Grab a map of Florida and you'll see why there are as many scuba diving opportunities as there are gators in the glades. Looking much like a long finger pointing into the blue oceanic waters, many of the best dive sites and caverns are within a few short hours drive from just about anywhere in the state.
Forget the terror-inducing Jaws and spend a day with one of Mother Nature's most graceful predators. Just a 35-minute boat ride east of Florida's Jupiter Beach, Shark Canyon is home to a reliable population of Caribbean reef and nurse sharks. This cage-free adventure - with dive times of 30 to 40 minutes at 80 feet - is aimed to get you up close and personal with anywhere from 10-25 sharks, along with large jewfish, green moray, and spadefish. To start the show, dive masters set a chum ball 12 feet off the ocean floor. Twenty-five minutes of up-close-and-personal interaction with the gray beasts ensues. Go it alone, or grab a local operator to learn more about the sharks role in the ecosystem and the threats faced as a result of human intervention.
Holmes County (North) -
Scuba Diving
Vortex Blue Spring is about 250 feet in diameter with sloping sides and an average depth away from the vent of about 30 feet. The mouth of the vent is 50 feet below surface and the vent measures nine by 12 feet and extends to a depth of about 70 feet. The natural cavern is 58 feet deep and meanders slowly through a tunnel to a depth of 115 feet, reaching a final depth of 300 feet.
 Ginnie Springs (North) -
Scuba Diving
Located in central Florida is a set of several different springs that allows for excellent scuba diving and snorkeling. The water at Ginnie Springs stays at a steady 72 degrees year-round and offers excellent visibility. Camping, bathhouses, dive gear rental and tank fills are all available. Visitors must be open water certified to dive the outer pools and cave certified to dive the deeper caves.
 Paradise Springs (Central) -
Scuba Diving
Paradise Springs in Ocala is a commercially operated dive site. This is an advanced (cavern and cave) dive, so open water divers should limit their depth to 60 feet while those with cavern and cave training are welcome to go further. The maximum depth at Paradise Springs is 140 feet. At best the whole spring should be considered a cavern dive and you should be appropriately trained for an overhead environment. For diving information call toll free (352) 368-5746.
 Crystal River (Central West) -
Scuba Diving
Popular for its abundance of manatees during the winter months. On a given weekend, you can practically walk across the water on the backs of snorkelers at Crystal River without getting your feet wet. There are often open water classes doing their check-out dives in the springs in the mornings. The best time to see the manatees occurs at daybreak or before 7 a.m. There are numerous springs in the area, but Tarpon Springs (aka King's Spring) is usually the most popular for snorkelers and divers.
 Birds Underwater (Central West) - Dive Center
Many local dive centers are available to guide both the inexperienced and diving aficionado during local expeditions. In Crystal River, Birds Underwater Dive Center offers guided dives in the Blue Grotto, the largest clear water cavern in Florida or the Devil's Den featuring ancient rock formations with stalactites, fossil beds and much more.For information or to reserve a dive call toll free 1-800-771-2763 or (352) 563-2763.
 Arch Sink (Central West) -
Scuba Diving
Arch Sink is located in Pasco County just south of the Hernando county line. The cave is great for beginning divers as there are very few off-shooting tunnels. From the cavern there are three passages, two which are fairly short and neatly dead-ended without getting too small. The big draw of the dive site is the large room that lies just past a minor, steep restriction. The room measures 150 to 200 feet in diameter and 80 feet in height. There is a deep tunnel (found by following the left line of the circuit) that goes to about 195 feet and ends in a bottom of sediment.
Ocean Fest Scuba Dive & Adventure Expo
Fort Lauderdale - April More than two hundred exhibitors from all areas of diving related industries display and demonstrate all the newest equipment available, dive destinations and dive accessories. Whether you are a certified diver or not, Ocean Fest offers the opportunity to try the sport of scuba diving first hand. In an effort to introduce the sport to new participants, scuba and snorkeling introductory courses are conducted at the Dive Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) pool and shore diving is demonstrated right on the beach.
Florida's Mini Lobster Season
Among the most coveted festival of any Florida diver is the day mini lobster season begins. The 48 hours of lobster madness in Palm Beach begins the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. Beginning at midnight, divers are allowed six lobsters per day and must be a minimum size larger than the three inch carapace.
Don't forget your lobster equipment! You'll need gloves, a tickle stick or lobster loop, and a lobster gauge for measuring in the water is required at all times. Regular lobster season begins the first week of August and runs through the end of March.
The Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival
For more than 20 years this one-day festival in early July has been host to the oxygen-challenged performers that play unplugged. Located in the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary just six miles south of Big Pine Key, divers and snorkelers are treated to underwater performers such as Tuna Turner and Britney Spearfish. With mock instruments belting out simulated tunes from Titanic's theme to Jimmy Buffet's Fins, the event is also meant to help preserve the fragile coral reefs.
The music is interrupted occasionally by diver-awareness announcements from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary officials offering tips on how to enjoy the reef without destroying it. But that's as solemn as it gets. After the music ends, everyone heads back to shore for a conch chowder cook-off
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