Traveling to US from India, would like to dive with Sharks in Florida

[sportxlh]

WPB and Jupiter pretty much have the same marine conditions (the inlets are less than 20 miles apart) and weather patterns. Occasionally one will have better underwater vis than the other, but from a wave height standpoint, they are similar. The only reason I'd choose Jupiter is your desire to see sharks. WPB has some very nice dive sites and the reefs are a bit prettier in my opinion. You can see sharks in WPB too, but I tend to see them more regularly in Jupiter and a couple of sites in Jupiter are virtually guaranteed to produce shark encounters.

I was not very comfortable doing deep dives when I only had 15 dives and Jupiter tends to have deeper sites. Then again, several places in WPB are just as deep: you'd need to check with dive operators to see what sort of dives are on the agenda. You'll have to make a determination on whether you want to dive 80-90 feet (25+ meters) or would rather stay with 60 foot depths which are more common in WPB. Though on quite a number of the deeper sites in Jupiter, you can stay on top of the reef ledge in 70 feet, so you don't have to go all the way down to the sand, but I don't enjoy staying on top of the ledges unless I'm hunting for lobster.

Can't comment on a DSD since I don't know what that is.

There are lots of shops in WPB and Jupiter for buying gear: Diver's Direct, Jupiter Dive Center, ScubaWorks, Force-E, Pura Vida. Diver's Direct has some store branded items (Evo) that tend to be really inexpensive. The workmanship is not as good as big international brands such as ScubaPro or Mares, but the quality is still modestly decent. I dive with an Evo wetsuit and got about 350-400 dives out of the last Evo wetsuit before it gave out. I think I paid $89 or $99 for the wetsuit(s). I use an Evo mask as my backup. Most of the rest of my gear are big brands though such as Mares, Zeagle, etc.

 

[diversteve]

Largest SCUBA Shops Near West Palm Beach Fl - West Palm Beach Dive Center | Divers Direct - they have a lot of dive gear. Open till 8PM on Saturday.

last week of November in San Jose, CA (Is there any diving in CA?)

There is in Monterey. Monterey is home to the:
http://montereybay.noaa.gov/welcome.html - About an hour and a half south of San Jose.

It's an excellent place to dive in the Kelp Forest. The Breakwater is a shore dive and there's also a fleet of diveoboats. None of them put a divemaster in the water so you should hire your own. Typically around $35/50 per dive extra. http://www.montereydiveboats.com/home.html Many of the shops in that area work with these boats also.

At 15 dives I would not try diving there without a guide. Both for the entries and the conditions. It's also very cold water diving this time of year (actually almost always) so you'll need at least a 7MM wetsuit. Some idea of what to expect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGW9pZB9tD4

An easier way to see the Kelp is the world famous: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ At times - this is live: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_kelp/kelp_cam.aspx

Bamboo Reef does DSD dives in Monterey occasionally. There's also Any Watersports in San Jose, I don't know anything about them. Here's a list. http://www.montereydiveboats.com/norcaldiveshops.html

If you want to see really big fish - the Humpbacks are in Monterey Bay this month. You don't even need to dive to see them, do a whale watch.

Our forum is here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/norcal/

Although it can be expensive, the Monterey/Carmel area is also incredibly scenic. So maybe stay there overnight on the weekend if you have the time. Or plan to drive around in the afternoon.

 

[imkeshav]

WPB and Jupiter pretty much have the same marine conditions (the inlets are less than 20 miles apart) and weather patterns. Occasionally one will have better underwater vis than the other, but from a wave height standpoint, they are similar. The only reason I'd choose Jupiter is your desire to see sharks. WPB has some very nice dive sites and the reefs are a bit prettier in my opinion. You can see sharks in WPB too, but I tend to see them more regularly in Jupiter and a couple of sites in Jupiter are virtually guaranteed to produce shark encounters.

I was not very comfortable doing deep dives when I only had 15 dives and Jupiter tends to have deeper sites. Then again, several places in WPB are just as deep: you'd need to check with dive operators to see what sort of dives are on the agenda. You'll have to make a determination on whether you want to dive 80-90 feet (25+ meters) or would rather stay with 60 foot depths which are more common in WPB. Though on quite a number of the deeper sites in Jupiter, you can stay on top of the reef ledge in 70 feet, so you don't have to go all the way down to the sand, but I don't enjoy staying on top of the ledges unless I'm hunting for lobster.

Can't comment on a DSD since I don't know what that is.

There are lots of shops in WPB and Jupiter for buying gear: Diver's Direct, Jupiter Dive Center, ScubaWorks, Force-E, Pura Vida. Diver's Direct has some store branded items (Evo) that tend to be really inexpensive. The workmanship is not as good as big international brands such as ScubaPro or Mares, but the quality is still modestly decent. I dive with an Evo wetsuit and got about 350-400 dives out of the last Evo wetsuit before it gave out. I think I paid $89 or $99 for the wetsuit(s). I use an Evo mask as my backup. Most of the rest of my gear are big brands though such as Mares, Zeagle, etc.

Looks like Jupiter is a safer bet for sharks, I will try to go there. If not, west palm beach would be right next door. Can you recommend good dive outfits in these 2 areas, I know Jupiter Dive Center is famous.

DSD - Discover Scuba Dive. My wife is not certified but she would like to do a discover scuba dive where an instructor "holds" and guide her around. Jupiter Dive Center said that DSDs can only happen in Blue Heron Bridge - Is that OK? This place looks like a huge hit with divers, why?

Thanks for the info again

 

[diversteve]

why?

Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Blue Heron Bridge of Florida, USA East

Recent info: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/386645-blue-heron-bridge-trolls-105.html

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

BHB is huge with divers because it is very shallow, easy entry and exit, and lots to see. For those more experienced, along with all the benefits previously mentioned, the macro photography is outstanding. You might also see spotted eagle rays, southern sting rays, and manatees. BHB is considered one of the top 10 muck dive sites in the world. Also it is the go to place when ocean conditions are too rough.

 

[uncfnp]

Imkeshav, you will have to decide what is most important to you for your dives. In WPB, you have three options. If a DSD dive is a must, then it sounds like it will be the Blue Heron Bridge for you both. The bridge is only good to dive at slack high tide and on the 23rd that's at about 11:45 so that rules out any boat dives for you but you can meet many other divers and participate in the Trolls Meet and Greet that day. But that means just one dive that day.

If you decide not to do the DSD at the bridge, that means you could do a 2 tank morning dive or a 2 tank afternoon dive or both. If sharks are then the priority and you don't mind 80 to 90 feet, do Jupiter. Both WPB and Jupiter will be drift dives.

Breaking News...I just checked Jim Abernathy Scuba Adventures site and it looks like you could potentially get in 5 dives that day. They have a 2 tank shark dive planned that morning, then a 2 tank dive that afternoon and a one tank night dive planned. Dive Portal - Dive Calendar
Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures . They are in WPB. You could do 1,2 or all three dives with them if you are comfortable with that much diving in one day and with a night dive.

---------- Post added November 13th, 2013 at 08:48 AM ----------

If there is time for shopping, Force-e right by the bridge has just expanded their shop and it's just a few blocks from the bridge. You can also rent gear to dive the bridge there.

Divers Direct, also mentioned above, is another great choice. If you can, check out both.

 

[imkeshav]

Ok its down to Jupiter or WPB, both sound equally good, maybe with a better chance of seeing sharks in Jupiter. I don't think i'll get a chance to do more than 2 dives because I will be flying out the next morning at 8:30am

So there is no chance of my wife doing a DSD other than at BHB?