VinnyDeSimone
Registered
How is the diving off Cape Coral compared to the keys ? (temp, visibility, wrecks, etc.)
Cape Coral -vs- Keys
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tmassey
Contributor
Umm... there’s effectively no real diving on the West Coast of Florida. There might be some exceptions for places like shark tooth diving or other such specialties, but in general the Gulf side is just empty of meaningful reef. The Panhandle has some wrecks (especially the Oriskany), but that’s like 8 hours from Cape Coral.
And the Florida keys are world class, for wrecks and reefs. (Not worlds *best*, but still way up there.) So *really* no comparison!
And the Florida keys are world class, for wrecks and reefs. (Not worlds *best*, but still way up there.) So *really* no comparison!
edwants2dive
Glowstick
Living on the west coast of FL now that is a close to accurate statement there are some decent artificial reefs and sunken barges off of Clearwater not the best but worth diving if you are in that area. However if you are in Cape Coral ( I live in Englewood about 45 minutes north of there) the drive there would be as far as going to the Ft. Lauderdale/ Pompano area where the diving is much better. Key largo is about an hour longer drive than Pompano but still only 3.5 hr drive. I drive over to Pompano and West Palm more often that I go to Clearwater the diving is better and worth the extra hour and a half drive to me. I drive over and back same day it makes a long day but worth it to me. Check out the Florida thread here there is a lot of info there and the group of members that post often there know the area well.
There is no comparison. All of the diving off of SWFL is FAR off shore and focused primarily on spearfishing. The viz is typically poor although it can at times be quite good. There are no reefs. The diving is on artificial reefs and other mostly man-made structures. There are a few blue holes which are a cool dive but there are just a few. The water is colder in the winter and warmer in the summer.
The Keys have short boat rides, reefs and wrecks, and typically fantastic viz.
I live in SWFL just south of Cape Coral and 99% of my diving is on the Southeast coast. I travel to Palm Beach and Broward Counties for the majority of my diving and I occasionally dive in Key Largo. I do occasionally dive off of Naples/Marco Island but my "go to" locations are in Palm Beach and Broward Counties in Southeast FL.
If you're coming from Newfoundland to dive you want the Keys or Southeast FL and NOT Southwest Florida.
I love Southwest FL and it has many benefits but the diving is not one of them. I live here for other reasons and travel 2-3 hours to dive.
Belzelbub
Contributor
Without a doubt it’s different. I dive most of the year in the Gulf. Though north of the Cape Coral area. I also dive in the Keys each year.
While there are some good places to dive in the gulf, it’s different. Clarity is generally much better in the Keys. Another big difference is the variation in depths. A friend was showing me some places not too far from the Adolphus Busch. Being used to sites further north, I was amazed at how quickly the depths changed. So there is greater variety.
That said, there are some great places to dive in the gulf. You just have to know where to go. Not long ago, I was diving with my daughter west of Clearwater. I stopped once at an artificial reef in about 50’. It was a parking lot with all the fishing boats. The dive charters were there as well. Did one dive there that was far enough away from the crowd. Not much going on, so I decided to find a new spot. I had a some spots marked not far away, so I decided to see if I could find something.
Found a beautiful natural ledge just over a 1/2 mile away. Had the place to ourselves. Lots of life on this spot and didn’t seem to be as pressured by fishing and diving.
Still prefer the Keys, but if you know where to look, there is great diving in the gulf as well. Will just be a longer boat ride to get there.
While there are some good places to dive in the gulf, it’s different. Clarity is generally much better in the Keys. Another big difference is the variation in depths. A friend was showing me some places not too far from the Adolphus Busch. Being used to sites further north, I was amazed at how quickly the depths changed. So there is greater variety.
That said, there are some great places to dive in the gulf. You just have to know where to go. Not long ago, I was diving with my daughter west of Clearwater. I stopped once at an artificial reef in about 50’. It was a parking lot with all the fishing boats. The dive charters were there as well. Did one dive there that was far enough away from the crowd. Not much going on, so I decided to find a new spot. I had a some spots marked not far away, so I decided to see if I could find something.
Found a beautiful natural ledge just over a 1/2 mile away. Had the place to ourselves. Lots of life on this spot and didn’t seem to be as pressured by fishing and diving.
Still prefer the Keys, but if you know where to look, there is great diving in the gulf as well. Will just be a longer boat ride to get there.
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