Florida in May

[Scuba_Jenny]

For sharks, go to Jupiter. I've gone out with Jupiter Dive Center and can recommend them. You most likely will see Goliath groupers on the same dive, especially if it's a wreck. They have a couple boats, so let them know your experience level and intentions so you get on the best boat for your options.

I can see going from Orlando to WPB, at the very least doing BHB, perhaps stay in that area, perhaps head down to Key Largo. When I want to head back up the coast I can easily see doing a morning trip, driving the afternoon, and diving WPB the next morning.

That's a pretty ambitious itinerary. One thing we have down here is traffic, lots of it. A 4 hr drive in a metropolitan area can get tiresome and frustrating pretty quick, especially if there is an accident, or you're trying to navigate rush hour.. which is hardly a rush...
Just wanted to throw that out there. When making your plans, give plenty of time for travel. An normally hour drive for me from my house to the bridge can take an hour and a half with no accidents. Some times the flow is just chokingly slow.

 

[djtimmy77]

Ahh the traffic. People drive CRAZY in South Florida. The further south you go, it gets crazier. (I try to avoid going south of West Palm for that specific reason. haha) Once you get to the keys it isn't so bad but it can be slow. Definitely plan to drive at "off times" there....meaning don't drive down Friday afternoon/evening and back on sunday afternoon/evening. Also, not trying to dissuade you , just reinforce that it can be more draining to drive here than other places due to the extra attention required.

That being said, Jupiter for sharks/goliaths. JDC and Kyalami are both great.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

A day or two in Key Largo would be worthwhile for sure. But, if you specifically want to see goliaths and sharks, West Palm/Jupiter are absolutely the best area for those two together.

You could consider this itinerary:

Day your son arrives: Drive to West Palm/Jupiter.

Day 2: Dive BHB or get a 2 tank boat charter.

Day 3: Same, but at end of day drive to Key Largo and stay there for the evening

Day 4: Dive Key Largo. Wreck (Spiegel Grove or Duanne) + reef in the monring, two reefs in the afternoon optional, or maybe a night dive instead of the afternoon trip.

Day 5: Second day of Key Largo, as above, but drive back to West Palm for the evening

Day 6: BHB dive. Remember, can't load nitrogen if you are flying tomorrow so no boat charters and BHB only if its in the morning. Dive it with 36% just to be safe. Return to Orlando

Day 7: Fly home

This would omit the Ft. Lauderdale area shore dives. But, much as I like those dives, I will say that this will give you the very best of Florida. The shore dives are nice but do not stack up to the Keys reefs.

 

[gcarter]

Still, working on the itinerary, but I was wondering about exposure protection - what are the water temps like mid-May? Would a 3/2 like this suffice?

Neosport 3/2mm Neoprene Mens Jumpsuit at LeisurePro

 

[CajunDiva]

For me that would be more than plenty, but that's such a subjective question. Everyone's tolerance to heat and cold is different. The water temperature should be over 80 degrees...does that help?

 

[robandliza]

It is all relative I guess, and depends on what you are used to. From Orlando it's just a tad over 4 hours to Key Largo. West Palm Beach is only 2 1/2 hours.

By way of contrast, I regularly drive 1 to 1 1/2 hours to dive different sites on the St. Lawrence. Ottawa to Tobermory is around an 8 hour trek I have made a couple of times. Last summer I drove Ottawa - Cape Ann to dive, that was 7 hours.

I can see going from Orlando to WPB, at the very least doing BHB, perhaps stay in that area, perhaps head down to Key Largo. When I want to head back up the coast I can easily see doing a morning trip, driving the afternoon, and diving WPB the next morning.

I know some people don't like long drives, but I really only consider these medium distances, less if diving along the way.

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I see sharks seem to be common in the WPB area, what about Key Largo?

I do want to see sharks, and I do want to see goliath groupers.

Only a Canadian could say this A pop to the shops for you is like a day trip to me!

I stay in WPB every year but I always make the effort to go down to Boynton(it's almost walking distance from WPB for you) to dive with Kevin at https://diveboyntonbeach.com/ Top Top bloke

If you want a wreck and goliaths then ask him to take you to the Castor. Job done

I would agree with the other suggestions of BHB and also check out Key Largo

 

[CajunDiva]

We dove 3 days in Key Largo last week and saw both sharks (reef sharks) and goliath grouper...all on Molasses Reef!

 

[gcarter]

So the plan looks to be shaping up like this:

Son arrives Orlando Friday night. Dive BHB Sat afternoon / evening. 2 tank Jupiter Sunday morning, then off to KL. 4 tanks / day Mon-Fri. Meander back up the coast Saturday for our Sunday morning flight.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Sounds very doable. Just double check your dates and tides for diving the bridge. You want to dive on the high tide.

 

[CajunDiva]

Sounds ideal...