Diving in August

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Your best bet for sharks at that time of year is probably "Shark Canyon" which is between West Palm and Jupiter. Charters out of both places go there. Check with Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures (www.scuba-adventures.com) or Jupiter Dive Charters (www.jupiterdivecharters.com). Also in August there is a Goliath Grouper aggregation at "Hole in the Wall" in Jupiter. It's a deep dive, though. The "hole" is about 140 feet deep and the top of the ledge is about 110 feet. We have often seen 30-40 of these several hundred pound fishe aggregating there. Sharks and large turtles are also frequently found there getting out of the current. Like all the diving in these areas, it is done as a drift dive.

I would strongly recommend the West Palm/Jupiter area while you're in Orlando. Personally, I prefer this area to the Keys for marine life. The coral is prettier in the Keys but the variety of life (IMHO) is better in West Palm/Jupiter.

Additionally, a good "critter" dive is at Blue Heron Blvd bridge in West Palm. There have been lots of threads on that dive on Scubaboard. It's common to see octopus, eels, lobsters, seahorses, batfish, frogfish, stargazers, flying gurnards, etc. Check out my website, www.debersole.com, under "Galleries" for lots of photos from West Palm and Jupiter.

I dive the area all of the time and would love the opportunity to dive with you when come this direction!

Doug

 

[simonspear]

Hey Doug

Thanks for the great run down on West Palm and Jupiter. It looks like we are going to have to rearrange this trip now and head over at the end of April/May instead. Is there anything of particular note happening at that time of year? It's a shame as I would have loved to see the Goliath aggregation that you mentioned - that would have been really good to see!

The critter dive sounds really interesting. Seahorses and Frogfish - my wife's going to enjoy that one!

Thanks for the help!

Cheers, Simon

 

[tvictory]

The main thing happening in early May in Palm Beach County is sea lice. The water can still be a tad chilly too. Either way, it's still worth going.

If you want to try the Hole in the Wall dive, I'd recommend booking a mid-week trip with a small operator. The currents at that site are often ripping, and you will very often miss the Hole entirely. Cattle-boat drift dives with inexperienced divers can turn into a true fustercluck.