FL Folks: Sanibel Area Diving?

Hi folks:

Wife and I might be down in the Sanibel area at the end of April and I was
wondering what the diving is like in that area. All of my Florida diving has
been in the Keys, Boynton or FtL areas.

Also, any operators you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance.

- Dave

David In NH wrote:
> Hi folks:
>
> Wife and I might be down in the Sanibel area at the end of April and I was
> wondering what the diving is like in that area. All of my Florida diving has
> been in the Keys, Boynton or FtL areas.
>
> Also, any operators you'd recommend?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> - Dave
>
>
>
The west coast is very shallow for a long way out and the viz is terrible.

For shelling and shark teeth, you put on an extra 4-6#, leave yer fins
in the trunk, and crawl around with a sieve.

There are only a few operators on the west coast, I've never heard
anything really bad or really good about any of them. There are some
small ledges way out (boring) and some debris piles (boring).

There are some good nature areas for birding, a better bet than diving.

esg

"El Stroko Guapo" <omgray@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13todftef8lsg01@corp.supernews.com...
> David In NH wrote:
>> Hi folks:
>>
>> Wife and I might be down in the Sanibel area at the end of April and I
>> was wondering what the diving is like in that area. All of my Florida
>> diving has been in the Keys, Boynton or FtL areas.
>>
>> Also, any operators you'd recommend?
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> - Dave
> The west coast is very shallow for a long way out and the viz is terrible.
>
> For shelling and shark teeth, you put on an extra 4-6#, leave yer fins in
> the trunk, and crawl around with a sieve.
>
> There are only a few operators on the west coast, I've never heard
> anything really bad or really good about any of them. There are some small
> ledges way out (boring) and some debris piles (boring).
>
> There are some good nature areas for birding, a better bet than diving.
>
> esg
>

Thanks for the info. My guess is that if we make the trip, she'll only do 4
days, so I might come down earlier, dive east coast somewhere and catch up
with her and do the non-diving part of the trip later. (Or the other way
around, coming down with her and staying later.)

Anyway, thanks again.

"David In NH" <dgintz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:N96dnVsdFei2Z0banZ2dnUVZ_siknZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Hi folks:
>
> Wife and I might be down in the Sanibel area at the end of April and I was
> wondering what the diving is like in that area. All of my Florida diving
> has been in the Keys, Boynton or FtL areas.
>
> Also, any operators you'd recommend?
>
> Thanks in advance.

There are a few operators we recommend, but all of them are on the East
Coast.

Mike is not entirely correct. Visibility on the west coast is often very
nice, particularly right off Sanibel. It just seems lousy because there's
nothing to see.

Lee

On Mar 19, 8:57*pm, "Lee Bell" <pleeb...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> "David In NH" <dgi...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:N96dnVsdFei2Z0banZ2dnUVZ_siknZ2d@comca st.com...
>
> > Hi folks:
>
> > Wife and I might be down in the Sanibel area at the end of April and I was
> > wondering what the diving is like in that area. All of my Florida diving
> > has been in the Keys, Boynton or FtL areas.
>
> > Also, any operators you'd recommend?
>
> > Thanks in advance.
>
> There are a few operators we recommend, but all of them are on the East
> Coast.
>
> Mike is not entirely correct. Visibility on the west coast is often very
> nice, particularly right off Sanibel. It just seems lousy because there's
> nothing to see.

We used to hang out at a condo in Ft Myers Beach. I went out looking
for dive ops and the two I asked about it told me not to waste my
time. If I wanted to dive in Florida head over to ESG & Lee's area or
down to the Keys. The only divers I ever encountered there were
disembarking after a weekend fishing trip to the Dry Tortugas area.

ESG's right about the birds. There are a lot of 'em everywhere. Pay a
couple of bucks and visit the Ding Darling Refuge along the north
shore of Sanibel. You can drive right into the refuge and park at
different locations to walk the trails. I remember seeing a lot of
folks with bikes there whenever we've gone. You'll see lots of birds,
alligators up close, and the shell mound trail is pretty interesting.
Watch for snakes there. They're quick little suckers but if you watch
along the edges of the wooden walkways you'll occasionally see 'em.
I've seen fishermen and crabbers in the refuge. Word of warning. Watch
where you walk when you're near water. I almost stepped on an
alligator sunning himself. Just follow the main road up the island and
you can't miss the signs.

JF