Florida Guide > Other Activities
Scuba diving in Florida
Many people see Florida as a place for just theme parks and attractions, drive around 2- 3 hours in either direction from Orlando and you can experience some of the best scuba diving sites in the world. For all year round warm see temperatures you can’t wish to find a better location.
Some of the places you can dive in are the gulfstream warm waters near West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. Here you will find Turtles, Eeels, Large Baracuda and many many different types of fish of all shapes and sizes. You might even be lucky enough to meet a shark!
Where the east coast excels is the colourful coral reefs and sponge. With the clear waters this really does give a great view and makes for a pleasant dive. People have said that this is one of the best in the region. In the area you can experience depths of up to 70 feet or more. This area has to be one of my top 3 places I have dived in.
To the Northwest there is an area called the Karst area. This area has many deep caverns and has the same crystal clear water as the east coast. The water is a little cooler here than on the east coast, but at 72 degrees is still very pleasant. This area is regarded as a little more for the experienced diver, however it can be a real good challenge and give novice divers confidence in their own ability.
A good place to learn to dive is in the Florida keys region. Here you can learn to dive for around $300- 400. This normally includes all equipment and licence fees. Here you can do around 2- 3 dives per day on chartered boats, these will take you out to all kinds of places where you can dive in safe waters. The course I did was the PADI open water course (a world wide recognised organisation), once you have completed this course it allows you to dive up to 12m with other experienced divers. You do have to pass an exam when you take this test and individuals should be aware that a little school work is needed to pass. Having said that it is fairly easy and most people pass first time.
As I have said before many people do not know there is this great activity right on the doorstep when visiting Florida. It is certainly worth the drive to the coast. If staying a week in the Florida Keys it is a great way to learn in some of the safest waters in the world.
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