Florida Keys most like Carribean diving.

[bvmjethead]

I know this is going to solicit a few differing opinions, but that's kinds what I want to happen.

Looking for the closest diving experience to diving in the Playa Del Carmen, Mexico area of the Carribean Ocean...only here on the east coast or the Gulf coast of America.

Love to hear from people who have been there done that.

 

[Garrobo]

I figure that the best reef diving is around Key Largo and a little further south. West Palm Beach has some great drift diving from what I've heard, sort of like you'll find on Cozumel. I plan to find out next month.

 

[Miami_Diver]

south of pompano beach florida down to dry tortugas its the only living coral reefs in north america.

 

[ZzzKing]

south of pompano beach florida down to dry tortugas its the only living coral reefs in north america.

...except for the Flower Gardens off the coast of Texas.

 

[Richesb]

We wouldn't live & work in the Keys if we didn't think it was as good or better than most places.
1st - We have shallow reefs
2nd - We have deep reefs
3rd - We have shallow wrecks
4th - We have deep wrecks
We dive 12 months a year
We spearfish 12 months a year - can't do at all in alot of "other places"
Viz varies from 20 to 100+ feet - same as caribean
Water temps - same as caribean.

 

[shotthebreeze]

The Florida Keys are great. There's plenty to see there and the visibility is always pretty good, unless you go right after a large storm. I have friends who just spent two weeks in Riviera Maya and said that they would never go vacation/diving anywhere else. So, flip a coin on that one I guess...

 

[gary-ramey]

Love the keys but the Palm Beach area all the way to Fort Lauderdale is underrated in my opinion. The only thing they won't have in consistent supply is 60+ft viz. However the reefs are great.

 

[scubadobadoo]

The FL Keys are great and I could list many positives about them over the Playa area but here are just some things you are more likely to find/get in The Keys that you get less frequently in the Playa Del Carmen/Cozumel area...

1. A rough ride on the boat. In 5 trips to the Keys I have never had less than 3ft seas and frequently 5+ and one of the only ops who would go out in it is now closed.
2. I have had more blown out dives in the keys than in any other warm water dive destination.
3. Larger chance of low viz in the keys.
4. Slightly longer boat rides in the Keys than Coz/Playa.
5. I have found the concentration of fish to seem better in the Keys than in the Playa area...JMHO. That's a positive dif.
6. Colder water in the winter...as low as the upper 60's and that's cold for a "warm water" destination. Coz/Playa rarely drops that low but isn't too far off.
7. Cozumel wins the reef battle but Playa breaks even or loses to the Keys on the whole.
8. A shorter ride to the Keys for me by plane. No passport needed.
9. The keys reefs are typically flatter, spur and groove, and not as many mountain like areas.
10. More wrecks!

Just a few....but I will say that every time I go to the Keys (when I am not blown out) I am always amazed by the quality of the reefs and the variety of life.

 

[Walter]

...except for the Flower Gardens off the coast of Texas.

And of course there are the living coral reefs off Naples and probably others.

 

[OceanObsessed]

In my opinion, Looe Key is the nicest reef in the continental USA.