Question First trip to Florida

[Divin'Papaw]

I am gold with United, so perhaps stick to that, but fares are very good. WPB it is. I definitely like the large staff more. What are your recommendations for dive boat operators and tank rental places for shore diving and a good base to live in?

Many of us post dive reports for Palm Beach County quite frequently in the Florida forum. For recommended charters, see the following general dive report threads along with many individual threads covering locations in the county:

Palm Beach: Palm Beach Dive Thread
Jupiter: Jupiter Dive Thread

One additional area to consider is Boynton Beach. See @scubadada's excellent trip reports for his many dives there. Many of us also dive there, but his posts are the most helpful in terms of researching options.

As far as dive shops for rental equipment for BHB, there are two primary ones that are close to BHB. Pura Vida, just east of the park on Singer Island, and Force-E Riviera Beach, just west of the park just west of Blue Heron Bridge.

As far as good home base locations to stay, focus on the northern portion of the county from Palm Beach Gardens on north. That would be my recommendation. Lots of hotels, and many inland should be affordable in October, as well as AirBNB options.

 

[The Chairman]

Both look too far off from salt water sites. Anything closer?

Where are you driving from? What is the main freeway you'll be using?

 

[NothingClever]

…so book with 1/2/3 dive boats…

I think this is a great recommendation. You’ll figure out which charter is your preferred team for the next trip.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Was gonna chime in, but looks like you're getting some good info here. Beach diving in Palm Beach is generally limited to BHB, while further south in Broward County, there are a lot of places to beach dive.
What are you hoping to do? Spear? Photography? Deep? Just look at pretty stuff? Technical? Other? Depending on what kind of diving you want to do will help narrow down choices.

 

[chrisjur]

A lot of discussion about Palm Beach County diving - which is a good option for what you’re looking for - but Broward (Fort Lauderdale/Pompano) will also meet all of your requirements. If shore diving is a must-do for you, then Palm Beach or Broward are your options since shore diving is limited in Miami and the Keys.

Also, note that it doesn’t have to be an “either/or” decision. You can stay in one place and easily dive in another (e.g., stay in FTL and drive up to Jupiter for a shark dive). They are not that far away from each other.

Check my blog post below. It has a lot of the details and answers to the questions you’re looking for:

http://www.cju.com/diving

 

[MrChen]

Many of us post dive reports for Palm Beach County quite frequently in the Florida forum. For recommended charters, see the following general dive report threads along with many individual threads covering locations in the county:

Palm Beach: Palm Beach Dive Thread
Jupiter: Jupiter Dive Thread

One additional area to consider is Boynton Beach. See @scubadada's excellent trip reports for his many dives there. Many of us also dive there, but his posts are the most helpful in terms of researching options.

As far as dive shops for rental equipment for BHB, there are two primary ones that are close to BHB. Pura Vida, just east of the park on Singer Island, and Force-E Riviera Beach, just west of the park just west of Blue Heron Bridge.

As far as good home base locations to stay, focus on the northern portion of the county from Palm Beach Gardens on north. That would be my recommendation. Lots of hotels, and many inland should be affordable in October, as well as AirBNB options.

You have to take advice from the guy who travels here for one weekend each month

 

[Dan G]

Lots of great info here for you. I'll add my perspective as a non-Floridian who travels to FL annually to dive. Pick a region (WPB/Jupiter/Lauderdale area or Keys) and stick around there for the week. Certainly possible to cover more ground but you'll be logging lots of windshield time if you do.

One of my most memorable trips was diving BHB in the AM and then driving up to Jupiter for a PM trip. We went from looking for nudibranchs to seeing loggerheads and grouper the size of a small car. You'll need to consult the tide schedule to know when to go to BHB. A guide for your first time there is well worth the expense.

I prefer diving the wrecks/artificial reefs in FL compared to the reefs. There are many within recreational limits to choose from and most are worth multiple trips. I'll never get sick of diving The Spiegel and I did 4 dives in two days on the Vandenberg in July and I'd be happy to do 50 more. Captain Dan and the Okinawa are two excellent wrecks/artificial reefs in S.E. Florida that are no-deco dives.

One thing to consider is how you feel about driving in traffic. If you stay in the Lauderdale/Jupiter region, you'll be dealing with plenty of it. Get a toll transponder for your rental car that works in Florida. Otherwise you'll pay a lot more for tolls than the actual toll charge. In the Keys there's much less traffic most of the time and navigation is easy because for all intents and purposes, you can either go north or south. In the Keys they are a bit more tourist oriented compared to S.E. Florida and that is not a judgement on either. Generally, the Keys are more expensive compared to S.E. Florida.

Enjoy! Post a trip report when you get back.

 

[riceowls]

A lot of discussion about Palm Beach County diving - which is a good option for what you’re looking for - but Broward (Fort Lauderdale/Pompano) will also meet all of your requirements. If shore diving is a must-do for you, then Palm Beach or Broward are your options since shore diving is limited in Miami and the Keys.

Also, note that it doesn’t have to be an “either/or” decision. You can stay in one place and easily dive in another (e.g., stay in FTL and drive up to Jupiter for a shark dive). They are not that far away from each other.

Check my blog post below. It has a lot of the details and answers to the questions you’re looking for.

awesome write-up, thanks

 

[riceowls]

Where are you driving from? What is the main freeway you'll be using?

I am still deciding between Miami and West Palm Beach but leaning towards the latter.

 

[riceowls]

I am a bit confused by the pricing structure compared to all my previous diving experience. It seems that the dive shops I've seen so far charge you for the trip, e.g., $110/2-tank, but that does not include tanks. So one needs to rent 2 tanks per trip - correct? I assume tank rentals include air, but I'm not sure. Are there extra taxes or park fees? So what is the resulting per person per dive cost including all this plus tips? Are there multi-day diving discounts?