Question Where to for 3-5 day window to dive in July ?

[Sue Sue]

Looking for Florida dive trip planning advice for July.
-Location, Dive Op's , Lodging and any other MUST DO's.
-Hubby Buddy and I will have a 3 - 5 day window for First Time Florida diving.
-We are both experienced Cozumel/Bonaire divers.
-Shore and/or Boat
-Own our own gear...Need Tanks/weights only ; Prefer NITROX
-Arriving/departing airport Orlando, have rental car and willing to drive distance as needed.
-Budget - Moderate
-Our top dive interests are Corals, Reef, Macro, Fish (Schools, Any Size). Wrecks are OK, however, schooling fish and macro life on hulls and surfaces are our focus.

Thanks for any suggestions
Best Regards

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Sue Sue

Personally, I think the best diving, best reefs, most fish in Florida are in the SE, Palm Beach County, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and West Palm. You will get a lot of recommendations and will have to do your own research. The best shore dive is Blue Heron Bridge, it will be under construction during your visit. You will be too early for Goliath Grouper aggregation. July has warm water and generally good sea conditions. I can't help you with accommodations as I've had a townhouse just north of Boynton Beach since 2011. Others can make several recommendations. I can certainly recommend operators if you decide you want more information on this area. I have many trip reports in this forum that can help you get an idea. Just click on one of the Trip Report icons and only the trip reports will come up for you to view.

Good searching

 

[NovaCane]

+1 on the above recommendation, especially since wrecks aren't a big draw for you.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I’ll second @scubadada and suggest Palm Beach County, especially since you’re flying into Orlando. It’s all drift diving on reefs with some wreck trecks. Check out the various threads & dive reports for Jupiter, Palm Beach & Boynton Beach in the Florida forum.

Due to the bridge construction, you may want to stear clear of diving Blue Heron Bridge. Technically you can still dive the site, but gaining access from the parking at Phil Foster Park is going to be challenging. See the Blue Heron Bridge Trolls thread (Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III). But there are MANY good charter options in Jupiter, Palm Beach, and Boynton Beach to choose from.

Useful Threads:

Jupiter Dive Thread

I recently relocated from Northern VA to Jupiter, FL. I'm an SSI divemaster with most of my experience in the Keys and Caribbean, although I learned to dive and have done a significant amount of training in the cold, dark quarries of the mid-Atlantic. I'd like to use this thread to share some...

scubaboard.com

Palm Beach Dive Thread

There is an ongoing thread for trip reports and condition updates for Jupiter and one for Blue Heron Bridge, but we don't have one for the sites off of Palm Beach/Palm Beach Shores. I dive this area frequently and often want to post an update without creating a whole new thread. So I decided...

scubaboard.com

Plus many of us regulars have posted specific dive report threads over the years. All can be found in the Florida forum. Look for specific dive report threads as well as the above two running dive report threads.

Multiple hotel & AirBNB options across the county. I’d need to know more about your preferences to recommend any specific area. I used to live in Palm Beach County and still travel back monthly to dive. I know the entire area pretty well. PM me if you want any lodging recommendations.