Scuba World Orlando

Based in Orlando, Florida, Scuba World is a PADI Dive Center staffed by 3 PADI instructors and geared toward divers who want structured training close to home. Courses run from PADI Scuba Diving through PADI First Aid – EFR, and the shop rounds things out with air fills, equipment sales, scuba equipment rental, an onsite classroom, a retail shop, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and parking. Instruction is offered in English.

Diving the Atlantic reefs

The Atlantic reefs from Jupiter through Stuart continue the rock ledges that parallel the West Palm coastline, and they run large and extensive, sometimes for miles. Summer usually brings the calmest, clearest water, while winter diving is more demanding but rewards you with a greater variety of fish and more lobster.

A signature dive is the USS Rankin, a 459-foot amphibious assault ship sunk as an artificial reef in the summer of 1988. She rests on her side in 120 feet of water, her upper side 65 feet below the surface and her main deck at 85 feet. Expect encounters with sharks, whales, turtles, ocean fish, and rays.