Pompano Beach Diving Conditions in Feb

[LordHavoc]

Hi, I went to do tech dives in Pompano Beach sea. I have a drysuit so I do not feel cold. Is Feb a good time for this diving or ocean conditions, weather and vis can be bad? Thanks.

 

[RyanT]

Feb. can be nice, but it's one of the windier times of the year. It can be real hit and miss with the wind, so expect to get blown out a lot.

 

[boulderjohn]

As a snowbird living in Pompano Beach from January through March, I will second the concern about the wind. That situation has changed dramatically over the last decade. In 2011 I spent all of February there and completed several certifications. IIRC correctly, I could have dived any day that month. A couple years later I had students fly in for 3 days to complete OW training, and I clearly recall those were the only three days that month that were too windy to dive. In contrast, last year, it seemed like there were only a few days when it was not too windy to dive. A couple years ago I asked a dive operator if that increase in windy days was my imagination, and he said, no, the significant increase in wind during the winter months had had a tremendous impact on his bottom line, and a month later he sold his business.

There has also been a significant change in dive operations there. Much (probably most) of the technical diving was done with Pompano Dive Center, but they went out of business a couple years ago, and the technical diving scene went into something of a scramble after that. I have not done a technical dive there since that happened. I may not even bring my technical gear this year.

 

[LordHavoc]

Thanks. When do the conditions begin to get better? March? April? If you want to dive earliest in 2023, which month would you select?

 

[boulderjohn]

Thanks. When do the conditions begin to get better? March? April? If you want to dive earliest in 2023, which month would you select?

Two years ago March was really pretty good, but my health did not let me dive. Last year the wind continued.

I may focus on golf. I'll just pretend I'm in Scotland.

 

[LordHavoc]

Thanks John,

 

[RyanT]

Of course it's the ocean, you never know what the conditions are going to be. But these days, your best bet for good weather is during the summer, June-Sept. The winds do commonly start to lay down more often in April or May though. I've gotten blown out a lot over the past few years in March.

 

[boulderjohn]

A couple years ago during the evening news, the weatherman (out of Miami) talked about the significant increase in daily average temperatures over the years. I would guess that has a lot to do with the wind patterns.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

That time of year it can be 80 one day and 50 the next. Fortunately, the cold weather doesn’t last long. Same with sea conditions. I’ve seen flat calm and rough. Its impossible to predict.