best diving within 2 - 3 hr drive from disney

hello Florida divers! I'm a Georgia diver coming down to Orlando in late June for my son's baseball tournament at disney. Can you guys clue me in on the best diving that is in say a two to three hour drive from Orlando? Some say Clearwater is the best bet and Cocoa Beach is not that great. Any ideas on area and dive charters would be greatly appreciated!

redwing19:

hello Florida divers! I'm a Georgia diver coming down to Orlando in late June for my son's baseball tournament at disney. Can you guys clue me in on the best diving that is in say a two to three hour drive from Orlando? Some say Clearwater is the best bet and Cocoa Beach is not that great. Any ideas on area and dive charters would be greatly appreciated!

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I'd say, for diving neither, for beach -> Clearwater.

If you want ocean diving, your closest would be Jupiter which is in the 3hr range depending on where exacly you drive from and your avg speed.

Well, you can dive some of the springs. I am not that fond of spring diving.

You could go over to Crystal River and dive with manatees.

The nearest good salt water diving is West Palm Beach. I have used the Narcosis over there. It is a good fast boat.

If you get the time, you could go down to Pompano Beach. It has a wide range of dive sites. The soft corals down at Pompano are clearly better than West Palm. Pompano is about 30 miles south of West Palm. You can drive to West Palm, dive and get back on the same day. Also in West Palm, you can shore dive the Blue Heron Bridge. I understand because of the nutrient flow from the currents from the tides, there is a very large variety of small critters there. But you have to time the tides.

At Pompano, I have used the South Florida Diving Headquarters. They dive a wreck called the Sea Emperor. THe Sea Emperor is a barge. It is about 80' at the deck and 105' at the sand (if you push your computer right onto the bottom). I believe there were concrete culverts on the deck when they sank the thing. Next to the wreck, is the pile of culverts. Two large goliath grouper and a very large green moray eel hang out there.

We just got done with a three-day dive trip to West Palm. I can testify that the drive is worth it! We dove off Jim Abernethy's boat (WONDERFUL outfit) and off the Walker boat (not as nice a ladder, but good people). We also went up and dove in Jupiter through the Jupiter dive shop -- I had a few safety issues with their boat and dock, but the diving was wonderful. It's well worth the drive!

I live in the Jupiter area and it takes between 2 and 3 hours to drive to Disney or downtown Orlando (not in rush hour). Jupiter Dive Center is the best: Jupiter has great reefs and wrecks. Lots of big and small fish to see along with turtles. You won't be dissapointed.

Scuba Diving Jupiter with Jupiter Dive Center, Scuba diving lessons at a PADI 5 Star facility, daily scuba diving trips in Jupiter, Florida.

Lots of good diving in WPB too, but the drive is 20-30 minutes further south. If you don't know any ops in WPB, you can call Force-E and they can get you on a boat. Reefs are slightly shallower in WPB (compared to Jupiter) and slightly more colorful. In Jupiter you're almost guaranteed to see big fish (like goliath grouper), but in WPB, it is a little more hit-and-miss.

West Palm Beach Scuba Diving Center - Dive store in West Palm Beach metro area

I second Lynne's post, Jim Abernethy Scuba Adventures. Dive with them all year round, they are top notch and a ton of fun to boot. Have not dove with JDC, and a shop guy there said their boats are super crowded on the weekends. I like smaller outfits and more personalized attention.

Lisa

If you're looking for a 2-3 hr. op, JDC is THE place to dive. As others have mentioned, Jim Abernethery, Walker's, and others in WPB are also excellent, but it's an extra 20-30 min. drive, with not as much diversity in ocean critters as you'll encounter in Jupiter. Check out their website: www.jupiterdivercenter.com .......you won't be disappointed~

Hi redwing19,

JDC is a good operation and the diving in Jupiter is very good. I just dived with them Feb 18 and was lucky enough to participate in the Lemon Shark aggregation. We had about 25 Lemon Sharks swimming around us on the Zion for 10-15 minutes. Reef Sharks, Goliath Grouper, turtles, are all common sights on the Jupiter dives. The 3 tanks dives on Friday and Sunday have less divers and they are generally a more experienced group.

If you don't mind another 30-45 minutes of driving, I would seriously consider diving out of Boynton Beach. The reefs are shallower at 40-60 feet and considerably more colorful. The Castor is a very good wreck dive almost guaranteeing Goliath Grouper. Underwater Explorers is a great operation and takes out only 6 divers. I've also used Starfish, they are very good too, considerably more divers.

Whoever you choose, you'll enjoy your diving in SE FL. With the exception of missing dives on the Spiegel Grove, Duane, and Bibb, I prefer it to Key Largo.

Best, Craig

TSandM:

We just got done with a three-day dive trip to West Palm. I can testify that the drive is worth it! We dove off Jim Abernethy's boat (WONDERFUL outfit) and off the Walker boat (not as nice a ladder, but good people). We also went up and dove in Jupiter through the Jupiter dive shop -- I had a few safety issues with their boat and dock, but the diving was wonderful. It's well worth the drive!

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What outfit and what where the concerns? I am very curious as there are several shops there and polar opposites when it comes to some things. I know some folks do not like the idea of only the DM carrying a flag and are accustom to each dive group having their own flag. As to dock issues... I was disappointed in walking down a "plank" with a steep angle balanced on a cooler recently. It looked like a accident waiting to occur but I have Mad ninja cat skills and did fine.

redwing19-- looking over your profile you'd love Jupiter. I always check before I recommend Jupiter because it is 80-90 feet and has a decent current sometimes. I very often see large moray's, turtles, rays, golaith grouper, sharks, jacks, hogfish (yum) and in the past few years more and more DEAD Lionfish.. well they are not dead when I first see them....

From Orlando if you are on the west side of town (theme parks) I'd take the turnpike if you are on the east side (airport) I'd take the 528 to I95. About 2 1/2 hours.

Let us know when you are coming Florida Conch SB'ers are world famous for filling a boat and welcoming guest!