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| The Surface Interval |
| March 2005 - Part 2 in a 2 part series |
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Last month in the Surface Interval column of the Nautical
Mile I decided to do something different. After I started
writing about the scuba diving possibilities within close
reach of Southwest Floridians I realized I had a topic too
large and broad to fit in one column. I probably could write a
book on that subject alone if I had the time. I didn’t give up
and write a narrow article though. Instead, I broke my
thoughts into two parts and wrote half of them for last
month’s column. Last month the article included information on
diving off our Gulf shore. This month you can read about scuba
diving other destinations within close range. So, did you not
read last month’s column? Well, it probably serves you right
for not picking up this AWESOME, free magazine. Lucky for you
I’m a nice guy.
Aside from all of the great scuba diving found right in our
backyard, the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Florida is central to
the widest variety of diving anywhere. Just a few hours in any
direction and you can find a different underwater setting to
explore.
If you don’t like driving, the Ultimate Getaway is a 100’ boat
departing for the Dry Tortugas right from Fort Myers Beach
(see Surface Interval, Jan 2005). This trip takes divers to
very tropical scuba diving right in the Gulf of Mexico. Found
seventy miles west of Key West this secluded area makes a
great mini-vacation. The crew takes care of your meals and you
bunk on the boat. Divers can enjoy turtles, tropical fish,
grouper, snapper, and massive coral heads. That’s just a
start.
Heading two to three hours east by car, there’s many dive
boats to be found on Florida’s Atlantic coast. The Atlantic
maintains its better visibility more consistently than the
Gulf. Unlike the Gulf’s anchor diving, most of the diving off
Florida’s east coast is drift diving. The boat drops its
diver-passengers in the water up-current of the reef so they
can lazily drift over the reef and be picked up down-current
at the end of their dive. This usually makes for an easy dive
and the divers can cover more area.
West Palm, Greater Fort Lauderdale, and Miami are common East
Coast dive destinations. Pompano Beach rates as one of my
favorites. These areas have quite a few boats making morning,
afternoon, and night trips. The colorful reefs offer lots of
soft corals, hard corals, and marine life to see but less of
the big grouper and snapper. The short boat trips make
Florida’s east coast a great place for a day trip. It also
keeps the cost of the boat trip down (usually $45-$65) and if
you are prone to seasickness it lessens your time topside.
Looking north on my map I feel compelled to mention Venice
Beach. Many of my customers drive to Venice to hunt for sharks
teeth. Millions of years ago there was a riverbed right where
the Gulf of Mexico meets Venice Beach today. Black fossilized
sharks teeth and bones of animals can be found right on the
beach of this historic feeding ground. Many divers go right
from shore (don’t forget your floating dive flag!), but the
fossil beds a couple of miles offshore increase your chances
of finding bigger teeth and a greater quantity. I used to dive
for the teeth from the beach myself until the beach
re-nourishment several years back. The imported sand made it
harder to find the teeth. I still enjoy going to the offshore
beds and several boats make the trip from the Venice area.
Many of our local rivers and others throughout the state are
fruitful for fossil hunters.
A little further north on the map is Crystal River. Crystal
River gives divers a chance to practice their sport in clear,
shallow water. It’s a popular destination in the winter months
because it stays warmer than the Gulf. Scuba and skin divers
can swim with huge schools of Tarpon and jacks. It’s also a
good place to come face to face with manatees in the winter
months. Sorry I used the m-word (For those of you that are not
aware, the Manatee Speed Zones and protection areas are a very
controversial subject right now. Unfortunately the manatees
are taking most of the bad rap that should be directed at
their few overzealous defenders. I don’t mind the manatees…
but I am boater.).
Still further north we have Florida’s gorgeous springs. Many
of these freshwater springs are surrounded by beautiful
woodlands. Many people, including myself, enjoy camping next
to the springs. I try to get to Ginnie Springs at least once a
year. With water as clear as your bathtub and alternate
activities such as canoeing, tubing, swimming, and hiking,
Florida’s springs provide the perfect weekend getaway for the
whole family. The springs are also home to many underwater
caverns and caves. With the proper training, the sport of
cave-diving attracts many to the springs.
When most people think about scuba diving in Florida they
think of the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys can justifiably be
called the Scuba Capital of the United States. The diving in
the Keys is as close to the Caribbean as we get here in the
U.S. Warm clear water, beautiful reefs, and tropical fish make
this a diver’s paradise only three and a half hours away.
The majority of visiting divers hit the Keys in the first two
weeks of lobster season in the beginning of August. Year after
year these “bug-hunters” come into my shop in July and ready
themselves for their Keys trip. The most amazing thing to me
is that many of these people don’t know that lobster season
lasts until April 1st. The hype is so big at opening that the
rest of season is often overlooked.
You don’t have to drive far into the Keys to find great
diving. The John Penekamp Park is located right in Key Largo
and is some of the prettiest reef diving anywhere. The Keys
are great for wreck divers too! Key Largo also is the final
resting place of Florida’s largest artificial shipwreck, the
Spiegel Grove. This former Navy ship is more than 500 feet
long! Some of the other shipwrecks in the Keys are: the Bibb,
the Duane, the Eagle, the Adolpheus Busch, the Thunderbolt,
and many more.
If you’re still not convinced that Southwest Florida is a
diver’s dream don’t forget our airport. With an international
airport right in Fort Myers we are within a few hours of
thousands of other diving destinations. Boating, fishing,
diving, a killer boating magazine, and an absolutely awesome
dive shop opening on Colonial Blvd. (real soon)! We really do
have it all!
Capt. Pete is interested in your diving questions for future
articles. Please email those questions to
scubashop@captpetes.com.
If you would like to be on Capt. Pete’s mailing list for
exciting trips and specials, please email your name and
address. |
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Capt. Pete's
Diving Outfitters, Fort Myers, FL, Email:
scubashop@captpetes.com |
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Photo by
Capt. Pete |
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Trumpet Fish - Deerfield Beach
Photo by Gary Wood |
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Drift Diving East Coast
Photo by Cherri Wood |
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Famous Batfish - Florida Keys
Photo by Cherri Wood |
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Venice Beach Treasure
Photo property of Capt. Pete's |
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