Hi from Miami

[revise]

Hi everyone, from the Miami area.

Certified for... well, let's just say "a while" but it's been very off and on, all warm water. Get certified, go on vacation, do a bunch of dives, don't go anywhere for a couple of years, do a refresher on vacation and some dives, nothing for a few years, rinse, repeat.

Fairly new to Florida and decided I should either commit to diving or hang up the fins permanently, so recently did a few specialty classes and looking for ways to get in the water more without having to sell a kidney (particularly since I need the kidneys to cover rent in Miami). Planning to check out the South Florida Divers club since they have a meeting coming up; if anyone will be there, please say hi. I'm not on Facebook and it seems like a lot of groups use that, so if anyone has other suggestions for finding dive buddies, feel free to let me know!

Thanks, and hope to see you around.

 

[drrich2]

Welcome. Cost-containment in this hobby is a big deal for many of us. You said you're fairly new to Florida and your profile doesn't explain just where you've been, so at the risk of reciting info. you may already know, I'll list a range of options convenient to your location.

You are well-placed for a number of dive options that don't require airfare to reach. I haven't dove out of West Palm Beach or Boynton Beach, and my only freshwater Florida springs experience was one visit to Alexander Spring. I have been to Key Largo once back in 2013 (a lot has changed since) and 2 trips to Jupiter.

Key Largo offers shallow reef diving over hard bottom with the option for deep offshore wrecks.

Jupiter offers deep drift diving hoping to see Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, sea turtles, goliath grouper and possibly some other shark species. There is a goliath grouper aggregation in the Fall and a lemon shark aggregation in the winter (e.g.: Dec., January).

A controversial Jupiter option is shark feed diving - a staff member hands pieces of fish to sharks, and what species show up depends in part on the season. I got to see tiger, lemon and bull sharks, and an unseasonal surprise was a couple of silky sharks showing up.

Not far away is the famous Blue Heron Bridge shore diving; enjoyed my one dive there.

There's diving out of Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach, including a shore diving spot called Lauderdale by the Sea, and diving out of Miami. I haven't dove either.

 

[The Chairman]

Florida has more diving options than any other place in the world. In the US, only Alaska has more shoreline than we do. On top of that we have lakes, rivers, springs, and aquifers. Have fun.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @revise

Perhaps the best way to limit costs would be to take advantage of shore diving rather than boats. @Pipehorse and @Scuba_Jenny are very familiar with the shore diving closer to you than the Blue Heron Bridge.

 

[revise]

Welcome. Cost-containment in this hobby is a big deal for many of us. You said you're fairly new to Florida and your profile doesn't explain just where you've been, so at the risk of reciting info. you may already know, I'll list a range of options convenient to your location.

You are well-placed for a number of dive options that don't require airfare to reach. I haven't dove out of West Palm Beach or Boynton Beach, and my only freshwater Florida springs experience was one visit to Alexander Spring. I have been to Key Largo once back in 2013 (a lot has changed since) and 2 trips to Jupiter.

Key Largo offers shallow reef diving over hard bottom with the option for deep offshore wrecks.

Jupiter offers deep drift diving hoping to see Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, sea turtles, goliath grouper and possibly some other shark species. There is a goliath grouper aggregation in the Fall and a lemon shark aggregation in the winter (e.g.: Dec., January).

A controversial Jupiter option is shark feed diving - a staff member hands pieces of fish to sharks, and what species show up depends in part on the season. I got to see tiger, lemon and bull sharks, and an unseasonal surprise was a couple of silky sharks showing up.

Not far away is the famous Blue Heron Bridge shore diving; enjoyed my one dive there.

There's diving out of Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach, including a shore diving spot called Lauderdale by the Sea, and diving out of Miami. I haven't dove either.

Thanks, very nice of you to put all this down! I've been down to Key Largo a couple of times now and have enjoyed it. Definitely looking to try get out and do some shore diving, and up to Blue Heron Bridge.

 

[revise]

Florida has more diving options than any other place in the world. In the US, only Alaska has more shoreline than we do. On top of that we have lakes, rivers, springs, and aquifers. Have fun.

Thanks. Part of why I ended up here was so I could dive more easily!

 

[revise]

Hi @revise

Perhaps the best way to limit costs would be to take advantage of shore diving rather than boats. @Pipehorse and @Scuba_Jenny are very familiar with the shore diving closer to you than the Blue Heron Bridge.

Thank you. I've heard shore diving is good by Lauderdale by the Sea and hope to do some. Been a while since I've done any shore diving.

 

[LI-er]

LBS might beat a great day of work, but that much being said, I've tried LBS shore dives and found them to be extremely dangerous. I got so bored I was in serious danger of falling asleep and running out of tank gas and drowning.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Shore diving for the win! I do a LOT of shore diving. Check out Blue Heron Bridge/Phil Foster Park. Easiest shore dive around. Have to dive on the slack high tide and the parking lot can get crowded. High tide tomorrow is 9:15. I plan on picking up my dive buddy at 5:30, then an hour north. Will spend some time sitting in the parking lot.. but that's what you have to do if you want a good parking spot.

I also dive a lot in Hollywood.

 

[revise]

LBS might beat a great day of work, but that much being said, I've tried LBS shore dives and found them to be extremely dangerous. I got so bored I was in serious danger of falling asleep and running out of tank gas and drowning.

Thanks for the heads-up! Will make sure to try only if well-rested and highly caffeinated. Good news is I have discovered Cuban coffee since moving here.