Couple of questions on Blue Heron Bridge area

[tarponchik]

1. Peanut Island: snorkeling only or also some diving?

2. Google maps shows me 2 artificial reefs just North of BHB opposite SingerDr/Bimini Ln area called Sugar Sands Ledges and Sugar Sands Rock Pile. What are these? Has anyone tried?

Thanks!

 

[Gene]

I have a lifetime of going to Peanut Island on my grandparent's houseboat and then my aunt and uncle's boat. (They used to live on Lake Worth.) I would say snorkel and swimming is best for Peanut as it's mostly sand around the island. (Which, by the way, was mostly built from what I understand by the Lake Worth Inlet being cut in around the 1920s or teens.) I've been diving with family off the Palm Beach side of that inlet for decades. Poking through rocks down to around 30 feet, looking for cool, old bottles, etc. Obviously anchor near the island, in about seven feet of water or so, and use a flag! Roll off the boat and get to the bottom and stay there until your dive is done.
One of our favorite childhood memories was sneaking into JFK's old bomb shelter on Peanut, on the backside of the old Coast Guard station. In the early 70s, that was an adventure. Now, they've cleaned it all up and made it part of a museum, although I don't know how often it's actually open.
Good old family memories...

 

[tarponchik]

@Gene Can you just put your fins and mask and snorkel to the island?

 

[Lostdiver71]

No you can not, there is a boat channel that you would have to cross and if it is not slack tide there is a very strong current! Also peanut island is one of the few parks that is still closed. Once it reopens there is a water taxi that will take you there for a small fee.

 

[Johnoly]

...What are these? Has anyone tried?...

I had to dig out my beginner log book from 20 yrs ago for this one. Yes, they are there and I've dove them once. I dove them with Dean from Pura Vida and he's probably the only person who could take you to them in today's times since it's so conditions dependent. You need to dive it before high tide since it's down river and want the waters moving quick. Viz was 10ft even though that day viz was top to bottom on the reef. The 1st structure was a square-ish concrete something. I didn't write down what the 2nd artificial was but they are in a straight line. There was a huge school of snook and both sites were very fishy with larger fish. The concrete sits on the east slope of the channel and I wrote down that I was 15ft deep and I remember I didn't hit the bottom cause viz was so low. It was a short 10 minute dive because you are drifting it.

The problem with the site is that it picks up all the mud from the BHB boat ramps area as boats are spinning their props to get out/in. Where as the BHB "park" is before the ramps on incoming high tide and not affected by the mud until tide flow changes.

So if you are going to dive it, I'd do 3 things. 1) Call Dean cause he knows it very well. 2) pick a weekday with a dinner time high tide since most of the boat ramp is quiet then. 3) Pick a day that the ocean will be Top to Bottom blue viz, cause that's the water that will eventually hit that site(no rain, no swell, etc)

It's always fun to dive something that very few even know about but it's hidden in plain site

 

[JahJahwarrior]

The Bridge is good viz most days at high tide, but the further north you go, the visibility falls off quickly. I've done some fishing off those piles and that's good enough for me, there is so much to see at the Bridge that I wouldn't think to go diving on those piles unless the water was really clear. If you have a boat and want to do something different, I've never dove the West side of the main span, because you can't swim across the channel, but I imagine it has to be interesting.

There is a lot of boat traffic around Peanut Island, and you are closer to the inlet. I suppose that would mean more clean water at high tide, but a stronger current. There are a few docks around the island, and with all the boats...I would worry about getting hit. If you snorkel, take a flag and watch out. I'm assuming you have a boat and will use that to get to Peanut--don't try swimming across. The boat channel is very active, and there are usually many boats motoring around to drop anchor around the island. After a tide change, the current is very strong. I don't think it has the same level of life as the Bridge because of the current, and the sand, but I could be wrong. I've done some fishing on the south side of Peanut as well, and there are deep sections due to the inlet. Saw a video of a 14' hammerhead swimming around there a while back.

www.divebhb.com or the Facebook group for BHB both have tide schedules, the FB group has people posting conditions frequently.

 

[Gene]

@Gene Can you just put your fins and mask and snorkel to the island?

As others mentioned here, no! Hopefully you'll have access to a boat.

 

[tarponchik]

I've asked about Sugar Sands area because the bridge got too crowded. But going back to my question on Peanut, is it snorkeling only or one can dive there?