Any other shore dives next to blue heron

[Johnoly]

.. I'm staying in Palm Bay.

So... much closer to Palm Bay is Wabasso Beach(WB) on the north side of Vero Beach. June is a very good month for WB because the winds are usually favorable so the viz is acceptable (YMMV). The WB small reef is about 600ft off shore and the lifeguards can direct you to it. It's a surfer hangout so you must learn to say "Bro/Dude/Narly" in the parking lot.

The 2nd location alternative is affectionately known as BHB's wild arse cousin north of BHB in Tequesta Florida. It is the "Cato Bridge' dive. It also is determine by it's own 'high tide time'. Just a few parking spots near the bridge tender's tower and you enter on the south & west corner of the bridge by going to the end of the guard rail and walking on the flat ground towards the water and there is a tiny beach entry point. Cato doesn't hold a candle to BHB, but it's a very different dive with usually much bigger animals traversing thru. It's a change of venue from BHB if you want a different location.

Cato Bridge PIcts below>

 

[formernuke]

So... much closer to Palm Bay is Wabasso Beach(WB) on the north side of Vero Beach. June is a very good month for WB because the winds are usually favorable so the viz is acceptable (YMMV). The WB small reef is about 600ft off shore and the lifeguards can direct you to it. It's a surfer hangout so you must learn to say "Bro/Dude/Narly" in the parking lot.

The 2nd location alternative is affectionately known as BHB's wild arse cousin north of BHB in Tequesta Florida. It is the "Cato Bridge' dive. It also is determine by it's own 'high tide time'. Just a few parking spots near the bridge tender's tower and you enter on the south & west corner of the bridge by going to the end of the guard rail and walking on the flat ground towards the water and there is a tiny beach entry point. Cato doesn't hold a candle to BHB, but it's a very different dive with usually much bigger animals traversing thru. It's a change of venue from BHB if you want a different location.

Cato Bridge PIcts below>

View attachment 660776 View attachment 660777 View attachment 660778

Does Cato have to be done at its high tide or just better?

 

[Johnoly]

Does Cato have to be done at its high tide or just better?

Yes,,,,very much so because there is no "Island" like BHB to block the current. Like BHB, Cato is also about the same travel distance from the clean ocean incoming water, it's just the Jupiter inlet and not the Lake Worth inlet so viz can be incredible. In the handful of times that I have dove it (cause it's my Jupiter ocean backup plan), I have seen 1-2 sharks every time at Cato, along with all the small stuff you always get an any bridge.

The High tide times are also different from BHB so you need to use it's own tide table.
Tide Tables & Charts for Jupiter Inlet, south jetty by TIDES.net

 

[tarponchik]

I always go to Dania Erojacks when I have a chance. Park at Dania Pier paid lot and take a hike north along the beach. The quality of diving does not really depend on the tides that much. So, for example, if high tide is around 5 pm and I do not want to go out on a boat, I'd dive erojacks in the morning then dive BHB in the evening. Nurse sharks are pretty much guaranteed at erojacks, though lately fishermen scared them away. Thus, 3-5 years ago there would be 3-4 sharks and maybe 1-2 fishing boat, and now the ratio has been reversed, 3-4 fishing boats and 1-2 sharks.

 

[tarponchik]

And, BTW, as I discovered a month ago, you can see the dark line of jacks in the water from the shore if you wear polarized sunglasses. If you draw an imaginary line through the jacks, it will cross the shore not exactly where the white pole with the JAX sign is, but maybe 15-20 ft to the south of it.

 

[formernuke]

Dark line of jacks?

 

[tekkydiver]

East of 6th street in Pompano is a great shore dive. Free parking and a shower. Best shore dive within 50 miles.... maybe more

 

[Texasguy]

East of 6th street in Pompano is a great shore dive. Free parking and a shower. Best shore dive within 50 miles.... maybe more

How different is it from LTBS?

BTW, there are two 6th streets in Pompano. SE and NE.

 

[Texasguy]

Cato Bridge

So, I am looking at it from google maps: Google Maps

Question, how can you dive there? Seems all it has a space for boats to come through, nothing for a diver but knee deep... I am looking at the pic of people jumping off their boats and standing like in hip deep water next to the boats...

 

[Johnoly]

...Question, how can you dive there?..

It's a much smaller venue than BHB, but directly under the bridge support you'll hit 20ft deep next to the fenders. There is a very shallow east side of the fenders, but the best diving is the west side of the fenders like I showed in the pictures above. West side has the steep drop-off from the shore due to the high currents cutting the ICW bottom under the bridge. As said above, BHB is better, but the OP was asking for an alternative and Cato is a unique dive that's also Free.

I only had a couple of topside picts. Here is a friends youtube and she show's it much better. Kelly and Jackie are both Jupiter speara divers and great spearfishing hunter's. You'll enjoy the video...

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