How far do you drive to dive?

[bleeb]

For those that dive 'locally' it seemed interesting to see what people are willing to go through to dive. I'm talking about what many would call their regular evening or weekend dive, that might be at most a day trip. This includes boat dives. I'm not really thinking about travel that require airplanes, or car rides that are so long that staying overnight somewhere is almost mandatory. Presumably, most people aren't doing that sort of trip more than a few times a year.

When diving locally, on average how long and how far do you regularly drive to dive? How far is it to the closest dive site you use at least once in a while? If there are some closer that you rarely visit, how far are they?

Similarly, how long does it take to get to where you get your tanks filled, or pick up gear?

For me, the closest LDS is 5 km/3 miles/10 min without traffic (not very likely) one way. The 'regular' dive sites are between about 110 km/70 mi/70 min and 210 km/130 mi/135 min one way, with a preference for the closer ones. A boat ride might add anywhere from another 20-60 minutes each way. There's little available closer than that, other than one developed quarry 30 km/20 mi/35 min away, but I think a fair number of local divers now avoid it, thanks to the FQAS. (That's a separate topic.)

Anyone else?

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Local freshwater dives 150 miles for the close ones, 300 miles for others.
Local ocean, 600+miles
Sucks to dive and live in west Texas

 

[themagni]

There are easily two dozen shore dives within a 30 minute drive. I'll leave the house at about 9:30 and have my gear rinsed and put away by 1:00, or 2:30 if I'm doing two dives. What often happens is I'll go to the drop-in dives at a LDS, which leave the shop at 10:00, and then we go to the site, and then I wait around for everyone to really slowly put their gear on. I was going to go today, but there's a Tsunami warning for basically the entire Pacific Ocean.

Dive gear transport was one of the factors in buying a Mazda 5. (I can easily fit 2 people's full gear in it.)

There are four dive shops within a 20 minute drive.

 

[a22shady]

It takes me about 1.5 hours to drive to my local quarry (Dutch Springs)
And the same to the to the "NJ Shores" 'seaside/barnaget/wildwood/bellmawr"

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

About two miles to the local dive site, and generally all my local beach diving is within 30 miles.

 

[boulderjohn]

It takes about an hour to get to the primary local reservoir where we do training in the summer. If you define local as "we drive to it regularly" the local site we use the most is in New Mexico. We go there about once a month. We make very good time going down I-25 and can make the trip in about 6.5 hours.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I left the house this morning at 7:14 AM and arrived at the dive site at 7:20 ... and that's because I got stuck at the red light.

Got in two nice dives and was home by 11:30.

Other dive sites I frequent regularly are anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours drive, depending on what the tides are doing, who I'm diving with, or where I feel like going.

My dive shop is about 15 miles south of my home ... and about 3 miles from my office. I usually go there either on lunch break or after work.

I am lucky to have it all so convenient ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[FFPEREZ]

My local quarry where I am getting my OW is 2 hours away. There are a few dive shops an hour away, but to dive its 2hrs.

 

[fisheater]

Sonoma coast is an hour away (hour and a half back - by then others less adept at high speed cornering are on the road).

Mendocino coast is 2 1/2 hours away.

Monterey is also 2 1/2 hours away.

 

[diver 86]

1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours for low vis fresh water "scuba parks" - sure makes me appreciate Coz! Come on May!