Looking for Place to Do Open Water Dives in Florida

[terrylowe]

Try the Dive Locker in Panama City.

 

[Aviyes]

Just as an alternative, as it is for a 10-yr old and the ocean can sometimes be daunting for younger kids minus the fearless exceptions. Maybe find a dive shop that does the OW at Vortex Springs. It might be less daunting, with the more controlled environment.

 

[KevinNM]

The north Florida springs used for OW training are pretty non-threatening compared to a boat in the open ocean. They also don't get blown out by weather nearly as often. Some have caves or cavers connected and entering the cave or cavern should never be part of OW training, but OW instructors who use these sites should understand this and be experienced in keeping control of students.

But doing another day diving or shore diving from on the gulf or ocean isn't a bad idea.

 

[MichaelMc]

A kids resource might be a scientific diving program run by the Diving Unit officer at Georgia Tech.
Scuba Diving for Kids | PADI Seal Team | Master Seal Team
Scuba Diving for Kids Atlanta Georgia

I ran into it looking for diving info for my brother's kids. It sounded as if they have group activities around diving and science for the kids, might be a good resource and source of more information.

 

[paulithepin]

The Florida Panhandle is a great place to get OW Certified. Access to the Springs and the Gulf of Mexico allow for training options to fit most needs and accommodate for weather. In Pensacola, I recommend MBT Divers, MBT Divers - Scuba Equipment and Instruction in Pensacola, Florida, in the Destin area I recommend Snapper Scuba, Snapper Scuba – Recreational, Cave, and Technical Dive Training for the Florida Panhandle and In Panama City either Panama City Diving, Panama City Diving - Panama City's Favorite Dive Shop or Dive Locker, Dive Locker - Panama City Beach Florida Dive Store | Panama City Beach Florida Dive Store featuring Henderson Wet Suits and Brownie's Hookah Systems, Panama City Beach Florida Dive Charters, Florida Scuba Information, PADI. All of these are quality organizations with first class dive operations.

 

[seaseadee]

Someone from those areas please correct me if I'm way of base here...

I would imagine that the water temps in those areas would be in the 60's. Is that a consideration? I suppose you could get her thicker exposure protection, but just be aware that she might need it.

 

[KathyV]

The north Florida springs used for OW training are pretty non-threatening compared to a boat in the open ocean. They also don't get blown out by weather nearly as often. Some have caves or cavers connected and entering the cave or cavern should never be part of OW training, but OW instructors who use these sites should understand this and be experienced in keeping control of students. But doing another day diving or shore diving from on the gulf or ocean isn't a bad idea.

Someone from those areas please correct me if I'm way of base here...I would imagine that the water temps in those areas would be in the 60's. Is that a consideration? I suppose you could get her thicker exposure protection, but just be aware that she might need it.

My personal experience was that diving and snorkeling the freshwater springs in northern Florida was very cold. I prefer the warm Caribbean water.

And my memories of diving off southern Florida and the keys include long boat rides to the reefs and sometimes it can be rough, although I think that there are shore dives near Fort Lauderdale(?). I still think that Grand Cayman and Divetech's kid programs are a good option.

 

[Aviyes]

~80°F for the Gulf. Vortex and Morrison Springs are in the 65-68°F range.

 

[KathyV]

Not sure if this is the correct forum to post in. My 10-year-old daughter is doing the open water class and pool work where we live in the Atlanta area next week. However, the dive shop's upcoming Florida trips before our vacation are full. We're looking for a (reasonably) convenient place for a 2-day weekend trip later this month to find an instructor to take her on the 4 PADI open water certification dives. We're thinking, in no particular order, Destin, Panama City, Jacksonville area, or Blue Grotto in Williston, Florida. Does anyone have any recommendations for dive shops or instructors in these or other reasonably proximate areas (appx. 5-7 hours from Atlanta)? Looking for good water and a good dive site for training, and a bonus if anyone knows of an instructor with good experience training children. Thanks in advance!

I've just thought of a Florida option that might work for you, Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. They have a dive shop and most of the diving is boat-diving on the reefs that are at least a few miles from shore. But they also have a snorkeling beach called Cannon Beach that can be dived from shore.

They recommend that divers use Cannon Beach to test equipment, get a refresher, or try out new skills. It is primarily for snorkelers but I remember that there were areas too deep to snorkel so it might be okay for Jr. Open Water check-out dives, you could ask the park's dive shop about that.

We dived it once, many years ago; I can't exactly remember why - I think that we just wanted to check out our equipment at the start of a dive vacation; and it was nice, we saw lots of tropical fish and some old Spanish cannons. See the info below.

http://pennekamppark.com/

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park-activities/Pennekamp#Beach

Pennekamp - Beach

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has two man-made beaches, each with its own distinct personality. Cannon Beach is the park's primary snorkeling beach, where visitors will find the remnants of an early Spanish shipwreck approximately 100-feet offshore. Far Beach, with its palm trees, is a relaxing place to swim or just sit and enjoy the sun. Wheelchair accessibility to the water is enhanced by a Mobi-Mat installed across the sandy beach. Any swimming or snorkeling done outside the designated swimming areas is prohibited unless a 'Diver-Down' flag is properly displayed.

Pennekamp - Scuba Diving
To fully enjoy the diving possibilities of the park, boat trips to the reef are recommended. A new diver, or a diver who needs a refresher, will find the waters off Cannon Beach a great place to hone his or her skills.

Pennekamp - Snorkeling

In addition to the park's snorkeling tours, there are areas in the park designated for snorkeling. These areas are in a tropical lagoon and offer a look at the various seagrass communities in the park. In these areas there are some natural ledges that do hold some interesting marine life. There are also some artifacts from an early Spanish shipwreck approximately 100 feet offshore at Cannon Beach.

 

[oceanbound]

I lived in Panama City Beach for several years and there are several good dive shops there. My two favorite are Panama city Diving and Diver's Den. A quick google search will get you the websites and numbers for each of them.