Our Dive's at West Palm beach, 10/09-10/10

Just wanted to give some of the dive conditions for WPB for the weekend of 10/09-10/10.

We droped in at Blue Herion Bridge, about 8am,with our 21' Angler,and set out for a weekend of diving at WPB. After going through the inlet, and not seeing any clear gulf water, we headed south, all along the beach, searching for the clear gulf water's. After not seeing any, and driving around in 3-5' sea's, which were about 8 sec apart, so all though they were mostley in the 4' range, it was mostley roll's.

We decided to put our first set of 2 diver's in at Flower Garden, which is 4 and 1/4 miles out of the inlet due south, and watched them go down into the murkey dark water's. After an hour, i picked them up, and couldn't belive they were telling it was clear on the bottom!!!

Next was my turn with my dive buddy, so we set up on Breaker's reef, and they droped us in. I decesended down, thyinking to myself there was no way it was clear on the bottom, and about 30' down as i descended, all of the sudden it cleared up!! I got to the bottom, looked up at this weird green murky water above me, and couldn't belive i was in West Palm Beach, being used to one of the best dive site's in the world.

Vis was about 30'-35' at the bottom, water temp's were 83 degree's all day, all though it was alittle colder on the descend. It was a weird , calm feeling, there were no diver's around but us, only 1 dive boat i saw out all day was deep Obesion, and it was a weird feeling as i dove over the once beautiful reef that was now badley battered after the storm. The few fish that were there,were coming out to greet us as if they too were happy to see diver's back diving down there, as if they were all confused as well, as they swam over the sand blasted reef once known as Breaker's.

Everything has changed down there, even the trench which had about a 10' trench running through the ocean floor, was badley beaten up. All you saw were broken fan's and plant's actualley ripped out with there root's still attached, sand all over the reef on top of everything, and all the thing's that were lost by diver's, covered with sand, now laying out on the ocean floor, as the reef's were hit by 40+ waves as the storm's came ashore.

It was a great weekend diving, there were more private boat's out diving then charter's from what we could see, don't let the green murkey water's fool you, cause under it is all the reef's trying to show there beautiful color's, as the sun tries to shine on them through the murky layer on top. Everything was covered just about in sand. We were going to do a night dive, but got tired, so we quite around 5pm sat afternoon, and just missing Donclaypool as he saw us trailering my 21' Angler pulling into Diver's Direct, dam!!

So if your thinking about diving at WPB, go for it, water temps are great, vis is good at the bottom, we saw a group of about 15 Angle's, fish were scattered, but there, it was like they were hiding in the reef's ledge's, but curious to come out to see us and happy to see us back!!

We will be heading down to the Key's to dive towards the end of oct, if anyone plans on heading down and has a boat, drop me a pm, and well get togehter !!!

Thanks again, Fltekdiver

Thanks for the trip report. I did a beach dive today a bit further south at Lauderdale By The Sea. It was greenish/brown on the surface and thought it was gonna be the same on the bottom. But once we got down, it cleared up quite nicely (for the conditions) and the sun was able to penetrate the gunk. Max depth was 17ft. Was actually pleasantly surprised at the vis.

I dived off Boca on Saturday. We weren't expecing any viz, and the first 30 feet was pure glop. Then it opened up to 20 feet of viz all the way down to 100'. Absolutely no current too, which was unreal. The lobsters thought it was night so they were just sitting there. The lighting and water color was like diving in northern California except the water was 80 degrees.
Doing deco in the soup wasn't a lot of fun 'cause there were a lot of good sized Medusa jellys up there to keep things interesting.
The second dive off Hillsboro inlet was also in 100' - clearer viz - maybe 30' on the bottom but the same top 30' of glop. The local bait fish out there used me as a locus point on my deco and something I never saw was hunting them. There were a bunch of offshore power boats doing their preps for a race on Sunday that got a little close to the dive flags so there was that engine noise down there the whole dive.
The first Boca dive was easily the finest non-wreck dive I've had off southern Florida.

I must have seen you since I was on Deep Obsession yesterday. The dive was great. Since I'm a newbie, I couldn't compare it to any others there, but the regulars were talking about changes in the reef.

Thanks for that report...... I was wondering how Palm Beach was looking lately...! Time to dive

baitedstorm:

Thanks for that report...... I was wondering how Palm Beach was looking lately...! Time to dive

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I just recived word today also, from a few freinds of mine that were diving off of Pompano Beach, Sat there was 15' Vis, mild current, Sunday, they said the gulf water's ran closer in, and they had 80' Vis Sunday, they said the waters were beautiful, but the reef's were the same condition as WPB.

For those that may be interested with their own boat's, We will be diving again this weekend, not sure where yet, but if anyone is interested in joining us in the Key's, towards the end of Oct, we will be going down with my boat and 3 other diver's, if you have your own boat, and would like to join us, and we can all stay at the same place, it will be fun !!! We will be diving the wreck's for sure, as well as doing inshore dives so the wife can dive, and probley dive the benwood at night, drop me a PM if interested!!

jokeborn:

I must have seen you since I was on Deep Obsession yesterday. The dive was great. Since I'm a newbie, I couldn't compare it to any others there, but the regulars were talking about changes in the reef.

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Hiya Jokeboarn, i recived your PM, that was next to you guy's on the Obession, man they had divers coming up everywhere around us !!!!! There was people popping up out of the water's all over!!! Hehehehe, and yes, i was saw that boat was super crowded!! We heard your DM or somone down there on the reef giving the scuba duck to point somthing out, didn't see you guy's under though, but i droped you a PM in regards to the next few weeks, as with Donclaypool, i met a few others on here as well, time to have a big scuba board party and meet with the divers!!

Down in Boynton we have had the layer of murk all week, with not much current. Vis varied between 40'-60' underneath the layer. Sunday the current started picking up and by the afternoon the vis had closed to about 20' all the way to the bottom on both sides of the reef. It seemed as though all of the stuff that precipitated out of the murk layer was getting blown off the reef, and into the water column.
I guess we were pretty fortunate during the storms. We lost alot of sea fans and octocorals, and some of the larger sea whip colonies, but the smaller ones made it for the most part. I believe that much of the scalping took place during Frances, and was caused by debris collecting on monofiliment fishing line, loading the line until it sliced through whatever it wrapped around. It looks like the reef got a haircut, with a couple of bad spots. There is still a lot of vegitation and storm debris accumulation around the base of the reef.
If you see monofiliment line, you can help to prevent mowing by snipping it into smaller sections but leaving it in place. Often times trying to remove the line causes more damage than it prevents. EMT shears are the weapon of choice for this process. I think that ScubaBoard even has a great deal on them in the SB Store.

Scubakevdm:

Down in Boynton we have had the layer of murk all week, with not much current. Vis varied between 40'-60' underneath the layer. Sunday the current started picking up and by the afternoon the vis had closed to about 20' all the way to the bottom on both sides of the reef. It seemed as though all of the stuff that precipitated out of the murk layer was getting blown off the reef, and into the water column.
I guess we were pretty fortunate during the storms. We lost alot of sea fans and octocorals, and some of the larger sea whip colonies, but the smaller ones made it for the most part. I believe that much of the scalping took place during Frances, and was caused by debris collecting on monofiliment fishing line, loading the line until it sliced through whatever it wrapped around. It looks like the reef got a haircut, with a couple of bad spots. There is still a lot of vegitation and storm debris accumulation around the base of the reef.
If you see monofiliment line, you can help to prevent mowing by snipping it into smaller sections but leaving it in place. Often times trying to remove the line causes more damage than it prevents. EMT shears are the weapon of choice for this process. I think that ScubaBoard even has a great deal on them in the SB Store.

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Thanks Scubakevdm for the reply, were gathering info to help us set up our next dives, it's funny as you said the reefs got a hair cut, i never thought of it that way I carry shears all the time , so if i do see some line, i'll take your advice and cut it up into smaller sections, thanks for the reply!