Florida Dive trip locations for brand new OW divers

[bradlw]

Looking for suggestions for a great place to take my soon-to-be-certified family for their first dive. (and my first dive as a very long-time rusty but experienced diver)

Timeframe for the trip will be August (yeah, I know...storm season), and I'm looking for ideas for places that are driving distance from NE Florida (St Augustine area)

Diving is not going to be the primary focus for the whole trip, so I'm looking for other things to do/see in the area. Will probably only end up doing something like a 2-tank charter and then spend the rest of the week (or long weekend?) doing other stuff. (my wife is not overly into Diving)

I'm doing a rusty diver refresher with them as they take their OW class, and their checkout dives are planned for the springs (Blue Grotto and Rainbow River)
so I'm thinking salt water.

I used to enjoy diving the Ft Lauderdale area for the wrecks and deeper dives, and to a lesser degree I used to enjoy the keys, primarily the upper keys. It's been many years though and so I'm completely unfamiliar with the dive operators now.

I'm thinking maybe up around the West Palm or maybe Jupiter area for some drift dives. I remember those being easy and fun for new divers.
but I'm leaning more towards the upper keys, mainly because I've never taken my kids to the keys before and they're Florida natives!

 

[oldschool45]

Blue Heron Bridge is in that range. I would suggest the Keys for some easy diving. I took my wife the the Springs after her OW(in Marathon) for some more experience before throwing her into deeper/drift/current dives off of Broward and Palm Beach. Keys are a little more expensive but there may be more stuff to do, Key West and fishing.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Molasses Reef, Looe Key Reef -

 

[FreqFlier]

I'm thinking maybe up around the West Palm or maybe Jupiter area for some drift dives.

Most if not all WPB/Jupiter/Boynton dive ops require Nitrox cert and some require AOW certs due to deeper dive profiles. Drift diving in general is not recommended for freshly minted OW's. Get a guide if you still want drift dives.
I'd say upper keys is the best option for OW's. Book with Rainbow Reef in KL or Key Dives in Islamorada, both will put a guide with you for free.
Amoray is a good option too, it's somewhat of a "dive resort" with lodging and diving combined (and discounted). Boat leaves from their own dock literally steps away from your bungalow.
Lots of fun stuff to explore on dry land in upper keys too.

 

[gamon]

I used to enjoy the keys, primarily the upper keys. It's been many years though and so I'm completely unfamiliar with the dive operators now.

It's easy there's a lot less of them now. Along with coral and fish.

I'm thinking maybe up around the West Palm or maybe Jupiter area for some drift dives. I remember those being easy and fun for new divers.

Many would disagree that drift diving, which involves complexities such as jumping off a live boat precisely when directed, and immediately initiating a negative decent in strong currents in depths to 100', in visibility such that you often cannot see the bottom as a frame of reference, which end with possibly ascending with no line, to be considered a more advanced form of diving as compared to, say, jumping in whenever you're ready, splashing about on the surface for a few minutes, then descending and following a mooring line down to a brightly lit 40' reef and swimming around under the boat that never changes its position.[/QUOTE]

 

[bradlw]

Most if not all WPB/Jupiter/Boynton dive ops require Nitrox cert and some require AOW certs due to deeper dive profiles. Drift diving in general is not recommended for freshly minted OW's. Get a guide if you still want drift dives.

Interesting. Granted, my memory is faded by a couple of decades, but I remember most dives in that area to be what I considered shallow and easy. The deeper, more challenging wrecks were down around Lauderdale. When I think of West Palm, I think of 30ft-60-ish foot reef dives and nice slow currents for drifting on some of them. Also, the way I remember it was that the boat's divemaster would typically...not always but typically lead the dives, manning the float...or at least for one group.
It all was made even easier because there was basically no navigation to find the anchor and boat required.
Just jump in, relax, and enjoy the view...sort of like those people movers in airports

Amoray is a good option too, it's somewhat of a "dive resort" with lodging and diving combined (and discounted). Boat leaves from their own dock literally steps away from your bungalow.

I was looking at that place just the other day when a video about it popped onto my youtube suggestions.

Way back when i was active, there was a similar place next door to it, where the diveshop/dive club I used to frequent lead a trip or two there. I ended up going back another time or two on my own. I loved that the boat was right there and it was a decent operation. Back then Amoray was the original owner/founder as I recall. I never went there but I was left with the impression that it was marketed more as a romantic get-away place for couples...trying to be a little more posh or whatever.

I was thinking that my old place had been turned into an RV resort, but looking a bit closer at the map the other day, I think Amoray swallowed it up and where the hotel was is now part of Amoray's parking lot

Anyway, thanks for the tip on some operators to check out!

 

[FreqFlier]

there was a similar place next door to it

Pirates Cove Watersports @ Reefhouse Resort and Marina

I feel like you're remembering things from back in 20th century... They've changed since...

 

[bradlw]

Nope.
but you made me pull out my old log book, ha ha. I still have a collection of business cards from back in the days before the internet....
It was "Kelly's Motel and Aquanut Divers" when I was going there
Looking up the address, I see that I was correct the first time. It's now the RV resort!

It was $50/ night and $50 per dive based on the notes I have on the card!

 

[SmashMonkey]

If visiting the Keys I always recommend a visit to the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. Fantastic museum for divers to learn about the history of the underwater exploration. Perfect for a day when the weather prevents diving. I started diving in the 1980s so it was fun to show my family the gear we used back in the previous century LOL!