Family vacation: balancing "the beach" and diving

[wcwilson]

Hi All,

After reading all your posts, it seemed very clear to me that to find the best diving (reef diving at least) in the continental US I need to head down to Key Largo. Not sure how this will compare to my dives in St. John (my wife an I have been on 8 dives, all there) but by all accounts it is very good.

The problem I am having is finding a place to stay (renting a house or condo) that will satisfy the rest of my family's desire for "the beach". Most of the places I can find near by don't really have a beach (at least a swimming beach) by the standards of the rest of Florida. Lots of places on canals...

So my question is, am I missing some places in Key Largo that will satisfy the beach requirement, or are there other places in Florida that will do that better whose diving is almost as good?

The more dives I get under my belt thebetter chance I can start doing some dives off the NC coast.

Thanks,

Wayne WIlson
Charlotte, NC

 

[The Wanderer]

try www.holidayisle.com

 

[Diving4TheHalibut]

Another option.... W. Palm Beach has some of the best diving in Florida. Unlike the Keys, it also has nice beaches for the family.

Keys diving tends to be rather shallow (although it is very nice!). W. Palm diving is deeper, so it is probably better preparation for NC diving than the Keys. Lots of fish, several wrecks, and a living coral reef system.

There is a Day's Inn on Singer Island that is clean, on the beach, and has reasonable rates. I seem to recall that they also have some units with kitchens or kitchenettes. It is a short drive across a bridge to the marina where most of the dive operations are located.

I'd recommend either Diving Solutions or Rampage as dive operations for W. Palm.

There is also a nice park with limestone formation on a beach near Jupiter, Fla. I can't remember the name. It's a nice afternoon trip for the family. Lots of shells.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

Key Largo doesn't offer much in the way of beaches. South Beach (in Miami) or Fort Lauderdale are better choices for the beachgoers (and peoplewatchers) in the family, and both are about an hour and a half from Key Largo. Why not check out Key Largo one day, West Palm another, Fort Lauderdale another, and so on. There's good diving all over south Florida!

 

[wcwilson]

Thanks for the advise. I actually ended up booking a trip to FReeport. I'll see how that goes.