Spanish Rocks/Sugar Barge (Regina)

[rednose83]

Has anyone ever done these shore dives?

It's hard to find much info about these areas.

[Lone Frogman]

Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Spanish Rocks Reef of Florida, USA East

[rednose83]

Thanks Frogman!

We're gonna try it out in a couple of weeks!

[navyhmc]

Have a good time and don't forget to give the rest of us a report on it.

[rednose83]

Originally Posted by navyhmc

Have a good time and don't forget to give the rest of us a report on it.

Sure thing! I gotta wait for my dive flag to get here and the bottom to settle out from the hurricanes.

[rednose83]

We are diving this on Tuesday.

Here's some info:
Spanish Rocks- Spanish Rocks Reef is unique in that it is one of the very rare saltwater shore dives on the west coast of Florida. This dive site consists of limestone ledges that vary in height off the bottom from about a foot to about five feet high in certain locations. Life on the ledges are sponges, tunicates, lots of sea weed, and some corals (hard coral, sea fans, gorgonians). Various tropical fish live on an around the ledges with turtles and nurse sharks spotted on occasion. Average depth is from 15 to 20 feet based on tides. Visibility is highly dependent upon prevailing wind direction and strength.
From: Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Spanish Rocks Reef of Florida, USA East

Regina (Sugar Barge)- Florida Gulf Wreck* Dive - Seatrek Divers on the Regina

[Necklinsberg]

I'd also be interested in a report --- Frau & I are going to be there Christmas week for a couple of days.

[USF_Diver]

I wouldn't bother with the barge, there isn't much left at all just some pile of metal spaced out a hundred feet or so. Really not much to see.

Spanish Rocks was better than I expected.
I haven't dived there in awhile, do give a report.

Another shore dive that isn't as far for you is the howard park hole, just gotta watch the tides cause the cave at the bottom of the sink will siphon on a incoming tide.

[rednose83]

Originally Posted by USF_Diver

Another shore dive that isn't as far for you is the howard park hole, just gotta watch the tides cause the cave at the bottom of the sink will siphon on a incoming tide.

I don't know about that.....

[USF_Diver]

Originally Posted by rednose83

I don't know about that.....

There is some video on youtube if you look up howard park scuba, depth is around 70ft, you would have to go out like 10+ miles out in the gulf to get depths like that, but this is 100 yards from the shore.