Jupiter Dive Thread

[MrChen]

Back 15yrs ago, there a couple of girls who dove 'low & slow' with us. Every dive they would come up with slippers and spanish lobsters. So often these 2 types are upside down gripping the top of ledge or rock hole and they are so well camouflaged / still , that it's really hard to spot them if drift diving. About the only time I can spot them is right at sunrise and shining my light so their eyes glow. So few are caught they are almost unregulated by the FWC (except eggers) and you can catch them even during closed regular bug season.

I saw a spanish lobster at LBTS a few weeks ago too. It was already missing its antennae. Unfortunately, I didn't put the energy into catching it because it was small. Afterwards, my buddy says they are all that size. So, I definitely caught the one I saw in Jupiter.

 

[MrChen]

Our dive stats are almost identical. My only non-FL dives were in Bonaire as well.

For all the South-FL diving we’ve done, I’m surprised we haven’t run in to each other. Or, maybe we have and didn’t realize it. Either way we should change that this year!

Absolutely. I ran into @Johnoly a month back on JDC. I was diving with @Divin'Papaw that morning.

 

[MrVegas]

I got out with Jupiter Dive Center last week -- two years in a row without getting blown out! Great couple of dives -- the big surprise was a sailfish swimming by. Lemon sharks -- including one that paid a close up visit on a safety stop, goliath grouper, a huge loggerhead turtle, and some big nurse sharks. Lots of fun. I only get to do it once a year, but some of my favorite dives have been in Jupiter.

 

[Dan]

We are travelling but I understand there is a sawfish dive taking place on the 16th with the jupiter dive center. No guarantees of course, but perhaps something special if you are here next week (and weather permits)

Have anyone seen one, Sawfish, I meant?

I think @scubadada & I tried once and saw none.

I heard they are getting more Sawfish in Everglades. A fellow diver from Germany saw a sign there to be careful wading in the water. Your leg may get sawed.

Fortunately these dogs got lucky.

 

[Johnoly]

Have anyone seen one, Sawfish, I meant?

YES & in Jupiter...Several times & usually 4-6.

There is a secret spot that a couple of commercial guys know that is a known mating spot. The peak time is coming up that matches the annual 5 degree bump up in bottom temperatures that happens 3rd - 4th week of April. Politely>No I'm not giving you the numbers & no I'm not taking you there. There is one hand shark feeding operation in Jupiter that does know the spot. But you won't get on the boat unless the captain personally knows you (& no phones/cam GPS's on boat). You can always try Loran tower reef which will sometimes contain them, but viz its like a roll of the dice.

 

[tekkydiver]

Have anyone seen one, Sawfish, I meant?

I think @scubadada & I tried once and saw none.

I heard they are getting more Sawfish in Everglades. A fellow diver from Germany saw a sign there to be careful wading in the water. Your leg may get sawed.

Fortunately these dogs got lucky.

Fishing the shallows of Rabbit Key Basin in Florida Bay early morning hours..... just about a sure thing. Water depth is less than 3 feet and usually crystal clear.

 

[Dan]

Fishing the shallows of Rabbit Key Basin in Florida Bay early morning hours..... just about a sure thing. Water depth is less than 3 feet and usually crystal clear.

Thanks for the tips.

I haven’t seen Sawfish in the wild. It would be a thrill to see one.

 

[Fishhy]

There was a sighting off the breakers today

 

[MrChen]

It's been a while, but I've seen them at the bridge before. Nothing that large though!

 

[MrChen]

On Sunday, we went out of Burt Reynolds Park. We ran north to the Loran Towers area. Seas were nice and calm. Visibility was 40-50 ft. I landed on the deep side of the ledge in the sand and the temp was 74, then really cold, back to 74, then really cold again. When I say really cold, it was 67 degrees. There was a strong west bound current. I had a DPV and felt sorry for the guys who didn't have one, they had to huddle close to the ledge to stay on it. I decided I wanted out of the cold, so I went east up the ledge and was blasted with the cold water. The west bound current was bringing 67 degree cold water down to the ledge which was mixing with warmer water. My toes were numb by the end of the dive! We did ok on lobsters. I saw a large southern eagle ray and a pair of goliath groupers.

We split the boat 3 and 3. After the 2nd group did their dive in the frigid water, we opted to run south closer to the Jupiter inlet. Seas were starting to pick up a little, but nothing to complain about. We dove one of our regular spots. Water temp was a stable 74 degrees. Visibility was 50-60ft. The current was still moving more west than north. Since the guys I dropped with didn't have scooters, I chose to head up on top of the ledge, so we weren't all fighting for the same lobsters. I unfortunately couldn't find any up top nor on the eastern side of the ledge. I ended up returning to the west facing ledge and immediately ran into lobsters. There were lots of nurse sharks observed on this dive, at least 7 of them, and one was really large. Saw another pair of Goliath Groupers who had some holes they went up under and barked at me as I got too close. One buddy shot some fish and had 3 small bulls and two Goliath Groupers show interest, so he opted to head to the surface since he was alone.

If not for all the shorts, I would have easily limited. Instead, I came up with 5 keepers. I ran my DPV hard on the second dive looking for that last lobster, zigging and zagging up the ledge and back. It got to the point that increasing gears didn't result in any audible change in the motor, so I knew my batteries were almost dead. It was perfect timing since it was nearly time to head back to the surface.

By around 3pm the seas were getting bumpy, 2-3ft with a 6-7 sec interval.

Back at the dock, before we could pull our boat out of the water, someone was asking if we had jumper cables. I told him I had a capacitor jumper in my truck. I just bought this thing a couple of weeks ago and hadn't used it yet. We hooked it up to his battery, we watched it charge off the dead battery to 100%, hit the button, waited for it to start beeping, and the boat started right up. He, his buddy, and their girlfriends were all smiles.