Diving and
Snorkeling in Florida
Florida is superb diving and snorkeling territory. You can dive from
spots at the top of the Panhandle to the bottom of the Keys - and just
about everywhere in between! There are however, two very important
guidelines to follow: 1) Always fly the proper dive flag (see right hand
column for more detail) and 2) remember that coral is a living animal.
Your anchor, mooring lines and even touching a Florida
coral reef
can cause damage.
Lobster Season
Regular lobster season in Florida is August 6 thru March 31. The bag
limit is six lobster per day.
Great Diving Destinations
Panhandle - Pensacola and Destin are two of the best places in
Florida to explore historic wrecks. There are several vessels in the
area, including a World War I battleship and a retired aircraft carrier.
In Panama City the marine institute has sunk ships, including a 465-foot
British tanker 20 miles off Cape San Blas. Pensacola is home to the
"World's Largest Artificial Reef" The retired aircraft carrier
Oriskany arrived safely to
Naval Air Station Pensacola from Beaumont, Texas in 2006 and it was
reefed on May 17, 2006 with controlled charges in 212 feet of water 24
miles southeast of Pensacola Pass.
Florida Keys - Key Largo is probably Florida's best place to
explore big wrecks. The 510-foot Spiegel Grove is probably the highlight, followed by two other great wrecks not to be
missed - the former Coast Guard cutters Bibb and Duane. Toothy fish like barracuda and oceanic jacks have made these sites their
home base.
North Florida - Divers who visit the
Sebastian won't want to miss
Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum
on US 1 in downtown Sebastian. The shop
displays treasures from different wrecks including the famous Atocha.
There are jewels and gold bars on display as well as for sale.
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling Safety
Diving is a popular sport and divers can be found in areas shared with
recreational boaters. As its popularity increases, it becomes more
important for both boaters and divers to take special precautions.
As a dive boat operator you should:
Be able to recognize a "diver down" flag, a red flag with a
white diagonal stripe floating in the area of the divers. Follow the
diver down flag regulations.
Stay the legal
distance away from a diver down flag. Scuba divers or snorkelers should
not place the flag where it will obstruct traffic or create a hazard to
navigation on a river, inlet or navigation channel. In open waters,
divers must make reasonable efforts to stay within 300 feet of their
diver down flag; in rivers, inlets and navigation channels, 100 feet.
the diver down flag must be removed when scuba divers or snorkelers are
not in the water.
Keep a lookout for bubbles breaking the
surface of the water. The bubbles indicate that there are divers below
who may have strayed from their marked diving area.
In order to secure their own safety, divers
should:
● Always display the diver down flag.
●
Select a boat that is suited for diving. A
small boat is best, though it should be large enough to comfortably hold
diving gear, while allowing room for easy exit and entry. It should also
be stable. Flat bottom boats should be considered for this reason.
●
Avoid overloading the boat with people or
equipment and supplies.
●
Always anchor the boat securely. |
Photo by
Elaine Blum
Florida Dive Regulations
Diver
Down Flag
- State law requires that scuba divers or snorkelers display a flag
whenever they are in the water.
 The "diver down" flag is a square or rectangular red
flag (if on boats, at least 20 inches by 24 inches; at least 12 inches
by 12 inches on towed buoys) with a white diagonal stripe and with wire
or other stiffener to hold it unfurled and extended.
Boaters must make reasonable efforts to stay 300 feet
away from dive flags in open water; 100 feet in rivers, inlets and
navigation channels.
Boaters approaching diver down flags closer than 300
feet in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets and navigation
channels must slow their vessels to the minimum speed required to
maintain forward motion and steering.
Who to Call for Help
The U.S. Coast Guard is the primary contact for notification of all
offshore medical emergencies. Contact them via channel 16 on VHF radio.
they may dispatch a vessel to provide initial emergency medical
assistance at sea or to provide an escort to a dock where medics and an
ambulance can be waiting. Be prepared to provide the following
information:
● Your vessel's
name and its description
● The exact nature of the problem
● Your location (GPS coordinates)
● Any landmarks
● Sea conditions/currents
● Description of diver; age,
color of gear
● Depth of dive, number done that
day
About the Bends
The bends, or decompression sickness, is a dangerous,
sometimes deadly, condition in which nitrogen gas bubbles form in the
tissues and blood vessels of divers who have ascended too quickly from
the deep. Stricken divers often stoop over in pain - a stance that led
to it being called "the bends." Victims are treated by being placed in a
pressurized chamber that delivers 100 percent oxygen. The nitrogen
bubbles are removed as the increased level of oxygen enters the blood
and body tissues.
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Some text on this page provided by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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