Loving the Lauderdale area!! (report)

Made the trip from the shores of Lake Huron to the shores of the Atlantic for my first salt water and warm water dives! Been diving for the last two days in Pompeno and Dania. I have been meeting the nicest people!!!

Taking full advantage of the end of Lobster season and cooked this afternoons catch on the tailgate of a buddies truck in the parking lot. Only thing wrong with that is that we forgot the butter!!

We are going to be doing the Night dive a blue Heron Birdge Saturday night and doing a dive with the Jupiter dive center sometime before next Tuesday

Did my first dive in Salt water on the Pompeno Ledge and at the wreck of the Copenhagen. long swim out but well worth it! current from the North picked up half way through the dive. I can't believe the variety of fish and the colors of the coral! Great Lakes fish really lack color and we have no where near the variety. 33ft for 55min, 73F was the temp and vis was 30ft.

Today was Lauderdale by the sea. We swam out to the reef off of Datura. Paid more attention to the little critters today WOW!! Current picked up from the South.
18ft for 80min, 73F temp again with vis of 50ft. Fellow diver lost brand new expensive dive knife after cutting off about 200 feet of monofiliment, he did not fully secure the knife and lost it but found a snorkle. Saw my first sea turtle!!!

This afternoon dive north side of pier at Dania Beach. We were too tired to make it down to the jacks. Saw two more turtles, two nurse sharks, and about a dozen lobster of which five made it onto the grill in the parking lot. 30ft, 80 minutes, 74F. Vis was 30ft. We are going for the jacks tomorrow.

Another diver in the parking lot said that a juvinile whale shark has been spotted in the Laturdale area! Don't know whether to belive this one or not. I am very new to this salt water stuff.

Jeff

Awesome trip report! Now you know why so many of us choose to live here.

No butter? Don't you know that you were only two minutes from a grocery store? :blinking:

Thanks for the dive report. Good job, and like Debby said, now you know why we live here!

Well it looks like we are going to dive Dania or the jacks this afternoon at 4pm. We will be parked in the far back corner of the lot if anyone wants to join us! We may do a twilight dive at the dive sight down by the condos. Not sure on that one because we are already going to be doing a dive up towards Pompeno or Lauderdale by the sea at 11am.

Wish I could join ya, but am already in the office and shall remain here for the good portion of the day. have fun. Pet a shark for me!

Are there any springs close to the area?

Anyone know what the status of the manatee are as far as can they still be seen and in what areas?

Crystal River for manatees, if you want to snorkel with them. But it is a good 5 hr. drive from here. you used to be able to see them at Port Everglades, but now you can't get in there.. drat.

Springs are a few hours north, too.. north of Orlando..

Oh, you can see manatees in Ft. Myers, and that is accross the state.. a couple hours.
Lee County Parks & Recreation | Lee County Government. Nice little park, and the kayaking there is nice as well.

Thanks!!

Which site did you like best? I thing the drop off by the Coopenhagen and just north of there is the best beach dive (at least that I have done) around. Deep cut outs and lots of large schools of fish and usually (at least more consistently) bigger things to see then some of the other beach spots.