Help with a DriveNDive vacation to Florida

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Diver8492

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With gas getting a bit cheaper, I think its more reasonable to drive from Connecticut to Florida with my sea kayak on top of the truck, and all my scuba gear in the back. I have 14 days off , which makes 4 days of (safe) driving totally OK.

I have looked at hotel reservations in the keys on the travel sites and they seem very expensive (unless I am missing something).. I would like to do drift diving and some boat dives off of West Palm, Jupiter, any other places you recommend. On off days, I will go out kayaking. (its not a dive kayak).

I would love to dive in clear fresh water, but I heard that most parks require a buddy diver...I will be on my own.

1) Are the dive shops and boats all open this time of year? (excepting Christmas Day and New Years, of course)?
2) Am I gonna have any issues with just a PADI open water (not advanced open water)
3) Any issues with weather or visibility at this time of year?
4) Are there any places in the Keys that are reasonable
5) Do the state parks require buddy divers?
6) Finally, what do I need for a wetsuit--Im sure a 7mm is going to work out well.
 
1) Most dive operators in SE Florida and the Keys have boat service year round. The main variables will be weather, marine conditions and whether enough divers have signed up to make a dive trip worth while.

2) If you focus on shallow reefs in the Keys or Pompano, you'll have no issues. With deeper reefs and wrecks, each dive shop has its own policies. Some are very strict about ensuring you have AOW for deep dives, others let you dive if you can prove via your log book that you are experienced and still others let you make the decision. You'll probably want to talk on the phone with each dive shop you intend to use

3) Winter can have excellent visibility (at least from Miami to Jupiter where I do most of my winter diving): most of the diving in that stretch is deeper with the exception being Lauderdale by the Sea and parts of Pompano. The deeper areas seem to be most impacted by the location of the gulf stream on any one day: is it far offshore or close by. Marine conditions in all of Florida can be variable during the winter. Last December was nice, I got a fair amount of weekend dives in, a few years earlier, I didn't make any dives since all the trips were cancelled due to poor marine conditions. December can have air temps from 50 degrees to 80 degrees so bring a fleece jacket to stay warm on the boat between surface intervals if it is cold. Fortunately, you'll have the ability to dive during the week too (rather than just weekends like most of the local divers who have M-F work schedules) so you should hit a few good days no matter what. One other item, there is one dive site in WPB that is not marine condition dependent: Blue Heron Bridge. See the Blue Heron Bridge Trolls thread for info.

4) Camping in the Keys is cheap compared to hotels, I do that frequently, but the state park camp sites tend to fill up quickly and reservations are generally required. I stayed at the Hungry Pelican hotel on Key Largo in July. Their very very small rooms are dirt cheap: not too nice, not a place I'd take my wife, but my room was clean and comfortable enough. My dive buddy also stayed at the same place..... we spent no time in the resort since we were out diving all day. The sunset from their little pier is spectacular. As a place to sleep, it's decent if you are on a budget. If I don't want to camp on my next trip, and my wife is not coming with me, I'll probably stay there again. Also, check out one of the vacation rental websites, sometimes you can find condo's for cheap (VRBO.com as an example). Also consider Florida City, you'll be 20 miles from Key Largo and will have to drive each morning but rooms are far cheaper: note you'll probably need to unload your kayak and take into your hotel room each evening if you stay in Florida City.

5) I don't know


6) That's a very personal type of decision. Temps can be anywhere from high 60's to mid 70's. I wear a 7MM in the winter, but don't usually break it out of storage until January when Jupiter temps are normally 70-72 degrees. Most Decembers, I'm OK with a 3MM, a 2MM vest and a beanie. I see divers wearing anything from shorties to drysuits during the winters in Jupiter: to each his own!

Enjoy your trip!!!!
 
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https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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