Aqua Safari is in the region as well, owner is David Ochs
West palm beach
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TwoCards
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I have never dove with Narcosis, but I have been at the marina when they have departed....and from my observations its a cattle boat, take that as you will. Sandy's Sunday is a smaller boat with 10 persons max on the boat and from my experience usually less. They will go out of their way to accomodate special requests such as families diving with younger divers that want to hit reefs in the 20'-30' foot range to advanced divers wanting to hit much deeper sites. I did my advanced OW with Sandy and they had an instructor/dm on all dives, not just the training dives. That being said there seems to be many excellent charters in the WPB area and though I've yet to dive with them (hopefully soon) Hypnautical charters also seems to be a great charter.
RonFrank
Contributor
Most WPB Ops get very good reviews. Not sure how an Op could cater to divers wanting shallow dives and divers wanting deep dives on the same trip.
Drift dives tend to be a bit more advanced by nature.
Make no mistake, Ops will carry their limit if they can. That limit may be 6 based on licensing, or 20+. Ops that brag about a six man limit are generally limited to six by their license, and/or by their boat. I like finding Ops that have a 6 man limit on a 15 man boat. For example Underwater Explorer out of Boynton runs a small group off of a very reasonable sized boat.
https://securec7.ezhostingserver.com/diveboyntonbeach-com/indexs.cfm
If you are a very experienced diver look for an Op that caters to that. Generally deepish dives, steel tanks for rent with Nitrox. If you are more novice go for that. Shallower, and a higher ratio of guides to divers. Make sure the boat is doing dives that fit your qualifications.
Have Fun and Dive Safe.
Drift dives tend to be a bit more advanced by nature.Make no mistake, Ops will carry their limit if they can. That limit may be 6 based on licensing, or 20+. Ops that brag about a six man limit are generally limited to six by their license, and/or by their boat. I like finding Ops that have a 6 man limit on a 15 man boat. For example Underwater Explorer out of Boynton runs a small group off of a very reasonable sized boat.
https://securec7.ezhostingserver.com/diveboyntonbeach-com/indexs.cfm
If you are a very experienced diver look for an Op that caters to that. Generally deepish dives, steel tanks for rent with Nitrox. If you are more novice go for that. Shallower, and a higher ratio of guides to divers. Make sure the boat is doing dives that fit your qualifications.
Have Fun and Dive Safe.
Thezeker
Contributor
I wouldn't call Narcosis a cattle boat. Any boat can get full to the max limit on a weekend or heavy tourist season. I have been all the West Palm boats when they are full and no matter what the boat conditions are a bit cramped. Narcosis isn't any better or any worse than the others when it comes to that. I have also been on Narcosis when there was just six divers so.......
Narcosis also uses a computerized display in their dive brief, which is thorough, so you have a really good idea what to expect and how the current is going to affect the dive. You can stick with the divemaster or you and your buddy can check things out on your own. One last note, the Narcosis is a fast boat which saves time going out and zipping between drop points.
If you are a bit rusty and like a more structured environment you can go with The Scuba Club. Easy parking and gear loading. Excellent divemasters who are incredibly helpful. I'd give them a call and talk to them about your needs. Very friendly op. The only caveat is that their boat has a platform for entry and exit as opposed to a ladder. If you have bad knees like me it can be awkward. 99% of divers don't have a problem with it.
Little Deeper and Abernathy's dive adventures are both outstanding ops. Friendly, helpful staff, good dive briefs et al. If you are worried about overcrowding you can check your dive on their websites to see how many divers have signed up and where the boat is scheduled to go i.e. depth, location, and dive objective. People can always show up and dive but you have a bit of a picture of what's going on.
Sandy's Sunday is an excellent op. I've been out with them a few times. On the trips I've been on they tended to go to shallower spots as they had students on board. She runs a very friendly boat. Dive interval included swimming and just having a good time. If you are worried about depth give them a call to see what their plans are.
As others have said you have to try the Blue Heron Bridge. Just check info for tides. You will know that you are there at the right time if you pull up and see people milling about in wetsuits and gear. And some guy runs up to you begging for and extra O ring.
One last note. Depending on where you are staying, Boynton is only 20-25 miles down the road. It is a fantastic dive spot. IMHO I think it rivals part of Key Largo. The dives on the whole tend to be shallower than West Palm. If you can check out Underwater Explorers for a dive. I can't remember if their minimum is 2 or 3 divers (the boat takes 6 with good room) and Kevin is one of the best divemasters. If you catch the black condos on a sunny day ................man.
RickI
Contributor
I've done a couple of dives with Sandy's Sunday out of Rivera Beach Marina in WPB. Sandy is ex-Coast Guard and knows her business well. Here are some writeups on some lemon shark dives, Looking for lemons on Juno Ledge - FKA Kiteboarding Forums I would assume the lemon migration would have moved on by April but there is still lots to see.
aprxh
Contributor
When I dive off of West Palm I mostly use the Narcosis. Nice boat and great crew. They have warm showers on board and warm drinks as well as cold soda and snacks.
They will put a guide in the water to tow the flag and show you stuff. Everyone must have a SMB and if you do not have one they will lend you one. If you do not stay with the guide you deploy your SMB and surface at the end of your dive.
I have also used Jim Abernethy's boat and they also have a nice boat and great crew. They also put a guide in the water with you.
They will put a guide in the water to tow the flag and show you stuff. Everyone must have a SMB and if you do not have one they will lend you one. If you do not stay with the guide you deploy your SMB and surface at the end of your dive.
I have also used Jim Abernethy's boat and they also have a nice boat and great crew. They also put a guide in the water with you.
I think Herb was talking The Scuba Club of Palm Beach.
I will try to post the link.
Welcome to The Scuba Club, America's Only Country Club For Scuba Divers in West Palm Beach, FL
All boats mentioned thus far are great operations. Jim Abernathy's Deep Obsession is not a "cattle car", even when full the crew go out of their way to make sure you have a great dive, to the point of helping divers gear up on a pitching boat. I teach OW, AOW, and Specialties, on these boats and I'd never return if they didn't treat my students with care and respect.
If you have time travel north to the Jupiter Inlet (about 20 minutes north of WPB) and try the Blue Tang run by Scuba Works. It is a fast boat and the crew are wonderful. Deep Ledges and the Wreck Corridor are dives you will remember your whole life.
I hope all of you are nitrox divers to get the most out of your dives.
As to the BHB...it is one of the most spectacular shallow water dives in the world! PM me if you'd enjoy a dive there and if I'm not teaching, I'll be happy to give you the tour!
If you have time travel north to the Jupiter Inlet (about 20 minutes north of WPB) and try the Blue Tang run by Scuba Works. It is a fast boat and the crew are wonderful. Deep Ledges and the Wreck Corridor are dives you will remember your whole life.
I hope all of you are nitrox divers to get the most out of your dives.
As to the BHB...it is one of the most spectacular shallow water dives in the world! PM me if you'd enjoy a dive there and if I'm not teaching, I'll be happy to give you the tour!
Herb-alaska
Contributor
Sorry I was not clear. I dove with the scuba club the link above is theirs Had a great time pool and boat right on site. Although I did not rent gear they appeared to have good rental scuba pro gear. The DM s allowed everyone to deal with your own gear unless you were unable or not doing then they stepped in and either helped by teaching the diver how or just doing it for them if the diver was not setting up for the next dive
sportxlh
Contributor
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I'm not adding much to this conversation, just agreeing with most of what is written:
The Scuba Club is great for newer divers: the DM's watch the divers carefully while underwater. The downside is they run a lot of single tank dives. the DMs and shop folks are great though. Another nice thing about the Scub Club is that spear fishing is not allowed: some newer divers prefer to be on boats that do not include spearfishers. I did my AOW training with them.
Jim Abernathy is also a great dive op in WPB. I've only been out with them a few times recently but have always been impressed with the DMs and captain.
Narcosis is also a good dive op. I've been out with them twice and always had the impression that the captain prefers experienced divers on the boat, but that is just my impression of some comments Van made. On the two times I've been out with the op, the DMs were top notch and actually helped one diver who had set up his gear wrong: so they clearly do handle some inexperienced divers.
I usually dive with Jupiter Dive Center and when they are booked, I immediately think of Jim Abernathy and then would consider Narcosis or another op called Walkers.
Somebody also mentioned Boynton Beach's Underwater Explorers and I'd have to agree that it is a very good op with a lot of personal service: good sized boat with only a handful of divers. It's been over a year since I've been out with Kevin, but the few times I've been out, I've been very pleased with his operation.
The Scuba Club is great for newer divers: the DM's watch the divers carefully while underwater. The downside is they run a lot of single tank dives. the DMs and shop folks are great though. Another nice thing about the Scub Club is that spear fishing is not allowed: some newer divers prefer to be on boats that do not include spearfishers. I did my AOW training with them.
Jim Abernathy is also a great dive op in WPB. I've only been out with them a few times recently but have always been impressed with the DMs and captain.
Narcosis is also a good dive op. I've been out with them twice and always had the impression that the captain prefers experienced divers on the boat, but that is just my impression of some comments Van made. On the two times I've been out with the op, the DMs were top notch and actually helped one diver who had set up his gear wrong: so they clearly do handle some inexperienced divers.
I usually dive with Jupiter Dive Center and when they are booked, I immediately think of Jim Abernathy and then would consider Narcosis or another op called Walkers.
Somebody also mentioned Boynton Beach's Underwater Explorers and I'd have to agree that it is a very good op with a lot of personal service: good sized boat with only a handful of divers. It's been over a year since I've been out with Kevin, but the few times I've been out, I've been very pleased with his operation.
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