7./8./9. or 21./22./23. of October for Jupiter goliaths?

I know, I know, the goliath groupers will leave the Jupiter area somewhen in October and nobody can tell exactly, when it will be. This is probly as impossible as a weather forecast. But you guys have so much experience, maybe you can give hints, which will make my decision more easy:

I will do a Florida round trip with my wife, starting from Miami. The best way for us would be to leave Miami southwards clockwise with the first stop in Homestead and have a weekend dive in Key Biscane park (I remember they have weekend dives only, I have to arrange that). This would be the 7./8./9. of October. Then go further to the Everglades, Key Largo, stay there fore some dives, then visit the other keys, drive along the western Gulf coast, visit Orlando and the finish the trip in Jupiter/West Palm Beach at 21./22./23. of October.

But I am afraid, that the goliaths then may have left already. I don't need 50 - 100 goliaths, but 10 or little more would be fine. How big is the chances to see goliaths at 21./22./23. of October, please?!
The other option would be to drive northwards to Jupiter first, and then back to Key Biscane. But this would be somewhow annoying and would not fit to the planned weekend dive in Key Biscane park. Life can be so difficult

BTW - does JDC have 12 or 15 liter bottles with Nitrox? I prefer Nitrox and I prefer to have some more air in my bottle than the others, especially at deeper dives.

Any hints are welcome,
thanks in advance!

I would say the earlier the better to see the Goliaths; later in October as the water starts to get colder they start to dissipate from the area.
The best chance to see more of them is to do the three tank trip we do on Fridays. We have been doing them as the first dive lately since there are a lot of them still there. Last week we saw 50+ on the Zion Train and around 5 on each of the reefs on the latter two dives.

We do have larger tanks available for rental, HP100s; we can also do a deeper mix of 28% if requested.

Thanks for your quick answer, although it was not, what I wanted to hear
Friday could be fine, probably I could arrange that - maybe come on Thursday, dive on Friday and come back 2 weeks later for another 2 days at the end of ourt trip
Sorry, I am new to this board - I assume you are related to JDC? Will only the 3-tank dive navigate to Zion or the 2-tank dive too?

Sorry I am the bearing of bad news.

The 3 tank dive is the only that will go to the wrecks on Friday; normally the other boat will not however it will depend on the makeup of the divers on-board. You need to be AOW and Nitrox certified to dive on the three tank trip.

I assist with classes and occasionally work on the boats there; I am a Divemaster currently.

I would just do your trip in reverse. From Miami, drive up to West Palm/Jupiter and do your Goliath diving first. From West Palm or Jupiter, you are already well on your way to Orlando. Then circle down the west coast, across to Homestead/Everglades/Biscayne Nat'l Park, the Florida Keys, and back to Miami.

There is no "timing" with diving Biscayne and the Keys as there is something always great to see there. However, the timing for the Goliaths is pretty specific and the end of October is pushing it.

JDC is an excellent operation and I recommend them. They are doing their 3-tanker, which usually hits the Zion, on the 7th. However, if that does not fit your schedule, there are other excellent operators in the area:

Scube Works runs the "Blue Tang" which is a very nice smaller boat. They can customize an itinerary and often do the Zion on their regular 2-tank trips.

Jim Abernethy Scuba Adventures runs 2 boats, the Deep Obsession and the Shear Water. They have been doing regular 3-tank trips aimed specifically at Goliaths on the Shear Water, with a hot lunch, an air conditioned cabin, etc. all for a very reasonable price.

Walker's Dive Charters is also a good operation and has a smaller group vessel and can customize itineraries if you have a group.

All of these ops will dive the Zion, so no need to limit yourself to a single shop. Of course, conditions dictate what can be done on any given day and, sometimes, current or visibility makes the Zion a no-go.

In addition, JDC and Force-E can rent you steel 100s, and the other ops can arrange them if you request in advance.

By the way, if you can while you are in West Palm or Jupiter, don't miss the chance to dive the Blue Heron Bridge if you are an enthusiast for macro critters. That is an easy beach dive you can do the same day (or the next day) as the Goliath dive, if the tide allows (you must dive at from about 3/4 hour until 1/2 hour after high tide.

Thanks again for the great help, you two!

The reason why we planned our trip clockwise is, that Biscayne, Everglades and Key Largo seem to be the best places (for us!) to visit - and we do not know, how much time we would like to spend there. I am afraid, that counter-clockwise, visiting Orlando + Gulf coast first we spend too much time there (in Disney park eg.) and in the end miss more relaxed days in Largo/the keys.
But maybe we should see it from a different side of view: we do the stress (deep diving in Jupiter, big Orlando parks, driving a lot along the western coast) first, and relax on the keys starting from the second half of our trip. I have to discuss with my wife now

Yes, I am AOWD with add. deep diving brevet and I am Nitrox-40 certified. Would my wife (she is OWD and won't dive there) be allowed to come with us on the boat trip and would she pay the full rate as "guest"?

So, now you are captured in this thread, may I ask another question: do you have any resonable (fair, clean, calm) hotel (around ***) or small private houses/flats to rent for few days in Jupiter/Palm Beach you would recommend? Just to take the chance to ask...

Is she not certified for these dives or just doesnt want to dive these depths or see the groupers? If you dive Jupiter it is highly recommended that you are Nitrox certified it doubles your bottom time.

She can come on the boat as a "bubble watcher"; for whatever that means. I do not know the price off hand. However, I would say being on the boat for 5 hours not diving with nothing really to do would is not that much fun. If you are the only one diving, I would say have her drop you off in the morning and come pick you up in the afternoon.

If she likes to shop the Home Page | The Gardens Mall is close by and there is adjacent shopping centers around the area too. Also, the beaches are close by to spend some time there as well.

For accommodations http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.do?ident=LQ6109&propId=6109 that is five minutes away from the shop, close to restaurants and shopping. Sometimes we have to use their pool for training, lol. Also you can contact Sandy http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/trips-local-marketplace-florida/362242-stay-home-why-pay-hotel-taxes-fees.html she is another Divemaster at the shop and she rents out rooms to divers.

Hope this helps.

Thanks again! All signs point to the counter clockwise trip now, so we will come immediatly to Jupiter for 3 days. I hope that the weather is good enough to dive for the groupers and other big animals.
I assume that I better book the Friday trip on 7th in advance?!

Some last questions: is there any chance to organize a HP120 stell Nitrox bottle, at least for the first, deepest dive? The rest will work with 100', I hope
And: I've just read it in another thread and I didn't know before: if the group on the boat wants to have a DM we have to hire him/you? Or is one always with us?
Last one: I don't know how deep and long we will dive on the 3-tank trip - but probably it's better to stay on the surface the next day?

Thanks a lot for your time!

Scubator.net:

Thanks again! All signs point to the counter clockwise trip now, so we will come immediatly to Jupiter for 3 days. I hope that the weather is good enough to dive for the groupers and other big animals.
I assume that I better book the Friday trip on 7th in advance?!

Click to expand...

Some last questions: is there any chance to organize a HP120 stell Nitrox bottle, at least for the first, deepest dive? The rest will work with 100', I hope

Click to expand...

It would be best to contact the shop at 561-745-7807 and speak with Adam he is the shop manager and can provide a better answer and as well as talk about reservations.

And: I've just read it in another thread and I didn't know before: if the group on the boat wants to have a DM we have to hire him/you? Or is one always with us?

Click to expand...

We have an in water dive master for the boat. We give the briefing and go over logistics; realistically the DM is there to hold the flag and give the captains an idea of where the group is in the water. We provide a broad over view of the dive site and a recommended dive plan. It is up to you to plan your own dive ultimately and dive your plan. If you wish to have a private DM just for yourself/group that can be arranged through Adam as well.

Last one: I don't know how deep and long we will dive on the 3-tank trip - but probably it's better to stay on the surface the next day?

Click to expand...

You can dive the next dive with no issues especially on Nitrox that is why we recommend it when you dive Jupiter.

If you have any other questions; I am happy to assist.

Thank you again for your great help!

I just checked the weather at wetter.com and weather.com and although I don't really trust forecasts, especially for more than 3 days, for the whole weekend 7th-10th they announced rain and single thunderstorms. That's great news!
Will the boats go out at such a weather? Would the Zion-trip be delayed for 1-2 days or cancelled?