Restrictions on scuba diving

[Anthony Appleyard]

I am in England, and I have never been to the America continents.

Are there any states in the USA where scuba diving is significantly restricted or hampered by local or state laws?

 

[Chilly_Diver]

In a nutshell, no.

 

[diversteve]

No but what you will find is that some states are better for diving than others even if they're adjacent. For example Florida's east coast and the Florida Keys are pretty great but the west coast is flat and sandy so mostly wreck diving.Cave Country is also pretty good inland.

Georgia divers typically go to north Florida to dive = again it's flat/sandy/featureless off the coast there. Still farther north the Carolinas are mostly wreck diving with a lot of shallow wrecks and some deeper ones farther out in the Gulf Stream. North Carolina has some good wreck diving but can be advanced, You can dive with Sand Tigers there - big mostly harmless sharks.

No real great diving in the Gulf states except for put-down wrecks or the oil rigs - all boat diving. Also on weekend liveaboards - boats like the Fling dive Stetson Bank and the Flower Gardens NMS sanctuary which is good warm waster reef diving.

California has good cold water diving - boat or shore along most of the coast. Also the Channel Islands and further north the Monterey Kelp diving is excellent. There's also Kelp off San Diego accessible with a short boat ride or off the shore in LaJolla.Lots of options to dive with sea lions also - and sharks.

Hawaii has excellent warm water diving also - all the islands have boat/shore options and over 200 endemic fish species. Seals, dolphin, Manta rays and turtles are pretty common. About a 6hr. flight from the west coast,

There's other cold water options in the New England states or Washington state but I don't know it.

 

[doctormike]

There actually are some areas where scuba diving may be affected by restrictions on anchoring, such as in National Marine Sanctuaries. This has been a source of controversy, and a number of our local divers have been actively involved in this; so far it hasn't affected many dive sites.

That having been said, New York City has some amazing diving in a healthy marine ecosystem. Also,New York has been a major shipping port for centuries, with lot of "real" wrecks, including a number of U-boats and their victims from World War II (and one from World War I). Plus, you get all of this right off the shore of one of the world's greatest cities.

Dive conditions vary, it sounds like they are often similar to what I have heard about diving in England, although sometimes we get much brighter, clearer days...

 

[Bubblesong]

USA has less concern about ancient underwater antiquities than Europe so our New England restrictions are more about lobster permits and limits on scallop catch size.
Florida has some limits on swimming with chum-attracted sharks.

 

[BoltSnap]

There actually are some areas where scuba diving may be affected by restrictions on anchoring, such as in National Marine Sanctuaries. This has been a source of controversy, and a number of our local divers have been actively involved in this; so far it hasn't affected many dive sites.

That having been said, New York City has some amazing diving in a healthy marine ecosystem. Also,New York has been a major shipping port for centuries, with lot of "real" wrecks, including a number of U-boats and their victims from World War II (and one from World War I). Plus, you get all of this right off the shore of one of the world's greatest cities.

Dive conditions vary, it sounds like they are often similar to what I have heard about diving in England, although sometimes we get much brighter, clearer days...

God Bless America!!

 

[Marie13]

It's illegal to dive the Detroit River within Detroit city limits, from what I've read. If the police catch you, they will confiscate your dive gear.

 

[Marie13]

The Great Lakes have excellent cold water wreck diving.

 

[Steve_C]

NC also has offshore ledges. Think coral reefs at 80-120 feet. Lots of marine life. Aquatic Safaris boats run several of them out of Wrightsville Beach, NC (23 miles, Sues, Stacey's, etc)

 

[Bogtrotter]

The Pacific Northwest is also a diving hotspot- notably the Salish sea in BC and Puget Sound in WA. In Canada I'm not aware of any significant restrictions but there are sites where a permit or registration is required.