FL over Christmas

[Heather McLaughlin]

Good Morning,
My husband and I are new to diving. We are traveling to Orlando over Christmas with our gear and would like to get away for a day to scuba dive. However we are very new to diving and have only done lake diving up to this point. Any suggestions on places to go or people to talk to who might be able to take us under?

Heather McLaughlin

 

[tursiops]

I'd check with Dayo Scuba or other Orlando-area dive shops and see what they can do for you.

 

[Flotsam]

Hopefully someone from Orlando will chime in, I'm from a couple hours north of O-town and may not know some on the closer diving holes. But... A drift dive down Rainbow River might be a possibility. There is a water taxi that will take you from parking at KP Hole K P Hole and the Rainbow River a mile upriver to the spring head, then you drift back to your car. You'll need a dive flag, of course. Bird's Underwater Swim with Manatees | Scallop & Dive Tours | Crystal River, Florida | Bird's Underwater can give you more info. It's also the time of year that Bird's offers snorkeling with the manatees Both Rainbow River & Crystal River are at least 1.5hr drive.

Diving out of Jupiter/West Palm is all drift diving from a boat. Sometimes the current is ripping along a bit more than others, but there are reef sites for both OW & AOW divers. It's at least 2.5hrs from Orlando, so making a morning boat might be tough, but most have afternoon boats on the weekends. This week Jupiter Dive Center Home & Pura Vida (Riviera Beach) | Pura Vida Divers : Discover South Florida SCUBA Diving are also running afternoon boats. Stuart Scuba Stuart Scuba - Explore the Beauty of the Underwater World is also a great charter, but I think they have morning boats. Force e dive shop Force-E Scuba Diving Centers of South Florida - Since 1976 doesn't run a boat, but knows what boats are going out and can help you find a dive. There are other great charters in the area, I think you'd have a good time with any of them!

The Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach is a great shore dive, but is more miss than hit at the moment. Dredging is going on nearby and you don't know what the visibility will be until you get to the site (or in the water). It's tide dependent, the dive window is from an hour before until an hour after high tides. Pura Vida and Force E shops have tides and info on diving Blue Heron on their websites. From Christmas into the week after, it's afternoon high tides.

There are great shore dives farther south, around Lauderdale by the Sea, but it's quite a hike from Orlando. Gold Coast Scuba Divers https://www.meetup.com/goldcoastscuba/ usually have a shore dive going on.

Hope this helps!
Tana

 

[scubadada]

Drive the 2 1/4 hours and dive with Jupiter Dive Center. You can dive loosely with the DM they put in the water with a flag and enjoy the drift diving of SE Florida. You'll be hooked and can dive Boynton Beach and West Palm on future trips.

 

[Ricardo V.]

As suggested by @scubadada, Jupiter is worth driving a couple of hours to and from. You can easily do this in a day, just take the FL Turnpike. Very easy.

Contact Scuba Works and book your boat dives with them. Their operation is very professional and they will take good care of you. Scuba Works | Dive More Have Fun | Jupiter Scuba Diving West Palm

You will need to make sure you mention your just starting and that you want to be accompanied by a guide, and that you want to go when they have a trip plans for a location suitable to your skill level and proficiency. They always have a guide onboard, but if you wish, they can add one just for you. Of course, that will cost more, but it’s your vacation and you want to have a good experience.

Jupiter has superb diving, it’s mainly drift diving. You let the drift transport you along the Reef, following your guide.

Enjoy your trip.

Ricardo
PS: considering you are traveling with gear, it may be worth spending the night in Jupiter, so you can dive 2 days in a row. Jupiter has many awesome restaurants and offers a wide array of things to do during your surface interval.

Cheers,
Ricardo

 

[Steve_C]

+1 for rainbow river. Very mellow.

+I have done a few drift dives with Jupiter and west palm. If it is important for you to have a DM then hire one. I have found myself and dive buddy without a DM more than once on those dives. Personally if this is your first salty water dives and you are new it can be stressful trying to keep up with the DM guide who is not necessarily watching out for you. You have to stay with them and not conversely. Stuff happens. A big goliath swims up. You watch it. You look up and guide has drifted on. (been there, done that)

+If you want super mellow, check the tides and do a guided dive at Blue Heron Bridge. There is a nearby dive shop which can provide advice. Guide is optional here but getting a description of where to park and dive is helpful.

Assuming that you are brand new to ocean diving, and that you can do an overnight, I personally would drive to Largo. Do an afternoon dive. Spend the night in the area. Do a morning dive and drive back. It is more driving but nice shallow pretty reef diving. Check the conditions before departing for any of these sites in any of these posts except for rainbow river. It is the ocean and some days they do not go out.

+If the ocean is closed, and you have the money, you could go play one evening at Epcot.

 

[sheeper]

Got ya covered! Our Orlando shop (www.orlandoscubapartners.com) can get you all set. We have shops in Stuart and Palm Beach along with our dive boats. Check in with the shop and they can cover everything for you.

 

[The Chairman]

You've got some great info and offers here! Have fun and post about it for us. We want to see what fun you had.

 

[DavidFL]

Hi; I live in SE Orlando. For me, the best day trip from Orlando is to Jupiter / West Palm; it's a 2:20 drive from my garage to the marina in Jupiter. I currently dive with Jupiter Scuba Diving / M/V Kyalami for Jupiter and M/V Narcosis for West Palm, but there are multiple operators to choose from as you have been advised. Since this is your first ocean dive, I recommend checking Marine Forecast | Weather Underground for dates with forecast seas (swells) in the 2-3' range (or less)....that's currently the forecast for the rest of this week. The Jupiter / West Palm area boat dives are usually drift dives; there will be a divemaster/leader carrying the line/float/flag; that divemaster will be a great guide for your drift... your responsibility to let them know this is your first ocean dive. They are currently calling the area "lake Atlantic" with these great weather conditions. Welcome to Florida diving.

 

[BillysBadFurDay]

Please post pics when you get back, it sounds very nice.