Visiting Florida on second week of June

[timz]

Hey there, I'm from Malaysia and travelling to Colorado on 06/01/2015. However, I'll only be there for about 10-12 days before I travel to Florida.

I'm a newly certified OW diver, And so far I never have much problem with breathing till the end of dives for the past 7 dives I've had. And buoyancy seems manageable to me. I should have about 11-13 dives before I reached Florida.

Any recommended resort/dive center/dive site that are interesting and relatively cheap for budget traveler like me.?

I might be diving with another friend whom migrated to Florida last year. Now she's living in Orlando. But it's still too early for her to say she's coming along.

Any input are appreciated.

Please, if possible.. Do provide me the link of the dive center and possible the package that they provide.

Thanks.

Timz

 

[boulderjohn]

Florida is a much, much bigger state than people realize. It will take you more than a full day of normal driving to get from one end to the other. I cannot estimate how many dive shops there are in the state. If you can tell for sure where you will be staying, it will be much easier to help you.

 

[timz]

Florida is a much, much bigger state than people realize. It will take you more than a full day of normal driving to get from one end to the other. I cannot estimate how many dive shops there are in the state. If you can tell for sure where you will be staying, it will be much easier to help you.

Most probably I'll be travelling to Florida by Plane. So, that would be Orlando. And I was just planning to dive around Florida Keys... Or maybe somewhere else... Any suggestion would be appreciated.

BTW, Boulderjohn... I will be at Boulder Colorado during my visit to Colorado for some Rock Climbing with my friend...

 

[jameseg]

The Florida Keys are ideal for a newer diver, as the water is clear, the reefs are shallow, and there's good fish life. I had a great experience with Rainbow Reef Divers in Key Largo:

Scuba Diving Florida Keys | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, FL

They have all the information you will need on their website, including package specials which include hotel. There are a lot of well-regarded dive operators down there - I think you'll find prices are generally comparable across them.

James

 

[sportxlh]

The upper Keys, such as Key Largo and Islamorada, are a good options for a new diver. There are many very shallow reefs that are easy to dive. There are a lot of really good dive boats in the upper Keys. You can hire a guide from almost any shop and that will give you very personalized service. One shop in particular does supply guides for no additional cost and that is Rainbow Reef. I've not used there guide service, but had a handful of very nice shallow dives with the shop last year.

I usually dive with Conch Republic when I'm in the upper Keys. You'll want to look at their schedule carefully since they do shallow and the deep wreck and deep reef dives which might not be appropriate for you. You can hire a guide from them: everyone who works there is a good diver.

A lot of people also like Ocean Divers and Horizon Divers. I'm sure there are plenty of others too.

Another option for a newer diver that is closer to Orlando is Pompano. The first reef line is very shallow and as beautiful as the reefs in the Keys. South Florida Dive HQ is the shop I use for shallow dives. I've also had good experiences with Pompano Dive Center and Scuatyme but those dives were on the deeper wrecks.

If you want to try some deeper dives, one shop in West Palm Beach is particularly good with newer divers and that is Scuba Club. They put several dive guides in the water. But note that this is drift diving and many of the sites are 70 feet deep. It is also closer to Orlando than the other sites.

Disney also has a dive in the Epcot aquarium. Not cheap but shallow and fun.

Here's a few links.....
Conch Republic Divers Diving | Tavernier | Key Largo | Islamorada
Scuba Diving Florida Keys | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, FL
oceandivers
Key Largo Florida Diving & Scuba Diving with Horizon Divers
South Florida Diving Headquarters | Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
http://www.scubatyme.com/
http://www.thescubaclub.com/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-divequest/

 

[timz]

Thanks mate... will look into it...

 

[EL Pistoffo]

Disney also has a dive in the Epcot aquarium. Not cheap but shallow and fun.

LOL. You ain't kidding.

 

[timz]

Lolx.... i missed that.... looks fun though

 

[Rythmmaker]

If you have the option, flying into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale will get you a lot closer to the keys and the excellent diving there. Flying into Orlando and driving to the keys will mean that you spend more than 10 hours round trip to get to Key Largo and back. One way on the turnpike is 4 hours and 45 minutes. As mentioned elsewhere, Florida is much bigger than people often realize, and traffic around Miami and in/out of the Keys can add extra time and frustration.

 

[boulderjohn]

BTW, Boulderjohn... I will be at Boulder Colorado during my visit to Colorado for some Rock Climbing with my friend...

I was going to suggest we do a dive while you are here--I would say MOST of the people who are the most fervid divers here are also rock climbers. (Someone should check into the psychological association between the sports.) I am not one of them, though.

Unfortunately, I will be out of the country while you are here.