Jupiter31
Contributor
I live in Miami, and dive year 'round - If you are coming from CA, you will find the water much warmer than what you are used to - normally, its 68 - 73 that time of year.
Also, winter often provides the best viz of the year - if you are staying in Miami or Miami Beach, you have ready access to to a fantastic operator - RJ Diving - they dive year 'round and are great; very professional. Miami is a good place to dive, too.
Here is their contact info:
www.rjdiving.com
305.861.6277
All the positives said, Feb can be a terrible month as we get cold fronts and resultant wind that can really mess up the diving for days - this past winter was rough - who knows what Feb will bring? But you have a far greater probability of being blown out in the winter vs summer.
I would advise anyone coming for a dedicated dive vacation to pick another month, however you are coming for the festival (which is a 1st class deal BTW - attended a couple of years ago) so give diving a shot - I use a 7mm that time of year (and am strongly considering going dry); others are comfortable w/ 3mm - but you need something - good news is there is a shop next to RJ's boat that can rent you anything you need.
Finally, the NOAA weather forecast is your friend - they can give you the outlook for when you are coming down - if the forecast calls for a front, w/ 15 - 25 mph winds,and 6 - 9 foot seas, bag the diving, and sign up for another chef at the festival!
Also, winter often provides the best viz of the year - if you are staying in Miami or Miami Beach, you have ready access to to a fantastic operator - RJ Diving - they dive year 'round and are great; very professional. Miami is a good place to dive, too.
Here is their contact info:
www.rjdiving.com
305.861.6277
All the positives said, Feb can be a terrible month as we get cold fronts and resultant wind that can really mess up the diving for days - this past winter was rough - who knows what Feb will bring? But you have a far greater probability of being blown out in the winter vs summer.
I would advise anyone coming for a dedicated dive vacation to pick another month, however you are coming for the festival (which is a 1st class deal BTW - attended a couple of years ago) so give diving a shot - I use a 7mm that time of year (and am strongly considering going dry); others are comfortable w/ 3mm - but you need something - good news is there is a shop next to RJ's boat that can rent you anything you need.
Finally, the NOAA weather forecast is your friend - they can give you the outlook for when you are coming down - if the forecast calls for a front, w/ 15 - 25 mph winds,and 6 - 9 foot seas, bag the diving, and sign up for another chef at the festival!