Thinking of moving to Punta Gorda.. Need advise

[Macgregorsailor51]

Hahahahah Yes your absolutely correct for here 15 feet is good..
There has been a brief discussion from time to time here about GOM / Gulf of Mexico water Clarity /Visibility / Viz.. Many here are aware I was among other things a NAUI OWSI / Open Water Scuba Instructor on the Island Cozumel. I have less than 20 dives out of Charlotte Harbor.. I quit counting at 500 , elsewhere. So I contacted a fellow who has made no less than about 500 dives out of Charlotte Harbor ( He and his buddies are Local Commercial Spear-fishermen ....Local Dive shop owners and among the most frequent winners of the SWF Spearfish Tournaments) and he has an easy 500+ dives elsewhere. I got back the following.. I will Italicize if I add to HIS reply..

Well,I don't know where this guy is talking about...and that makes a HUGE difference!
If your on the East Coast of Florida 2 miles out is about 100' deep, 18 to 20 miles is deeper than you can dive,,, so I am guessing he's talking about someplace on the West coast.

So...

Yes, it can be true, especially in the winter when the water is colder ( you are going to need a hood btdt ) and the fish come in closer to shore, also it can be better vis in the winter...but vis and fish are ALWAYS up for grabs. ( He came by yesterday I was polishing and waxing my sailboat and we sat and talked.. he said yes he has seen 20 30 and even 40 foot viz close to shore.. a FEW times... )

18 to 20 miles out can be prime hard bottom ( or Cheesy bottom ) which is where you mostly find Red Grouper ( they are the "excavators" of the species,they dig all the caves/holes..they also have all the "worms") also shallow water is usually better for Hog fish, they eat crustaceans, which are more abundant in the shallower waters..and of cource lots of Mangro Snappers (Which I wont shoot unless they are Huge..lots of fishy red meat to cut out, which results in a very small yeild, making them just not worth shooting) But again that varies greatly up and down the west coast of Florida.

You wont find any Red Snapper close to shore in shallow water...well, not keepers. Yea Yea..on a rare occurrence a swordfish may swim up your canal,,,or a red Snapper may find its way close to shore..

Nor AJ's ( legals, not juveniles) AJ's like to hang out on structure/relief...which is Usually in the deeper waters..but yup..you can get lucky on them sometimes also, African Pomano like it deeper also....

The Bayronto is 30 miles out...that's usually 100'... out 30 miles
Plenty of good fish in 100' or there abouts...gotta say tho,, last time out with Cory we started diving in 60' and didn't find fish ( or vis) till we hit 120'..

But as a rule,,, the deeper the waters the bigger the fish..PERIOD! That's why commercial shooters head to the middle grounds.

But yup, I've gotten some nice fish with-in 20 miles,,no doubt about that ( but my 80lb Black Carbo was in 162' of water,,,good luck finding one of those close to shore).

But no...you don't NEED to go 50 miles out..

Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper

It is for SW FL.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

Hahahahah Yes your absolutely correct for here 15 feet is good..
There has been a brief discussion from time to time here about GOM / Gulf of Mexico water Clarity /Visibility / Viz.. Many here are aware I was among other things a NAUI OWSI / Open Water Scuba Instructor on the Island Cozumel. I have less than 20 dives out of Charlotte Harbor.. I quit counting at 500 , elsewhere. So I contacted a fellow who has made no less than about 500 dives out of Charlotte Harbor ( He and his buddies are Local Commercial Spear-fishermen ....Local Dive shop owners and among the most frequent winners of the SWF Spearfish Tournaments) and he has an easy 500+ dives elsewhere. I got back the following.. I will Italicize if I add to HIS reply..

Well,I don't know where this guy is talking about...and that makes a HUGE difference!
If your on the East Coast of Florida 2 miles out is about 100' deep, 18 to 20 miles is deeper than you can dive,,, so I am guessing he's talking about someplace on the West coast.

So...

Yes, it can be true, especially in the winter when the water is colder ( you are going to need a hood btdt ) and the fish come in closer to shore, also it can be better vis in the winter...but vis and fish are ALWAYS up for grabs. ( He came by yesterday I was polishing and waxing my sailboat and we sat and talked.. he said yes he has seen 20 30 and even 40 foot viz close to shore.. a FEW times... )

18 to 20 miles out can be prime hard bottom ( or Cheesy bottom ) which is where you mostly find Red Grouper ( they are the "excavators" of the species,they dig all the caves/holes..they also have all the "worms") also shallow water is usually better for Hog fish, they eat crustaceans, which are more abundant in the shallower waters..and of cource lots of Mangro Snappers (Which I wont shoot unless they are Huge..lots of fishy red meat to cut out, which results in a very small yeild, making them just not worth shooting) But again that varies greatly up and down the west coast of Florida.

You wont find any Red Snapper close to shore in shallow water...well, not keepers. Yea Yea..on a rare occurrence a swordfish may swim up your canal,,,or a red Snapper may find its way close to shore..

Nor AJ's ( legals, not juveniles) AJ's like to hang out on structure/relief...which is Usually in the deeper waters..but yup..you can get lucky on them sometimes also, African Pomano like it deeper also....

The Bayronto is 30 miles out...that's usually 100'... out 30 miles
Plenty of good fish in 100' or there abouts...gotta say tho,, last time out with Cory we started diving in 60' and didn't find fish ( or vis) till we hit 120'..

But as a rule,,, the deeper the waters the bigger the fish..PERIOD! That's why commercial shooters head to the middle grounds.

But yup, I've gotten some nice fish with-in 20 miles,,no doubt about that ( but my 80lb Black Carbo was in 162' of water,,,good luck finding one of those close to shore).

But no...you don't NEED to go 50 miles out..

Hope that helps.

You, no doubt have a lot more experience and knowledge about spearing / deep diving around here than I do!!

Next week I may go on another lobster dive on the east coast - that trip is just beginning to come together.

[Gotham_girl]

Hi there. Not sure if you're still upstate (we are in Onondaga County, Skaneateles) and hubby is a State Trooper. Wondering if you've moved here or anyplace else in Fla? Thanks!

Originally Posted by eyedaman91

Hi all.. I currently live in upstate NY (Albany area). I am trying to get back into law enforcement. I was a correctional office in Massachusetts, and I moved to NY last year, because I got engaged. I have never lived down south. I grew up in MA my whole life until I moved to NY last year. I am getting sick and tired of the long drawn out winters, and I really love being near the ocean / coastline. Can anyone let me know the pros/cons of living in the Punta Gorda/ port charlotte area? Are there other towns/cities nearby that are also good areas to live? I know there is a correctional facility in Punta Gorda (florida DOC.)

-- Is this a good area of florida to live in?
-- How is the weather?
-- Are there good school systems? (no kids yet, but plan on it in the future.)
-- Is the night life good?
--Are there nice beaches in the area?
-- good restaurants?
--is is mostly older people / retirees? we are 29&31 years old.

** My fiance is not fond of the idea right now of moving down south. I would like to hear from people if they have moved from up north to the Florida area. Also, if you haven't lived up north, I'd still like to know how you like living in the area? It seems that their are some nice and newer homes in the area. Any advise would help a lot. Thanks.

[Satsuma]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

No Steve I really loved / still love Mexico.. well the parts , that have a heavy gringo/tourist influence/population. I taught Scuba on Cozumel ( I am a NAUI emeritus OWSI) I owned a home and car etc. , on Cozumel and a Motorcycle rental company and I completely rehabbed a 3 story Hotel and several homes and was Offered a Job in Cancun /Playa del Carmen and Tulum by Carta Blanca Engineering of Cancun. Was offered another Contract to Over See a Total Resort build out in Nicaragua .. Life held many Adventures.. My friends remind me often that Cozumel Has World Class Deep Sea Fishing just 10 to 30 minutes out of either Harbor and Scuba Diving is on average 80 feet of visibility and tons of fish and hard and soft coral...Decent Hospitals meant Cancun or Merida.. hummm But here it may mean Sarasota or Tampa.. But its all good, we both love living here..

Sorry to hijack this thread, but hubby and I will have 1 day in Cozumel as a cruise ship stop in February. Could I ask you for a recommendation for a beach to snorkel and spend the day? Never been there before. Thanks.

[the searchers]

Originally Posted by Satsuma

Sorry to hijack this thread, but hubby and I will have 1 day in Cozumel as a cruise ship stop in February. Could I ask you for a recommendation for a beach to snorkel and spend the day? Never been there before. Thanks.

I think you will need somebody else to help you out because Macgregorsailor51 abandoned this site about a year ago.

Or maybe here.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/mexico/

[Ron61]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

I agree with what Harbor Hopper has said. I'm typing on my phone so I won't be able to link up other sites for reference but I thought I'd answer anyway.

The nightlife is actually pretty decent in PG. love Deans, Celtic Ray, TTs Tiki Bar and several others. It's neat because all are within walking distance. So, if you don't like the music or whatever is going on at one place, you can go to another. Im actually going to Deans tonight. Punta Gorda also has lots of non chain restaurants, which I like- Jacks, River City, Perfect Caper, etc

As far as schools go, I was born and raised in SW FL and have attended many of the schools as have my three kids. We moved from Charlotte county to Sarasota county when the kids were little for the schools. I personally prefer the Sarasota county school system.

I would suggest you check out North Port where the average age is 38 as opposed to PG where the average age is more than double your age. Punta Gorda is also an hour from the closest beach, which gets real old, real quick-if you like going to the beaches.

Before I got into real estate I worked in corrections for Sarasota county up on Main St. There is a prison in Charlotte county out at the end of Oil Well Rd. I have a few friends who work there and they seem to like it ok.

The weather is great here, IMO. It's hot in the summer and very pleasant in the winters

You didn't mention any hobbies or a price range. Can you share that with us so we can narrow down areas to recommend?

Sorry and I mean no disrespect,but I have to chuckle whenever I see someone make a comment about PG being "so far" from the beach. Before moving here,I drove 20 hours every year for 20 years to get to the beach in Bonita Springs. An hour is nothing. But I do understand where you're coming from.

[mrs.cool]

Originally Posted by Satsuma

Sorry to hijack this thread, but hubby and I will have 1 day in Cozumel as a cruise ship stop in February. Could I ask you for a recommendation for a beach to snorkel and spend the day? Never been there before. Thanks.

Try cruisecritic.com