New diver in Florida in October - good time?

[anchochile]

I'm a recently-certified diver and will be in Orlando for work in mid-October. I'm interested in tacking on a few days to the end of the trip for some diving. From what research I've done, I'm leaning towards Key Largo, maybe two days of boat diving, hopefully with a stop in West Palm Beach on the way down to dive BHB.

All my dives so far have been in Monterey, and I'm planning to continue to dive locally over the coming months, so these would be my first warm water dives and my first boat dives.

My questions:

• Does this seem like a good plan for a beginner diver? Would you suggest other areas instead?
• How reliable are the conditions at that time of year? I realize it's hurricane season, but barring a hurricane or tropical storm, what would be the risk that conditions would be a bust and I'd have to eat the extra cost of travel & hotels and not get any decent diving in?

 

[sportxlh]

October is one of those times of the year where marine conditions are variable. When I lived in Florida, I had some years where I dove every weekend but others where dives were cancelled regularly due to poor marine conditions. You just never know.

I would recommend that you make your plans but just be flexible if marine conditions suck. A good back-up plan is to dive Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach since it is in a protected area. It usually can be dove when the ocean conditions are too rough for boats. Even if marine conditions are pristine, the bridge is a pretty cool dive site given all the macro life that's there. Diving in Disney's Epcot tank (Dive Quest) is another option

 

[PalauDiver]

October should be just as fine as any other month weather-wise, meaning completely variable and just play it by ear. But the water is nice and warm and perfect for diving. If you need any recommendations in the Keys, let me know.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

It can get a little windy but you would still probably be fine. After Halloween the wind really picks up, but even then close to shore in Largo you will still be able to get out. Its only like 4 miles out to the dive spots there.

 

[kelemvor]

How reliable are the conditions at that time of year? I realize it's hurricane season, but barring a hurricane or tropical storm, what would be the risk that conditions would be a bust and I'd have to eat the extra cost of travel & hotels and not get any decent diving in?

That depends on the variable conditions, your captains and your combined willingness to dive in rougher seas. One of the captains in my town will not go out if there are 2' seas or higher. I've been on boats in 6' seas, so not all captains feel the same way about it.

Monday might be flat. Tuesday might have a storm that brought some big waves. Wednesday might be great again. @sportxlh summed it up nicely. Be flexible and have backup plans.

Boat rides in this part of the world tend to be very short. 15 minutes or so unless you're diving with a single operator and have a specific dive site picked out. For me, the short boat ride means I can tolerate rougher seas. Once you're underwater a few feet 6' seas are not an issue. Getting back on the boat can be a challenge.

 

[boulderjohn]

It is indeed hurricane season, but I believe that Florida has had one hurricane in the last 15 years, so the odds are with you on that one.

 

[kelemvor]

It is indeed hurricane season, but I believe that Florida has had one hurricane in the last 15 years, so the odds are with you on that one.

Also, we get lots of warning about hurricanes. You'd know a week or more in advance of your trip if one was a concern. They're not like the tornadoes that people get up north which apparently pop up with little notice. I think I heard about IRMA several weeks in advance.. finally decided to stock up on emergency supplies somewhat late in the game - 7 days before it hit the keys (8 days before my area).

 

[anchochile]

Monday might be flat. Tuesday might have a storm that brought some big waves. Wednesday might be great again. @sportxlh summed it up nicely. Be flexible and have backup plans.

I'm curious what you mean by "backup plans" - when conditions are crummy on the reefs, is there somewhere else nearby to dive or snorkel? Or do you mean I should have non-diving backup plans just in case?

I'm leaning towards planning for 2 days of diving with Rainbow Reef, then day 3 would be a Blue Heron Bridge dive since I believe it's not deep enough to incur much nitrogen loading, and I could still fly home on day 4.

Looks like I can fly home Southwest, so if the forecast is awful, I can fly home a few days earlier for no fee. Hopefully I can book cancel-able hotel rooms too, so if the weather is a bust, I won't be stuck eating the cost of the extra days in Key Largo.

 

[RickI]

Your plan of dives seems realistic for a newly certified diver if you go with good dive operations. Unfortunately, mid-October, along with August and September are prime tropical weather months in South Florida. The thing is you never know in advance what will blow through, where or how severe it might be. It doesn't have to be a hurricane to cause problems, tropical systems even depressions can cause boat diving issues at times. You may have no weather issues to speak of or there might be some conflicts. BHB is a good alternate an hour before high tide. You might consider a trip to cave country with some escorted dives with the operator as a Plan B. As a near 50 year South Florida resident, not fond of hurricanes and strong tropical systems at all, I hope the former comes about. Good luck.

 

[DavidFL]

Hi; your plan sounds good to me. I live in Orlando, and my regular 'go to' destinations year-round are Jupiter, West Palm, Florida Keys. I think Key Largo is the best plan in advance, since it is way too early to adjust for weather, and Rainbow Reef will treat you well. My son wanted to refresh after a long layoff from diving, and that's exactly where we went: Key Largo and Rainbow Reef as the operator. Since it looks like you've done research already, you know that Blue Heron Bridge is tidal. Weekdays are better than weekends at BHB because of parking, among other things. So you can look at the calendar and identify the day on the way down that you want to try BHB, and find out exactly what time(s) you will need to be there to be in the water before slack high tide.