Dive Report West Palm Beach

[BobinNC]

Had three straight days of drift diving from Thursday through Saturday off West Palm Beach. It was a total sensory overload; everywhere I looked there was something to see on each dive, it was absolutely amazing. I am thoroughly addicted.

Thursday morning our first couples of dives were Ron’s Rock area and then Breaker’s Reef/Turtle mound. Being my first couple of dives I was probably concentrating too much on staying with my buddy verses a little balance with seeing everything around me. He knew this though and slowed down to point out several different things, including a gorgeous large blue Parrot Fish. Fairly shallow only 60’ fsw and that with a shovel. Great comfortable first dive.

Our dives later that day were night dives on the Trench and the Flower Garden. First dive was a little intimidating because the current was so strong it threw me and my dive buddy off from the group on the way down and we were just flying over the reef really too fast to see anything. During our dive briefing we were told we would be heading to the Trench and to drop in there and get away from the strong current and enjoy the night life but we overshot it and never saw the Trench. As it turned out, when we got picked up later we found out about 2/3rds of the people overshot it because of the strong current as well. A little intimidating at first because I had this sense that I was going to run into something at any moment. Second night dive (close to 11pm) was much more organized because we all knew the current was strong and went down as a tighter group, saw lots of lobsters, eels, and other fish as we flew by. We looked like a bunch of aliens with our lights and tank markers on.

Friday I felt like I had much more confidence after doing the night dives and really started enjoying the dives much more. We did the Trench first thing in the morning since most of us missed it the night before. We came up on a resting Nurse Shark in the trench about 8ft (maybe a little more) and he swam out right in front of my dive buddy and I, he got a couple of pictures off as he swam by it was just awesome, like visiting an aquarium from the inside out! Then we saw a green Moray eel in the trench wall and then got up out of the trench and just drifted along the pretty strong current across the reef and saw a barracuda and some Jacks. Absolutely incredible dive. Water temp at 60’ was still 81 degrees, and the current was challenging. This night we did a shallow dive at the bridge to Singer Island and saw lots of octopus, a very large green Moray eel and the worst part was getting hooked by a fisherman off the bridge, he got me in the arm and hand when I pulled it out and my dive buddy cut the line. Nothing a little Neosporin couldn’t take care of. We kept going after that and saw lots of crabs and lobsters.

Saturday was our last dives for the trip and we did a wreck dive on the Mizpah and Amaryllis. Awesome dives again, current was very strong again and when we got up to the Amaryllis which is now just an open hull, we were trying to follow some Goliath Groupers around the outside but the current was too strong and we knew if we didn’t get in the middle of the hull we were going to get blown past the wreck so we went in and there was plenty to see there as well. Water temp even at 85’ was still 80 degrees and the current was strong. Sorry no underwater pictures this trip.

I definitely look forward to diving there again. Next goal is a dive off the NC coast.

 

[Jupiter31]

West Palm diving very good - Jupiter tends to be better in some ways

Try it next time - you stand a good chance of large "animal" encounters

 

[BobinNC]

West Palm diving very good - Jupiter tends to be better in some ways

Try it next time - you stand a good chance of large "animal" encounters

Sweet, what is the main difference? The real challenge at West Palm was the pretty strong north current. I was surprised on a couple of dives of just how fast it was. You could turn around completely and fin as hard as you could and still being going backwards at a pretty good clip. Is there any wrecks around Jupiter?

 

[Jupiter31]

Sweet, what is the main difference? The real challenge at West Palm was the pretty strong north current. I was surprised on a couple of dives of just how fast it was. You could turn around completely and fin as hard as you could and still being going backwards at a pretty good clip. Is there any wrecks around Jupiter?

While current, sometimes strong (and ocasionally non existant) is the norm for both locations,the sites in Jupiter vs West Palm tend to be a little deeper - 70' to 90' - you have a ledge ranging from a few feet to 15 or 20, depending on the site.

There are a few Jupiter wrecks - MG111, Esso Bonaire (and 2 other wrecks close to the Esso that I can't think of the name) - they are not what I'd call "great wrecks" - however, seasonally, on the Esso you can see an aggregation of Goliath Groupers that is very impressive.

On the MG111, in the winter, you can sometimes find the lemon shark aggregation - sites like these, with the animal life you are unlikely to see in other areas of the country, make Jupiter diving what it is. Its comon to see big stuff. In fact, divers travel long distances to exotic, expensive locations to see animal life that can found in Jupiter at a fraction of the cost.

Jupiter diving is not - IMO - for the new or the rusty - especially during winter, when its rougher, colder, more challenging - I usted to recommend Jupiter for everyone; I don't anymore.

Its not uncomon to see numerous sharks, turtles, goliath groupers on other sites as well. My favorite area is a little south of Jupiter - off Juno - the site is refered to locally as "Area 51" but is the Juno Ledge - fantastic.

For wrecks, however, I think Boynton, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, and the Keys are better - but no place I've found in FL rivals Jupiter for large animal encounters.