Hello Tampa Divers!

[Thiad]

Hello!

My husband and I are going to be making a number of trips to the Tampa / St. Petersburg area over the next year. Of course we can't visit without diving!

I'm hoping folks can help us out by telling us all about the local diving. Looking for information such as great shops, favorite places to dive (shore and charter - we'll try it!), and how about those water temperatures? We're using 7mm here in SoCal, but I'm hoping that it's a tad bit warmer...

We're really looking forward to a exploring some new underwater scenery and meeting new people.

Thank you in advance and happy diving!

 

[schudini]

Hi

7mm? Wow, that cold? You probably wouldn't need that here unless you were diving in the winter, or in some springs (even a water temp of 72 year round can get cold).

We don't really have lots of reefs here, but the two unique things here are Venice beach (shark/megalodon teeth), and freshwater springs (super clear water, interesting formations, etc.). Sinkholes can also be interesting. Nice thing about all those listed is you can dive from your car (i.e. drive `n dive)

 

[loquat149]

Yes, Venice Beach is great if the winds and conditions are right. Also, here's what some of the near shore diving off Pinellas County looks like:

Reef Monitoring
Reef Monitoring
Reef Monitoring
Reef Monitoring
Reef Monitoring
CarlosDMonzon's Channel - YouTube
Reef Monitoring
Reef Monitoring

Dave

 

[Thiad]

Those are great videos - quite a bit different sea life then we have out here. And nice to see folks in shorties! I am looking forward to temperatures above 60.

I'm definitely interested in the springs. I've seen the pictures of Ginnie Springs further north and they are simply amazing. Thinking about a cavern class though cave diving is not something I think I'm ready to venture in to anytime soon.

 

[TracyN]

Hello, I'm always looking for a dive buddy. PM me or let me know when you guys are coming down.