When I think of the Central Florida Gulf Coast, I don't think of great diving. Well I was surprised.

My friend Dave is an avid fisherman, and had asked if I would come out and dive a few rock piles he uses for grouper fishing, just to scout out the area, and see what is around the spot he has marked. He has over 150 old loran spots that he is converting to GPS coordinates, but the conversion isn't precise, so having a diver go over and check the area helps pinpoint the spot.

To be honest, I expected sand, and some rocks. Maybe some algae and sea grass. Wow was I wrong. We hit 3 sites that morning thanks to an east wind that kept the seas down. All the spots were in less than 20 feet of water, so they were easy dives. Visibility was ok, and there was a decent current, which along with my poor photography skills explains all the blurry shots.

We dove all 3 sites on one tank each. There was a lot of sponge life, grouper, snapper, and small tropicals. We found a stone crab in a hole along with several starfish. Mike is a marine biologist so it was fun to talk about all the things and be able to ask questions. Being so shallow meant all the colors really popped!

After the third sent we came in shore and joined all the boats lined up about 2-3 miles offshore to take advantage of the last 2 days of the best scallop season in a few years. All four of us on the boat just snorkeled in the 8 foot water, and brought up about 5 gallons of scallops in a couple hours. That was a blast. If I ever finish my outrigger sailing canoe, it would be a great scalloping platform. Our most effective method was to have Dave in the boat drifting down current with us as we just floated along.

It had been a few years since I dove, but I'm glad to be back out there again. It is great to know there are such fun sites in my own backyard!

Here is a link to my google site with pics from the first 2 dives of the day:

15 or so miles off Weeki Wachi

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