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Specialties: Wreck Diving, Snorkeling and Live-Aboard
Diving.
The United
States offers divers several unique destinations. Florida
has incredible ocean diving as well as the caves and caverns of
Ginnie Springs. North Carolina offers great wreck diving. For
dry-suit diving, the Pacific Northwest is a great destination
with their wolf eels and seals. Great white sharks are off
the coast of California. In addition to these U.S. destinations,
a few favorites of divers include the Florida Keys, the Hawaiian
Islands and the Virgin Islands.
•
Florida Keys
You’ve got to love a place where people gather each evening on
the beach to celebrate the sunset. The Keys are beautiful and
the atmosphere is friendly, laid-back, and relaxing. For new
divers, the underwater environment is perfect for dive training
and for casual, no-stress diving enjoyment. The Keys include
the narrow stretch of land and bridges from Key Largo south on
US 1 to Key West. The Key Largo area is the biggest and busiest
and alone has 150 moored dive sites. The Keys offer clear, warm
water, beautiful coral reefs (the only coral reef in the U.S),
and a wide assortment of tropical fish such as angelfish, rock
beauties, pufferfish, parrotfish, triggerfish and trumpet fish,
grunt, snappers, tarpon, barracuda and Atlantic spadefish.
Hawksbill turtles and spotted eagle rays are frequently sited.
Diving is year-round, but the best diving is from May to
September. April and June are typically the months for jellyfish
and Portuguese man-of-war, a cousin to the jellyfish. Average
water temperatures during the summer are 80°F to 85°F. During
the winter, the water temperature averages 75°F. The outside
reefs have the best visibility, approximately 80 feet.
Travelers to the Keys fly into the Key West International
Airport.
• Hawaiian Islands (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Kona, and Hawaii)
Hawaii is sunny and warm with temperatures ranging from low 70°F to 85°F
year-round. Hawaii is located 2000 miles from the nearest continental landmass and
is the America’s only tropical state. The Hawaiian Islands consist
of the Big Island of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Kona, and Hawaii. In addition
to SCUBA diving in the Hawaiian Islands, surfing, mountain biking, and
snow skiing are possible. Hawaii does offer some very unique diving experiences
including Kona's manta ray night dives, the wrecks of Oahu, the easy
shore diving on Kauai, and Maui’s popular Molokini Crater. Over
90% of the plants and animals you'll find on Hawaii exist nowhere else
on the planet. About 30% of Hawaii's fish life is found only in Hawaii.
Swirling Pacific currents do not quite reach the islands' shores, so
fish can't surf here from other areas on a wave.
Diving in Hawaii is year-round. Humpback whales can be
viewed from dive boats between November and March. Water
temperatures average in the high 70°Fs in March to mid-80°Fs in August. A full
3mm wetsuit is recommended. Travelers to Hawaii fly
into Honolulu and catch an inter-island
flight to the outer islands.
• U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas)
The U.S. Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean and the
three major islands are St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.
The climate and the beaches are excellent and almost
everything is duty-free, imports from all over the world can
be bought at a fraction of their usual cost. Located only 80
miles east of Puerto Rico, the waters around the U.S. Virgin
Islands waters are so clear that snorkeling is extremely
popular. For divers, there are over 200 dive sites, caves,
coral reefs, drop offs and lots of colorful fish. There are
several ship wrecks and even a wrecked plane to explore. The
wall diving off St. Croix is spectacular with vertical
plunges. The shallow reefs off St. Thomas and St. John are
perfect for all level of divers. Hard coral formations are on
par with other Caribbean destinations, but the U.S. Virgin
Islands feature more soft corals than most other islands.
Count on seeing more than 200 different species of fish on the
reefs, from swarms of omnipresent blue tang to packs of
shimmering tarpon. Hawksbill and green turtles are frequent
dive companions, and southern stingrays are easy to find in
the sand flats. Diving in the Virgin Islands is
year-round but divers prefer the summer off-season with fewer
crowds and ideal water conditions (flat, calm seas with 100+
visibility). There is a threat of hurricanes from July
through October. Water temperatures are in the mid 80°F year-round.
Visibility averages from 60 to 100 feet unless storms have
stirred up plankton. Travelers to the U.S. Virgin
Islands fly into St. Thomas or St. Croix. A water ferry
operates between St. Thomas and St. John.
Documents and Customs Regulations: For U.S. citizens there are no required
documents or customs regulations, only a photo ID (e.g. drivers license)
required by airlines for air transportation. Canadians also need identification;
all other foreign visitors need a passport and visa. For return flights
from Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands, a U.S. citizen may need a passport
(or birth certificate and a valid driver's license) to prove your citizenship
or resident status before boarding the return flight. You'll also need
to clear customs before boarding, so allow plenty of time.
Government: Democracy.
Electrical Current:
120 volts, 60 cycles AC, compatible with American
appliance, but surge protectors are recommended for sensitive equipment.
Current Weather:
Get current weather from Weather.com
Currency:
U.S. Dollar (USD). Credit
cards and traveler's checks are widely accepted. Get
current exchange rate from XE.com
Current Time: Florida Keys:
Get current time from WorldTimeServer.com
Hawaaii:
Get current time from WorldTimeServer.com
U.S. Virgin Islands:
Get current time from WorldTimeServer.com
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