Taking the Plunge
A family's diving adventure in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.
Back topside in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, we recapped our day's dive adventures over grilled mahi-mahi and raw oysters then watched the sun drift below the horizon as we treated ourselves to dessert.
“Dad, this one was so great! Diving makes me feel like I'm in a totally different world. I can see why you love it so much—I do, too.” I think we have another diver in the family.
Much more to come - We only scratched the surface of more than a dozen dive sites in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In the summer of 2015, dive boats will start running charters to Poseidon's Playground, a growing artificial reef just three miles outside of Perdido Pass. Sitting in only 40 feet of water, it's a perfect spot for beginning divers. The reef was started in December 2014 with the sinking of three statues and more are being added every year. A shell-covered concrete cross was placed there in March 2015 to host underwater weddings.
Advanced divers can also find excellent dive sites accessible from the Alabama Gulf Coast. The U.S.S. Oriskany is the largest artificial reef on the planet and has been named one of the top 10 wreck dive sites in the world. Divers come from all over the globe to explore its 888-foot-long hull which sits in 212 feet of water and is home to abundant sea life.
For those who want to learn to dive, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is the perfect place to become certified. A number of schools offer 4-day dive courses that can have visitors diving in open water on day three and reaching open water certification by day 4. There are also junior diver certification classes and experiences in the safety of a pool for children as young as 10 years old.
We've had a lot of great family experiences and memories over the years but some of the best have been down under. Make a trip down to the Alabama Gulf Coast and take the plunge.
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