Calling All Wabasso Beach Divers!!!

[cudachaser]

My son & I were headed to Ft Lauderdale for diving this past weekend...We stopped at our favorite Wabasso site, Turtle Trail and guess what?? Indian River County has posted the park as off limits to Scuba, Kayaks & Jet Skies. We also checked out the other park...same signage...

Have you heard anything about this ordinance?

Joe

 

[Scuba_Dad]

I saw the same thing all the way up A1A in Indian River County. Someone told me I just had to stay out of the swimming area. I believe the sign was at all the county parks.

Al

 

[cudachaser]

Yah...But what's considered the swimming area?

 

[Likes2Cruise]

You got to be kidding me!
I just spent the past week researching that area for beach dives and my wife an I were planning on spending the coming weekend there!

I really doen't want to go all the way down the the Lauderdale area this weekend

Any more info would be greatly appreciated - any contact information on the signs?

Also - any info on the better sites in that area would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Scuba_Dad]

A friend of mine talked to the life guard about the sign. I'll email her and see what they told her.

 

[fldivejunkie]

A friend of mine talked to the life guard about the sign. I'll email her and see what they told her.

I actually talked to a diver getting ready to dive at Wabasso. He told me that he had asked the lifeguards about the sign and they told him that all you have to do is enter and exit to the north of the park (he pointed out an area where the houses began along the beach). Didn't look like too bad of a walk, but it still would be a heck of a lot easier to walk straight in. Better than not being able to dive there at all I suppose.

Debi

 

[augie]

I wonder if, since the information the lifeguard gave you isn't posted, if it's open to interpretation by other lifeguards, law enforcement, etc.?

<sigh>

 

[Likes2Cruise]

I just called the Indian River County parks department and the woman I talked to hadn't heard of this so she was going to have her supervisor call me back.

I'll post my findings.

I'm hoping to come to the East coast this weekend to dive in this area - what alternatives to these county sites are there?

Sebastian is a State Park - so this would apply there.

 

[Likes2Cruise]

I just got off the phone with the Supervisor of the Parks department for Indian Rivers County.

The post above reporting what the lifeguard said is accurate:

You cannot enter or exit the water within the Park boundaries.
You can 'pass through' and enter or exit to the north or south of the park borders.
You can swim the reef between the borders as the park boundary ends at waters edge.

With that said....

How are the conditions out that way this week?

 

[Aeropl]

I'm hoping to come to the East coast this weekend to dive in this area - what alternatives to these county sites are there?

I just got off the phone with the Supervisor of the Parks department for Indian Rivers County.
The post above reporting what the lifeguard said is accurate:
You cannot enter or exit the water within the Park boundaries.
You can 'pass through' and enter or exit to the north or south of the park borders.
You can swim the reef between the borders as the park boundary ends at waters edge.
With that said....
How are the conditions out that way this week?

Thanks for clearing that up as I was also interested if they had changed the rules.

As for dive spots there are many more to choose from. Although viz is usually not great, the conditions have been good so I have high hopes for this weekend. Are you coming for a shore dive or are you bringing your boat? There's not much chartering around there. I have found there is a huge difference in viz by driving down at least to Ft Fierce, which is ±30 mins south. Pepper park is a nice shore dive. Check out this pdf file for sites.