Diving help take 2: Florida bound....

Looks like Florida is going to be a better fit for the family right now (instead of Hawaii). We're thinking that we'll spend a few days in Disney World and then a few days on the beach and diving. My wife is wanting to stay in the Palm beach area since it's only a few hours from Disney World and seems to have some good diving options. I am arguing why not tough it out for a few more hours and stay somewhere in the Keys.

What do you guys think? Does anyone have any suggestions for dive tours or locations in Florida? Thanks in advance.

Disney to Palm Beach +- 2 hours
Palm Beach to the keys is about 3 hours away.

Most inlets in the PB area are good places for snorkeling/diving, south end of Peanut Island, Blue Heron Bridge. Also try to get to Jupiter to "Blowing Rock". wait for a windy/high seas day, and you will see some awesome action there. The rock has been eroded in a way that created channels, and acts like a geyser on the incoming tide. Great little spot for the kids to snorkel. Not as much for corals, but it teaming with fish, from little gobies to 6' nurse sharks.

If your going to the keys, there's plenty of reefs to dive. Always lighthouse piers to go on a dive trip. Stop in Islandmorada at "Robbies of Islandmorada". The kids will have a blast feeding Tarpon right from the dock.

I always stay in Marathon. It's more of a "hometown" type of area, about an hour to get the Key West itself. If you go down to Keys West itself, stop in Big Pine Key to look for "keys deer". They are little guys compared to what I was used to in NY.

As for living, I've been here in the Palm Beach area for going on 3 years now. Like anywhere, it has it good and bad. I was in Stuart for awhile. Nice town, a mile to the ocean, clean beaches, and the town has some type of event almost every weekend.

I live in North Palm Beach now. Nice area, but I've only been here for a few months.

Thanks Daimyo68! I will most likely stay in PB since my wife isn't looking forward to a 5-6 drive to the keys and after all if she is not happy, i won't be How about LFS's, are there any worth going to in PB?

I just got back from the keys! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any snorkeling from the beach/coast, all the reefs are are about 5 to 6 miles out and the coastline is mostly very shallow, waveless mudflats. If you do the tour on a boat thing however, the reef is really nice, lots of sea fans!

Oceans Below / FishSkulls Personal Friends of mine. (Rob was a featured article in our friend Tony's latest book release) - 110 US Highway 1, North Palm Beach, FL 33408 - Definitely check out their FishSkulls while your there. Denise has some mad skills. They are the FAOIS of WPB. (See Below)

Tanks A Lot Aquariums (Lots of frags/colonies) - 1230 N. Dixie Hwy
Lake Worth, FL 33460

Riley's Reef (one of the newer stores north of Palm Beach) - 126 Center St. Jupiter FL 33458

Coral Sea Aquariums Inc - 1373 N Military Trl, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Thats pretty much local to PB.


While your in Orlando, you should hit World Wide Corals. I personally wouldn't pay some of their prices while others will (imo, its more of a "OMG! I gotta have it" price structure), but it's a nice shop, nice people, with some wicked cool corals. They also just put in an 800g display not too long ago, built by Felix, owner of ReefSavvy. It's pretty sweet. (but then again, anything Felix builds is sweet).


If your ever over in the Tampa area, 2 stores that I always go to are Fish and Other Itchy Stuff (FAOIS) and The Coral Corral, both within 2 miles of each other.

FAOIS - John and his staff are mad knowledgeable, always willing to talk reef, and would sell you the $5 item that will fit your needs instead of the $100 item that is way too much for you. As a matter of fact, when I moved from Tampa over here to Palm Beach, John and Rob stayed after hours (they close at 7pm) to triple bag all of my corals and fish for the trip. We were there until almost 9:30 that night... He never asked for a dime, and when I tried to tip Rob, he refused it. Talk about great people!

Coral Corral - Holy crap! They are without a doubt, the largest facility in that area, with rows of 200g troughs full of corals, and rows of fish. I almost feel like I'm at a distributor when I go there.

I just got back from the keys! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any snorkeling from the beach/coast, all the reefs are are about 5 to 6 miles out and the coastline is mostly very shallow, waveless mudflats. If you do the tour on a boat thing however, the reef is really nice, lots of sea fans!

No doubt it's better if you take a boat tour out to the reefs. When we go down we rent a house for 2 weeks and I dock the boat right outside.

ahh... wake up, hop on the boat, go fishing and then diving on the way back in

Daimyo68,
Thanks, that's a big help. Any suggestions for hotel's in the PB area?