Florida Scuba Diving Vacations

Florida Scuba Diving Vacations Idea #1: The Florida Keys is home to some excellent diving vacation spots. In fact Key Largo bills itself as the dive capital of the world. You can find out for yourself by heading to America’s first undersea park - John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park . Here you will find snorkeling tours, scuba tours, glassbottom boat tours and boat rentals.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is at mile marker 102.5 on the Overseas Highway from the mainland. Divers come here from around the world to explore Florida’s living reefs. The 66 square mile park has a beach, camping facilities, and areas for fishing, swimming and picnicking.

Florida Scuba Diving Vacations Idea #2: One of the best drift dive spots is Conch Reef which is accessible from Tavernier at mile marker 90.8. Conch Reef is a National Marine Sanctuary. Drift diving involves descending while drifting with the current. After getting a good easy look at the reef, you surface and get picked up by the boat.

Tavernier has been voted the top dive destination in North America by Scuba Diving Magazine. An excellent guide for dive tours is Conch Republic Divers, in Tavernier. They specialize in drift diving. They also dive major wrecks in the area like the U.S. Coast Cutter Duane and the Eagle.

Florida Scuba Diving Vacations Idea #3: Duck Key is a small islet located at mile marker 61 off the Overseas Highway. Here you will find some very pristine diving conditions. Four miles south-southeast of Duck Key, are the remains of a three-masted iron-rigged and reinforced wooden-hull ship, believed to be the Adelaide Baker. Popular with divers, it sits in 20 feet of water and remnants are scattered over a square quarter-mile area.

Lost and Found Reef is known for its vast dense schools of goatfish. A few miles south of Duck Key is the Boiler Patch, home to the remains of the 1889 steam-powered freighter. Its four large smoke stacks and two boilers are easily located and are home to a large variety of sea like and coral heads.

Florida Scuba Diving Vacations Idea #4: A very popular dive location in the Lower Keys is Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. More than 7000 years of coral growth have created the most spectacular reefs around. Moray eels and lobster thrive amidst the majestic mountains, slopes and ledges of the reef.

The sanctuary is named for the 1744 wreck of the H.M.S. Looe, which remains on the ocean floor for divers to explore. The sanctuary is also popular for snorkeling because the coral tops are an easy free dive and the marine life is easily viewed while snorkeling.

Florida Scuba Diving Vacations Idea #5: Key West is at the southern end of the Overseas Highway. It is known for the numerous easy shallow dive spots. Nearby reefs, Eastern Dry Rocks and Sand Keys are within easy reach. There are several wrecks to dive such as the Cayman Salvager, Joe Tug and Dry Tortugas.

Sand Key is a very popular reef destination off Key West. Both snorkelers and divers can enjoy the abundance of marine life and coral. Two local dive shops that can set you up for your dive are Dive Key West and Subtropic Dive Center.