2 days to dive

[superrjack]

I'll be down in Miami in early May and have blocked off 2 days for scuba related fun. I was there a year ago and dove with Jupiter Scuba Diving (Kyalami) and loved them so I will probably do 1 day with them.
I'm looking for suggestions for the 2nd day!
I'm ok driving up to 2 hours to get to a dive site and I am AOW, however the person I'm going with is only OW certified. I'm also open to night dives, but the day would be a Monday (not sure how many companies do night dives on a Monday).

 

[Jaan]

Depending on the tide table, you might consider the Blue Heron Bridge.

Blue Heron Bridge Tide Table April 2024

Tide Chart (Tide Table) for the Blue Heron Bridge (Phil Foster Park) in Riviera Beach (West Palm Beach), Florida.

idiveflorida.com

You could also head further south for Key Largo to dive the Spiegel Grove but might be a challenge if too deep/ or happen to have current for your buddy.

Lots of smaller wrecks directly in the Miami area too but these would depend on the dive shop boat schedule. Many list this in advance on their sites. There are two army tanks in the Miami area that we've enjoyed diving, there is also a Neptune memorial (kinda somber perhaps but some cool statues). There are also lots of smaller wrecks accessible from Pompano, Fort Lauderdale ...
This list is quite old, and you might find better ones from the local dive shops but perhaps will give you a little inspiration

South Florida Dive Sites

South Florida Dive Sites. List of artificial reefs and wrecks in South Florida with info: depth, size, difficulty level, location, condition and history.

freedomtourtravel.com

Note that most of the shops here don't do a guided dive but simply leave you in the water which is usually good for many but if you're looking for a guide, ask in advance, you might need to hire one separately.

Enjoy your visit and your diving.

 

[Dan G]

Consider Blue Heron Bridge after your Jupiter dives. High tide is late afternoon/early evening in early May, so if your Jupiter dives are AM trips, you'll have time to go to BHB afterwards. On day 2, Pompano or Boynton are good destinations for nice diving or head south to Key Largo.

 

[superrjack]

Forgot to mention that I also dove with South Florida Diving HQ on my last trip and got to do some wreck diving near Pompano at Rodeo 25 and Okinawa.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @superrjack

For reefs, I would go to Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach. For a day of wrecks, I would head down to Key Largo for the Spiegel Grove and the Duane.

 

[Rob9876]

When we had 2 days to dive in SE Florida last June, it worked out great to do morning boat dives out of Palm/Riviera Beach then pick up sandwiches at Publix or Wawa and drive to Blue Heron Bridge and eat in the car while waiting on a parking space to open up (it gets crowded). Of course, BHB depends on the tide charts, so you could adjust accordingly, and you might catch night dives there also if tides permit (just remember you need to leave the park by 10pm). Don't forget that at BHB at least one diver in your group will need to tow a flag float.

We dove with Ocean Quest and they were great to dive with, and they also brought extra tanks to the marina for us to take to dive BHB. FYI, Jupiter Scuba Diving/Kyalami also bought out The Scuba Club in Palm/Riviera beach in the last year or so, so if the OP wants to stay with the same company as previous, at least that location would be closer to run to BHB after the boat dives - that location is now called the Kyalami Scuba Club.

 

[FreqFlier]

however the person I'm going with is only OW certified.

Keep in mind most if not all Jupiter and WPB ops require Nitrox cert, which your OW friend may or may not have. And OW cert may not be enough considering how deep many of those trips go.

BHB is a very specific tide-dependent shore dive with quite a bit of a hike considering road work that was (is?) happening. Definitely fun, but not for everybody...

Check with Starfish in Boynton Beach or Aqualife in Pompano. Both are solid ops

Heard good things about Diver's Paradise out of Key Biscayne (Miami) too, no personal experience though.

 

[MrChen]

BHB is a very specific tide-dependent shore dive with quite a bit of a hike considering road work that was (is?) happening. Definitely fun, but not for everybody...

The beach has been open for quite some time now. You no longer have to go to the cross walk.

 

[Rob9876]

The beach has been open for quite some time now. You no longer have to go to the cross walk.

Is some of the parking area still blocked off for construction purposes?

 

[Jaan]

Is some of the parking area still blocked off for construction purposes?

All seems to be open from what I can tell ... although we saw 'improvements coming' signs last week.
I think they may be redoing the small kiddie area perhaps.

So back to normal in most regards. get there early for parking, esp on weekends or holidays