West Palm Beach Right After New Year?

[fritzer]

Hi Folks:

I'm thinking about a trip to West Palm right after New Year's (as in 1/2 thru 1/6) and just wondering if anybody can give me some idea as to whether it's feasible. First of all, has anyone been there during that time of year and is it a bad time to go? Drift diving is good, but don't think I'm into hooking into the reef, so if the conditions then are as such, I may pass on this trip. Are the dive shops open that close to the holidays? Can you recommend a good dive shop and good place to stay? Thanks for any input!

 

[Hoya97]

Hi,
West Palm Beach is pretty good during the winter. Expect temperatures to run in the vicinity of the 70's. Water in the mid to low 70's as well. Almost all diving is done off of charter (day) boats and it's almost exclusively drift diving.
I use operations out of Riveria Beach, which is very very close to West Palm Beach. Operations that are excellent are Diving Solutions, Kohlers Reef and Rampage and I would recommend any of them to you. The shop I go to is Force-E near the corner of Blue Heron and US1. They would be able to set you up on a boat or make excellent recommendations to you. Also, Diving Solutions and Kohlers Reef both have web sites you could scope out. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[eggman131]

Hi - I'll be in WPB around the holidays as well. My question is, with just 7 dives to my name and just my OW cert (no AOW), do I need to be checked out for a drift or will I be able to just go?

Thanks!

 

[fldivejunkie]

WPB diving is pretty good year round with the exception of the occasional storm that rolls through. Pretty much all the diving in the area would be drift diving.

Charters should be almost all up and running, but I would reserve a space in advance to be sure. There are a number of good dive operators in the area, but my favorite is Pura Vida Divers located on Singer Island. Their website is www.puravidadivers.com. They only hold 12 people and even provide towels.

Hope that helps.

 

[Diving4TheHalibut]

My wife and I went over New Year's in 2003. The diving there was excellent and we had a blast! I had a full 3mil wetsuit, and the water was warm enough. I'd recommend something warm to cover up with between dives though. It was a little chilly on the boat. Even so, the diving is great and I would highly recommend it.

We used Diving Solutions. They were very friendly and really had their act together. They also serve hot chocolate between dives on cold days.

 

[CAPT HOOK]

Diving in WBP area is good all year round if the weather cooperates. Don't know of any dive OP in the area I wouldn't use. Being a new diver my suggestion would be Diving Solutions, they will go out of their way to get you dives that match your abilities, just let them know in advance. We also use Rampage and Abernathys.