Florida Diving
Florida Diving: Something for everyone!
If you have never been to Florida diving you don’t know what you’re missing!
Florida has long been famous for Disneyland, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and all the other famous tourist attractions but it has so much more to offer those who enjoy the thrill of scuba diving.
Florida has long realized that scuba diving is a big attraction in itself and has invested heavily over the years in programs to create artificial reefs to create even more interesting dive sites.
The marine life in this area of the world is incredible with hundreds of different species of fish and sharks.
Each dive is different even to the same dive site!
If you plan on going to Florida diving then you will need to plan to get the most out of your trip. You can scuba dive at places such as Miami that has some of the most unusual dive sites such as the Army Tanks dive site, yes, I kid you not, Miami has tanks on the seabed!
Or perhaps you fancy turning up at a bar when you’re diving. Yep, Miami even has its own underwater bar located just off the beach. Trust Miami to be different.
For dives of outstanding beauty you want to travel to The Keys.
Key Largo is well known throughout the diving world and has been called the scuba diving capital of the world. This title is not surprising when you think of some of the beautiful dive sites such as Molasses Reef which is a photographer’s paradise.
Another world famous dive site is Christ of the Abyss. Donated by Egidi Cressi in 1962 to the Underwater Society of America, this 4000 lb statue was sunk on its concrete base in just 22 feet of water on the seaward side of the reef.
The statue is well attended by snorkelers and scuba divers alike and presents an awesome sight with its hands raised towards the surface.
Florida diving and Key Largo in particular offers a stunning variety of dives and for the more specialist diving there is always wreck diving such well known wrecks as the USCG Duane and USCG Bibb.
These two coastguard cutters are well worth a dive.
For the deeper diver one of the best wrecks anywhere has to be the enormous USS Spiegel Grove which takes more than one dive to explore and every dive is different. The largest vessel ever intentionally sunk this dive is one for the very experienced with strong currents making this one of Florida’s more challenging dives.
The Keys has plenty more to offer for the diving enthusiast with Key West being the furthest south and the most popular for those looking for night time fun after a hard day diving.
Key West is well known for its nighttime activities and is the complete package for those looking to have fun all day and night.
If you travel to the western side of Florida, to the Gulf of Mexico, the scuba diving is totally different to diving on the Atlantic coast.
Tampa Bay is one of the most popular areas and over the years some very interesting sites have developed here such as Veterans Reef which was developed as a tribute to the armed forces.
To cap it all, where else in the world can you go scuba diving with mermaids? Tampa Bay has the world famous Weeki Wachee Springs, a natural spring diving site with water temperatures of 74 degrees and some of the best cave diving around.
Yes, Florida diving offers something for everyone, from the newbie to the most experienced, and whichever part of Florida you visit there is a dive site not too far away!
