Best Places To Live And Scuba In The U.S.A.

[IndigoBlue]

Hi Lungs,

Hey it's great here...86 average median temp. I dive everyday shore, boat, deep, wreck, salvage, manatee, shark, spearfish, life is great. Too bad it's off limits to anyone other than military or contract work. But if You ever get a chance do it. Get in touch with Me, I might even be able to get You a sponsor.

CPT D

I would have to guess that Cuba (and Gitmo) is probably on a very close par with Puerto Rico and Roatan for scuba diving. However Puerto Rico and Roatan both have technical gas as well, whereas at Gitmo you would be on your own for anything like that.

Like other exotic duty in the U.S. Army, you probably get to scuba dive at some really unique locations. But like other military jobs, there is way too much travel in that job, and way too much time spent away from home. That is exactly why I quit the Navy, after my first 4 years.

Thank you for keeping watch over the US-of-A for us, Cpt A. Goodspeed, and may you have many wonderful scuba experiences during your tour of duty.

By the way, what was the score in the last Navy-Army game, again?

 

[TCDiver1]

Here is the list we came up with, starting with the best:

1. Hawaii
2. Florida
3. The Carolinas
4. California
5. Oregon & Wash St.
6. Michigan
7. Texas
8. Georgia
9. New England

Thoughts?

I think it depends on what your looking for in diving but think Florida has it hands down. Warm water, wrecks, caves reefs & reef life. Hawaii is weaker in at least two of those. Job opportunities between Fla & Hawaii are probably similar so the more diverse diving puts Fla on top IMO.

If your looking for wreck diving, its hard to beat Michigan or the great lakes area. From 600' freighters to largely intact 1700-1800's schooners ... its hard to beat. Cold, fresh water wrecks are hard to appreciate until you dive a couple.

 

[chuckrt]

I'm surprised that Upstate New York hasn't been mentioned. Granted your activities change somewhat with the season but some of the clearest water and best wreck diving is in Lake Ontario and St. Lawerence River. That leaves Florida for the winter with ist's cavern/caves and occasionally the reefs. I won't get into the other activites as this is for diving. Have been on 1 Jan and the water is very clear now. Finger Lakes 35 degrees and our Canadian neighbors state the river is at 38-40 degrees. I no, Pete, this is not your 3ml. shorty diving weather.

chuckrt

 

[DreadPirate]

I grew up here in Charleston, SC and lived two years on Cabrita Point in St. Thomas and traveled to five of the seven continents. Living in the U.S.V.I. was difficult, but the diving was very accessible. Back in Charleston, the living is great and while the diving is not from shore, a few miles offshore are fantastic wrecks, good viz and great spearfishing. Also, we have wonderful fossil diving in the Cooper River. The people in the area are some of the friendliest in the world, the historic city is beautiful, and the countryside is breathtaking.

OK, so I'm biased. Third to the best? I'll take that...

 

[CA Diver]

The water in So Calif is way too cold. That puts it in the 2nd tier sites with cold water.

The cold water in SoCal is nothing a good 7mil wet suit or a dry suit can't cure. The diversity of sealife is great and the Kelp forest is like nothing anywhere else. As far as living here teh weather is great with no humidity, no cold weather. If you wanted to you could go skiing in the morning and come back for a late afternoon dive, what a combination.

If you want to change it to "Working" and diving, then some people might have a problem

How much better can it be to be "working" as a pilot hopping from one small tropical island to another tropical island where the diving is great.

I do agree that if I did not have to work I would enjoy living and DIVING in Guam with its easy acces to Palau, Chuuk & Yap. i have friends living there and loved diving there last year.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Is there diving on the corner of Oregon and Washington Street??
I got back from Hawaii 3 weeks ago. Compared to diving in the Puget Sound, Hawaii is like watching a Disney Cartoon. Fun, easy, warm colorful... But you can only watch so many before it gets boring. Puget sound diving is like watching Shindler's List. Dark, thoughtful, important, with some meat to it. I'll take the Sound.

...right up to this point... and then you went and spoiled it with the bit about some place in California... sheeesh.

Today for our Tuesday afternoon dip we went to plain old boring Mukilteo City Park since it is soooo close.

46 minutes later we had seen 3 good sized GPO, two modest sized cabezon (who paid absolutely no attention to us... even as I swam over the top of one inches from it), a juvenile wolfeel too young to have a girlfriend so living on his own, a quill-back rockfish that I had to shoo out of the way with my hand to look back into an octopus den and who came back as soon as I quite shooing, plus all the other stuff... Oh, and the obligatory fly-by of a sea lion.

Hopefully I will get some real diving in soon as we do Deception Pass at the end of the month and then head up to BC for some diving in Barkely Sound.

I get bored in warm water. I never get bored here... just cold.

"Shindler's List. Dark, thoughtful, important, with some meat to it." I like that Rick!

But the thought of Shindler's List as a fun Disney Cartoon is beyond grotesque. California, eh.

 

[armyscuba]

Yes, Jack and Indigo..Your both right..Kind of UGLY..but Unique and as far as GAS..Yeah..We are good on Air down to 225 feet...Air Mixes..forget it..Compressed is all We have..diving dual 100 Cu. Ft cylinders. Here are today's stats...Air temp was 90 degrees..at 9 feet it started getting chilly at 86 degrees..at 50 feet We bundled up..it was a mere 82 degrees. I had to bail out at 130 ft. It was down to 81 degrees and I could no longer handle it. LOL. Ever See Barracuda go vertical up a wall? Visibility was around 110 ft at low tide.

CPT D

 

[adder70]

Florida is clearly the worst place to live. It's unbelievably hot and humid for the entire summer, which lasts from late February through mid December. It's one of the few places where you can be swarmed by insects in the dead of winter (you know, when it's 70 and moderate humidity). I have also heard (but not confirmed) that every type of poisonous snake in the US is in Florida. Clearly not every species is here (several rattlers from the desert, etc.), but I have personally seen (sometimes too close) Water Moccassins, Eastern Diamondbacks (5+ft and FAT), pygmy rattlers, and oh yeah, removed my dog from playing with a small coral snake in my father's yard in a 1/2 acre lot neighborhood. I have seen at least 5 coral snakes (quit counting rattlers and moccassins a long time ago), including a personal sighting of the largest coral snake I ever saw in the wild or in captivity 200 yards from a fire station and trailer park with kids (3+ft, maybe 4!) Did I mention the Gators that take a pet dog at least once every couple of years just on the UF campus? What about the spiders and scorpions, and roaches flying into my face?

Clearly, anyone who lives and works in Florida, particularly mechanical engineers, should look for employment elsewhere.

 

[Cudabait]

Texas....rigs, wrecks & reefs Wow!!!

U. S. west coast.....Baja Mexico.....cool to cold but fantastic!!

regards,

 

[archman]

Texas....rigs, wrecks & reefs Wow!!!

I'd say Florida has all that too, and more of except in the case of rigs. I'm such a traitor...