What are the pros and cons to shore diving vs boat diving?

[Z Gear]

I have not got a chance to experience boat diving. But I really like diving off shore. I am used to the ocean waves and how to read them because I like to surf. I also find that walking out to the shore from my car and kicking out to the kelp beds is a good work out. I don't look at these things as an inconvenience but rather something that I am glad I do because it is actually good for me. Then it pays off when I get to drop down and relax and enjoy the underwater experience. The great thing about all this is that it is free for me!

Sure I would love to try something new like diving off a boat but for the most part I really love shore diving besides I don't have to deal with that topic "rude divers on the boat" and who knows what else.

Any how I am really lucky to have a very close place that I can access and dive as much as I want. It is really practical and fun. I guess for me it's a no brainer.

Whether you like diving off a boat or off shore why do you favor or practice one over the other?

 

[scottwilson1]

I've primarily have done boat diving and I like it - but if you get sea sick I'd imagine it sucks - main benefit that springs to mind is more access to coral reefs and wrecks
I wouldn't worry about rude divers I think people in general post more Negative stuff then positive. However yes you are lucky having close access to shore diving

 

[Incident]

Other than paying for parking, shore diving is free.

I suppose the option to dive where you want off a boat is a pro, versus having to dive at shore sites which have access and conditions that suit your diving skills.

For me I am happy to do both, but I prefer a day of boat diving over beach diving simply for the varied sites you can dive.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Shore diving is when and where you want to be. Not so with a boat, usually. Places like the Caymans and Bonaire give you the opportunity to dive as much as you can safely get into a day. Or, you can do one dive and spend the rest of the day sipping your favorite beverage and watching the waves. The Caymans and Bonaire have some beautiful shore dives with reefs very close to shore.

 

[shoredivr]

I like shore diving because I can go on my own schedule.
I like boat diving because I can get to offshore wrecks I'd never see otherwise.

 

[TMHeimer]

Easy question.
Shore pros: Costs you only gas (car fuel) unless you're already there.
You set your own time schedule, pick your own day.
cons: GENERALLY you see less. Fewer good shells for me to collect.

Boat pros: Deeper, more to see/collect.
cons: Cost. Maybe $100+ (could be a bit less) & DM tip & maybe boat gas on top of that & car fuel getting there for sure.
They set the schedule/getting up way too early AM (for me..) in some cases.
Solo diving may or may not be allowed. Buddy assigned may be lousy.

 

[diversteve]

I guess you've never dove Wreck Alley then. Or Los Coronados Islands? Farnsworth Bank? or the Rigs?

Besides taking you to dive sites you can't swim to - the best thing about boat diving is they moor right over the dive site so all you have to do is fall in the water.

We even boat dive when we go to the shore dive capital (Bonaire) because there are sites you just can't get to due to geography, distance or being off Klein Bonaire nearby. Several of them are the better known dives.

If you dove in areas like the Southern U.S. the nearest dive site is miles off-shore. Sometimes 10's of miles. All the really name wrecks in the South Florida area also. They have to put them down in deep enough water to not be navigational hazards. Off Florida's west coast in most areas the wrecks are the fish attractant - off shore all there is is a flat sandy bottom for miles. I believe that's true off NC - they go pretty far out to the deeper wrecks - and I know it's true off SC - the closest decent wreck is 6mi. offshore. Kind of a long surface swim...

Plus I've been to multiple dive destinations where the reef is just too far offshore to safely swim to.

That's probably true for 300 or so of the Grand Cayman dive sites although there is some really decent shore diving there also. But a lot of the best is off the North Wall - a 15-20min. boat ride out on a fast boat. Some dive destinations like Turks/Caicos are almost all boat diving. Off Provo the reef is too far out - although you can see the boats out there from the beach. The better diving there is at West Caicos/French Harbour - a 45min. boat ride south. That gets you onto the 6000' wall which is amazing. Off Grand Turk the wall is accessible from shore in a few spots but it meanders farther out in areas - those happen to be the better dive sites. Roatan is similar, it's all boat diving except for a few shore dives in front of the dive resorts. Shore diving is done so infrequently there that you can't even rent tanks anywhere except for on-property use.

And the ultimate in boat diving is a liveaboard. Not so much the kind like you have in SoCal but the week trips. Socorros Island off Mexico is a full day ride out but the reward is diving with 2 dozen species of sharks, whale sharks, giant mantas, dolphins, blue fin tuna and whales in season - on every single dive. Liveaboards cover a lot of distance - the one off Utila dives the circumference of the island plus moves over to Roatan for a few days. On the way back they hit a couple of seamounts that literally no other boat goes to - it's too far for the day boats from Utila. We often never see another dive boat during the week on our liveaboard trips - several have itineraries that only they do like the Caribbean Explorer which hits Saba and St. Kitts and places in between. Or the Cayman Aggressor - conditions being right (all summer) they'll do the best of Grand Cayman and move over to dive Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Brac has a lot of shore dives but the entries are difficult. I don't think there's any shore dives off Little Cayman.

 

[nolatom]

In the Gulf, it can be muddy near shore (especially near the Miss. River delta) so boat dives are more the thing. Also the shore slopes so little, it's too much real estate sometimes to get to sufficient depth and clearer water.

In New England, where I occasionally dive, shore diving off the rocks is cool (literally, and figuratively). Just don't slip and fall.

I like boat diving because I like boats, plus all the reasons mentioned above. Main advantage to shore diving is, it's cheap.

 

[TSandM]

I've thought about this question a lot of times. I love the fact that, on a boat, I get into my gear, stand up, take a couple of steps, and fall off the boat. However, I did a LOT of work to GET all that gear on the boat, and I'm quite sure that the total work done is just about the same as in shore diving. However, when I get out of the water on a shore dive, nobody has hot soup and breadsticks ready for me, and my last dive of the day isn't ended with warm chocolate chip cookies.

 

[dmaziuk]

Popular dive place in Perth Western Australia is Rottnest island. You can get there on a boat (ferry) carrying your own tanks. Cars aren't allowed there, you can rent a bicycle to get you to the entry point. The place that rents bikes will also fill your cylinders.

Or you can go on a boat (dive), tanks and lunch included.