CA cold water diver - Hows the water in Florida?

[divediva60]

Howdy underwater adverturers,

I will be in Florida this September for a cruise departing from Miami and decided to arrive a few days early to check out warm water diving in Fl.

I hear warm water diving is the best, no wetsuits needed.
I mainly dive in the Monterey Bay, my back yard in CA. Our water temperature is currently 54 degree's and visability only around 30 feet on a good day. I've been diving a year now and have found scuba diving to be a life altering experience.

When I first started diving, I did it to lose weight, it was that or join a gym and make every excuse not to go. Well after my initial investment of scuba equipment and my love of the water, I can successfully say I've lost 3 dress sizes the first year and working on toning the rest of the body now.

The MOBARI aka Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is approx. 1/2 mile away from my home, since diving I've meet many stewards of the sea and marine biologist and am learning how I too can protect our blue waters.

See you under the water! :scubadive

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

Welcome to SB!! :happywave Put us in your computer's favorites and check in often. This is a great place to learn, compare, argue Look around our various forums - everything from New-To-Scuba to Instructors-Only.

I gotta' start diving over there more. I haven't lost any dress sizes yet! Anyway, South Florida diving in September should be great. I'd wear a skin or 1 mil. Everyone is different on thermal protection needs, but since you're used to your waters, this would seem like a hot tub!


don

BTW - it would really help if you'd complete your Profile...

[pipedope]

What you would call warm water in N Cal is about like the cold water here in FL.
In Sept the water should be comfortably warm and wet as ever.

[Wristshot]

I too am a Bay Area diver. I was certified in Monterey and have dove there on a number of occasions. (not as many occasions as I would like, but that is a different thread)

The warmest we have ever encountered in Monterey has been 57 degrees in November 2001. (Most people don't realize the best Monterey temps and viz are in the winter, not the summer)

My buddy and I have made a couple dive trips out to Florida. We went in November 2002 and in December 2003.

In November 2002 we dove near Pompano Beach getting some advanced certifications. The coldest we found was 77 degrees at 100 ft. The surface temps were around 82-84. We also dove in the Keys on that trip, and the temps were 79-81 for all the dives.

In December 2003 we dove 5 days in the Keys again, and the temps were 68-73 including 3 night dives. I had to ditch the half-mil wetsuit and use the 3mm wetsuit for temps under 73.

I can't speak to how the temps would be in September, but I would bet large sums of money that the temps will be in the 80's at that time.

A terrible day of viz in the areas that we have visited in Florida would be like the best of days in Monterey. We have seen viz approach 50 ft in Carmel once, usually it is 15-20 ft, but you know about that. Usually the viz on our dives was so good it was hard to guess. We have seen it as low as 50 ft at the Speigel Grove on a really rough day, and as high as at least 100 feet in many places.

I hope that helps,

Wristshot
Go Sharks!