I have a few questions about Jupiter or Boynton Beach diving

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Kyalami is a brand new state of the art dive boat

A couple of questions....

1. What makes it state of the art?

2. Is it powered by gas or diesel?
 
Yea I don't know about calling it state of the art, that sounds like its a hover craft. I also don't know if its gas or diesel but I do know I did not get choked out on fumes, and the boat looks in great shape. Plus they have hot water and granola bars, tell me you don't like those two things and I'll call you a damn commie. :wink:
 
Slater has a Newton doesn't he? I like them as dive boats. Not sure what state of the art is but they are roomy, set up to dive out of from when they lay the keel. Easy on and off. Plus I believe he was on the Blue Tang before and they have a great reputation. I have not dove with him but I certainley would.

Every Dive op seems to boast about having a "fast boat". I enjoy being on the water and am never in a hurry to get back to the dock. Apparently I am a minority in this as so many market the fast boat and close to the inlet.

---------- Post added February 7th, 2013 at 05:19 AM ----------

I do not think there are many gasoline powered boats in the over 35' foot range. I am sure they are out there but in my limited experience I have not seen dive boats of that size running gasoline. The cost of fuel in gallons per mile as a operating cost alone would put the owner more toward diesel. The maintence of a gas engine of a dive boat is many times what a diesel engine would be per hour.
 
Every Dive op seems to boast about having a "fast boat". I enjoy being on the water and am never in a hurry to get back to the dock. Apparently I am a minority in this as so many market the fast boat and close to the inlet.

As you say, it may be purely marketing but as I understand it, a "fast boat" allows the captain to choose dives sites a little further away. I know Narcosis travels to dive locations further north and south of WPB more frequently then some of the other dive operators that I have been with. And those just happen to be some of my favorite sites.
 
Well, there are dive boats that are great and others that are simply uncomfortable. Some have raised engine room hatch in the middle and are hard to walk around when you are ready to dive and some are hard to be around the crew and passengers (some regulars). Everyone has an opinion and people are pretty loyal to their "daily dive boat". You should try a few and come up with your own opinion. If you don't mind diving with 40 other divers or 20 other divers then go for bigger boats. I enjoy the smaller operations (6-12 divers).
 
Both Jupiter and Boynton are great: you're likely to see more regular big marine encounters in Jupiter, but you can also see the same in WPB or Boynton, just not quite as high a probability. The diving in Jupiter is a bit deeper, though you can stay at about 70 feet if you stay on top of some of the ledges while the bottom might be in 80-90 feet in the sand. Most of the dives I've done in Boynton were more in the 60-70 foot range rather than 90 feet. I think Boynton reefs are somewhat more colorful (which is probably due to the shallower depths) and you'll see more barrel sponges.

In Jupiter, I routinely use Jupiter Dive Center, I like the staff, the DM's and captains. I also like the sites they visit and the drops are always accurate. They've also gone out of their way to find dive sites when the conditions have been poor. A couple of months ago, when Jupiter vis was 5 feet, Cap't Mike took a vote of the divers to extend the trip and we traveled to WPB to dive the Princess Anne and had a fantastic time: he could have easily just called the dives and headed back to the dock or let us try to dive in crappy conditions in Jupiter. I'm sure with the added fuel costs, JDC didn't make much profit on us that particular day, but I appreciated the effort to make the best of a lousy day and find us some nice dive sites.

Cap't Sl8r's boat looks really cool from the water (I've seen it fueling up a the Square Grouper a couple of times while heading towards the inlet). Someday, I will give Scuba Works a shot, just to try something a little different.

I don't dive Boynton very often, but when I do, my first call has always been to Underwater Explorers and I've dove with Cap't Kevin a handful of times and always had a great time. His boat is a six pack, so you get a bit of personal attention, but it is a pretty good sized boat for being a six pack.
 
Keep in mind march can be a little rough so I'd be more likely to book on a bigger boat that time of year so as not to get cancelled.
 
Keep in mind march can be a little rough so I'd be more likely to book on a bigger boat that time of year so as not to get cancelled.

Very good point. Some of our best Florida dives were in March. But also some of the roughest seas. Two days of diving on the boat we were booked with was cancelled but we were able to find another boat that went out. The seas were a little high but it was incredibly calm below the waves.
 
Went out with Randy J (emerald dive charters) in Jupiter this past weekend...would highly recommend it for the non-noob diver. 3 Tanks, the trip includes a gourmet boxed lunch (his wife runs a catering company) , and you can dive on your own, come up when you want using a safety sausage.

I have also been on JDC's charters a few times. I had good dives on them too (diving jupiter in general is great), but the boat is a bit more crowded.
 
Very good point. Some of our best Florida dives were in March. But also some of the roughest seas. Two days of diving on the boat we were booked with was cancelled but we were able to find another boat that went out. The seas were a little high but it was incredibly calm below the waves.


We will be diving Jupiter since we will be staying there. We are there the very end of March so hopefully the seas will be calm....
i have dove with JDC but was a long time ago. Last August dove with Narcosis and really liked them. I know they are further south so not sure if it is worth the drive or what traffic is like to make the morning dive....
 
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