Ft Lauderdale / Pompano Beach Dive Thread

[NothingClever]

@CosbySweater started the Jupiter Dive Thread that points us to great charter operators and dive sites.

@Divin'Papaw followed suit and started the Palm Beach Dive Thread that does the same.

Both of these threads have proved useful to folks traveling from out of town and who are looking for the latest info on sites and operators.

I thought it time for a Ft Lauderdale / Pompano Beach dive thread.

Although Pompano Beach is another hour of driving for me (I normally travel to Jupiter and West Palm Beach), I'm interested in exploring there again after a two year break. I hope to capture conditions, sites and and charter services in one thread like @CosbySweater and @Divin'Papaw started.

 

[NothingClever]

Pompano sites I've dived in the past:

- Hydro Atlantic
- Lady Luck
- Miss Lourdies / Miracle of Life
- Ancient Mariner
- SS Copenhagen (debris now)

Looking forward to other sites and perhaps some alternate plans such as a DPV trek from shore out to the Lady Luck.

https://divers-hub.com/Operators lists the primary charters in the area:

- Hydrotherapy
- South Florida Dive Headquarters
- Dixie Divers
- Sea Experience
- American Dream Dive Charter

 

[NothingClever]

Last weekend I dived the Lady Luck wreck with https://divehydrotherapy.com/ .

Hydrotherapy has a new captain, Captain John. He's a seasoned dive captain, a good communicator and is thorough in his USCG-directed safety brief.

The DM (Mason) tied in to the wreck and we did a double dip. On board were a great group of guys from all over the United States. They're watch aficionados and collectors who get together every year to dive with their...wait for it...dive watches! They were a fun bunch of lads from Ohio, Wisconsin, New York and Kentucky. Lots of them had Doksa dive watches with a few other brands mixed in.

The Lady Luck is an awesome wreck, IMO. It's awesome because of the depth and complexity. The depth is perfect because you can make it an authentic advanced OW dive OR stay down, penetrate deep, explore the holds and decompress on the downline.

There was a school of ~50 barracuda on the forward upright towards the bow. I thought I had seen some big barracuda in the Red Sea but last weekend takes the cake. There were about 4-5 that were just huge, like silver logs.

There were two large, healthy schools - Caesar grunts and Bluestriped grunts. I usually enjoy giving all my attention to the big pelagic life but lately I've been getting interested in identifying the beautiful, healthy schools of fish we're sharing the ocean with.

 

[Jonah Kowall]

Two of the boats I use the most would be aqualife and Dixie divers. Dixie goes to a lot of the sites. They have the fastest boat in the area and they can cover a lot of ground. However, the dock they leave from they have to wait for a bridge and so it's a bit slower than it could be. The captain there is also named John which is probably the most common name in the scuba industry and he's extremely experienced in a very good Captain as well. They also have a really nice shop. That's about a mile from where the boat leaves. It's probably my backup shop because I'm a regular at force e.

But my favorite is the boat which I also mention called aqualife divers. I enjoy this both a lot because it's an owner operator and a really nice group of folks. The one thing they have that beats any other boat that I've been on pretty much anywhere is that there's free beer on board. So being able to crack a beer and not having to think about taking one after the second dive is a pretty key bonus. The other advantage to this boat is that they're situated right next to the inlet so they can leave immediately and you're on the site very quickly. They have great deals for dive cards as well for those of us who dive quite a bit. A couple of new ones for the list here.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks for starting the thread @NothingClever!

So many good dives in Pompano/Ft Lauderdale. Mostly wrecks, but the reefs aren't bad. Not as nice as Palm Beach County IMO, but still good dives for sure!

Some of the sites I've hit over the years:

• Captain Dan
• Jim Atria
• Lady Luck
• Rodeo 25
• Sea Emperor
• Ancient Mariner
• United Caribbean
• Quallman Tugs
• SS Copenhagen
• Tracey
• Hog Heaven
• Jay Scutti
• Miss Dania Beach
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reef lines of progressive depth as you move from 1st to 3rd. Lots of individual reefs along those reef lines that most operators name for reference and dive logging ... examples include Dom Orlando, Razzle Dazzle, Grouper Bend, Barracuda, Hammerhead, Lighthouse, Abby, Margaretaville, the Caves, Oakland Ridges

I don't dive in Pompano Beach much since PDC closed. I do dive occasionally in Ft. Lauderdale with Sea Experience. I will be sure and post trip reports/condition reports here when I do dive in that area.

 

[Pipehorse]

Pompano sites I've dived in the past:

- Hydro Atlantic
- Lady Luck
- Miss Lourdies / Miracle of Life
- Ancient Mariner
- SS Copenhagen (debris now)

I applaud you starting this thread, but for the sake of accuracy:

South of Boca Inlet and north of Hillsboro Inlet is Hillsboro Beach and Deerfield Beach.


Hydro Atlantic is off Boca Raton, Palm Beach County. Well north of Pompano. (east of Boca Inlet)
Miracle of Life is off Deerfield Beach well north of Pompano.
Ancient Mariner is off Hillsboro Beach somewhat north of Pompano.


Maybe include Hillsboro Beach and Deerfield Beach in the title? Or maybe Broward County diving? All the sites mentioned are in Broward with the exception of Hydro Atlantic. Many of the sites mentioned by @Divin'Papaw are off Deerfield and Hillsboro Beach.

 

[MrChen]

Name it South of Palm Beach

 

[scubadada]

Name it South of Palm Beach

...and Boynton

 

[LI-er]

The one thing they have that beats any other boat that I've been on pretty much anywhere is that there's free beer on board.

Geez you must really like beer. I was reading your post and got to this sentence and thought they either give free Nitrox or sandwiches between dives or the female crew gives back massages. I sure got that one wrong.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I applaud you starting this thread, but for the sake of accuracy:

South of Boca Inlet and north of Hillsboro Inlet is Hillsboro Beach and Deerfield Beach.


Hydro Atlantic is off Boca Raton, Palm Beach County. Well north of Pompano. (east of Boca Inlet)
Miracle of Life is off Deerfield Beach well north of Pompano.
Ancient Mariner is off Hillsboro Beach somewhat north of Pompano.


Maybe include Hillsboro Beach and Deerfield Beach in the title? Or maybe Broward County diving? All the sites mentioned are in Broward with the exception of Hydro Atlantic. Many of the sites mentioned by @Divin'Papaw are off Deerfield and Hillsboro Beach.

All true and valid points, but many of us tend to name the location based upon the inlet used/boat location. Not ideal I know, but that is quite common. Your suggestion to change the title to include Deerfield and Hillsboro sounds like a good way to keep things clear.

As another example, the thread I created called Palm Beach, many of the sites we talk about are actually off of Juno Beach or Singer Island.