Going to FT Lauderdale-Need your thoughts

[scubajay]

I'm going to Ft Lauderdale from 11-30 to 12-10. I will be staying in Sunrise. I would love to go diving this coming Friday but do not have a buddy. If anybody in the area is planning a shore dive and wouldn't mind an extra buddy I will be very interested in joing you. I have all my equipment except for a wet suit, tanks and weight. Is there any shop in the Sunrise area that I can rent from. If I cannot find a buddy can anyone recommend a Dive shop that have local boat dive trips that I can call to make serservations.

 

[HilaryRN71]

I'm no good for info on shore diving, but lots of charters around that area. South Florida dive charters or something out of Deerfield. I usually drive the extra 15 minutes north and go out of Boynton Beach. Splashdown is a good operation. I also use Loggerhead and Pelican. All 3 of these are out of Two Georges Marina, easy parking, easy to find. If I wasn't lazy, I'd include the links...but a websearch will find all of those. I was out 2 weeks ago on Loggerhead and it was BEAUTIFUL conditions. Jim with Loggerhead can get you outfitted with tanks, weight and a wetsuit. 5 ml will be enough. Good luck! Enjoy your stay.

 

[Couv]

I'm going to Ft Lauderdale from 11-30 to 12-10. I will be staying in Sunrise. I would love to go diving this coming Friday but do not have a buddy. If anybody in the area is planning a shore dive and wouldn't mind an extra buddy I will be very interested in joing you. I have all my equipment except for a wet suit, tanks and weight. Is there any shop in the Sunrise area that I can rent from. If I cannot find a buddy can anyone recommend a Dive shop that have local boat dive trips that I can call to make serservations.

Hello Scubajay,

http://www.fillexpress.com/library/datura.shtml

Go to the above web site for good beach diving information in Lauderdale by the Sea near Datura Avenue. However, here is an update: I just dove there in June 2006 and the second buoy, mentioned in the article directly East of Datura in now missing, so one has to find the snorkeling trail by keeping an eye on the parking lot shelter whilst swimming east. The site is located South of the pier in line with the eleventh pier piling (counting from the East end.) If you are aligned with the eleventh piling and are positioned between the traffic lights at Datura and the cross road you will be right over it.

If you are not going to dive the snorkeling trail first another option of diving the area is a comfortable drift dive. After some trial and error, I had my wife drop me off at the Hibiscus Street parking lot (the next lot South of Datura.) Swim East allowing the current to bring you North, go around the pier and exit at the El Prado lot where the car can be parked near the showers.

When I was there last the pier was shut down to fishing and I can neither confirm nor deny that some divers plant their flag just south of the pier and dive under the pier where word has it there are schools of lookdowns, eels, tarpon, barracuda and a variety of tropicals.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

couv

Edit: Deep blue divers is located in walking distance http://www.deepbluedivers.net/Page2.html

 

[scubajay]

Thanks for your replies.

 

[HowardE]

Shore dives are easy. Just walk into the ocean anywhere between Sunrise and the pompano pier, and you'll hit reef within 200 yards. There's a set of buoys out (close in) marking where the boats can not enter... the reef is pretty much under those buoys. The best diving is really between oakland park, and the commercial pier, but there's pretty good diving all around.

If you're only diving air, there's a shop on A1A and Commercial that has tanks (AL80's)for $8 a day, with an air fill.

Fill express is also a great place to rent tanks, if you want nitrox and/or steel tanks. They rent tanks for $15 / day with a nitrox fill.

Dive ops north of FLL that I use are "South Florida Dive HQ" (on Atlantic in Pompano) they're only $50 / trip (without tanks) add a small charge for tank rental, as anyplace would [if you use them -- make sure you're on the Safari Diver ]. $50 is pretty cheap. In FLL people recommend American Dream (whom I've yet to dive with) and I've gone with Pro-Dive (only because they're cheap also - if you have your own gear).

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Important Note: If beach diving, make sure you have a flag. It's the law, and Marine Patrol doesn't look at non flag toting divers very well. If the weather were better, I would love to do a dive tomorrow night, but it's supossed to be a blowin through the weekend. Good luck!

 

[Crazy Fingers]

If you're going off the beach and can't find a partner, I'd just solo it. Deep Blue Divers is real close to the Anglin Pier and not horribly overpriced. Park at the lot at the very end of Commercial Blvd. It's 7 bucks for all day... that beats a ticket from the Parking Ge$tapo as all the other meters around are only 2 hours or a hell of a hike to the water.

Last time I was there, the pier was closed and I dove under it. I didn't see anything. The entire reef was dead in that area. It was at night though.

(Wow, did you know that the name of Hitler's favorite little police force is a "bad word"???)

 

[Crazy Fingers]

Important Note: If beach diving, make sure you have a flag. It's the law, and Marine Patrol doesn't look at non flag toting divers very well. If the weather were better, I would love to do a dive tomorrow night, but it's supossed to be a blowin through the weekend. Good luck!

If they don't know where you are, they have a harder time finding you to give you a ticket.

(a joke... although I will admit to having left the flag behind when lobstering as I already have too much crap to carry.)

 

[tech108diver]

If they don't know where you are, they have a harder time finding you to give you a ticket.

(a joke... although I will admit to having left the flag behind when lobstering as I already have too much crap to carry.)

Well it was nighttime anyway. See when you dont cary a flag I advise you to dive directly under the pier itself thus protecting you from potential boats and hazards.

Thats a joke guys......but seriously just tie the flag to a rock or something.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I would be very leary of telling somebody who has never dived in a particular location to do a solo dive, no matter how easy it may be to the rest of us who have dived this location. And to tell somebody (even jokingly) not to carry a flag when clearly it's the law again is advice I would not be telling somebody.

FWIW, the pier is open now so no more diving under the pier.