Tampa vs Ft Lauderdale diving

[DBailey]

I am starting to plan one of hopefully many weekend trips to Florida. Soutwest Airlines is running a good promotion from Chicago-Midway.

Tampa Bay and Ft. Lauderdale are two of the cities listed in the promotion.

Could someone please provide information on each location? I know that it is a generic request, but any help would be appreciated.

To help out:

Planning for late June (19-20 or 26-27).
Currently OW certified with 34 dives, but taking AOW this weekend.
Would prefer not to do any drift dives.
Charter dives are acceptalbe.
Shore and charter diving with ScubaBoard members is ideal.
I have a new camera and housing so looking for photo oppurtunities (wrecks, animals, etc).
What is the visibility like in both locations for mid to late June.

Thank you.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

You've come to the right place, at least as far as the Ft. Lauderdale side is concerned. (Nothing against the west coast - I've just never dived there.)

There are lots of good operators for the wrecks around Ft. Lauderdale/Boca/West Palm area. You should be able to find something in the $45 dollar range for a 2 tank. Watch the Private Trips folder to see who's going where, and you can hook up with some of our folks.

As far as shore diving goes, it's great around Lauderdale. Again, we go off the beach almost every weekend, and you're welcome to join us. It's nice to be able to dive a world class reef for nothing more than a shore surface swim, $3 for parking and an air fill. Nice also to get 100+ minutes out of a fill while seeing turtles, squid, sharks and more reef fish than you can count. And then there are the Florida Conch Divers surface intervals, which are famous (or should that be notorious?) in their own right...

 

[adder70]

I would vote Ft. Lauderdale definitely. You have access to decent beach diving, and great boat diving all along the coast from Jupiter to Miami. Importantly, the diving is close in. My limited experience in Tampa is that good diving is a long boat ride out, and that you usually take 3 tank all day trips, vs 4 hour 2 tank trips in West Palm and Ft. Lauderdale.

Beware the cattle boats, where you could be put in a group of 5 with no specific buddy for you. (In other words, you really dive solo.) These boats usually charter for 30 ft dives, but still it isn't a great thing to do.

I am sure you will get a wealth of advice on charters in the next hour or so.

 

[kelsays]

Where do you do your beach diving? Off Greene street ( where A1a Turns hard) or somewhere else?

I have dived off Grene Street, but no where else. I'd like to try another site. I have an OW student to certify, and she wants to do Florida.

 

[alemaozinho]

go to www.splashdowndivers.com,they rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[alemaozinho]

there are many beach diving locations along the coast and if you are interested,there,s a good book to buy,THE GUIDE TO UNDERWATER FLORIDA",has north east south and west location plus caves ect.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Where do you do your beach diving? Off Greene street ( where A1a Turns hard) or somewhere else?

I have dived off Grene Street, but no where else. I'd like to try another site. I have an OW student to certify, and she wants to do Florida.

Greene St. in Hollywood? Nice dive, haven't been there in a while tho. Try Michigan St., where the outlet pipe is, or Dania Beach, south end of the parking lot. Also any street next to Greene street is interesting...Charleston, Douglas...

 

[cdiver2]

go to www.splashdowndivers.com,they rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed are a very good charter, but if you read the starter he stated no drift and came across as relatively new diver. I have done some dives with splashdown that may be beyond what he feels he is ready for. Drift, 4-5 swells etc I would not want to put you of diving.
I live in the Tampa area and would agree the diving is better on the east coast, but the west has no drift and generally a lot easier dives.
If you can buddy with a experienced diver I would say do the east drift dives are not hard.
Good luck

 

[CBulla]

I really need to get some of you folks from the East cost over here to dive the West coast. There are some really cool things to see and dive here. Its not like diving the Living Seas or an Aquarium like the east cost. If you go offshore there are wrecks, ledges, and artificial structure. Want to see some of the life? Go here: http://www.conchdivers.com/psd/boca/Album2/index.htm

Granted, that was from an area thats very popular for fishing thus the clean up going on. The off shore wrecks and fish are much the same. Incidentally, the jew fish pictured is not the largest we saw... the pictured one is in the 300-400lb range. The fish in the other picture (going by above us) Tarpon in the 70-90lb range. Not up in pictures are the stone crabs, snapper, grouper, bottle nose dolphin, and other fish that joined in the fun and revelry. Like any diving, the longer you sit in one place after an initial splash down the more fish show back up

 

[GrierHPharmD]

Good point, Colin.

I've got to get over there soon. Besides, I have a hankerin' for some meg teeth...