spring board diving and platforms

Question
Me and my friend are looking to go on holiday in summer 2012, however we are very keen divers, we would like to go to a place that is hot but with diving facilities! Do you know of any countries/ hotels that would match our needs? We live in the uk at the moment...

Answer
Bethany -

I can suggest some great places to have a holiday here in the states where it is hot, great diving pools and hotels nearby.

The states with the most possibilities are Florida and California. Lots of diving teams,warm weather and hotels near or on the beach.Try these programs I found at www.usadiving.org:

Ft. Lauderdale Diving Team has a great pool located at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The pool is walking distance to several hotels and the beach.

Jetstream Diving Team is located in the Florida Keys - a real tourist destination spot on Islamorada. They have a pool that is also walking distance to the beach with lots of hotels nearby.

Miami Diving is in Coral Gables - not on the beach but close by. They are located on the campus of the University of Miami.

Also in Southern Florida is the Pinecrest Diving Team that has a pool located on the campus of a private school. Also near the water and hotels.

Further north is the West Florida Lightning Diving Team in Largo. Close to the beach and hotels.Largo is the Tampa Bay area.

Two hours north of Largo is a big tourist destination point called Orlando. There is a team at a YMCA (YCF Diving Team) that is attached to a hotel and very close to places like Universal Studios and Disney World amusement parks.Warm weather but not on the beach.

Finally, all the way up in the panhandle of Florida is Tallahassee, the capital, where Florida State University is located. Contact the Tomahawk Dive Club. Fairly close to the water and lots of hotels.

In California, there is the McCormick Diving Team that uses an indoor pool right on the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach. Go out the back door behind the diving boards and your toes are in the sand! Hotels close by.Tourist destination spot is the original Queen Mary cruise ship.

At the above mentioned USA Diving website, click on Clubs and then Find A Club. Enter Florida or California to find the contact information on these teams.

Before you make your plans I would advise you to join some type of diving team in England in one of their 'Masters Diving' programs. Masters is a term for adult recreational competitive diving. If you are a member of a masters program it will be easier to gain access to all these pools as they may not take you if you are just tourists. Go to www.mastersdiving.org for more information.

Also try www.divemeets.com. Click on Lists of Divers, Coaches and Teams. At the next page, click on Teams. A huge list of programs from all over the world will come up. Scroll down to teams in Great Britain and click on a teams name. Contact them to see how to attain Masters Diving status.

Good luck and have fun.