Diving in November?

[qwimjim]

Hey everyone I'm planning a trip to Disney with my family this November, and was hoping to get a day or two to do some diving somewhere in the area, I don't mind driving 2-3 hours if need be. I've seen the shark diving in Jupiter mentioned a lot, the Emerald Charters op also mentioned a lot. What's the deal with those? Great vis, chumming and lots of sharks? Kinda like those shark dives in Nassau? Is it only Emerald that does these? And is November an good/bad time of year?

I know Florida has a lot of wrecks, are there any cool/impressive wrecks that are within recreational limits, and likely to be in waters with great visibility? If you haven't noticed I love great visibility

Thanks!

 

[qwimjim]

No one?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Can't answer your questions, but I take it you've seen this one about Emerald: Emerald Dive Charters Trip Report

 

[sportxlh]

You're going to find that the topic of shark feeding vs. shark observing dives is a hot topic on SB.

The closest good diving to Disney is Jupiter. Jupiter Dive Center and Captain SL8er conduct drift dives.... that time of year, they tend to focus on the Goliath Grouper aggregation but I've done some epic dives with JDC to see Lemons in February. I'm sure the same can be said about Captain SL8er. Both operators also go to a site known for reef sharks called 'Tunnels'.... that trip is done year round and there are almost always half a dozen to a dozen reef sharks hanging around the site. These are not feeding dives: if the sharks aren't interested in interacting with the divers, you run the risk of not seeing any sharks and in November, you're not as likely to see Lemons since they usually migrate 60 days later.

Emerald does the shark feeding dives. I've never been on their boat but from what I've observed on Youtube, the dives are not for the faint of heart. These are deeper dives in current (near the Bonaire wreck) or drift dives over the deep reef. They are not Bahamas style shallow shark baited dives like a Tiger beach. Search Youtube for videos of Emerald shark dives and you can make your own judgment as to whether its the sort of thing you want to do or not. With Emerald, you stand a high probability of seeing sharks: and some unusual ones like Hammerheads and Tigers.

None of the diving in Jupiter is baby-sitting type diving. A DM jumps in the water to hold a float ball, but they are not a traditional guide that is hand-holding the divers. You need to be somewhat independent, especially if you're diving air instead of nitrox. The DM comes up with the last nitrox diver or at about the 45 minute mark..... if you're on air, you're coming up by yourself on a drift dive. Make sure you're comfortable with that.

The diving in Jupiter is world class! Aside from sharks you're likely to see Goliath Grouper, big green morays, three species of turtles and lots of tropical fish.

I moved from Jupiter to ATL two years ago.... the last couple of Novembers I was in Florida, the diving was really good. We had unusually flat sees.

Since you're already at Disney... .check out the Epcot Center Dive Quest. Not cheap, but its a fun bucket-list aquarium dive in the Living Seas tank at Disney. Fun to do once or twice.

 

[qwimjim]

Thanks! I've done some more reading on things and we're now looking at going end of January or early May. From what I read the lemon shark migration should be in full swing by end of January and that May is a good time for the best chance of seeing Tigers or Hammerheads and there should still be a sprinking of Lemons?

I was thinking of doing two days, regular 2 tank days and maybe if i don't see any sharks on the first day i would considering doing a baited dive on the second.

I read that cold fronts come in often enough in Jan/Feb and can ground the boats for a week at a time.. given I'm only in town for a week this could be a problem. Is there a weather risk in early may?

And I'm assuming you're local, what about visibility, is January better than May or it's a crapshoot anytime of year? Thanks!

 

[sportxlh]

Formerly local: I moved to Atlanta two years ago but lived in the Jupiter area for a little over 9 years and dove nearly every Saturday morning when marine conditions allowed.

Usually late spring is when the marine conditions start to settle down. In the winter, wind patterns shift to coming out of the north and that southbound wind 'fights' against the northbound Gulf Stream and can set up some really nasty marine conditions. I used to watch the winter waves on the horizon from my office in downtown WPB and the waves looked likes elephants marching. May is usually decent since the wind tends to be lighter and isn't normally coming out of the due north, but you never know, conditions change day-to-day and week-to-week which is why you can still find some decent days in Feb or March. That variability works for locals just fine, but is harder to plan a vacation around for someone from out of town.... BTW: my favorite time of the year to dive, because it is usually ultra-reliable (as long as no hurricane is nearby) and the water is warm is July to October.

Blue Heron Bridge is a good back up plan if you just simply want to get wet. The macro life is spectacular and it is essentially in the intra-coastal waterway near the inlet so is protected from the wind, to a large extent.

Vis can also vary quite a bit day to day and depends on how close the Gulf Steam is to shore, if there's been a lot of freshwater run-off due to storms and if beach waves have stirred up a lot of particles, but usually the winter is slightly better than the summer: anywhere from 50 to 100 feet but I've done summer dives at 100 feet and winter dives at 20 feet too.....you just never know.

 

[qwimjim]

Thanks, so what would be your pick for someone visiting, Jan or May? I don't get about water temp

 

[sportxlh]

Jan has a higher probability for problematic marine conditions. I'd choose May

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

Jan has a higher probability for problematic marine conditions. I'd choose May

This and what you said before is spot on.

OP, I don't know your dive history besides your stated dive count, but I might consider doing some more typical drift dives here before the baited shark dives. Those dives can be intense - negative entries and hustling to 95ft or so in a stiff current just to start with. The most harrowing scene I've seen unfold underwater was on one of these dives.

 

[qwimjim]

Hey, my dive count is 60 or so, mostly warm holiday diving and cold fresh water diving in ontario canada with double 7mm wetsuits, gloves and hood. I was planning on doing a day of regular diving first, hopefully see some sharks in their natural element. But then if not I'd consider doing a bait dive on my second day? Or if not feeling confident just do a second day of regular diving. I did negative entries somewhere off a zodiac somewhere, but can't remember where.. Zanzibar? Dahab? I don't have my logbook with me. I can't remember much other than it wasn't a problem and getting back in the zodiac was the hardest part of the whole affair.

What was the harrowing scene?