Many open water divers attend Florida diving basically because there are lots of dive sites found around the coast of Florida.
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 U.S.
When we first look at the Atlantic coastline you will find a series of reef lines providing an outer reef, inner reef and middle reef. These reefs run along the coastline providing different diving experences from north of West Palm Beach all the way down the coastline to The Keys.
Another unique highlight along the Atlantic coastline is the current provided by The Gulf Stream which moves up north along the coastline before diverting out east and into the Atlantic.
This stream of warm water washes the delicate marine bio systems off the coast and brings with it food that helps maintain the marine eco system on these reefs.
Many travelling to Florida diving for the first time are astonished at the range and diversity of dive sites available.
Florida Diving Sites On The Atlantic Coast
Starting at Jupiter and working your way down south along the coastline you will find an incredible range of reefs and shipwrecks to investigate with some sites like Governor’s River Walk Reef having well known wrecks such as the St. Jacques which is one of three shipwrecks at this dive site.
In West Palm Beach Florida diving novices can still enjoy an exciting experience scuba diving famous reef systems such as Breakers Reef.
Further south along the coastline is Ft. Laud. This is one of the most popular destinations for divers and non scuba divers alike.
Ft. laud has interesting dive sites such as Tenneco Towers or Oil Platforms. There are plenty of interesting choices and when you travel further south you reach Miami.
Miami. Culture, fashion, sport and ‘er’ Army tanks waiting to be explored on the sea floor!
Miami has a varied range of diving sites for beginner and experienced divers and when you take into account the choice of venues and sights out of the water it is a great place to go diving.
Florida Diving Along The Atlantic Coast – The Keys
Of course no Florida diving trip can be taken without taking into consideration a visit to Key Largo or Key West, The Keys.
When you see the vast choice of scuba dive sites available it’s easy to see why Key Largo is one of the most admired diving destinations in the world.
Any Florida diving trip to Key Largo has to consist of a dive or snorkeling trip to Christ of the Abyss, one the most famous underwater statues in the world. Sunk in fairly shallow waters this statue is one of the most visited and photographed statues anywhere.
Molasses Reef is the area to visit if you love underwater photography. The shallow waters and first-class lighting makes this a stunning reef on which to take macro photographs of the marine life.
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.
Key West provides some of the best entertainment in The Keys with the streets full of jugglers, singers and other entertainers going through their routines in the street. With some great dive sites Key West is many peoples favorite destination.
Preparing a Florida diving trip can be hard with so much choice and this was a very quick look the Atlantic coast. In another article we will look at what’s available on the west coast, The Gulf of Mexico.