Thousands of scuba scuba divers visit Florida on a Florida diving holiday due to the huge variety of diving sites you can find on the Florida coastline.
A little known fact is that apart from being situated in a nice and warm region, Florida has the longest coastline of all the states in the United States
First, let’s look at the Atlantic coast. Up and down this coast line are 3 lines of reefs, outer reef, middle reef and inner reef giving some of the finest diving sites from Jupiter, just north of West Palm Beach, all the way down to Key West.
Another unique characteristic along the Atlantic coastline is the current provided by The Gulf Stream which moves up north along the coastline before sweeping out east and into the Atlantic.
The Gulf Stream provides a cleansing action for the marine bio system and brings with it nutrients which provides essential food for the growing marine system.
Many travelling to Florida diving for the first time are amazed at the range and diversity of scuba dive sites available.
Florida Diving Destinations From Jupiter Down To Miami
Starting at Jupiter and working your way down south along the coastline you will find an amazing choice of reefs and shipwrecks to explore with some dive sites like Governor’s River Walk Reef having well known shipwrecks such as the Shasha boerkanier which is one of three shipwrecks at this dive site.
In West Palm Beach Florida diving beginners can still enjoy a thrilling experience scuba diving popular reef systems such as Breakers Reef.
Travel south down the coast and you find Ft. Laud. Known as “The Venice of America” this is a fabulous place to visit on any Florida diving trip.
Fort Lauderdale has interesting diving sites such as Tenneco Towers or Oil Platforms. There are plenty of interesting choices and when you travel further south you get to Miami.
Miami! Probably the only spot in the world you would expect to hit upon Army tanks on the seabed.
Miami is a fantastic location to visit on a Florida diving vacation with locations like South Beach with its Art Deco and the many Miami attractions. There is also a vast choice of dive sites due to the unending artificial reef program.
Florida Diving Destinations From Key Largo Down To Key West
Of course no Florida diving trip can be taken without taking into account a visit to Key Largo or Key West, The Keys.
Key Largo has long been known as “The Scuba Diving Capital of the World” and when you see the choice of dive sites it’s easy to see why.
The U.S.S. Spiegel, the largest ship ever purposely sunk taking a full 3 days to fully survey. Other shipwrecks include the Duane and Bibb.
Some of the best underwater photography has been taken at Molasses Reef. The reef is located in fairly shallow waters and therefore provides good lighting. Molasses Reef is full of color and shapes provided by some of the finest marine life in the area and the opportunities to develop your underwater photography skills is endless.
People often plan their Florida diving trip with a plan to scuba the Key Largo diving sites but if your looking for a more rounded experience which includes nightlife and culture then travel further south to Key West.
Many scuba divers prefer the complete package, fun in the water and out, and Key West provides both. Great scuba dive sites and streets full of entertainment means the place is bouncing in the night so you can enjoy yourself 24 hours a day.
So far we have had a very brief look at the Atlantic coast and have not even tried looking on the west coast, The Gulf of Mexico, but that is for another day.