OP
I might just bite the bullet and book a afternoon charter out of Jupiter for that Friday
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Everyone above provided great answers. @tarponchik I think you missed my reply on page 2 that explains it with pictures too. (link below). I know there is 1 Bridge tender reserved parking space. And I think there are 3-4 free parking spaces but I'll check tomorrow because I'm diving and going right past there. Just like BHB weekends are busy, but weekdays there's no one there parking. And watch the Youtube video link I posted above with Kelly & Jackie that shows both topside & underwater and see what it's like. Again, it's different that BHB.So where do you park and where do you enter the water? I am tempted to try this, just for a change.
The girls video does not show much of boat traffic but I always keep this in mind. To the NW there's the lighthouse park but what is to SW? Google tells me this is something related to USCG.
Thanks again, somehow I missed this post. So, you park at one of the spots at NW but enter water at the SW? Why is that? The satellite image shows some kind of a walkway from the parking lot to the river. No entry there?Everyone above provided great answers. @tarponchik I think you missed my reply on page 2 that explains it with pictures too. (link below). I know there is 1 Bridge tender reserved parking space. And I think there are 3-4 free parking spaces but I'll check tomorrow because I'm diving and going right past there. Just like BHB weekends are busy, but weekdays there's no one there parking. And watch the Youtube video link I posted above with Kelly & Jackie that shows both topside & underwater and see what it's like. Again, it's different that BHB.
BHB is like Miss America and she's almost Perfect. Lots of parking, Huge sandy beach, Bathrooms with toilet paper & dryers, a playground, warm fresh water showers.....I mean - She's the crown jewel.
Cato bridge is like her wild cousin who's a meth head and you never know what to expect!. Wild grass weeds, a beach smaller than your car, stupid parking, no table, no shower, and the diving is,,,,,rough compared to BHB. But just like "people watching", you can't turn away because you never know what this wild dive is going to do and you just have to see it once before you return to the crown jewel.
click on this Link for info & picts :
Any other shore dives next to blue heron
Both of your statements here are 100% absolutely correct. (1) Park on the NW side. & (2) Walk on the flat grass at the bottom of the guard rail on the SW side and enter the water at the tiny beach... So, you park at one of the spots at NW but enter water at the SW? Why is that? ...
Great! Have you ever tried night diving there? BHB has very limited options via Force-E, maybe twice a month.Both of your statements here are 100% absolutely correct. (1) Park on the NW side. & (2) Walk on the flat grass at the bottom of the guard rail on the SW side and enter the water at the tiny beach.
View attachment 661672
Today I drove past and over Cato Bridge, both ways twice. I confirmed that there are nine total parking spaces on the northwest side of the bridge. Of the 9 spaces,,, 2 of them are for the bridge tenders, another 1 is for County maintenance. Each of those spaces are marked with orange cones. That leaves six (6) un-restricted free spots for public parking. I drove past at about 5pm so all the kids were out of school and that's where all the cars came from in this photo.
It's also Memorial holiday week and all the beaches are packed too with visitors. A normal weekday should be just fine with plenty of parking. I also confirmed there is ZERO entry on any part of the east side of the bridge because there are chain link fences blocking the paths. All diving is done on the southwest side of the bridge. Today the lawn was nicely mowed and an easy flat walk to get to the tiny Beach area. There also is no fishing allowed on any place on Cato Bridge and you are allowed to dive it. A family of snorkelers under the bridge said they saw 2 big eagle rays just before I got down there.
View attachment 661673
Hope this clears up any confusion.
Never done a night dive at Cato. Only once have I done a BHB night dive and I struggle so much with my camera that I got out of the water, put it back in my car, and walked back into the water. Promised myself, I'll never take another night dive picture ever again. I'm just going to look and enjoy.Great! Have you ever tried night diving there? BHB has very limited options via Force-E, maybe twice a month.
Nightdiving can be quite enjoyable. Sometimes you get company:Never done a night dive at Cato. Only once have I done a BHB night dive and I struggle so much with my camera that I got out of the water, put it back in my car, and walked back into the water. Promised myself, I'll never take another night dive picture ever again. I'm just going to look and enjoy.