Question Easily accessible shore dives in South Florida

[tekkydiver]

Yeah those pesky rules. Good enough reason to never go anywhere that prohibits you from doing whatever you want.

Of course you could just purchase a boat of your own. By the way the best shore diving in S. Florida is at the 6th Street reef in Pompano Beach. Short swim out to a pretty reef.

 

[MrChen]

There are definitely shore dives worth diving besides BHB. I love BHB and have around 150 dives at the site. I also look forward to diving at some of the other beaches. Do some of the walks feel ridiculously long and have a steep incline on exit? Yes, but some are shorter walks and have less of an incline. The longer/steeper ones are a challenge based on your physical health and whether you're lugging around a large camera or something else.

 

[NothingClever]

Lovely forum.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

And here's the thing about shore diving in Florida....
Are the reefs pristine? NO.
Is there white sand and blue water? Usually NO.
Are there long walks, or lack of showers? YES.
Is it physically demanding? YES
Is the swim out long? Sometimes.
Will you improve your buoyancy diving in shallow water? YES
Can you dive whenever weather permits? Yep.

I can grab my gear, find a parking spot and have a couple hours of bliss and serenity for under $20. Not a bad deal. Cool if you prefer spending $100 on a dive boat. Please. Do that. I'll take the parking spot. Thank you.

 

[ShallowSeasGallery]

A lot of old timers forget what its like to work for a living.

South Florida is probably the only global class metro region with consistent warm water diving where you can have a non remote, first world, retirement track career in a variety of industries, while still being able to scuba before or after work, almost 365 days a year.

 

[MrChen]

And here's the thing about shore diving in Florida....
Are the reefs pristine? NO.
Is there white sand and blue water? Usually NO.
Are there long walks, or lack of showers? YES.
Is it physically demanding? YES
Is the swim out long? Sometimes.
Will you improve your buoyancy diving in shallow water? YES
Can you dive whenever weather permits? Yep.

I can grab my gear, find a parking spot and have a couple hours of bliss and serenity for under $20. Not a bad deal. Cool if you prefer spending $100 on a dive boat. Please. Do that. I'll take the parking spot. Thank you.

Just because it isn't always blue water and pristine reefs doesn't mean they aren't good locations to dive. I don't need pristine reef. I couldn't find pristine reefs in Bonaire or Roatan.