big_lou32
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What is diving like in West Palm and Jupiter? Who are the good operators? What do you see on most dives?
Diving West Palm and Jupiter
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prittykitty
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When I dive Jupiter I usually go with Jupiter Dive Center and see a lot of turtles, sharks, and sometimes a Goliath Grouper or two. In the West Palm area, Splashdown is really the way to go, and there tend to be brighter fish and sponges ( I guess because it is farther south, and therefore more tropical.)
Everyone has their favorite dive ops. I tend to use Jupiter Dive Charters in Jupiter (www.jupiterdivecharters.com) and Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures in West Palm (www.scuba-adventures.com). However, I agree with prittykitty above that Jupiter Dive Center and Splashdown are also great dive operators. I've also had very good experiences with Oceanquest, Narcosis, and Pura Vida in West Palm.
As far as what you see, I have "hundreds" (well, maybe 5 or 10) galleries on West Palm and Jupiter on my web site (www.debersole.com) under "Galleries". You tend to see lots of angelfish, parrotfish, and other tropicals as well as eels. I have even seen five different types of eel (not five eels, but five different types!) on one dive. Turtles are commonplace and it is rare to not see at least one, especially in the summer when they seem to be everywhere! Yellow and southern stingrays are very common and eagle rays are seen, but less often. Nurse sharks are common and you can occasionally find reef sharks, especially at "Shark Canyon" between West Palm and Jupiter. I have seen a hammerhead once. Lemon sharks aggregate in Jupiter in the winter. Finally, it's a big ocean and anything can come by. There have been whales, whale sharks, manta rays. Finally, at the Blue Heron Blvd bridge in West Palm (actually Riviera Beach) you can find seahorses, frogfish, sea robins, batfish, flying gurnards, stargazers, and all kinds of other wierd creatures.
If you can't tell, I love the diving in West Palm and Jupiter. The coral formations are not as pretty as in the Keys, but you can't beat the number and variety of marine life.
As far as what you see, I have "hundreds" (well, maybe 5 or 10) galleries on West Palm and Jupiter on my web site (www.debersole.com) under "Galleries". You tend to see lots of angelfish, parrotfish, and other tropicals as well as eels. I have even seen five different types of eel (not five eels, but five different types!) on one dive. Turtles are commonplace and it is rare to not see at least one, especially in the summer when they seem to be everywhere! Yellow and southern stingrays are very common and eagle rays are seen, but less often. Nurse sharks are common and you can occasionally find reef sharks, especially at "Shark Canyon" between West Palm and Jupiter. I have seen a hammerhead once. Lemon sharks aggregate in Jupiter in the winter. Finally, it's a big ocean and anything can come by. There have been whales, whale sharks, manta rays. Finally, at the Blue Heron Blvd bridge in West Palm (actually Riviera Beach) you can find seahorses, frogfish, sea robins, batfish, flying gurnards, stargazers, and all kinds of other wierd creatures.
If you can't tell, I love the diving in West Palm and Jupiter. The coral formations are not as pretty as in the Keys, but you can't beat the number and variety of marine life.
Jupiter! Love it! IF I could afford to live there with my salary/ profession I would. debersole pretty much said it all// but he is after all a local diving celebreity. His pics and Video tells the tale.
I prefer Jupiter and dive with ONLY Jupiter Dive Charters, AKA The Temptation/ Captain Paul Benzer. IF something ever happens to his OP I am going to have to go on the "other" boats with an assumed name.
I have seen MANY sharks in Jupiter. I NEVER saw a free swimming shark shore diving Hollywood in the eigthies other than a nurse shark. Or Diving WPB on the regular boats. Jupiter however VERY OFTEN has free swimming sharks! Reef sharks, Black tips, White tips, Bullsharks, Lemmon Sharks and more than several times a Hammerhead.
Here in Fort Pierce I have seen sharks shore diving, in 36" of vis at 72" I am not sure what kind other than the kind that "Eats Eric Spieces."
I strongly reccomend diving Jupiter and on the Temptation with the Blue Tang as a distant second. The other outfit in Jupiter I'd rather swim the two miles out.. hell I might be better off.
I prefer Jupiter and dive with ONLY Jupiter Dive Charters, AKA The Temptation/ Captain Paul Benzer. IF something ever happens to his OP I am going to have to go on the "other" boats with an assumed name.
I have seen MANY sharks in Jupiter. I NEVER saw a free swimming shark shore diving Hollywood in the eigthies other than a nurse shark. Or Diving WPB on the regular boats. Jupiter however VERY OFTEN has free swimming sharks! Reef sharks, Black tips, White tips, Bullsharks, Lemmon Sharks and more than several times a Hammerhead.
Here in Fort Pierce I have seen sharks shore diving, in 36" of vis at 72" I am not sure what kind other than the kind that "Eats Eric Spieces."
I strongly reccomend diving Jupiter and on the Temptation with the Blue Tang as a distant second. The other outfit in Jupiter I'd rather swim the two miles out.. hell I might be better off.
Eric:
Thanks for the kind words regarding my photos, but "local diving celebrity"? That's a little over the top!!!
I agree that you are more likely to see "real" sharks (not including nurse sharks) in Jupiter than West Palm. I've only seen reef sharks at Shark Canyon (actually north of West Palm). I have seen an occasional lemon shark on a wreck and once a hammerhead off Breakers but that's about it.
For Jupiter diving I, too, strongly favor Cpt Paul and Jupiter Dive Charters. I've never been with Blue Tang but have heard good things about them. I have been on the "other" Jupiter charter and had a good time there as well. The two operations just have different personalities and different philosophies. "Viva la difference" -- but dive with Paul!
Doug
Thanks for the kind words regarding my photos, but "local diving celebrity"? That's a little over the top!!!
I agree that you are more likely to see "real" sharks (not including nurse sharks) in Jupiter than West Palm. I've only seen reef sharks at Shark Canyon (actually north of West Palm). I have seen an occasional lemon shark on a wreck and once a hammerhead off Breakers but that's about it.
For Jupiter diving I, too, strongly favor Cpt Paul and Jupiter Dive Charters. I've never been with Blue Tang but have heard good things about them. I have been on the "other" Jupiter charter and had a good time there as well. The two operations just have different personalities and different philosophies. "Viva la difference" -- but dive with Paul!
Doug
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