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Anybody have experience diving with The Scuba Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Going down next week, and looking for a safe, reputable dive operation in West Palm Beach. Thanks.
They're ok. I went with them a couple times and wasn't a fan of the reefs they chose.
Check with Force-e, they don't own boats but book out on a bunch of different boats. Tell them your diving experience and what you like and they'll get you a great fit.
I like Scuba Club. Good op for newer divers in that they usually have 2 or 3 guides in the water in addition to the DM who kind of shepherd the visiting "drift divers". The guides will shoot a marker and escort divers who need to leave the bottom and the dive master pulling the float, where possible.
Tim
"They called themselves Guerrilla Divers.
Composed of elite divers with Macho mentalities, back when men were men, and FEAR was a lispy companion of the common Man. It was a time before insurance liabilities, lawsuits or beauracratic regulation of the "sport". Guerrilla divers didn't need "Buoyancy Compensator Vests". In fact, "Anyone who needs a BC deserves to drown" was a popular adage. Exploration and the Hunt came first, excitement and fun followed. Safety was the stepchild of fitness, good reflexes and a cool head.
This was a time of great Adventure." www.sfdj.com
Hi Nancyrobin! Welcome to West Palm in advance! I think overall, you really can't go wrong with most "well known" dive ops. So, I'll give you a few thoughts and let you go from there......
RE: Scuba Club...
Plus: as Splitlip says, they are more accommodating of newer divers than some other ops. This means more dive masters/guides in the water, and there is a more clear plan: go down, stay together, follow the guide, and come up more or less together.
Con: This means diving with a larger group, which can sometimes make for a crowded feeling dive, with many divers sometimes bumping in to one another. Additionally, if you're great on air, and others aren't so good, your dive may be much more shortened than you'd like.
Other thoughts...
The last I checked, SC offers both one tank and two tank dives. If you're a more laid back diver, or just prefer one dive at a time, sometimes the one tank choice can be handy. But, a two-tank dive will likely net you more dives/dollar......
SC also has it's own mini-resort in the sense that it's a shop, a dive boat (or two), with a little lodge, pool, etc. So, there are always people hanging around and it can feel easier to ask questions, approach people, etc. When I was a very new diver, I appreciated feeling that I could ask a question without being made to feel stupid.
Based on that input, feel free to throw out other questions. If you'd prefer alternate options in the area from divers here, my preferred op in the area is Pura Vida. They are a bit more expensive than others, but I always feel extra welcome with them.
Feel free to PM me with questions as well; I also imagine others may come along with valuable input as well.
Enjoy your diving, it's a great time of year here.
They are a good op, especially for newer divers, which your profile suggests - very nice facility; one of the best in South Florida, IMO.
I prefer Jim Abernethy, and the Wetter the Better in the West Palm/Riveria Beach area
If you do a few dives in West Palm and are comfortable, consider Jupiter - recommend Jupiter Dive Center - its tougher diving than West Palm, but its really excellent.
I think Palm Beach County has the best diving in FL.
As you can infer from me, Jupiter31 and KBeck. the Scuba Club is pretty nurturing. While more experienced divers don't need that (they know who is who) and may get annoyed by it, new or rusty traveling divers often appreciate it. That is why I recommend them to visiting divers.
They will give visiting divers (and may insist) an opportunity to get in the 8ft or 16 ft deep pools to practice skills.
New drift divers can watch the guides shoot their DSMB's during the dives, then practice themselves in the 16 ft tank.
Also as KBeck said, they do single tank dives. I do them in the winter when seas are rough or to test new gear. Often solo.
Oh. And take KBeck up on her offer. The guy in her avatar is a mutual friend.
Tim
"They called themselves Guerrilla Divers.
Composed of elite divers with Macho mentalities, back when men were men, and FEAR was a lispy companion of the common Man. It was a time before insurance liabilities, lawsuits or beauracratic regulation of the "sport". Guerrilla divers didn't need "Buoyancy Compensator Vests". In fact, "Anyone who needs a BC deserves to drown" was a popular adage. Exploration and the Hunt came first, excitement and fun followed. Safety was the stepchild of fitness, good reflexes and a cool head.
This was a time of great Adventure." www.sfdj.com
I like OceanQuest Scuba. The reefs are beautiful in Riviera Beach (just north of West Palm Beach). OceanQuest scuba runs a smaller operation with usually no more than 8-10 divers.
I'll second Ocean Quest Scuba. I had a great experience diving with them on their 30-ft vessel, Sandy's Sunday, in WPB. Here is their website http://oceanquestscuba.com/index.html
There's also Underwater Explorers, a little further south in Boynton Beach. Kevin runs a great operation there.
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