New and in Florida

[paintbrush28]

Looking for places outside of springs to dive. I have my open water. But don't feel comfortable diving alone. Would like to go with someone in the know- not sure of all the spots to go. Interested in seeing aquatic life, taking pictures. Wrecks. Anything to dive.

 

[KathyV]

you might try a local dive club:
Suncoast Scuba > Home

 

[paintbrush28]

Someone in chat just mentioned those. I'm going to try and find one. I was just hoping to get connected with other divers and learn different dive spots. People and places.
I have a dive shop and an excellent instructor. But he is also teaching. I don't want to be a cause of interruption with his class. So, trying to spread the wings a bit and learn the where, who and how.
I don't personally know a lot of divers. Actually, pretty much just me. So that's why I checked out this sight and forums.
Forgive the learning curve-

 

[Trigger-F]

There's limited shore diving around Tampa Bay(mostly on Anna Maria Island, a site called Spanish Rocks (Holmes Beach) and the Regina wreck across from SeaKat Divers and perhaps any shallows around Skyway(?). All other diving is by boat, way out in the Gulf. Scuba Quest in Bradenton or SeaKat Divers may have more info on dive sites down in Manatee county.

Also, if you're willing to drive 4-5 hrs, you can try diving Pompano Beach or Lauderdale by the Sea. There's some real nice diving down there;. Datura Ave in LBS and SE 8th St (Pompano Beach) have metered parking spaces (reef is healthy with lots of aquatic life to see.)

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[paintbrush28]

I will check into those

 

[sheeper]

come visit the Vero Beach Scuba Club on Facebook (or our website at www.verobeachscubaclub.org). We dive all over the Treasure Coast including Blue Heron Bridge. Our members range from new divers to experienced DMs and instructors and rebreather divers. You are always welcome to join us for a dive!

 

[paintbrush28]

You know. I'm not against the drive. Let me know when you got something going. Or if you want to do a number exchange. I've never been to vero beach. I am a new diver. But comfortable to 100 ft. I have my own gear. Certified. Just as long as I had a few days notice. I'd be game. What kind of diving do you have there? I would like to get some photography of marine life. It's been a goal of mine.

 

[sheeper]

paintbrush28, you are not the only person that joins us from your area! We have some unique and awesome dive opportunities.
In Riviera Beach (Palm Beach) we dive the Blue Heron Bridge (BHB) quite often. Though this shore dive has a max depth of 20 feet, it has an amazing array of sea life. BHB is generally regarded as one of the top shore dives in the US!
We also dive out of Jupiter Florida with a couple of dive operators. Jupiter diving is known for big sealife (sharks, whales, whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and more). Depths range 70-90 feet for many dives though shallower dives are available.

Diving out of Rivera Beach gives us some great reefs and wrecks. Many shallow sites (60-80) such as the Breakers Reef system.

we also spearfish and lobster hunt as well as photo trips.

We dive a lot. I dive a lot and year round. Many of our members wait for spring and summer conditions. As the weather warms up, we'll have trips going out more often.

So watch for our schedule and I promise the dive will be worth the drive!

 

[kelemvor]

There's also some fun diving about 2 hours north of Zephyrhills in fresh water. Ginnie springs, Rainbow River (K.P. Hole Park), Blue Grotto, Devil's Den. All of those sites are friendly to new divers.

You might also check out divebuddy.com. I used that site to find a buddy early after getting my c-card. Also, if you got the phone numbers of anyone in your class that's a good choice. At least half my dives have been with a person I met in OW class. If you didn't, your instructor might be willing to put you in touch with classmates.

Another great resource for dives... and probably the easiest. Go to your LDS (local dive shop) and ask what trips they have scheduled. Most of the time dive shops plan small trips (all the shops near me do). That gets you buddies, and a paid dive guide - in many cases an instructor or assistant instructor will be leading the trips. They usually don't end up costing much more than what you'd pay to do that same trip yourself.

You're a little ways away, but the "Macs sports" shops tend to run more trips than any of the others in the area as best I can tell. They run 1 or 2 a month even in winter and have a calendar right on the web. Looks like they're going to Rainbow River on 2/8 and 2/10. The rainbow river trip they run has a slight caveat. It's much more expensive to go with their group than to just go on your own with a buddy. However, you have instructors and guides with you and there is always a big potluck group meal afterward.

There's a Meetup Group called Life Underwater. It's run by the shop "Scuba Quest" in Brandon. They run semi frequent trips and use that meetup group to organize them. Also very beginner friendly.