Hi! It's been awhile. Can anyone Help?

[KansasDukee]

Hi, I joined Scuba Board when I became PADI certified and I usually gleaned information from the forum by being an observer. However, at this point, I need all of the help I can get. We are about to vacation in an area that doesn't seem to get much attention from this or any other forum. I hail from Kansas, although landlocked, we had the opportunity to get PADI certified through Fort Hays Sate University, a four year liberal arts university on I-70 in Western Kansas. My youngest daughter and I took advantage of that opportunity and, as in every year since, we plan a vacation dive - this year in the Perdido Key area. And now, as our vacation gets closer, I have spent time researching the subject and it appears that equipment rental and dive boats are not teamed up to offer turn key dive packages. We fly in from Kansas so It is really not practical to bring gear with us. How does it work in this area? Is there a place like "Red Sail Sports" or some other reputable operator where we can rent gear and schedule a guided dive package together? We only dive once a year and we are PADI "Open Water" certified so the Orinsky is not an option. As always, we are excited about our up-and-coming annual dive as well as our family fishing excursion. The fishing trip for six of us is already booked. Hopefully, we can put together a trip to that underwater world the rest of our family can only hear and dream about. We are sure hoping our SCUBA tour can fall into place. Thanks for any input.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One of the things you seem to be running into is where you are going is not an area known for guided dives. Most Florida locations expect you to be able to handle yourself as a certified diver. There are some in the Jupiter area where drift diving is common and a guide will be put in the water but you are still expected to be competent and able to take care of yourself.

A search revealed this shop: Beach Diving - Alabama Gulf Coast - Gulf Shores - Down Under Dive Shop

And it looks like they rent gear. So that's covered. As far as diving goes it looks like they run charters but if you want a guide you'll have to hire one privately. You'll pay for that. I'd expect for two people somewhere in the area of $50 per dive or more. Depending on type of dives of course. I'd bet the shop could hook you up with a local guide. I'd be prepared though for them to only be your guide. You'll need to rent your gear, check it, and assemble it. I would not expect a guide to do any of that. Give them a call and see what they say.