***?? Texas?

[witchdr2172]

Got the mail after work last night & was excited to see the latest issue of Scuba Diving.
Their annual issue with the Best Of dives throughtout the world. I realize this is supposed to be an era of "change" & everything, but can someone who has ever dove in Texas explain to me & everyone else how the heck Texas was voted to be the best shore diving & snorkeling categories in North America? Canada even beat us out. As a matter of fact, Florida didn't score very well at all in guite a few categories. Bad news for operators, but less traffic under the water as well. What's everyones take on this

 

[ScubaSteve]

Does FL really have that many good shore diving spots? I would have thought that it was better known for boat diving. I have no idea what TX has for shore diving but Canada has a lot of shore diving.....some good some not. Snorkelling in Canada....not a chance though.

 

[netmage]

Florida has loads of decent shore diving... There are 3 reef lines that run right off Ft. Lauderdale and probably further, they then diverge out deeper as well as the Gulf Stream...

Then there is Blue Heron Bridge... probably one of the top 5 dives in the state...

Texas has lakes; can't see much Gulf diving being too appealing without some very long boat rides...

 

[Cave Diver]

I haven't seen the article, but I can't see how Texas would rank high. The Gulf Stream pushes flow out of the Mississippi river west and as a result much of the beaches from Galveston all the way to the Louisiana border is made up from a bed of clay mud with a dirty sand covering. The water is dark and murky until you get a considerable way off shore.

Here, (Sabine Pass area) that usually equates to at least 20 miles before the water starts clearing. Sometimes I've seen it bad as far as 40 miles out, and I've dove rigs 60 miles out that still have a layer of murky water at the bottom that is 10-15' deep

In addition, the continental shelf has a very gradual slope. Something along the lines of about 1.5 feet of depth increase for every mile you go out. You've got to go pretty far just to break 100'.

I know that as you go further south down the coast the water improves, as well as the depth but I'm not sure at what point shore diving would become feasible. I've been told Corpus has some decent diving, but it's closer for me to go to Florida, so I've never checked it out.

The one standout that Texas could claim is the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, about 100 miles off the coast out of the Port Aransas area.

If [user]Wookie[/user] sees this thread, I'm sure he can elaborate more because he's done charters out there for years.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Maybe TX paid there way into the top. CD?

 

[Cave Diver]

Maybe TX paid there way into the top. CD?

Something! I'm gonna be mad if I've been traveling all over and missing out on the best diving this close to home all these years!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Uh-Oh.....you turn green when you get mad.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I haven't read the article but it sounds like some artifact of either the voting demographic or the magazine wanting to be inclusive.

 

[Wookie]

I'm watching this thread. I'm speechless. The Flower Gardens are awesome, (and we will run a charter or 3 this year) but best shore diving and snorkeling?

Back in 1999-2003, we ran a campaign to see if we could skew the data of the top 100. We (the Spree) won liveaboard #1 crew 2 of those years, and top 5 liveaboards in the world all of them. A certain operator of luxury liveaboards with blue hulls got so mad at the magazine that ran the top 100 list that he threatened to pull advertising if the trend continued. (I got this information from a disgruntled ex-employee). In 2004, there were no US based liveaboards rated in any category, but interestingly some of the blue-hulled boats did very well. Not that they didn't deserve it, they are very expensive luxury liveaboards. I don't put much stock in the top 100 any more.

 

[Arizona_SVO]

I've been told Corpus has some decent diving, but it's closer for me to go to Florida, so I've never checked it out.

Not sure where you heard that, but as for shore diving, we get about 3 weeks on a good year when the blue water comes in... and that is not too often and should probably not be considered shore diving.

For good diving, we dive the rigs when we can but the surface swim is a b*tch.:cool2:

Now if ya'all will scuse me, I need to send Scuba Diving some more money... err, subscription fees.