Here are a couple of nice shore dives in that area...
Spanish Rocks
I-75 south from Tampa to the Bradenton/ State road 64 exit( there is an A and B so take the A exit it will head you toward the beach). You are going to take the exit toward the right. Stay on that road for about 8 miles or so until you get to Gulf Dr.( you will hit Gulf Dr. after you cross the intercostal waterway)You make a left on Gulf Dr. and take it down about 1/2 mile. Just before the curve to the left there is a beach access and parking. That is where you want to be. It is a small sand lot between some houses and apartments. Just pull in there and park. Gear up walk down the beach to the left about 50 yards (6 houses) enter the water swim out about 50 yards and dive max depths 22ft.
Google Maps
Google Maps
You can find seahorses here
This came right out of our Insider Information Thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/60333-insider-information-local-diving.html
Venice Beach
Dive Spot: Venice Beach, FL
Type of diving Shark tooth and fossil hunting in the Gulf of Mexico. This area is a prehistoric river bed and does yeild more fossils than the sharks teeth.
Type of diving: Shore dive
Directions: Google Maps
I-75 exit 200 to Osprey.
Continue Southeast on TAMIAMI TRL N/FL-45 S/US-41 S toward BAYVIEW DR. Continue to follow TAMIAMI TRL N/FL-45 S. 7.4 miles Map
Turn RIGHT onto MIAMI AVE W. <0.1 miles
Turn LEFT onto NOKOMIS AVE S. <0.1 miles
Turn RIGHT onto PONCE DE LEON AVE. 0.3 miles
Turn LEFT onto HARBOR DR S. 0.1 miles
Turn RIGHT onto ALHAMBRA RD. 0.4 miles
Follow ALHAMBRA RD to the end
What to expect at the dive site: Typical sharks teeth found are from the folloing: Dusky and Blacktip family, Sand Shark (current and prehistoric), Bull Shark, and Lemon Shark. More rare but also found are Maco, Great White, Snaggle Tooth and Megalodon. Other fossils that can be found include dolphin, manatee, and whale bones, stingray stingers and crusher platelettes and tail vertabrae, porupine fish platelettes, mammoth and mastadon teeth/tusk/vertabrae, sloth claws, alligator scales, and sabertooth teeth. Best times for hunting are a few days after a storm when the water has settled down. Depths are 12-18 feet, unless you swim a long way out then you may hit 20.
Where to park: parking is on the street: do not park blocking driveways.
Amenities Florida West dive shop is about 1 mile north of the site on 41 literally just over the bridge back onto the main land. Sharkey's resturant is at the base of the pier. Venice Beach's downtown district is 1/2 mile off with food and shops as well.
Alternate directions to Venice beach for post #2:
From the south:
Head to Venice on I 75. Take exit 193 and head SW (coming from the south that’s a left turn) on Jacaranda. Turn right on Venice Ave. Stay on Venice Ave until after you’ve crossed the bridge to the downtown area. Turn left at the second light after the bridge (Harbor - name not well marked). Turn right at the 5th street (Alhambra).
From the north:
Head to Venice on I 75. Take exit 200 (SR681) and follow it to US 41 where you'll turn left (south). Take US 41 to Business US 41 (Tamiami Trail) where you turn right. After you cross the bridge, you'll turn right on Venice Ave. Turn left at the first light (Harbor - name not marked). Turn right at the 5th street (Alhambra).
Park on the street as close to the dead end as possible. Be careful not to block the driveway to the condo. Keep your dive between the culverts to the south and the three pine trees to the north.
