Jupiter, West Palm or Boynton?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Doug Charney

Contributor
Messages
287
Reaction score
56
Location
Depends on what day you ask...
# of dives
500 - 999
Which would be better in late August? Anything special about any of them that time of year? If not, which is has the better diving. I've heard good things about all of them, just need help deciding.

Thanks!
 
Jupiter and Boynton are great places to dive. I like Jupiter in the winter when you have a chance of seeing lemon sharks. Jupiter Dive Center is great.

I just recently started diving Boynton and was very pleased. The Castor is a great wreck to see with a lot of Goliath Groupers. Underwater Explorers is a good one for Boynton

I also have some friends who regularly dive with Jim Abernathy.
 
I will second Boynton,I love the reef's to the wrecks,it's all good! and ease of use! Palm beach I was disipointed on the dives,the hassle of off loading and loading gear to see it get down to boat! Boyton has ease of use pull up load unlaod at the dive boats and park SWEET!
 
YES!!. At least a day in each.
All of the above!
1-Jupiter- more current, deeper, bigger critters. EmeraldCharters.com (Sb name is rjnjupiter)
2-Boynton +1 on Underwater Explorers (SB name is ScubaKevDM or wilsway). Love the Castor and Delray ledges are stunning
3-West Palm
a-Blue Heron Bridge @ high tide is a don't miss and free. There is an on-going thread on it with photos, daily conditions, gatherings, etal. I'm sure one of our many local SB "bridge trolls" will be happy to give you tour. Just ask.
b-Tons of reefs and dive "The Corridor" - drift through a series of 4 wrecks in various sizes/conditions
Lots of great operators: Abernathy's Scuba Adventures (tell all those folks I said hi), Little Deeper Charters (Lynn & Dave :)), Ocean Quest Scuba aka Sandy's Sunday (Sb name sandybramm). And there are more

Feel free to send them PMs and they will be happy to answer questions and hook you up with great diving.
 
Which would be better in late August? Anything special about any of them that time of year? If not, which is has the better diving. I've heard good things about all of them, just need help deciding.

Thanks!

If you could be specific about what kind of diving you like best, it would be easier to point you at one of these..each has very distinct charicteristics which will mean you would most likely enjoy one of these much more than the other 2.
 
Which would be better in late August? Anything special about any of them that time of year? If not, which is has the better diving. I've heard good things about all of them, just need help deciding.

Thanks!

Roll the dice: they are all great locations................

All three areas are generally drift dives, so they share that in common. Turtles, moray eels and nurse sharks are very common in all three areas. If you want a guaranty of seeing big stuff (goliath grouper, sharks other than nurse sharks, etc.) and you enjoy slightly deeper depths, then Jupiter is the ticket. If you want colorful reefs, lots and lots of tropical fish and more barrel sponges then its Boynton or shallower reefs in WPB. In both Jupiter and the deeper dives in WPB (like Double Ledges), the reefs are not quite as colorful because of the depths, though some of the shallower reefs in WPB (e.g. Breakers) are beautiful in my opinion.

I dive all three, but tend to dive in Jupiter given the proximity to my home and, secondarily, WPB given the proximity to my office. But note that I've never been disappointed in Boynton either. I suppose if somebody told me that today would be my last dive of my life, I'd probably go with Jupiter since it seems slightly more unique. But again, you won't be disappointed with any of the locations. If you can find time to dive all three or two of the three, I would.
 
I also agree that if you're going to be in the area anyway, all three are a must! There is such diversity in each area. Jupiter (being partial here) is my absolute favorite, as I can always count on seeing sharks (nurse, reef, lemons [in season], bulls [especially when spearos are around], turtles galore, Goliath Grouper, moray eels, lobster (that taunt you out-of-season because they know you can't touch them.....lol), lots of tropicals, stingrays, etc, etc, etc. Never a dull moment! My charter of choice is Scuba Diving Jupiter with Jupiter Dive Center, Scuba diving lessons at a PADI 5 Star facility, daily scuba diving trips in Jupiter, Florida.. (Again, I'm biased with this center, as they have always provider stellar service.....and I happen to dive guide for them).

Blue Heron Bridge is a must-dive shore dive! As mentioned above, it's free, and a dive that one will never forget! To look at it from the land, it looks like nothing special, but go beneath (9'-20' tops), you'll find seahorses, spotted eagle rays, bleenies, frogfish, starfish, octopus, flying gurnard, batfish, peacock flounder, stargazers. and a host of other incredible creatures! Diving at slack high tide is a must to enjoy this spectacular dive.

West Palm Beach is awesome for shallower dives. The Wetter the Better, Little Deeper, Jim Abernethy, are the three fantastic operators that I've dived with in the past and highly recommend.

Boynton Beach, nothing but the best is diving with Kevin on Underwater Explorers. The reefs are prettier there than in the northern spots, but the sea life is equal or less diverse. The wrecks are better there and in West Palm than any other place (barring the Keys, of course).

Please plan an extended stay in the area and enjoy each dive the Jupiter-to-Boynton Beach area provides. Guaranteed to not disappoint you!
 
The short answer to your question is "road trip" - do all. :D They are each a little different and spectacular in their own way. With the high airfares to the Carib, I am also thinking about a S. Fla "road trip" this year. I've seen as much diversity here as in any Carib location - bigger stuff too. Yes, not the shear walls of Little Cayman or Coz, but large schools of fish and big stuff. Might be the year to "Go American."
 
Thanks everyone...I'm intrigued by the large animal possibilities in Jupiter, but I'm sure my wife would like the pretty reefs of Boynton and I've always wanted to do the BHB. Looks like I'm going to have to do all three. Thanks for all the input everyone.
 
Make sure you post your dates. I'm sure there will be plenty of local SBers that will be happy to join you.

When I lived/dove in the area last year, I got to meet and dive with many local and traveling SBers that way.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

Back
Top Bottom