Florida Wreck Dives?

[pinkbubbles]

Would you (anyone) recommend getting wreck certified to dive the best boats in South Florida?
If so, what shop/s would you go to?
We have the time and I think it would be a great experience to take a PADI specialty class away from our home shop in Colorado.
We are both Rescue and Master Diver certified and looking for the most challenging sites.
Thansk in advance for any input.

 

[Walter]

This is a difficult question to answer, especially since PADI Master Diver doesn't really tell me much. You can get that certification by getting lots of experience and taking real classes or by taking meaningless classes and getting little experience.

What type of wrecks are you looking for? You say you are looking for "the most challenging sites," but very few are really ready for that. What depths are you looking to dive? What is your experience with regard to depth?

There are lots of interesting and fun wrecks you can dive regardless of your experience level.

DSSW,

WWW™

 

[pinkbubbles]

We are both Deep, Nitrox, DAN o2 Oxygen Provider, Medic First Aid, Equipment, and Night - specialty certified.
We are both Rescue Certified and will begin our Dive Master program upon returning from Florida in January.
Our deepest depth, if you will, is 100 feet.
While I'm sure we will enjoy the coral and fishys, (hoping to get the PADI Aware specialty in before we go) we will soon grow tired of them and seek more challenging, personal acomplishments.
We have 7 days to fit in a variety of dives and are hoping to gain "local" knowledge to hopefuly save time and money.

Thanks again

 

[Walter]

There are quite a few wrecks that would be excellent for you. What part of Florida will you be visiting?

DSSW,

WWW™

 

[pinkbubbles]

Were staying in Miami Beach. My parents live in Key West in the winter, so we want to venture that way also.
I'm pretty familiar with the Keys (just from driving to Key West every winter) Finding shops and sites shouldn't be a problem.
We've been reading about the new ship they are planning to sink in late November, that would be interesting to see a new one and then dive one that's become a part of the habitat.

I've also been doing some research on Shark dives. My son (13 , AOW cert. will be joining us for a few days) really wants to check that out.

 

[Walter]

Well, we've all been waiting to dive the Spiegel Grove for a few years now. Maybe it will finally go down soon.

Off Key Largo the Duane sitting in 120' is excellent as is the Bibb sitting in 130'. They are both 327 ft long US Coast Guard cutters and were intentionally sank in November 1987. The Duane is sitting upright, the Bibb is sitting on it's side. The Bibb might be a tad beyond your experience level, but if you build slowly, you can be ready for it by the end of the week. Check out Divers City at MM 104 Oceanside.

Off Tavernier/Islamorada you'll find the Eagle (my personal favorite) a 287 ft long freighter sank on December 19, 1985 in 115. It was broken in half by Hurricane Georges in 1998, there is now a 12 ft gap between the two sections.

Off Marathon is the Thunderbolt, a cable layer that's also been down since the late 80's. It's in about 122' and an excellent dive.

I'm not terribly familiar with sites farther south. Good luck on your trip. I hope you have lots of fun on your trip.

DSSW,

WWW™

 

[pinkbubbles]

Thank you so much for your input.
I can hardly wait.

 

[TexasMike]

For wrecks in a different area of the US, I can highly recommend the ones off in Diamond Shoals, NC ( www.ncwreckdiving.com )

 

[sharpenu]

If you want to do some decent wreck diving in the Miami area, try the site below. They are a good bunch and I have done several dives with them.


http://www.quantumleap.net/RJ/RJDiving

 

[Parsons]

If you plan to dive the Bibb Duane and the Eagle think about a dive shop like Tavernier Dive Center at mm90.3. Thy can take you to all 3 dive sites without to long of boat ride. Dive shops north do not want to go to the Eagle and shops south do not want to go to the Bibb and Duane. I was there this last July and dove all 3 wrecks in the week. They are wrecks not to be missed if you plan to dive the Keys.