Whats the cheapest part of Florida to dive in?

[DavidPT40]

Hey guys. I live in Kentucky and I have one week off this June. I'd like to make an economical trip to Florida to do some shore diving along with snorkeling. Is there any place that doesnt charge $125 a night for a room within walking distance of the beach? I got burned pretty bad in Fort Myers in January, $120 a night in a motel that was 10 miles inland (urgh).

Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

 

[del_mo]

You are asking for alot. Shore diving is very limited. My understanding is there's a couple of spots off Ft. Lauderdale.

You might consider looking at condo timeshare rentals. I've picked up some decent condos for about $300 for a week...a very short walk to the beach in both Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach. But no shore diving. I used skyauction.com to find these.

Boat charters seems to be the most reasonable in Key Largo if you do multiple dives. I continue to recommend SilentWorld.

Probably your best snorkeling will be either Key Largo or Ft. Lauderdale.

I stumbled upon a new site (to me) called Hotel-Guides.us

After doing my usual Expedia check and found rooms in Venice Fl starting around $115, on Hotel-Guides.us I found the same room for $78.

On Expedia, you can always plot the hotel locations so that you know exactly where you are staying and aren't surprised by the 3-mile walk to the beach.

Good luck.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

St. Andrews State Park has some jetties to dive, you can camp there for under $20 I'm pretty sure there are still some craphole hotels in PCB that can be had for under $100 a night and are relatively close to the beaches.

 

[DavidPT40]

Yeah, I was thinking about St. Andrews Park. However, there are three things that turn me off about diving there- The current, the fishermen, and all the boats. It was *busy* the July when I went.

The second best shore dive of my life was off of Panama City Beach. I watched a school of baitfish be devoured by bonefish and other assorted predators about 50 feet off the beach. So I certainly don't mind diving over so-called 'barren sandy bottoms', as long as fish are there.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Dunno if there are any cheap places to stay in Destin any more, but Destin has a set of jetties that are alot of fun.

Navarre Beach has the old pier to dive. Pensacola Beach has a pile of pier rubble just east of the new pier that you can dive. All of these sites hold quite a bit of life.

Springs won't be too far up north of you, some very worthwhile of a dive.

 

[Walter]

Try the Sea Echo on El Mar in Lauderdale By the Sea.

 

[waynel]

There is no shore diving in the Keys. Why not consider boats in the Keys? You can get some very cheap hotel rates and there seems to always be a dive op within a mile. Go to Expedia and look for "discount hotels in Key Largo". You can find a decent room with a pool for about $100 a night (Marina Del Mar for instance). If you really want to go "economy" you can actually rent a room at the Sunset Inn in Islamorada for $50 a night. Mind you, NO amentieis, just a room, great for me and a buddy but I don't know if my wife would stay there. She likes the pool and other stuff.

I could actually book a trip using Sunset Inn and Rainbow Reef divers, for five days, doing 10 dives with a DM included on every dive for $575. Again, no frills. Rainbow Reef has a package of 10 dives (with DM) for $325. And Sunset Inn would cost $250.

That's just an example. If you can make a decision between "what you want" and "what you need", diving in the Keys is fas less expensive than diving the east coast of Florida. As you said yourself, $120 for a room far off the beach. Use this internet tool, you'll be amazed at what you can find.

 

[HowardE]

They'll be "giving rooms away" in June in South Florida. It's the OFF season. You can find rooms at a "mom and pop" motel in or near Lauderdale by the Sea for Under $80 per night.

 

[SharkyJillian]

Fort Lauderdale has some excellent shore diving and like the previous post said..they will be giving rooms away. Water is warm and clear-great time to dive. Commercial pier has parking and showers right at the beach.

 

[Loneranger]

Just found the Sheldon Ocean resort in Holllywood Beach for $79.00. Its sits right on the ocean and is walking distance to some shore diving. I would be afraid to see what the rooms look like, $79.00 at the beach does not go too far.