Diving Floridas East Coast

From Saint Augustine to Key West, there is a smorgasbord of diving adventures awaiting you with a pointed difference in each of the regions diving Florida's East Coast.

South Florida's visibility is much more clear than in the northern part of the state. And there are great wreck dives and rock ledges off the Central East Coast. More reef area off the Southern East Coast of Florida makes underwater photography a memorable addition to your dives.

Starting in the North East Coast of Florida from around Saint Augustine, diving the artificial reef systems and spear fishing are popular diver activities. The best time of year to venture up here for a dive is during the summer months when your visibility is around thirty to fifty feet. Expect a seven to twenty mile ride out to dive at depths of sixty to one-hundred feet. Try to spot a Hogfish while you are out taking in the site of the Triggerfish and Grouper.

Diving Central Florida's East Coast offers a variety of challenging dives from WWII freighters and Monster Hole, to spear fishing and bug snatching. You can bag a monster lobster here. Summer months, again, are the best time of year to dive with visibility fluctuating between twenty five to seventy five feet, the best vis being off shore approximately eight to twenty miles. Areas for beach dives start becoming frequent as you progress south beginning with Vero Beach. As you venture out around two to four hundred feet the views begin happening of sponges, soft corals, and tropical fish hanging by the rocky reefs in depths of ten to thirty feet.

The city of Fort Pierce leads the introduction to the diving off Florida's South East Coast. Three particular dives stand out in this section, a Civil War era paddle wheeler, the site of Urca de Lima Florida's first Underwater Archeological Preserve, and then there is Inlet Park which has a large variety of rock formations and ledges, with monster lobsters and outstanding fish observation or photography. Stuart, Florida dives are not for the beginning diver. Visibility is low, the massive rock reef system begins about three miles offshore at depths of sixty to sixty five feet, and the outer ledges are at depths of one-hundred and twenty to one-hundred and sixty feet. Fewer divers mean a large variety of fish and monster lobster, but take this with a local dive shop group.

Florida reefs really start to emerge as you take the plunge diving Florida's East Coast. A drift diving paradise from West Palm south to the Florida Keys offers reefs, wrecks, cleaning stations, multiple species of marine life, and the commencement of the warmer waters with good visibility. Getting down toward the Keys, dives are more regulated, but beautiful and brilliant with lots of wrecks and marine life. Bring your camera on these dives, you might run into a Goliath Grouper, Moray Eel, or Caribbean Reef Shark. Some of the best photo opportunities diving Florida's East Coast can be found in South Florida. Always check with your local dive shop for current conditions, plan your dive and dive your plan.

Wallace Haile
www.UberBerry.com