the Florida difference

[Surelyshirly]

I am going to Florida for a while. West coast. Until now all of my diving has been off the coast of New Jersy. I call it task master diving because no dive is just a dive it is always a boat, deep, current, no viz, wreck, navigation dive or beach, night, surge dive, you get the picture.

So in my limited amount of dives I have pretty much done most types of dives, but am definately not proficient at them.

My question is, what is different about diving in Florida from Jersey? I look forward to seeing everything that Florida has to offer, (like a kid in a candy store, reefs, tropical fish, springs, VIZ cool!) but what will be different that I can look forward to or need to be concerned about or overly cautious (more than I normally would be) before joining a dive?

 

[1_T_Submariner]

You may get better info in the Florida forum. I dive a lot in cold/low vis then went to Key Largo, like diving in a warm aquarium, with current....Have a great trip.

 

[Loneranger]

Diving conditions are going to vary greatly thru the state. water temps, vis, and currents will differ greatly depending on where you are planning to dive. East coast vs West coast-North end vs South end. Where are you planning to dive?

 

[Vayu]

At most of the springs you can expect unlimited visibility. Along with these pristine conditions comes a very real and avoidable danger to the untrained diver: caves. In florida springs caves will be very accessable. Don't go in unless you are trained for overhead.

As far as the ocean is concerned the same rules apply. It will be warmer and clearer but you need to watch the weather and make sure you are with reliable people.

I am sure you will find florida worthwhile. I have a few pics of some of the springs up at http://www.pbase.com/jarrett/florida

Other than that, you may enjoy taking a trip to see some gators or manatees.

-V

 

[joe rock]

I think 1 T said it well. If you do well diving off the Jersey shore you'll be more than capable in the warm clear waters of Florida. You asked what's different - COLORS, significantly more variety of fish, coral, less weight. All of which you can see at relatively shallow depths. Depending where you're going there are some excellent wreck sites too! Other than that you can expect the same

Enjoy, you won't be disappointed.

JR

 

[Louma]

I moved to Florida about 1 year ago. Biggest difference - thermal protection and the amount of lead you will need. You will shead your 7mm farmer john or dry suit, 20+++
pounds of weight in exchange for a 3mm and maybe 4 to 8 pounds of lead. NICE! You'll fell like you are diving nude.

 

[Surelyshirly]

Finally down and settled, thanks for info will be joining a charter tomarrow off Cortez and hope to meet some local divers from there.

Have no plans on caving but was considering the cavern course, is it worth it or will I enough diving in areas that are open?

Will be checking out the greater tampa thread after new years hope to meet some of them

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Moved to the Florida Conch Forum for more local knowledge.

 

[scubafool]

A lot will depend on where exactly you end up at in the state. If you could let us know where you will be located, that will let us give you more specific advice.

Concerning the cavern course, I think that most divers will find it to be a very worthwhile course, even if afterwords you decide that cave/cavern diving is not for you. Many of the dive skills, gas management practices, situational awareness requirements, and gear configuration tips translate very well to the OW arena as well.

One thing that you can count on here in Florida is a lot of great dive buddies, no matter the area.

 

[RonFrank]

You are going to LOVE it! As you may tell from my avatar, I love JewFish, and there are a LOT in FL, on both coasts. The Keys have lovely reefs, and great wrecks as well. Bad vis would be 20 feet, even if I did dive the Grove in 10 feet vis last summer, but I think that was an exception.

100 Vis is possible, and 30~50+ is generally expected. You can do drift dives off the East coast north of Miami. The west coast does not have reefs like the east, but I hear the wrecks are very worthwhile, and the vis can be great if you get out far enough.

There is a LOT of life in those waters on both coasts! Have fun, and enjoy.