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FLORIDA: The 'Sunshine State' has the best diving in the USA
FLORIDA
Florida is often referred to as ‘The Sunshine State’, thanks to its year round lovely sunny weather, gorgeous beaches and beautiful turquoise seas. With 1200 miles of coastline, and warm waters, it is little wonder that the state has developed not only into the diving capital of the USA, but also one of the best places to dive in the world. The beauty of diving here is that there is real diversity in the types of diving available. There is fresh water diving, salt water diving, cave diving, drift diving and wreck diving. The range of options means that there is something for everyone- shallow reefs are perfect for those learning to Scuba dive, while deep caverns provide the challenge which experienced divers seek.
Florida Highlights
The Gulf Coast, on the West of the state of Florida, has pretty islands off the coast, warm waters and a subtropical climate. This area offers natural and artificial reefs, as well as numerous wrecks which have become home to an abundance of marine life. There are more than 80 artificial reefs that have been created on this area of coastline for scuba divers to explore, and they all offer the chance to see a huge variety of fish and corals. There are also some good wrecks, including the 122 metre Bay Ronto, which attracts lots of fish and other sea creatures. Divers on the Gulf Coast can expect to see goliath groupers, barracudas, lobsters, amberjack, hogfish, spotted eagle rays and maybe even whale sharks.
Crystal River, on the West coast of Florida, has fresh and salt water springs which provide a haven for divers and snorkelers. The warm, tranquil waters of the river encourage herds of manatees from November to April. This is one of the best places in the world to dive with these bizarre sea cows, which can grow up to 4 metres in length. The dive sites in this area are based around caverns and unusual rock formations, and offer scuba divers a chance to swim with redfish, garfish, snapper and tarpon. There is excellent visibility here, often exceeding 24 metres.
South Florida has a lot of artificial reefs and wrecks that have been deliberately sunk to create excellent diving environments. This area is popular for drift diving, powered by the Gulf Stream which comes close to the shoreline in this area of the State. This type of diving is great, as it requires minimal effort, and encourages vibrant coral reefs and huge schools of fish. Around the West Palm Beach area, divers have a very high chance of seeing sea turtles between May and September. South Florida has a huge amount of shipwrecks for divers to explore. Miami’s ‘Wreck Trek’ offers an opportunity for divers to visit a series of wrecks, all lying close to each other. It is likely that scuba divers will see sharks, sailfish and whales in this area.
The Florida Keys offer some excellent dive sites for all abilities of diver. Here, divers will find the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the only living coral reef in North America, which is home to 40 species of coral and over 650 types of fish. Florida Keys also harbours masses of shipwrecks, most of which were sunk intentionally for the benefit of divers. Some of these wrecks are enormous, offering the potential for some fantastic underwater exploration. The best wrecks include The Spiegel Grove, the Bibb and the Duane. These wrecks are all home to barracudas, oceanic jacks and other large fish.
The Florida Springs are a great place to go for fresh water diving, including cave and cavern diving. The caves have the benefit of unbelievably clear waters, thanks to the springs that flow into them. Some of the caves, such as the magnificent Leon Sinks Cave system, are linked by a series of passageways, which turn them into a vast network of underwater caverns. Divers can expect to see catfish, eels, crayfish and turtles in these incredible freshwater dive sites.
Florida is often referred to as ‘The Sunshine State’, thanks to its year round lovely sunny weather, gorgeous beaches and beautiful turquoise seas. With 1200 miles of coastline, and warm waters, it is little wonder that the state has developed not only into the diving capital of the USA, but also one of the best places to dive in the world. The beauty of diving here is that there is real diversity in the types of diving available. There is fresh water diving, salt water diving, cave diving, drift diving and wreck diving. The range of options means that there is something for everyone- shallow reefs are perfect for those learning to Scuba dive, while deep caverns provide the challenge which experienced divers seek.
Florida Highlights
The Gulf Coast, on the West of the state of Florida, has pretty islands off the coast, warm waters and a subtropical climate. This area offers natural and artificial reefs, as well as numerous wrecks which have become home to an abundance of marine life. There are more than 80 artificial reefs that have been created on this area of coastline for scuba divers to explore, and they all offer the chance to see a huge variety of fish and corals. There are also some good wrecks, including the 122 metre Bay Ronto, which attracts lots of fish and other sea creatures. Divers on the Gulf Coast can expect to see goliath groupers, barracudas, lobsters, amberjack, hogfish, spotted eagle rays and maybe even whale sharks.
Crystal River, on the West coast of Florida, has fresh and salt water springs which provide a haven for divers and snorkelers. The warm, tranquil waters of the river encourage herds of manatees from November to April. This is one of the best places in the world to dive with these bizarre sea cows, which can grow up to 4 metres in length. The dive sites in this area are based around caverns and unusual rock formations, and offer scuba divers a chance to swim with redfish, garfish, snapper and tarpon. There is excellent visibility here, often exceeding 24 metres.
South Florida has a lot of artificial reefs and wrecks that have been deliberately sunk to create excellent diving environments. This area is popular for drift diving, powered by the Gulf Stream which comes close to the shoreline in this area of the State. This type of diving is great, as it requires minimal effort, and encourages vibrant coral reefs and huge schools of fish. Around the West Palm Beach area, divers have a very high chance of seeing sea turtles between May and September. South Florida has a huge amount of shipwrecks for divers to explore. Miami’s ‘Wreck Trek’ offers an opportunity for divers to visit a series of wrecks, all lying close to each other. It is likely that scuba divers will see sharks, sailfish and whales in this area.
The Florida Keys offer some excellent dive sites for all abilities of diver. Here, divers will find the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the only living coral reef in North America, which is home to 40 species of coral and over 650 types of fish. Florida Keys also harbours masses of shipwrecks, most of which were sunk intentionally for the benefit of divers. Some of these wrecks are enormous, offering the potential for some fantastic underwater exploration. The best wrecks include The Spiegel Grove, the Bibb and the Duane. These wrecks are all home to barracudas, oceanic jacks and other large fish.
The Florida Springs are a great place to go for fresh water diving, including cave and cavern diving. The caves have the benefit of unbelievably clear waters, thanks to the springs that flow into them. Some of the caves, such as the magnificent Leon Sinks Cave system, are linked by a series of passageways, which turn them into a vast network of underwater caverns. Divers can expect to see catfish, eels, crayfish and turtles in these incredible freshwater dive sites.
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