Tampa/ClearWater/St Pete Dive Sites for beginners?

[christaylor]

Hey just posting here was recommended by Don. I already am making plans to check out Off the Wall Adventures as they have already seemed to be more the nice to me in the first few hours of my postings.

What I am looking for is some idea's on where to start my first real florida dives and where to meet fellow divers who are interested in having a dive buddy. Be the fact that I only get to dive a few times a year my dive skills will be beginner quality initially until i increase the amount I dive in florida.

[scubafool]

I don't have a large amount of saltwater diving experience, but for freshwater dives relativlely close to you, I would say that Alexander Springs is probably your best bet.

If a handy moderator (hint, hint, now's the time to earn your coin, lol!) were to move this thread to the Florida Conch forum, you would be more likely to get good answers.

[christaylor]

So have you dived alot fresh water only? Is all the diving in fresh water basically caves and fresh water wrecks?

I don't have a large amount of saltwater diving experience, but for freshwater dives relativlely close to you, I would say that Alexander Springs is probably your best bet.

If a handy moderator (hint, hint, now's the time to earn your coin, lol!) were to move this thread to the Florida Conch forum, you would be more likely to get good answers.

[scubafool]

I do MOST of my diving in freshwater, both OW & in caves. There are supposed to be a couple of freshwater wrecks somewhere in North Florida, but I have never dove them.

As far as what kind of diving there is in Florida, there is an incredible variety of diving available here. From great beach dives in the Ft Lauderdale area (I've done it once) to deep wrecks, (lotsa places), to beautiful coral reefs (SE FL), to spearfishing (most of the state), to OW springs, to extremely deep caves with long penetration, it is all here. That is why I mentioned the Florida Conch Diver forum, the knowledge base there is rather good.

[FloridaDiver]

I live and dive in the Clearwater area and have found a lot of interesting diving a reasonable distance from here. I'm not big on the Gulf, although I've had some nice dives out there - I prefer to drive to West Palm or the Keys for my saltwater diving. I can get to Key Largo in about 5 to 5 1/2 hours, so, while I don't go every weekend, it's not too long a drive.

The Springs are great for something different, to practice skills, or try out new gear. I like Blue Grotto in Williston as well as Devil's Den (just down the road from Blue Grotto - you can hit them both in a single day). They're pretty unique places, and well worth the trip from Tampa. Both are privately owned and charge a fee for diving.

Of course, you can't miss Crystal River during Manatee season. I don't bother bringing Scuba gear there, just snorkeling gear.

There are many more places - pick up a copy of the Underwater Guide To Florida, available at most dive shops around Tampa bay, and start exploring!