Florida Scuba

Florida scuba: Coral reefs, shipwrecks, and deep cool caves.

Scuba diving in Florida is a unique experience. Few people realize that Florida has more coastline than any other US state. This coastline reaches from north east Florida where the Atlantic provides warm clear waters all the way down the coast past Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami , Key Largo and Key West.

From Key West the coastline runs north east all the way up to Tampa. This fabulous length of coastline from Palm Beach all the way around to Tampa provides a fabulous variety of diving opportunities.

As well as the coastline Florida also has some exciting deep spring caves providing fresh water diving for those wanting something different.

Realizing scuba diving is a major tourist industry the counties around Florida have not been slow in investing in artificial reefs and some of the creations are stunning including the Rolls Royce in Palm Beach! As an example of commitment you only have to take a look at Governors River Walk Reef in Palm Beach. This artificial site was not created with one shipwreck. No, this site was created using four ships.

The reef was developed as part of the Artificial Reef program and consists of four shipwrecks, 1200 tons of limestone rock and 800 tons of concrete bridge materials that have been used to form corridors between the shipwrecks.

The four ships that form Governors River Walk Reef are the Shasha Boekanier, St. Jaques, Thozina and the Gilbert Sea which sit on the seabed at a depth of up to 90 feet. The majority of the ships are broken apart with the area around the amidships in the sand and the bow and sterns reaching up to provide relief.

When you go to Florida scuba diving the first problem you encounter is choice. You could go to the traditional Florida scuba places such as Key Largo or Key West but some divers prefer to have more action when out of the water and therefore choose places like Miami.

Miami may be famous for places like South Beach, with its art deco, cafes and shops but it also has a lot to offer Florida scuba divers.

Just as the other areas of Florida have invested in artificial reefs and continued to build exciting dive sites so has Miami. In fact Miami has exciting an unusual dive sites such as Army Tanks. I mean, where else in the world would you find tanks waiting to be explored on the sea bed.

The coastal waters are by far the favourite places for Florida scuba divers but don’t underestimate the thrill of diving the caves and caverns known as Florida Springs. Here you can explore different springs across Florida such as Weeki Wachee Springs and have a different kind of thrill.

Florida scuba diving offers so much diversity that it is difficult to choose which area to go to, that’s why many people keep coming back.