Turtles and Sharks - Jupiter Dive Report 4/5/2013

[SSharkk]

Jupiter Dive Center - www.jupiterdivecenter.com
3 Tank Friday Dive - JDC has recently been running a 3 and a 2 tank dive on Fridays
Vis 20 to 80 ft., Water Temp 71/72 F
Check In – Gerry Carroll
Captain - Mike
Dive Guide – Sandy Cook
Deckhand – Steve
2 Bull Sharks
14 Caribbean reef sharks
2 Loggerhead sea turtles
3 Hawksbill sea turtles, 2 tagged
1 African pompano
1 large cobia (50 lbs. + or -) Cobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
9 goliath groupers

 

[Murfdizzle21]

You should bring a camera with you next time

 

[kwm13]

Sounds like a great day under the water. I have never gone out by Jupiter but have heard it is real nice. I used to dive out of Riviera Beach Marina near West Palm Beach. I find it amazing how many people have no idea how good the diving there can be. I know it can get pretty rough at times but it is still one of my favorite places and I hope to be able to get back there soon. If you go at the right time of the year the turtles are everywhere.

 

[SSharkk]

Sounds like a great day under the water. I have never gone out by Jupiter but have heard it is real nice. I used to dive out of Riviera Beach Marina near West Palm Beach. I find it amazing how many people have no idea how good the diving there can be. I know it can get pretty rough at times but it is still one of my favorite places and I hope to be able to get back there soon. If you go at the right time of the year the turtles are everywhere.

kwm13, it surprises me as well. A good day diving in Palm Beach County, Florida is a world class underwater experience. The months of April and May are my favorite time to run this area hard and often.

If a diver is alert and diligent she/he has a good chance to see plenty of sharks (bulls, caribbean reefs, and nurse, plus wild cards like whale sharks, sandbars, great hammerheads, tigers, lemons and black tips).

This month I have seen 4 of the 5 species of sea turtles that live in this part of the world: many loggerheads, some hawksbills, a few greens and the rarest of the rare a kemp's ridley. A few years ago I was lucky enough to see my first leatherback while diving out of Jupiter.

Now that they are protected, we commonly see the giant spotted grouper (aka, goliath grouper, jewfish) year round. Some of these animals are in the 400 to 450 lb. range. In August and September they gather tightly together in aggregations of up to 100 fish. This is an event of spectacular proportions.

We also see game fish like wahoo, permit, cobia, african pompanos, amberjacks, kingfish, rainbow runners, snook, barracuda, bluefish, and bonitos, sometimes even sailfish. Spotted eagle rays and southern stingrays are not unusual. Mobula rays and mantas show up here too.

Tropical reef fish are common and sometimes in big schools. Anglefish, porkfish, grunts, snappers, trumpetfish, and spadefish are something we see on every dive.

Besides the underwater wilderness we have excellent beaches, terrific bird watching, canoeing, stand up paddling and wildlife viewing both inland and off shore, and great places to eat.

The dive shops in the area stock everything you will ever need to dive here. The dive boats are clean and well maintained. The captains are capable, very experienced and safety minded. The crews are fun and helpful.

If one likes to adventure underwater this is one hell of a place to do it.

 

[kwm13]

If I remember correctly I bought my current bc from the JDC. What boat did you go out on if I may ask? When I started diving there many years ago I was on the Rampage, then the Narcosis, and finally with Abernathy's. Some of my best dive photos came from that area. I wish that I had been into video then. I have not been there since around 2008 but something tells me I should get my butt back there soon.

 

[SSharkk]

If I remember correctly I bought my current bc from the JDC. What boat did you go out on if I may ask? When I started diving there many years ago I was on the Rampage, then the Narcosis, and finally with Abernathy's. Some of my best dive photos came from that area. I wish that I had been into video then. I have not been there since around 2008 but something tells me I should get my butt back there soon.

kwm13 when I am diving the Jupiter area (going out of Jupiter Inlet) I dive almost exclusively with Jupiter Dive Center www.jupiterdivecenter.com. Their two boats are the Republic IV and Republic VII.

When working the Palm Beach area (going out of Lake Worth Inlet), I have recently used Walker's Dive Charters Scuba Diving in the Palm Beach area - Walkers Dive Charters. His boat is The Wetter The Better. I also dive with Pura Vida Discover Florida Scuba Diving :: Pura Vida Divers. The boat is the Sirena. I sometimes dive with Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures Bahamas & Palm Beach, Florida Scuba Diving :: Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures. His boat is the Deep Obsession. These operators have been very good to me, and I have had exceptional dives with all of them. There are several other dive boats home ported in Palm Beach area as well. Sadly, I have not been on them, or if I have, it was in the distant past.

There are also dive operators who go out of both the Boynton Inlet and the Boca Raton Inlet at the bottom of county. I have had some excellent dives from those locations years back, but I have not been diving there for some time. I hope to hit the south county area in August and September, when giant groupers are spawning.

On a whole, I have found Palm Beach County dive shops, dive boats, captains and crews to be the best I have encountered. The exceptional marine life and the special dive techniques make Palm Beach County unique in the scuba world. The diving can be a bit different and also demanding, but for those who are willing to put forth the effort and learn her ways the rewards can be vast.

 

[kwm13]

Thanks for all the great information on the dive ops. I will make a note of them. Abernathy's was a favorite of mine and my wife's. The first time we were going to use them Jim spent about 30 minutes on the phone with my wife because she was nervous about the shark dives they were going to do. Jim had a crew going out to take shark video and pictures for a magazine article. My wife had never gone on a dive where the main goal was to find sharks so she was very apprehensive. Jim re-assured her that everything was safe enough and that they would not be chumming for them. The boat was just going to a natural channel/passage where the sharks frequented. It was a first rate operation. Thanks for posting your report. It has brought back quite a few memories for me.