Notable dive sites in Southern US

[Philip Bolotta]

I am pursuing a bucket list adventure and need some help, please.
I am a Divemester who is going on a Southern US trek from San Diego to Florida starting next March. I am pulling a toyhauler set up with a compressor, so I can hit the un-serviced sites.
Can anyone/all of you give me some insight on the notable sites they have dived, please? Reef and wreck. Most of my diving has been out of the country except for Florida. Would greatly appreciate any input.

 

[The Chairman]

Florida: (North to South)
Oriskany (big wreck)
Vortex Springs (Fun spring)
Troy Spring (Civil War Wreck)
Ginnie Springs (The Ballroom is fun)
Alexander Springs (Prettiest Spring in Fl)
Blue Spring (Deep, dark, and often visited by manatees)
Buford Sink (Prettiest Deep Spring in Fl)
Venice Beach (Sharks Teeth)
(East Coast)
Blue Heron Bridge (The most diverse dive in Fl)
Boynton Beach (Any reef. Simply stunning)
Castor (Most Jewfish on a wreck)
(The Keys)
Christ of the Abyss (A classic)
Benwood (My favorite WWII Wreck)
Spiegel Grove (To say you've been there)
Snapper Ledges (The most yellow tails gathered in one are)
Duane (Spookiest wreck)
Vandenberg (Key Wasted's claim to fame)

There are more, but those are the highlights

 

[ZzzKing]

Stetson Banks
Texas Flower Gardens

Difficult to do from the bed of a pickup, however.

 

[KevinNM]

Blue Hole, in Santa Rosa NM (right off I40). It's the best accessible scuba site for hundreds of miles. Other than being the only decent site for hundreds of miles than can be accessed without a lot of work it's not all that wonderful, but you'll probably right drive by it. Rock Lake is supposed to be a lot nicer, but much harder to dive due to land owner access issues.

 

[ZzzKing]

Valhalla missile silo in west Texas is a cool one time dive if you are in the area anyway.

 

[driftwood]

Stop in San Marcos, Texas and take the Dive Authorization Course so you can dive in Spring Lake. Offered on Saturdays and while you are in the area you can dive the Comal and San Marcos Rivers. Balmorhea close to Pecos Texas also comes to mind.

 

[TMHeimer]

Texas: Oil Rigs--also LA & further East I believe.
Alabama: Perdido Pass, wrecks off Gulf Shores
FL Panhandle: Wrecks off Pensacola, Destin and Panama City.
Panhandle shore dives: Pensacola, Destin (Thumb Jetty & "Bridge), Panama City Beach (St. Andrews Jetty--State Park)

 

[drrich2]

If you'll be on the eastern coast of southern Florida in March, maybe consider a bit north of San Diego whether the lemon shark aggregation out of Jupiter is going on. Seems like a bucket list thing to do. Early Sept. 2014 Jupiter trip report.

While shark feeding dives are controversial, if you're cool with them, Emerald Dive Charters in that area might get you some shark action - maybe even a tiger shark? Lemon Sharks of the shipwreck “Esso Bonaire III” with Emerald Charters.

You could do a live-aboard out to the Dry Tortugas on the Spree.

Richard.

 

[soccerrefjason]

Devils den and blue grotto are cool if you are already in the area. They are in Williston FL. I find myself often at Alexander Springs and agree it is pretty. With a max depth of 28 feet it's not long before you've seen what it has to offer. But if you are already there just up the road is juniper springs and that has one of the most awesome canoe/kayak runs I've ever been and might make for a fun side trip.

 

[drrich2]

You can have a lot of fun at Alexander Spring if you treat it like a snorkel. Imagine a sombrero hat, turned upside down. The middle is the 'spring' - fairly small, and you'll be done 'diving' it in pretty short order, likely. But there's a large, shallow perimeter much of which is surrounded by thick underwater vegetation where you may see 3-striped mud turtle, stinkpot, loggerhead musk turtle, Florida red-belly turtle, Florida soft-shell turtle, snapping turtle, gar, bowfin, perhaps even an alligator.

My wife has teased me off and on for years about logging Alexander Spring as a scuba dive. But I had a good time there. Then again, wildlife, particularly reptiles, are an interest of mine. With all the exotic animals in Florida, you never know just what you might run across.

Richard.