I am planning a spring break in Miami FL for diving.. need some advice here!

I am planning a spring break in Miami FL for diving.. need some advice here!

Me and my buddy are planning to fly to Miami, and stay from Feb 28th to March 5th. We will rent a car, so transportation is not a problem. It will be a scuba diving trip, with going out in town during the evening/nights. We are seeking good advice from you guys. Our budget's $600 for airfare/hotel/car rental and $200 for food/miscellaneous

1) Which hotel is a good hotel to stay at? Preferably a hotel near the beach, or near good dive sites.

2) Where's the best place for tons of dive sites that can be accessible from shore?

3) Who's the best outfitter for a 1-day 2-tank dive boat trip under $85?

4) Should we stay in Miami area, or stay in a hotel near/in FL Keys?

thanks...

hey there- I can help with a couple of questions...

1)- can't help with Miami

2) if you want to shore dive- you are looking at Lauderdale by the sea- or a few sites nearby- sheck out shorediving.com- they have a new section for florida- lists a lot of the sites that florida conch's go to.

3) this depends on where you are based- there is a list of recommended boats posted at the top of this forum- but it depends where you want to go and what you want to dive. you should not have any probs with that price range.

4) if you want night life- especially the spring break variety- then stay in Miami- or possible Fort Lauderdale- there really isn't any nightlife in the upper keys- the only place would be key west, but that will cut you out for shore diving (2-3 hour drive). Nightliufe in Miami is obviously good- but don't rule out Fort lauderdale- theres some good clubs and bars in certain areas and it can have a bit of spring break atmos. Only problem will be getting a hotel near the nightlife if you want to avoid driving.

enjoy!

I lived in MyYami for many years, and generally dove north or south of the city unless I was on a private boat. The dive ops in there are typically pretty shoddy. Lots of slick people being cool, cell phones ringing during surface intervals, no-information briefings (if they bother to give a briefing), etc. Leave on time? (maybe, probably not) Head to the site you booked on the phone? (usually not because the DM or capt is trying to hustle one of the bikinied tourist customers rather than attending to the diving.)

I once booked a trip out of Key Biscayne and never did find out who the DM was, or what sites we dove. How did I know who the capt was? I'm assumming it was the cat who was at the capt station the longest (one guy stayed there about 50% of the time; two others split the remainder of the time. There was no briefing)

Too bad the dive ops are so poor quality, because there is some fantastic diving there. But if you head to Homestead and dive the national park, or on down to the Keys, or drive up to Ft Lauderdale area or Boca/Delray/Boynton, you'll find the dive ops AND the diving to be delightful. And its all within an hour of glitterville.

Now for sightseeing & people watching, you can't do better than South Beach!

thank you. any more feedback anyone?

In my alternate life - the one that makes me a living - I am a Destination Marketing Consultant. So I market South Florida every day. With your budget and your expectations your best bet would be to find a hotel in the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea or Pompano Area. The rates will be more reasonable than Fort Lauderdale, and you won't find anything near the water in Miami during that time of year in your budget. PLUS - as we SBers all know - the best shore diving anywhere is in LBTS and Pompano so you can really maximize your dive $s. Several of the boats in this area run trips in the $65 or less range for a two tank.

Nightlife abounds down here you just have to plan wisely or the prices will get you. South Beach is great - stick to the Clevelander or Mangos for reasonably priced drinks and no cover. The Hard Rock complex in Hollywood is opening its 24/7 entertainment center this month with some real high end nightclubs that will give South Beach a run for its money but the cover charges are kinda steep. Fort Lauderdale has great nightlife. It is not as much on the beach as it used to be. Most of the great clubs are off Los Olas, at the Riverfront Complex or behind the complex in the Himmershee District. Beachplace still has Sloppy Joes and Howl at the Moon but it is not as popular as it used to be.

Hope this helps. Look us up when you are down here!

Another plus for Ft Lauderdale: airfares to Lauderdale (FLL) are generally cheaper, in my experience, and lower airfare = more diving! Ft Lauderdale to Miami is a straight shot down I-95 if you want to visit there, and I'll guess a +/- 2 hour drive from Ft Lauderdale to the upper Keys.

Here's an important tip, tho: there are NO (repeat NO meaning ZERO) gas stations anywhere near the Ft Lauderdale airport, so gas up the rental car on the highway before you get to the airport!

Thanks all, for the tips about beach dives in FLBTS- we may try that on our next trip.

Thanks for the replies and in case you all were wondering, me and my buddy are staying in the del mar castillo resort on Miami Beach from Feb 28 - March 5th.

The package of hotel + round trip airfare from rochester, ny + fullsize car rental was $550 for the entire week (each).

Where's shore diving in pompano? I'm also interested in those dive trips under $65 a day, we might do that for 2 days...

ReneeC:

Look us up when you are down here!

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what do you do?

DaveO:

Here's an important tip, tho: there are NO (repeat NO meaning ZERO) gas stations anywhere near the Ft Lauderdale airport, so gas up the rental car on the highway before you get to the airport!

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hey DaveO- you just didn't look hard enough- I just got back from a FL trip with rental car- there is a gas station just down the road from the rental car returns - just drive past the turn and its 100 yards down the road- I am sure it does a swift service.
genrally good advice though!

US 1 which runs north/south is the eastern boundary of FLL. It is just chock full of gas stations and fast food places and a dive shop or two, so you can get gas in almost any part of you, your dive gear and your car.