charter. Also might want to contact the following dive shops in no particular order / Tackle Shack, Bill Jacksons, Mac's, Narcosis Scuba, Ocean Sports, & Scuba Quest. Good luck & good diving 
Torontonian
Contributor
We went to Tampa, for a cruise trip. I also searched for diving near Tampa/Clearwater area. It was disappointing to find the water is not very clear near Clearwater. Diving is also not very good, and would need to go far from shore to get some decent diving.
I then found 1.5hr north to Crystal River there is good manatee snorkeing and good diving in Rainbow River. So we flew to Tampa two days before the cruise, drove to Crystal River and stayed there one night. We had a blast diving/snorkeling. So that's something you can consider. I'm posting some reviews so you can take a look to see if that fits with your liking.
I then found 1.5hr north to Crystal River there is good manatee snorkeing and good diving in Rainbow River. So we flew to Tampa two days before the cruise, drove to Crystal River and stayed there one night. We had a blast diving/snorkeling. So that's something you can consider. I'm posting some reviews so you can take a look to see if that fits with your liking.
bfarrell
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My girlfriend, her son, and I did our certification up in Crystal River at Bird's Underwater. It was a blast. Now we are planning a trip to the Clearwater area in November and need a good dive shop for equipment to rent and a place to dive. Any suggestions?
smatterchu
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We're going to be over there Thanksgiving week as well (St. Pete Beach)... Any more details on LDS and spots? Maybe we can get a group together...
I love diving off shore Clearwater. I'll be diving with friends there on the 29th - wrecks of the Sheridan and Blackthorn.
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Yes, Vis can be bad at times. However, Look at my photo album http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/all/page/1/ppuser/55524 and the pictures at the tanks are what you get when the vis is good. in some pictures you can see my boats anchor line some 40 - 50 feet away in the background. the water clarity is as good as some of the pictures in the same album from rainbow river.
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