Ft. Lauderdale Area Dive Clubs

[netmage]

Hey All,

In the beginning of October I'm going to be relocating to Coconut Creek. (West of Pompano).

Wondering what the local dive club scene is like down there....? My interests focus mainly on shipwrecks and furthur advancing my technical training, but I don't mind the occasional reef dive or dives w/in recreational limits. Also looking forward to weekend trips to cave country and the keys, and getting the hang of beach entries...

Up here most clubs are run through shops, though there are a few independant clubs. I'm suppose I'm looking for a group of safe active divers who have regularaly scheduled events I could join up with to experience the local offerings... (And who won't give me weird looks when they see a 7' hose.) Thanks in advance.

-Tim

 

[MikeJacobs]

Hi and welcome!

I've seen a few "dive clubs" start and phase out, but generally we're all too busy diving to run a club! I guess one of the most active formal groups are the Kayubas, who are kayak divers.

I could be wrong, but I think your best opportunity to find dive buddys is right here. Read through the "trips" subforum to get an idea of how active we are (pretty active) and where we dive.

Then, when the water clears, join a few dives with us. You an always get a few folks together when the water's right for a boat or shore dive.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Agree with Mike, the best club down here is ScubaBoard! There are other clubs here and there, my experience with one of the largest is that it is more of a social club that goes diving.
I have met some great buddys, good friends, and lots of good times with this bunch. And yes, we like to dive!
Welcome to Paradise!

 

[SFLDiver]

I usta be webmaster and newsletter editor for a local club,
but do find the same benefits here.
Good people, gatherings, and no annual dues!
Every now and then though I do hear the call for a group trip
and I've yet to join up with a group from here.
I have heard my fair share of horror stories
but that is mostly due to a few poorly trained or poorly raised individuals
not the group as a whole.

 

[netmage]

This is sounding better and better.... the problem w/ my current club is that they boast over 100 members, 8 or so active cold water divers. If anyone has anything scheduled - we can't fill the boat. I just want to get out and dive. Looking forward to meeting all of you. I think the Halloween get together at Ginnie will be worth the drive...

What seems to be the concensus for shore dives...? I'm going to be in the market for a new repitoire of tanks. All I have these days are my steel double 100's (Probably save them for caves or w/ drysuit) and two 40's for deco. I'm figuring a set or two of AL80 doubles and a few more AL80's for rec diving/deco bottles. I'm about perfect w/ an AL80, my 3mm and Steel plate.

-Tim

 

[MikeJacobs]

SNIP...What seems to be the concensus for shore dives...? I'm going to be in the market for a new repitoire of tanks. All I have these days are my steel double 100's (Probably save them for caves or w/ drysuit) and two 40's for deco....snip

That's pretty much "tech gear" by our standards, but it'll come in handy diving with Scott (Padipro). He'll probably jump at the chance to spend an hour or so with you exploring the interior of the Speigel Grove.

We do shore dives best here, and pretty much have it down to the numbers. Gear up on the pavement and walk out, kick about 5 minutes and drop down. On your way out, do the same - no sand except on the bottoms of your feet. Depths are no more than 17' until you hit the drop-off (you'll probably want a kayak to reach it tho), and then I don't think you'll hit 30'. No spare air, no extra gear... just a flag and a functional rig. Cameras & spears are optional, and about half the time visibility is 60-80 feet. Best to go when the wind is out of the west, and we don't worry about tides.

Local boats typically do a wreck & a reef (usually the dropoff) before noon and another afterward. We have some nice wrecks here though you'll have to go to the Keys for the more technical stuff.

A lot of us like our steel 80s for shore and kayak diving. The aluminum 80 is 2nd choice, and most get more than an hour (some approach 2 hours) shore diving.

You may want something more challenging locally than our "resort diving" profile, so maybe check with the guys at Fill Express and Lighthouse Dive Center. Leave a message for Padipro (Scott) in case he's not reading this thread and he'll probably be glad to introduce you to the tech side of SE Florida diving.

Nothing will happen for a couple of weeks or more if we have another hurricane soon, but we'll be very active afterward so keep watching the "trips" threads.