Diving offshore Jacksonville, FL
The Atlantic Ocean offshore northeast Florida can be intimidating. For the majority of the year, the northeastern winds create white caps and waves, deterring boaters from venturing past the jetties. But during the summer months and intermittently in the other seasons, the seas calm and create conditions that allow divers to explore the many reef ledges, wrecks, and other structures below the surface.
Leaving from the Mayport Jetties and looking over the endless ocean with the sunrise is such an incredible feeling, but that is just the beginning of the day. The 1-2 hour trip to the first dive site is where divers get their rest for the 3-4 dives throughout the day. Offshore Jacksonville, FL there are hundreds of dive sites that range from about 5 miles offshore to 40 miles offshore. The dive site choice will depend on the conditions, boat crowds, visibility, and legal fish (for the spearfishers). When the captain reaches the first spot, he will mark it and the first dive crew will get geared up for the dive.
Once the divers successfully gear up and back roll into the water, they will make their way down the line to the dive site. The eerie part about diving offshore Jacksonville is that most of the time divers are not able to see the structure or bottom until about halfway down, sometimes even until they reach the bottom. The visibility is generally about 30-40 feet but it can get up to 100 feet or down to 5 feet depending on the location and conditions.
The most incredible part about Jacksonville Diving is once you hit the bottom and get to explore. The fish life is so abundant at some of these dive spots it is unbelievable! Numerous schools of fish intertwined, being chased by other schools of fish. Huge Stingrays swimming over wrecks to relax in sand patches nearby. Bull, Sand Tiger, Tiger, Reef, Hammerhead Sharks have been known to check out the divers but rarely are interested unless there are fish being speared. GIANT Goliath Grouper hang out in or around wrecks. Sometimes they are so big divers think that there is no way they are real. Angel fish, gobies, eels, sea turtles, nudibranchs, and many other tropical creatures are all underneath just waiting for a visit. If you are really lucky a pod of dolphins will visit and you can enjoy their beautiful calls and playful swimming.
Some of my top dives have been offshore Jacksonville. I have spearfished, seen Hammerheads, manta rays, and 600 pound Groupers. I have also learned an incredible amount about diving in all kinds of conditions through my experiences. From perfecting underwater navigation to managing low visibility there many skills that a diver has to attain to dive in offshore conditions. This is why it is required to have your Advanced certification (or be with an instructor) to dive offshore Jacksonville. I have personally taught and dived with hundreds of new and seasoned divers offshore. If you would like to join me or learn more send me an email! baileyrowland89@gmail.com. I will be pairing with Nautical Divers this year to explore more offshore.
In the meantime, Subscribe to my blog here for more offshore Jax experiences. Oh and check out these dolphins! (Sorry for blurry video)
