tmassey
Contributor
My 13-year-old daughter and I dove with Captain Conrad and Miss Conduct charters Friday through Sunday, January 20-22, 2012. Here's a quick report of what it was like.
First, a few words about Miss Conduct Charters (Welcome to Miss Conduct Dive Charters). If you're looking for a laid back and fun diving experience, I highly recommend Miss Conduct. Captain Conrad was flexible, and worked around our requirements. He took us to a variety of dive sites all up and down the coast, with interesting dives that were within the envelope of both me and my daughter. And he was just a nice guy to hang out with!
The boat was plenty comfortable, whether there were two divers or six divers on-board. We had room to gear up without stepping on each other, and there was plenty of shade and shelter when we needed it. (It was a bit cool and windy at times, and after a few dives getting out of the wind was important!) One thing was a little different than a big dive boat: we did a roll into the water instead of a giant stride. This was the first time my daughter had done one, but it's really pretty easy to do. Getting out of the water was no problem with a good-sized ladder on the back of the boat.
All of the non-wreck dives were drift dives, and when you're done, the boat comes and picks you up right at your float. It's got to be the laziest way to dive imaginable, and it's impossible to get lost!
With the small number of people on-board, there's very little time spent waiting for others to get in or out. There's a lot to like about diving with Miss Conduct Charters!
For the diving, we did a collection of wrecks and reefs. For wrecks, we did the Ancient Mariner, the Sea Emperor, the Berry Patch, the Quallman Tugs, and I did the Captain Dan. For reefs, we did mostly the second and third reefs all up and down the coast. We were able to do a couple of night dives as well.
Highlights of the diving included:
Ancient Mariner. For that dive, we were alone and had the wreck to ourselves. We saw a 5 foot Moray Eel hanging around the pilothouse, and were able to go all over the wreck.
Night Dive. The lobster were out in force, crawling around on the sand instead of peeking out from a hole. We also saw a 2 foot by 3 foot turtle hanging out under a ledge. The sleeping parrotfish on the reef are fun, too.
Captain Dan. I did this dive with deepstops and others, who put up a trip report of that dive here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...p-report-pompano-beach-january-21-2012-a.html The Captain Dan is one of my favorite dives, and with Brian's help we were able to see a lot more of the wreck than I've seen in the past.
The weather cooperated with us for the weekend as well. It was partly cloudy (say, 50% clouds) and a bit windy (10-15MPH) for most of the trip. The temperatures were decent (mid-high 70's), and most importantly, the seas were under 2' the entire trip! For mid-January, that's really good, and we took full advantage of it!
The water temp was low 70's. The locals were complaining about having to wear a "full 5mm suit!", and I was thrilled to be diving wet! By the third or fourth dive of the day, though, it was pretty cold. The viz was in the neighborhood of 40' for most of the dives. That's pretty typical for Florida in the winter. It was plenty good enough for people used to diving inland lakes in Michigan!
A couple of non-diving highlights: Flannigan's on Atlantic Blvd. We eat there multiple times each trip, and have done so for multiple years. A great place to get a really good fish sandwich. Most people really enjoy their ribs as well. Good prices and good drink deals. And while we're on the subject of food: Las Vegas in Oakland Park has *really* good cuban food. Their sangria is excellent!
And the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek was very nice. It's a renamed Embassy Suites (I believe), and some of the things like carpet are a bit worn. The Sheraton Suites snobs write poor reviews for this hotel on places like Travelocity. However, it's a unique place: it has a large atrium in the middle that has waterfalls, a creek-like environment, and even a bunch of turtles! It's a nice place to hang out and fill out your logbook with a cup of coffee... The rooms are clean and above-average, though possibly not up to the standards of a "real" Sheraton. Having not ever stayed in a Sheraton, I don't know, and I don't really care: it's plenty clean and plenty nice.
If you're looking for a place for a variety of dives (wreck and reef) and still near nice hotels and restaurants, Pompano Beach is really nice. While some might point to the Keys as having nicer diving, there's a lot less for the non-divers to do. When you have a couple of families but only a couple of divers (like we did), Pompano Beach is a great place for everyone to have a good time.
First, a few words about Miss Conduct Charters (Welcome to Miss Conduct Dive Charters). If you're looking for a laid back and fun diving experience, I highly recommend Miss Conduct. Captain Conrad was flexible, and worked around our requirements. He took us to a variety of dive sites all up and down the coast, with interesting dives that were within the envelope of both me and my daughter. And he was just a nice guy to hang out with!
The boat was plenty comfortable, whether there were two divers or six divers on-board. We had room to gear up without stepping on each other, and there was plenty of shade and shelter when we needed it. (It was a bit cool and windy at times, and after a few dives getting out of the wind was important!) One thing was a little different than a big dive boat: we did a roll into the water instead of a giant stride. This was the first time my daughter had done one, but it's really pretty easy to do. Getting out of the water was no problem with a good-sized ladder on the back of the boat.
All of the non-wreck dives were drift dives, and when you're done, the boat comes and picks you up right at your float. It's got to be the laziest way to dive imaginable, and it's impossible to get lost!
With the small number of people on-board, there's very little time spent waiting for others to get in or out. There's a lot to like about diving with Miss Conduct Charters!For the diving, we did a collection of wrecks and reefs. For wrecks, we did the Ancient Mariner, the Sea Emperor, the Berry Patch, the Quallman Tugs, and I did the Captain Dan. For reefs, we did mostly the second and third reefs all up and down the coast. We were able to do a couple of night dives as well.
Highlights of the diving included:
Ancient Mariner. For that dive, we were alone and had the wreck to ourselves. We saw a 5 foot Moray Eel hanging around the pilothouse, and were able to go all over the wreck.
Night Dive. The lobster were out in force, crawling around on the sand instead of peeking out from a hole. We also saw a 2 foot by 3 foot turtle hanging out under a ledge. The sleeping parrotfish on the reef are fun, too.
Captain Dan. I did this dive with deepstops and others, who put up a trip report of that dive here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fl...p-report-pompano-beach-january-21-2012-a.html The Captain Dan is one of my favorite dives, and with Brian's help we were able to see a lot more of the wreck than I've seen in the past.
The weather cooperated with us for the weekend as well. It was partly cloudy (say, 50% clouds) and a bit windy (10-15MPH) for most of the trip. The temperatures were decent (mid-high 70's), and most importantly, the seas were under 2' the entire trip! For mid-January, that's really good, and we took full advantage of it!
The water temp was low 70's. The locals were complaining about having to wear a "full 5mm suit!", and I was thrilled to be diving wet! By the third or fourth dive of the day, though, it was pretty cold. The viz was in the neighborhood of 40' for most of the dives. That's pretty typical for Florida in the winter. It was plenty good enough for people used to diving inland lakes in Michigan!
A couple of non-diving highlights: Flannigan's on Atlantic Blvd. We eat there multiple times each trip, and have done so for multiple years. A great place to get a really good fish sandwich. Most people really enjoy their ribs as well. Good prices and good drink deals. And while we're on the subject of food: Las Vegas in Oakland Park has *really* good cuban food. Their sangria is excellent!
And the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek was very nice. It's a renamed Embassy Suites (I believe), and some of the things like carpet are a bit worn. The Sheraton Suites snobs write poor reviews for this hotel on places like Travelocity. However, it's a unique place: it has a large atrium in the middle that has waterfalls, a creek-like environment, and even a bunch of turtles! It's a nice place to hang out and fill out your logbook with a cup of coffee... The rooms are clean and above-average, though possibly not up to the standards of a "real" Sheraton. Having not ever stayed in a Sheraton, I don't know, and I don't really care: it's plenty clean and plenty nice.
If you're looking for a place for a variety of dives (wreck and reef) and still near nice hotels and restaurants, Pompano Beach is really nice. While some might point to the Keys as having nicer diving, there's a lot less for the non-divers to do. When you have a couple of families but only a couple of divers (like we did), Pompano Beach is a great place for everyone to have a good time.
