Insider Info- Yak Diving

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

This is where you can post info on your favorite Yak diving spot. Please include info like beach access location, directions from beach access to dive site, dive site info and beach access amenities (parking, showers, restrooms, picnic tables and shade). Pictures are also incouraged. For those of you that use GPS, GPS coordinates of both the beach access and dive site would be helpful too.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Longboat Key Artificial Reef:

27 21’29.70"N
82 37'44.13"W

The reef is .6 NM from the beach access, in 15-18 feet of water. It is composed of reefballs, and concrete rubble. It has abundant life, when I dove it there were huge schools of mangrove snapper, snook, and wide assortment of smaller fish. I am told by locals that cobia are common on the reef also.

Beach Access:

27 22’05.67”N
82 37’38.51”W

Coming from the New Pass bridge heading north:
3.66 miles on the left (west) side of the road. The beach access is very small. I doubt it would hold more than 5 cars. It is also .32 miles from the Longboat Key Publix on Bay Isle Parkway.

Coming from the Anna Maria Island Bridge heading south:
The beach access is 6.28 miles from the bridge. Other than parking there are no amenities at the beach access, although there is a Publix and a CVS close by. Free public parking!

 

[Gibbon]

Great. More dive spots.

Any possibility of posting the area as well?
I have no idea what city Longboat Key is near, or where New Pass bridge is.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

I'm sorry, Longboat Key is just west of Sarasota. It has Lido Key to its south and Anna Maria Island to it's north.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Red Rocks:

Red Rocks is a small (~ 1 acre in size) shore diving/kayak diving reef ~ 100 yards offshore of the Boca Grande Range light. There is an abundance of marine life on the reef including raccoon butterfly fish, filefish, juvenile gag grouper, clown triggerfish, snapper & cuda. Water depth off the reef is about 17 feet, on top of the reef about 7 -10 feet. Vizibility can be variable and is best after a long period of easterly winds. On a good viz day, you can see the reef from the beach.

Directions: (from Tampa & areas north)

• Take I-75 south to the North River Road exit. (It’s the one right after Jacaranda) Go south on North River Road.
• Cross over 41 & the Road changes its name to South River Road, follow that until you come to Pine Street.
• Turn left on Pine Street.
• Follow Pine Street to 776
• Cross over 776 & the street name will change to Placida Road.
• Follow Placida for a while until you get to the Boca Grande Causeway. turn right
• Follow the causeway to the toll booth ($4), after you get through the toll booth; just follow the road all the way to the 4 way stop sign (5th St. W.).
• Turn right at the stop sign & then left at the flag pole (Gulf Bvld.).
• Follow the road to the next stop sign (Gulf Bvld. & Sea Breeze Ct.).

Ahead of you will be a white, tower lighthouse (Boca Grande Range Light - 26 44’27.6”N, 82 15’46.8”W). That is the Sandspur Tower. Parking lot is located on your right, just north of that tower($2 to park all day). (Remember, you're heading south, if you pass the tower, you went too far.)

Amenites:

The parking area/beach access has a paved parking area, showers, restrooms and covered picnic tables. It is about100 yards from the parking area to the water. If you kayak dive a cart with beach tires is a must.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Venice Beach​

Dive Spot: Venice Beach, FL

Type of diving Shark tooth and fossil hunting in the Gulf of Mexico. This area is a prehistoric river bed and does yield more fossils than the shark’s teeth.

Type of diving: Shore, Kayak & Boat Dive

Directions:

From the North:
I-75 south to Laurel Rd East
Turn left (south) @ Tamiami Trail (US 41)
Exit to the right@ Business 41 and go over Draw Bridge (Florida West Scuba is next to drawbridge).
Turn right @ first traffic light (Tampa Ave.)
Turn left @ Harbor Drive South*

From the South:
I-75 north to Jacaranda Bvld.
Turn left @ East Venice Ave.
Turn left @ Harbor Drive South*

From Sarasota:
Tamiami Trail South (US 41)
Exit to the right @ Business 41 and go over Draw Bridge (Florida West Scuba is next to drawbridge).
Turn right @ first traffic light (Tampa Ave.)
Turn left @ Harbor Drive South*

*to Alhambra: Harbor Drive South to Alhambra Rd. (.46 miles), turn right follow to dead end. Parking is on the street; do not block driveways, park in same direction as traffic flow.

*to Service Club Park: Harbor Drive South 1.53 miles - on right. (27 04’42.47”N, 82 27’00.62”W)

* To Sharkey’s Park: 1.86 miles on right. (27 04’26.33”N, 82 26’58.28”W)

What to expect at the dive sites: Typical sharks teeth found are from the following: Dusky and Blacktip family, Sand Shark (current and prehistoric), Bull Shark, and Lemon Shark. Rarer but also found are Mako, Great White, Snaggle Tooth and Megalodon. Other fossils that can be found include dolphin, manatee, and whale bones, stingray stingers and crusher platelettes and tail vertabrae, porcupine fish platelettes, mammoth and mastadon teeth/tusk/vertebrae, sloth claws, alligator scales, and sabertooth teeth. Best times for hunting are a few days after a storm when the water has settled down. Depths are 16-18 feet; unless you swim a long way out then you may hit 20.

Amenities Florida West dive shop is about 1 mile north of the site on 41 literally just over the bridge back onto the main land. Sharkey's restaurant is at the base of the pier. Venice Beach's downtown district is 1/2 mile off with food and shops as well.

Both Service Club Park and Sharkey’s Park have paved parking, showers, restrooms and picnic tables. Service Club Park has a long boardwalk over the dunes which can be an obstacle for yak divers (about 100 yards to beach).

Dive sites:
Alhambra: best fossil hunting is between the pine trees to the north and the last condo to the south, about 100-200 yards offshore. There is also a reef (ledge) in this area (27 05’43.05”N, 82 27’ 58.04”W). 16- 20 fsw

Service Club: fossil beds can be patchy, but in general yield better finds, yak diving about ¼ mile off shore (very productive area). 15- 25 fsw

Boneyard: About .88 mile from Alhambra, 1.33 miles from Sharkey’s Park (27 05’07.15”N, 82 28’08.53”W). Very productive area Florida West takes charters to this area daily. 27 fsw

Pros and Cons When the water is clear lots of teeth can be found. When the water is a milky emerald green, there will be no visibility on the bottom and toothing is useless.

 

[Orlando Eric]

PEPPER PARK​

Dive Spot: Fort Pierce, FL

Type of diving Shore dive where larger predatory fish can be seen as well as shootable game fish such as Black, Red, and Gag grouper. Home to some of the largest lobster in the state.

Directions

From the South
I95 to Orange Ave #131 East Do not stop east of 25th street this area for anything it is a medium to high crime area. Continue East to US Hwy 1 turn North. As you crest a small rise there is a Hess Station on the right and Publix on the Left with a traffic light at the intersection of A1A and US1. Take A1A east until it turns North. About two miles ahead you will come to Pepper Park.

From the North
I95 to Indrio Road #138 East to US Hwy 1 South. When you come to SR A1A Follow the instructions from above.

What to expect at the dive sites: The standard worm reef lay out with at least three reef lines. Larger predatory fish swim these reef lines than I have seen in other parts of the state. IF the water is cold and the visibilty in the 6' region there is an excellent chance of seeing Bullsharks swimming the area. I have seen Turtles, Moray, Guitar fish, rays, Grouper of varying size and shape, Hogfish, Porkfish, Snook, Nurse Sharks, 1 million Urchins, 1.5 Million Blennys, 1/2 Million Sea Cucumbers, Barracuda, and Ballast stones from the 1715 Plate Fleet.

Amenities
Pepper Park has new bathrooms and fresh water showers. There is a large pinic pavillion area for groups based on a reservation booking with the county or if not booked on a first come basis. If you bring a yak and have wheels park in the north end of the pavillion area and there is a pathway through the dunes which is how I get the four wheeler onto the beach. West of here is Sharky's who makes submarine sandwichs named after sharks: Mako, Tiger, Greatwhite.

Pros and Cons
Visibility here changes quickly. A great day is 30'. Good day 20". Common 10~17'. When it is 6' and cold water ground wellings is when I run into the Bulls face first. This area is home to GIANT lobster. I personally saw a wiegh in of a 15 3/4# lobster in 2007 which was plucked from this area. Routinely 5 ~ 9 pounders are caught here. It is shallow 12~18' way way out from this beach.
IF YOU find unexploded ordinance.. Don't touch. Mark the area. Call 911. White Phospurus flares will exploded then burn holes THROUGH you. While in the area you can visit the National US NAVY SEAL UDT Musuem in the same parking lot of Pepper Park the birthplace of the Navy Frogmen.

 

[DebbyDiver]

While in the area you can visit the National US NAVY SEAL UDT Musuem in the same parking lot of Pepper Park the birthplace of the Navy Frogmen.

Just quoting this for emphasis. A MUST SEE!!!

 

[Rafi Acosta]

Peanut Island is a great place to kayak to and a short distance away from the Blue Heron bridge in Riviera Beach, Florida. You will want to go to the southernmost point on the island under the old dock. I saw two southern stargazers, balloon fish, octopus and barracuda. Peanut Island has restroom facilities and can also be accessed from Phil Foster Park where there is a convenient kayak unloading area.