Local Divers: How long does it take you to get to your favorite dive site?

[larsdennert]

Laguna Beach, CA used to be an urchin barren. So was most of the coast of southern California. I know the feeling. Laguna has been a preserve now for years and is teaming with life. It's the best beach diving in socal. Unless the lobster and sheephead are allowed to recover, the kelp will never survive no matter how many urchins get removed manually.

 

[scubadada]

Being in the Tampa area, it's about 2-3 hours to Cave Country, 1 hour to Hudson/Buford/EN, or 5+ hours to the Florida Keys. There's just no escaping driving on this side of Florida unless you want to dive the Gulf which isn't my preference.

Only 3-3:30 to Jupiter, Palm Beach, and Boynton

 

[Still Kicking]

Laguna Beach, CA used to be an urchin barren. So was most of the coast of southern California. I know the feeling. Laguna has been a preserve now for years and is teaming with life. It's the best beach diving in socal. Unless the lobster and sheephead are allowed to recover, the kelp will never survive no matter how many urchins get removed manually.

No lobsters and sheephead on the North Coast. Sea stars - especially sunflower stars - kept the urchins at bay but were decimated by wasting disease. Hopefully they are coming back. In the meantime, kudos to Eric and co. for making a dent.

 

[PEDiver]

Only 3-3:30 to Jupiter, Palm Beach, and Boynton

I have unfortunately not made it over to the East Coast yet to do any diving but it is on my to-do list. Some great wreck diving over there I hear.

 

[scubadada]

I have unfortunately not made it over to the East Coast yet to do any diving but it is on my to-do list. Some great wreck diving over there I hear.

And very nice reefs, particularly Boynton and Palm Beach

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I have unfortunately not made it over to the East Coast yet to do any diving but it is on my to-do list. Some great wreck diving over there I hear.

Wrecks, reefs, drift, shore ... Palm Beach and Broward counties have MUCH to offer

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

No lobsters and sheephead on the North Coast. Sea stars - especially sunflower stars - kept the urchins at bay but were decimated by wasting disease. Hopefully they are coming back. In the meantime, kudos to Eric and co. for making a dent.

 

[Jai Bar]

View attachment 862594

Can you explain, for the sake of foreigners from across the sea, what's going on with the purple urchin population? They have no natural predators or competitors and grow on large numbers? How the urchins impact the local ecosystem?

Here in Red Sea, we have the opposite problem: some disease is decimating several species of sea urchins. We lost almost all Diademas, for example.

 

[happy-diver]

Can I raise you 25 minutes

port macdonnell - Google Suche

 

[Searcaigh]

Can I raise you 25 minutes

Only if there is a decent path to access that area.

Might be a dodgy giant stride, but then how in hell do you get back up?