Travel advice needed, please

[SoCalDiverGirl]

(I also posted this message in the General Travel and Vacation Discussions forum)

Hi folks,

My husband and I are thinking about making our first trip to FL next month, and I was wondering if I could get some advice about where to stay. Here's what we have in mind:

A hotel/condo on a nice beach

Good shore diving off the beach, as well as convenient tank rental (we'll have our own gear). I specified shore diving because one of us (ahem) is prone to sea-sickness. We might get on a boat, but it would be best if the majority of our diving could be from the beach. Or, a hotel close to a shore dive that has convenient tank rental would be OK, too.

We're advanced divers, but we don't have to be challenged to be satisfied; we'd be happy as long as vis is above 15' (which is considered "excellent" where we live) and water temp is above 72 (which is "warm" where we live).

As far as the accommodations themselves, we're not very picky, except that the place has to be clean and it would be nice if there was a decent pool.

Is there is such a thing as what we're hoping for? We will consider any suggestions. In your response, please include info about what the diving situation is like, i.e. typical conditions for July; length of walk to beach from tank rental; length of kick-out, if any; OK to dive without a guide.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Jupiter31]

Whew....

Its a big state - I have no clue if good shore diving exists elsewhere, or what area you had in mind to stay, but can tell you there is decent shore diving in a place north of Ft Lauderdale in a town called "Lauderdale by the Sea" - there are hotels on the beach and very close.

Many board members shore dive, and they can perhaps tell you more.

Up the road in Palm Beach County is a great spot for shore diving; the Blue Heron Bridge - you access it at Phil Foster Park, right off Blue Heron Blvd, which is an exit off I 95.

Plan to rent a car, in any case.

The weather in July is normally excellent for diving; warm water (depending, you can expect temps in the mid 80's, although so far this year the water has been cold; earlier this week it was 73 - 74, which is cold for us for early June).

The other thing is the seas are normally flat that time of year, which brings me to my final point.

While you can shore dive, Bonaire its not, and some sites are a long swim from shore - there is so much good diving in S. FL that to come down here as a diver and not experience it would, IMO, be a shame.

The diving in Palm Beach County - Boynton, West Palm, and Jupiter is world class - especially Jupiter - but you gotta boat dive - and for Jupiter, you should not be a rookie, which you post you are not.

The upper Keys are also great.

You could base yourselves in Lauderdale by the Sea, and be able to visit Palm Beach, as well as the Keys.

If shore diving on a beautiful beach is really your thing, seriously check prices on Bonaire - or Curaso - they are known for their shore diving - FL, not so much.

If you decide to come to S. FL, and you want some great local dive operators - and are willing to take some Bonine or Triptone for the sea sickness (which really should not be a major concern in July), post back and I'll be happy to give you some suggestions for good local dive op's.

 

[weaponeer]

You should get detailed responses if you let everyone know where in Florida you intend to stay and dive. If you don't have the city narrowed down, give an area.

 

[sportxlh]

this is a good forum with dive suggestions for Florida: many of them are beach dive spots

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/60333-insider-information-local-diving.html

 

[WreckDivingFool]

As everyone else is saying, you need to narrow down an area you want to dive or to see before we can really help you. What part of the state are you looking for? If you want to go to the Keys, your seasick (ahem) half will HAVE to get on a boat since our reefs down here are 6-7 miles off shore. That being said, the boat rides are normally calm because the inside of the reef gets sheltered a lot from storm swells and surge. It might not be flat, but it wont be nearly as rough as outside the reef.

With shore diving, there are also inherent issues as well. You need to have practiced surf entries since a lot of the Atlantic side has surf of some type. There are also a lot of rip currents on the Atlantic side, since the Gulf Stream passes within half a mile of the coast in some locations.

If you want good shore diving, I wold stick between West Palm and Lauderdale, specifically the Pompano and Boynton areas. You can get into reef 100 yards off shore, and be in 100ft of water 1/4 mile offshore if you are willing to do a nice bottom swim and explore on the way down and on the way back up to shore.

Just remember to always take a dive flag with you on these dives, and to let someone know what beach and what exact location you are diving from. If something happens, they will know exactly where you went in, and where you are diving. LDS in the areas are also a very big asset in helping you determine the best locations to dive. And they usually have groups on weekends that meet up and go diving from the beach so you dont have to go at it alone.

I hope this helps out some

 

[SoCalDiverGirl]

Thank you for all of your feedback. It sounds like boat diving is the way to go. I'm glad to hear that the seas should be calm in July. Another question, though: Are there good beach snorkeling spots that could also be easy shore dives?

As far as where in FL we want to go, we haven't decided yet because we were going to base that decision on where there's good shore diving. I'm liking what I've read here about the Ft Lauderdale area, so maybe we'll base ourselves there and go with it. I think a taking a boat to the Keys would be a must.

 

[ONESPEED]

Thank you for all of your feedback. It sounds like boat diving is the way to go. I'm glad to hear that the seas should be calm in July. Another question, though: Are there good beach snorkeling spots that could also be easy shore dives?

As far as where in FL we want to go, we haven't decided yet because we were going to base that decision on where there's good shore diving. I'm liking what I've read here about the Ft Lauderdale area, so maybe we'll base ourselves there and go with it. I think a taking a boat to the Keys would be a must.

Find a place in Lauderdale By The Sea, you will have access to great shore diving and be ideally situated between Palm Beach and the keys should you want to make a day trip to either location for a different underwater view. You'll also be very close to numerous dive boats in Fort lauderdale.

 

[Pre BC]

SoCalDiverGirl:

Like you I live in SoCal and have a tourist's view of Florida diving. As soon as you land in Fort Lauderdale, go to a dive shop and buy a copy of "Beach Diving and Snorkeling Locations" by Fish Enterprises. I think it is a great book for those of us who like beach diving and, if I remember correctly, it cost me about $15 bucks at Scuba Emporium. The beach dive sites closest to the center of town are Palm Avenue Reef, Vista Park Reef, Yankee Clipper Rocks (snorkeling only), Park Reef, Dania Erojack Reef and SeaTech Ledge (vis near shore is not so good but improves near the impressive ledge). If none of those tickle you and your husband's fancy, there are at least a dozen similar or better spots within easy driving distance a bit north.

I have to second what OneSpeed and others have said, the diving is good by California beach diving standards but it is not Bonaire! I would recommend you keep an eye on the swell and sneak in a few recreational depth wreck dives. There are a ton of intentionally sunk ships all the way up and down the coast.

As far as hotels go, there is a wide range of prices from the Tropic Cay and Avalon Waterfront Inn on the low end, the Courtyard by Marriot (very nice!) in the middle range and the new "W" or the Ritz Carlton at the top. Some of the local dive shops have deals with hotels, so you might find a great deal and tips on diving conditions if you start by calling a few shops. Hope this was helpful... Enjoy!

 

[sharkbait0501]

I agree with the others who recommended Lauderdale by the Sea and Dania Beach. Lauderdale By the Sea's reef and the Dania beach reef/erojacks both are accessible as a beach dive. Fort Lauderdale is located between the two but I believe the reef is located fairly far out and it would be a long swim. Another option is Hollywood Beach which is about 15 minutes south of Ft Lauderdale; they have a nice boardwalk there with restaurants, bike rentals, and of course beach diving.

The last post mentioned "Scuba Emporium"; don't try to find that shop while your here as they have recently gone out of business. There are plenty of other ones to choose from.

 

[PerlDiver]

IMHO, if you are hitting Florida, go ahead and hit the Florida Keys. You won't be disappointed. Key Largo has the Christ of the Deep, good reefs and the Speigel Grove. Our next visit, we will dive the SG, then hit some Key West sites.