Any good diving in w. palm beach?

[headbeachbum]

hey everyone i'm going to west palm beach on vacation. i'm leaving to go there later this afternoon. does anyone no any good dive sites? i think i read some where about beach diving. i'v never done that i assum its just as the title reads beach diving but can anyone tell me more about it? im new to diving i got certified in december 2008 and any info would help alot.

 

[Tug]

hey everyone i'm going to west palm beach on vacation. i'm leaving to go there later this afternoon. does anyone no any good dive sites? i think i read some where about beach diving. i'v never done that i assum its just as the title reads beach diving but can anyone tell me more about it? im new to diving i got certified in december 2008 and any info would help alot.

You probably will have better luck asking over in the Florida Conch forum.

For shore diving it is hard to beat Blue Heron Bridge, it is located in Riviera Beach and it is a really nice dive. It is shallow and there is a ton of sea life. Check out this thread for a ton of pictures from the Bridge. The only problem with this site is that it is dependent on the tides.

If you are interested in boat dives IMO one of the best boats is a short drive south in Boynton Beach. It is run by a fellow SB'er and I highly recommend diving with Kevin.

enjoy your trip!

 

[Stu S.]

Got to ride the boat at West Palm Beach. It is worth it. There are many to choose from, a web search will help you there.

You already got a link about Kevin. Also.... A number of dive shops use the Starfish Enterprise for trips. Everyone seems fairly happy with them. I believe they operate every day. Make sure you dive Horeshoe Reef.

 

[KBeck]

There are oodles of dive charters in West Palm to choose from; just ask the concierge at your hotel and they'll likely be able to get you set up.

However, here's some overall info, starting at the north end of Palm Beach county and working your way south:

Jupiter--a little deeper, but usually bigger critters. I think the consensus would go with Jupiter Dive Center in this area. They operate two boats, and usually, one going out is more "advanced", often catering to the spearing crowd, while the other is a little less advanced. Either way, it's hard to find a reef up there less that 70 feet or so, so Nitrox would be very wise if you want more than a 20 minute limit (their rule). http://www.jupiterdivecenter.com/

Riviera Beach/West Palm Beach-- Most of the West Palm Charters are docked at the Riviera Beach Marina, with a few exceptions.
Out of Riviera Beach Marina:
Narcosis, if my memory serves is the largest of the general offerings...more open deck space, more crowded if you hit them on the wrong day. http://www.narcosisdivecharters.com/

Pura Vida--A little smaller boat. Great crew. If you need to rent any gear at all, the drawback is that their actual shop is a mile or two away on the other side of the Blue Heron Bride--a bit of a time stealer if you're running late for the boat. http://www.puravidadivers.com/index.html

Oceanquest/Sandy's Sunday (not sure where they're docked): you've had a few recommendations for. I'll leave the detail to others as I haven't gone out with them before. Website: http://oceanquestscuba.com/

Just north of Riviera Marina--
Jim Abernathy Scuba--Another larger operation. I believe they generally operate two boats, usually one for more advanced and one for less advanced divers (generally split up by depth requests). It's been years since I went with them, so I can't recommend one way or the other.
http://www.scuba-adventures.com/

Going south, the next cluster of dive ops is in Lantana/Boynton.

Underwater Explorers out of the Boynton Beach Marina is indeed the big favorite of many of us on the board. Owner/DM Kevin is part of the experience. He's adamant about keeping the boat as a 6-pack, so it's often a boat full of just people you know. Handy. Underwater Explorers - SCUBA Diving Boynton Beach, Delray, Palm Beach, Reefs and Wrecks

Starfish Enterprises is just north in Lantana--someone else mentioned them here as well.
http://www.idivestarfish.com/

DCI Charters runs the Little Deeper fleet--one of which is still run out of Boynton, just next to Kevin's boat. The captain is a curmudgeonly old guy, funny as can be, and my recollections of diving from his boat are that he seems to carry more spearfishers, though I haven't been out with them in some time......
http://www.deeper-dci.com/


As for beach diving, the only well known dive is under the Blue Heron Bridge--great for macro stuff and sighting juveniles of all sorts.

Beach Diving--There is only one well known "beach" dive in the Palm Beach area, under the Blue Heron Bridge. It is subject to tide fluctuations. http://www.wadespage.com/D800DS06RF01.shtml


Enjoy Palm Beach--not a bad place to visit! Be prepared for afternoon storms from around 3 to 6 pm.

 

[sskasser]

Little Deeper is also a great option for diving out of that area. They have an in-water dive master for those that want. You also have the option of carrying your own flag. The captain and crew are a hoot!

 

[docBarbara]

Another vote for Little Deeper. I think diving with them is a lot of fun.
Have a great trip.

 

[pinkydinky]

i dove the narcosis and it was awesome

 

[weaserm99]

I was in west palm in december of 2007, i dove with pura vida, i was extremely happy with how they ran things, i am very picky with how i like a boat to be run, after the first day i told the store owner that i was only going to dive with his shop, he even offered to get me on another charter the last day that i had available because they were not going out that day. Very nice and friendly, if i ever go back there for vacation ill probably dive with them again.

 

[Stu S.]

If the Beachbum is still reading these.....

Visibility at Boynton Beach was about 20 feet on Sunday. You may want to enquire before you reserve a seat on any boat. It could get worse, but hopefully better!

 

[Jupiter31]

He was certified in December '08

No way am I recommending Jupiter for this guy - at least, as the director of the porno movie says "Not yet, not yet...."

Excellent suggestion re Kevin at Underwater Explorers - but that's in Boynton, not West Palm

2 great op's he should consider:

Scuba Club of the Plam Beaches - caters to newer divers - put this one 1st on your list
"The Wetter the Better" - in North Plam; excellent op


I like Abernethy too; but would choose Scuba Club for the OP - and would wait on Jupiter till next trip - or dive it at the end of this one if he did a bunch of dives and was feeling comfortable, as well as if the conditions were "right" - fairly calm seas, light to moderate current, good viz - also -

Jupiter has been really cold at dept in certain spots lately - really cold for late July - but this has been a wierd winter and spring - but I digress........

He could also do a little more research on his own b/c the question was a little clueless - Palm Beach county has some of the best diving in the USA - but its almost all boat diving, not beach.

Good luck!