Travelling to Naples Florida, new divers looking for shallow dives

[jmocallaghan]

My wife and I are travelling to Naples, FL, from NC in the mid to late portions of July. We're looking for information on decent dives shallow (under 50ft for her), a shop to rent from and charters. She is new to diving and I've taken a break for about a decade. Does anyone have recommendations on sites, shops, and charters?

 

[JamesK]

Most folks will tell you to travel to the East Coast. Baloney. I have not done much Diving on the West Coast even though I live in Naples. However I know some good sites that friends that let me on to. Contact Scubavice in fort Myers.

 

[dreamdive]

East Coast does have much better diving! Besides, you will not get seasick while getting to a dive site that takes you over one hour! The charters are cheaper (because you get there sooner). The Atlantic is warmer and has better visibility. Baloney my butt!

 

[cbm32]

Is that your nickname? Not sure I would want to be called "baloneybutt". :silly::silly:

 

[JamesK]

East Coast does have much better diving! Besides, you will not get seasick while getting to a dive site that takes you over one hour! The charters are cheaper (because you get there sooner). The Atlantic is warmer and has better visibility. Baloney my butt!

I never said things were not nicer on the east i said you don't have to go east to get some nice dives. So I still stand behind my statement of baloney.

 

[8u88les]

diving in the gulf sucks unless you can find an oil rig but that would be deep. east coast is nice but deeper than you want. if you head south to the keys you can probably find some good and shallow dives, but thats a long drive! north central florida has some caverns that are really cool like devils den. sounds scary but not really, devils den is shallow and you can always see light from anywhere inside and you can hire a guide. while in that area you can head to crystal river and snorkel with the manatee, great fun!

 

[sportxlh]

diving in the gulf sucks unless you can find an oil rig but that would be deep. east coast is nice but deeper than you want......

Not quite true: there is a really nice 25-30 foot reef in Pompano that several operators visit often. South Florida Dive HQ goes almost daily and other operators like Pompano Dive Center and Scubatyme periodically put the shallow reef on their schedules. Force-E can probably also help with other boats. I think it is one of the prettiest little reefs around..... I love the Keys too, but believe the Pompano first reef line is as nice, if not nicer, than many of the shallow Key Largo locations.

If the OP plans to head east, Pompano is an easy drive from Naples. But Key Largo is a good option too.

Another option is a Venice shark tooth dive. Visibility is not very good on these dives, but they are shallow and from what I've heard, it is fun to dig around in the sand for fossils and Magalodon teeth. Venice is a little under 2 hours north of Naples

 

[SavageRon]

Another option is a Venice shark tooth dive. Visibility is not very good on these dives, but they are shallow and from what I've heard, it is fun to dig around in the sand for fossils and Magalodon teeth. Venice is a little under 2 hours north of Naples

Visibility can definitely be an issue in Venice. 6 - 10 feet is pretty good most of the time. Less than a foot isn't much fun.
There is a group that keeps some useful information flowing to keep an eye on the visibility:
Venice Fossil Divers

My drive there is probably 2 hours, so I try avoiding the days when I can't see much, but there have been a lot of times I've used a buddy line instead of trying to keep visual; though that can be a pain through the artificial reef (The blocks) at Alhambra; which is my favourite site for the life around the blocks; which are at about 18-22ft.
A positive though is there are a lot of easy shore dives down that stretch of beach, so there's not the expense of a boat unless you get addicted to fossiling; in which case there are a couple great operators who regularly make reports and post in the group forums.

Even if it's not a regular dive it can be a fun time. You should try it once or twice too, Sport.

 

[reefgazer]

You can go north to Venice and shark tooth dive off the beach or get on a boat for a dive of 20 - 25 ft.

 

[Sea Dwellers Rob]

Naples is only an hour and a half from the best diving in North America, the Florida Keys! And most importantly, our sites here are perfect for new divers! We get alot of divers from the Naples area....if you want to dive Key Largo you can try my Dive Center Sea Dwellers Dive Center, we have alot of good reviews and have been here since 1974.
Good luck to you!