Diving at the dive sites around Tampa Bay, St Petersburg, Dunedin, Clearwater, Bradenton and Sarasota.

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The dive sites we mention in this region are those of Tampa, St Petersburg, Dunedin, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota and some other small villages in between. Tampa Bay is quite famous for diving but even more for spear fishing and lobster hunting. Most dive sites will be crowded with fishermen, so if you can't handle fishermen catching their meal, you should better not go here. It is highly likely that you will meet them on the boat or underwater. Extensive artificial reef building programs have began here since the sixties to improve marine environment, coral growth, fish life and entertainment for divers and fishermen alike.

Tampa is a nice large town with white sandy shores and some of the best beaches of Florida can be found in this area. The water of the Gulf of Mexico is warm which provides for excellent coral growth and perfect conditions for huge schools of game fish. Its underwater landscape primarily consists out of white sand and undercut limestone ledges. It is a tourist paradise with a bustling skyline, lots of hotels, bars, restaurants, museums, gardens and enough entertainment to make it one of your top holiday destinations.

Several artificial reefs have been created in the previous decades, but one named Pinellas #2 Artificial Reef offers diving at two of the best wreck dives in the area. These are the Sheridan and the cutter USCG Blackthorn who joined many salvaging tours and rescue missions of sinking ships. Another famous dive site is the Gunsmoke which is a great wreck, a bit overvalued because of its movie like chasing story between teenagers and drug smugglers. There are many other natural and artificial dive sites in the area; enough for divers to explore and fully exploit your hobby as a sports diver.