Ft Lauderdale / Pompano Beach Dive Thread

[Barnaby'sDad]

Thoughts on beach diving conditions tomorrow after the thunderstorm and wind die down?

Thinking through indoor non-diving activities for tomorrow and just curious if there’s even a chance of diving panning out later in the day based on the current forecast.

 

[RyanT]

@Barnaby'sDad, it looks like the winds are supposed to swing around out of the west starting at around 3:00 am. That should help to lay things down a bit, so worth taking a look in the afternoon.

 

[RyanT]

@Barnaby'sDad, we just got back from a dive on the Okinawa and 2nd reef. By the time we surfaced at the end of the dive, the wind had actually picked up and the surface seemed to be getting rougher. With that said, it is blowing from on-shore, so near the beach still has the potential to be decent this afternoon.

 

[RyanT]

We dove the Okinawa and 2nd reef today with Hydrotherapy Charters. The wind has been blowing and it's been a bit sporty. Captain John let us know that he thought it wouldn't be too bad, since the wind was going to swing around out of the west. He was right! It was a bit bumpy, but not terrible. There weren't many divers on the boat, so we opted to do one long dive instead of two. After about 40 minutes on the Okinowa, we swam to the 2nd reef and finished by doing a drift dive on the reef. The viz was a solid 80'! When we surfaced, the winds were picking up a bit and it looks like we got a nice dive in a narrow window of weather. Captain John nailed the forecast.

Overall, captains Larry and John were awesome. They communicated well and were organized. We had about a 2 knot current and Captain Larry gave us a really good drop on the Okinowa. I suspect this wasn't an easy task since the stiff wind and current were going different directions! Despite less than ideal conditions, we felt really safe and were impressed with their skill and professionalism!

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

@Barnaby'sDad, we just got back from a dive on the Okinawa and 2nd reef. By the time we surfaced at the end of the dive, the wind had actually picked up and the surface seemed to be getting rougher. With that said, it is blowing from on-shore, so near the beach still has the potential to be decent this afternoon.

I just got done. Did three short dives. The wind definitely picked-up from when I first got up this morning.

There is a residual current leftover from yesterday (there was a “rip current” warning). If you hover for less than a minute, you’ll scoot over several feet (pulling away from the beach). It’s not an issue if you’re in fins.

I’m going to take a break and probably try to get a few more in this afternoon.