Tampa Area or Ft Lauderdale Area?

[Walter]

Warmer in the summer and colder in the winter.

 

[MikeJacobs]

Hi,
wondering which is the better diving spot of the two, TB/St. Pete or Ft. Laud?

No doubt about it IMO... for the most days diveable and the best shore diving it's SE Florida. We may have the most critters per dive as well... at least we do for sure when you dive with a Scubaboard gang!

Gulf diving requires work. This may be why they call Lauderdale the shore diving capital of the US lol. Next to licensed real estate agents I think SE Florida may also have more scuba instructors as well.

I prefer the boat diving here as well. Boats here are generally on site in about 20 minutes and that means you can easily do a 2-tank in the AM and a 2-tank in the PM with lots of time to spare for about $40 to $45 each trip. The wrecks are, well, wrecks though I prefer reefs.

Proximity to the Keys makes it easy to head down once a week if you'd wish. Nobody would compare the Keys to diving anywhere else in the country.

 

[CBulla]

Yes Walter, but was it as warm?

Yes. Warm and very clear. The reefs are cool and fun, and its hard to describe the type of dives here in comparison to those there. Walter said it best: apples and oranges and I like both apples and oranges.

 

[Walter]

Mike,

I love diving in your yard too. OTOH, I don't believe you've dived the Gulf enough to have a feel for the diving there.

 

[MikeJacobs]

Mike, I love diving in your yard too. OTOH, I don't believe you've dived the Gulf enough to have a feel for the diving there.

lol well it's not a personal thing, Walter - not "my" yard and I have no sense of pride in it. But - objectively, now - if somebody from Ohio is spending time and money on a vacation or move and diving is a big deal to them, where do most people go and why? I have yet to hear of anybody heading to Tampa instead of SE Florida for a dive vacation! If you want to 'dive your face off' once a year the place to start is in SE Florida.

Sure, the Gulf is fine (I've see the pictures & heard the stories even though I don't yet have the t-shirt lol) but sending a dive-tourist off to Tampa when they could go to SE Florida would be just... weird.

 

[Walter]

Most divers will prefer diving SE Florida, no argument there. OTOH, the question wasn't about a dive vacation.

 

[ScottZeagle]

If you like short boat rides, choose east coast.

If you don't mind the ride, the gulf has a lot of nice stuff...

Scott

 

[flounderboy]

WOW
you guys are turning this in to a turf war

as i posted earlyer
south Florida = short boat rides to heavely dove wrecks
Gulf = long boat rides to wrecks that dont get a lot of divers

I think if you in the state for more than a couple of days you can do both,,,or what you like

Dive Safe

mark s

 

[Walter]

No war at all. I love diving both coasts, the Keys and the Panhandle. I even sneak in the odd spring dive from time to time. There's great diving all over this state.

 

[flounderboy]

Personaly my fav is right next to your town
Fantastico ,bayronto
and hopefully soon the Baja California

dive safe

Mark s