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Florida East Coast Spearfishing Let's talk here about spearing on Florida's Atlantic coast. Reports and other issues about this region belong here.

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Old 10-08-2013, 01:09 PM   #1
Greener
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Colleges in Florida?

Came to the Florida regional section because I am currently a high school senior living in California and am looking to expand my college application process to the other side of the country. Although I love California and would hate to move away, my parents are pushing to me to move far away as part of the "college experience" but I'm not willing to lose my passions of surfing and spearfishing for the experience. I have used google to look at colleges in Florida but there's so many that I figured I'd rather post here to get a general consensus on what colleges are close to spearfishing and surfing spots. Grades shouldn't be an issue and neither should test scores so all colleges suggested will be taken into account

Any advice and help is much appreciated ,

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Old 10-08-2013, 01:25 PM   #2
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Get a good education so you can enjoy the rest of your life surfing and diving around the world, or at least at your leisure when staying local. If grades are no issue and you're looking to move to FL, go to UF. St Augustine is a 90 min drive and Jax Beach is only a bit further. I went there and got an awesome education and surfed almost every weekend.

Avoid the west coast of FL if you want somewhat consistent surf. Other schools on the East coast that are worth considering include UCF, UM, and FAU. Overall, make your pick based on education not diving/surfing. The truth is... your in COLLEGE!!! EVERYTHING IS BETTER IN COLLEGE! Enjoy these times as much as possible. We're all envious.
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Old 10-08-2013, 04:28 PM   #3
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Welcome!
Depends on how much you and your folks want to spend but Flagler College is a great school, and is located in St. Augustine. Surfing is ok here but better a little further south off of Daytona. Spearfishing is pretty good most any place you care to go around here. Good luck!
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Old 10-08-2013, 04:37 PM   #4
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Do not go to UF. 90min drive for a surf sesh will get old.. UNF is located 3-4miles from the beach. It is well known for its business program. Way more affordable than most university's near the beach. Located just outside jax beach which is very laid back and has the surf/skate personalty to it. I lived in FL my entire life. Surfed almost every inch of it chasing hurricanes around. I move from SFL 7 years ago and I wouldnt leave Jax bch for any other FL city. Especially when you see how many college chicks skate, surf, and ride bikes down the beach in the summer. You wont see that any where else. Good luck
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Old 10-08-2013, 04:50 PM   #5
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

If you can find the money look into University of Miami. Right on the beach, good diving/spearfishing, and fun surf (although not large waves), and its one helluva good school. Definitely the best education in Florida.
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Old 10-08-2013, 05:14 PM   #6
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

If grades are not a problem look into UCF, Great school with lots of good programs.
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Old 10-08-2013, 05:25 PM   #7
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Also you did not specify what you want to study. What kind of school are you looking for (technical, liberal arts, etc). The way you talk about your grades they seem to be good, but knowing your gpa and general test scores would help too. There are many good schools in Florida ranging from all different sizes. Ultimately it comes down to what the best fit for you is. Best education should be your priority. In my personal opinion the best Florida schools are UM UF FSU, in that order. Not all of these have immediate diving and surfing access. Study up on Florida schools and choose which ones fit your wants/needs.
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Old 10-08-2013, 05:25 PM   #8
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Quote:
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If you can find the money look into University of Miami. Right on the beach, good diving/spearfishing, and fun surf (although not large waves), and its one helluva good school. Definitely the best education in Florida.
Great school but its nowhere near any beach, as the true "beaches" of florida stop at government cut and Umiami is way south of there. Theres really no such thing as surfable waves down here 11 months out of the year. Diving is so-so, but the keys are close by and diving is better there.


FIU is ok, Barry is small and more of a grad school but we have a good dive program which you can minor in. UMiami is in a different world and more of a real college then FIU and barry, lotta rich kids and wild parties but its also got some pretty high standards for entry and keeping your grades up. i go to barry part time and its alright. Any college you go to is what you make of it in the end.
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Old 10-08-2013, 05:32 PM   #9
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

If being able to surf is a true priority, go to school in California. Sure, there is surfing in FL, but it doesn't really compare.
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Old 10-08-2013, 08:36 PM   #10
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Look up FAU, four campuses all in South Florida, Jupiter and Boca are both pretty close to the beach. Probably the only one to consider if you want to spearfish a lot and surf a little.
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Old 10-08-2013, 09:07 PM   #11
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

I greatly appreciate all the input guys. My education is definitely number one but Florida is just an option for staying near the ocean as I cannot stand to be landlocked. I did not mention that the majority of schools are in California specifically the CSUs and UC Santa Cruz but its always good to go out of the comfort zone and see whats out there.

As for majors, it may be Business Management, Marine Bio, Resource management, etc. Mainly looking at Bachelors of Science but those three majors are very general and I'm still not sure where exactly I fit in.

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Old 10-09-2013, 12:44 AM   #12
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

As others have said, focus on your education first. Marine Bio is a very competitive field that almost always requires a graduate degree. Obviously, you will want to be 100% sure of which field you go into before making these time-consuming and expensive decisions.

Also, keep in mind that out of state tuition is very expensive. Student loans are very difficult to pay off for young people in this country, and it is only getting worse. Getting out of college with ~30-40K in loans is a hard way to start out a life when the economy may not guarantee you a high paying job.

My wife is currently getting a PHD in marine bio from F.I.T. in Melbourne, FL. The surfing here is pretty poplular and the spearfishing is as well. If you get more serious about marine Bio, send me a message and maybe she can walk you thru some other things to think about.

Whatever you decide, compare the short-term gains with the long-term consequences.
My degree is generic, but I have a decent job that provides for my family. However, the time/money invested in my college could have gone to better use. Just my .02

edit: sorry if I went on a rant, but I now have a much better understanding about finances and the consequences of how to handle money. I did not have this knowledge at a younger age, and I wish I had learned it earlier.
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Old 10-09-2013, 04:17 AM   #13
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Can't go wrong with UF. While your an hour or more from either coast you're still in striking range of great breaks like mayport poles, st. augustine, and ponce inlet...If the gulf is calm you can get over there in an hour and dive cedar key, steinhatchee, or crystal river...Excellent freediving and scuba spearfishing there. UF has a thriving surf club that puts on regular events and there is always a crew heading to the beach when the surf pumps. There is a fishing/diving club too and when I was there we had a 22 ft. center console and either surfed or dove every weekend.
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Old 10-09-2013, 05:41 AM   #14
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Try Nova Southeastern University... I work there... They have a very cool and popular Marine Bio program. PM me if you want more detaisl or you want to talk to someone from the University.

Beaches? We have nice beaches down here.... Fort Lauderdale is kind of the middle point between great spearfishing in Miami and the Keys, and the Palm Beaches. Fort Lauderdale is ok for spearfishing. There clubs you can join like the Plam Beach Freedivers, the longfins and another one in Miami (forgot that name).

If you want to surf and spearfish, If I were you, I would shoot for either Fort Lauderdale since it is not too far from Jupiter or West Palm Beach.
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Old 10-09-2013, 08:48 AM   #15
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Re: Colleges in Florida?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MelbourneMark View Post
My wife is currently getting a PHD in marine bio from F.I.T. in Melbourne, FL. The surfing here is pretty poplular and the spearfishing is as well. If you get more serious about marine Bio, send me a message and maybe she can walk you thru some other things to think about.
I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from FIT, it's a great school (but expensive). They have a great ocean/marine program, including ocean engineering which isn't a common degree to be offered in a college. There are all kinds of places to surf, Cocoa Beach is only 20 minutes away as is monster hole in Sebastian.
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