California Beach Diver looking to relocate

[LindaBluedolphin]

I would recommend looking around WPB/Pompano/Ft. Laud area

Most of the diving here is by boat, long boat rides, there is some shore diving I have never done any but it does exist, not like California or Florida though.

 

[Carribeandiver]

Huh...the carolinas don't sound bad. But isn't the cost of living going up in Florida due the home insurance increase?

what? nah, just build a hurricane proof bunker with a long, long snorkel. who needs insurance. just water proof everything, twice for good measure. Look at it this way, when the tide comes in, you can shore dive from your front door.

 

[lock_washer]

Okay...so far, I only heard about the Carolinas, and Florida. No one can shore dive year round on the east coast? I do mean shore diving on the ocean. Don't get me wrong, lakes, quarries, and springs are great...but you don't see whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sharks, rays other then in the ocean.

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

Okay...so far, I only heard about the Carolinas, and Florida. No one can shore dive year round on the east coast? I do mean shore diving on the ocean. Don't get me wrong, lakes, quarries, and springs are great...but you don't see whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sharks, rays other then in the ocean.

Check with Scuba Jenny, I am pretty sure she shore dives most of the year, and she is in the Hollywood, FL area.

 

[Fish Wrangler]

Also check out the New England Lobstah Divahs forum -- I'm pretty sure the hardier souls can shore dive year round there. However, the cost of living may not be what you want.

For the Gulf Coast and lower Atlantic states, it's mainly sand or mud for shore diving, with the exception of jetties, piers or some other manmade structures. That's why most do boat dives.

 

[boingophreak]

Looking for some help...
I am an active Southern California beach diver who is getting "fed up" with the quality of life here in California. I spent the last 30 years diving here locally so I am use to surf entry and exits, long surface swims, coldwater, and limited visibility. I am interested in moving somewhere on the east coast, gulf coast where I can shore dive on a year round basis. The tropics and boat trips are great...but I cut my teeth on shore diving. Any ideas for places in the U.S. for year round shore diving?..and better quality of life?

Thanks,

Lock Washer

I too am looking to get out of California. SCUBA is a part of my stratagy in locating a new place to live. Since we are already used to the cold water and giant kelp here in CA, I am looking at the Pacific NW (Puget Sound area). It offers: World Class Beautiful Diving, Low cost of living (as long as you move to the more rual areas and stay out of Seattle.), and a more relaxed life style. Think about it...

 

[covediver]

Have you looked at SE Alabama, northwest Florida or SW Georgia? Cost of living is going up with all the equity refugees heading out of CA, but still quite reasonable by CA standards, decent job opportunities, low taxes, excellent quality of life. I lived in SE Alabama for a few years. did a lot of "beach" diving at Morrison and Vortex springs when I had the urge to get wet and took boats out of ports from Panama City to Orange beach for ocean diving and still managed to make day trips out of it.

Still, nothing was like working and living in Santa Barbara, leaving the office and being geared up and in world class kelp in 15 minutes. I just could not afford to live there anymore. sound like you may have reached the same conclusion.

 

[fabasard]

Okay...so far, I only heard about the Carolinas, and Florida. No one can shore dive year round on the east coast? I do mean shore diving on the ocean. Don't get me wrong, lakes, quarries, and springs are great...but you don't see whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sharks, rays other then in the ocean.

OK, heres a novel idea....Puerto Rico. It's a US territory, so you can still vote, and have pretty good hospitals, its pretty small, comparitively, so access to water shouldn't be an issue. The waters are good pretty much year round. It's to my understanding there are no taxes (could be wrong there). Weather should be good pretty much all the time. GOD KNOWS the food would be great. And they speak English. I can think of no negatives, it sounds like (could be wrong here too) that you might be close to retirement age, so you wouldn't have to worry about a job. Whaddaya think?

 

[onfloat]

I hear that the shore diving in Puerto Rico sucks, from a good friend of mine that just moved there.

 

[fabasard]

well I guess that would be a good reason not to go there then. But thanks for dissing my otherwise fantastic idea, ROFL, it's all good. Never been there, not invested.