New from Western PA

[revdive]

Hello!
I'm getting open water certified through Scott's SCUBA in Freeport, PA with PADI next week and I can't be more excited.
Eventually I'll get around to wreck diving in Erie but I'm sticking to the quarries for the moment. Also, I'll be planning a winter trip where the water will be nice and warm.

I don't have any equipment. I'm hoping to rent different setups and brands before investing in a setup.

My first question: how comfortable should I be as an open water diver to try drift diving in FL?

 

[txdamselfish]

Welcome to the Scubaboard community, this is an excellent resource for researching equipment, dive shops, charter boats and learning more about different methods of diving.

My only advice on a drift dive is if you make a negative entry make sure all the air is out of your BC. I even press and hold the deflate button while sucking on Inflator hose just for good measure. This was a learning opportunity for me.

Thanks John from California for the advice!

 

[drrich2]

Welcome. Where are you talking about drift diving in Florida?

Individuals vary in how well they're doing right out of OW training, how well they adapt to multi-tasking and new situations, etc... Personally, I'd favor doing some non-drift diving first. But not all drift diving is created equal.

Richard.

 

[revdive]

Welcome. Where are you talking about drift diving in Florida?

Individuals vary in how well they're doing right out of OW training, how well they adapt to multi-tasking and new situations, etc... Personally, I'd favor doing some non-drift diving first. But not all drift diving is created equal.

Richard.

I'm really just looking at any place that I can fit into my schedule/budget for this winter. It seems as though drift diving on the east coast of FL might be one of my options so I was just wondering if I should wait for a little more experience before doing a drift dive.

 

[mcohen1021]

Welcome. Where are you talking about drift diving in Florida?

Same question

 

[drrich2]

I'm really just looking at any place that I can fit into my schedule/budget for this winter. It seems as though drift diving on the east coast of FL might be one of my options so I was just wondering if I should wait for a little more experience before doing a drift dive.

Ah. You may be looking at reports from 3 places; Jupiter (which is deep, and probably not the place for right out of OW training), West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. I've dove out of Jupiter but not the other two. Quite a number of people on ScubaBoard have done them, and you can read a number of recent trip reports. Pay particular attention to whether a give operator in a particular area puts a free guide in the water with you, or not. That also applies to operators out of Key Largo in the Florida Keys.

Key Largo with Rainbow Reef Dive Center 2013 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...iving-key-largo-rainbow-reef-dive-center.html Out of date, but might give you some idea what a Keys trip might be like.

Jupiter 2014 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/491927-jupiter-trip-report-9-7-14-9-11-14-a.html You'll want nitrox and probably Advance OW cert. before heading here. The goliath grouper aggregation (which I did) and lemon shark aggregation (a winter thing) are good to know about.

Emerald Charters Trip Report 2017 - Trip Report - Emerald Dive Charters Trip Report I'm including this in case Jupiter really catches your interest, but I'm NOT recommending it for new divers.

I think Key Largo could be a fine choice for you. Rainbow Reef Dive Center puts a guide in the water; some operators don't. Then again, an op. that doesn't might offer smaller boats with fewer divers, and some people prefer that.

 

[revdive]

Ah. You may be looking at reports from 3 places; Jupiter (which is deep, and probably not the place for right out of OW training), West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. I've dove out of Jupiter but not the other two. Quite a number of people on ScubaBoard have done them, and you can read a number of recent trip reports. Pay particular attention to whether a give operator in a particular area puts a free guide in the water with you, or not. That also applies to operators out of Key Largo in the Florida Keys.

Key Largo with Rainbow Reef Dive Center 2013 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...iving-key-largo-rainbow-reef-dive-center.html Out of date, but might give you some idea what a Keys trip might be like.

Jupiter 2014 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/491927-jupiter-trip-report-9-7-14-9-11-14-a.html You'll want nitrox and probably Advance OW cert. before heading here. The goliath grouper aggregation (which I did) and lemon shark aggregation (a winter thing) are good to know about.

Emerald Charters Trip Report 2017 - Trip Report - Emerald Dive Charters Trip Report I'm including this in case Jupiter really catches your interest, but I'm NOT recommending it for new divers.

I think Key Largo could be a fine choice for you. Rainbow Reef Dive Center puts a guide in the water; some operators don't. Then again, an op. that doesn't might offer smaller boats with fewer divers, and some people prefer that.

Awesome info. Key Largo is definitely on my list. So maybe I will try to get there this year. Thank you!

 

[drrich2]

Same question

Well, it's a bit of a stretch, but I did think of one more drift diving option in Florida, one that I've never done but would like to if I'm ever in the area and it's convenient - Rainbow River, a long drift dive that looks like a fun time. I like turtles, various freshwater fish and other things so it would appeal to me. It's shallow and if the viz. is as good as it looks in articles I've seen, I think it'd be a good dive for newcomers to the hobby.

 

[Zef]

Its an approximately 3.5 hour haul for you, but there is a shop in Hamburg NY that does a drift dive every Monday evening in the Niagara river. I know that @rhwestfall is familiar with it and can probably provide you more information. Linking up with that shop will give you the ability to do a drift dive somewhat locally and inexpensively and see if it is something your skills are adapted to and if it is actually something you are interested in doing more of before investing in vacation travel to do it.

-Z

 

[SpaceCat]

Well, it's a bit of a stretch, but I did think of one more drift diving option in Florida, one that I've never done but would like to if I'm ever in the area and it's convenient - Rainbow River, a long drift dive that looks like a fun time. I like turtles, various freshwater fish and other things so it would appeal to me. It's shallow and if the viz. is as good as it looks in articles I've seen, I think it'd be a good dive for newcomers to the hobby.

This is for sure beginner friendly. I did a drift dive down the Rainbow River as my first dive out of Open Water class a few years ago, and it was plenty simple. I did not use a charter and did not start up in the state park (we used a family member's boat and started as close to the park as we could with a private boat), so we did have to tow a dive flag and figure things out ourselves. It is very shallow and the current is manageable, but depending on what part of the river you are in, be very careful about other boats (especially with the water being so shallow), and be careful not to get yourself tangled up in the small, private docks (with current, it can be difficult to get untangled). Using a dive operator, I am sure the dive is even easier and more beginner friendly. We saw a mix of fish, freshwater plants, and some turtles. I think my average depth was 8ft?

The viz was as good as the articles show, however I imagine after a solid rain, the viz does drop significantly. There are a few places where the river connects with other water sources heavy with tannins, so around those merges, the viz drops due to the mixing of the tea colored water. You also want to go on a sunny, and not cloudy day as it helps the viz out a lot.