Good Dive Op in Palm Beach

[peterjmaerz]

Hello Wet Ones!

I've spent 7 summers diving extensively off of Pompano and Ft. Lauderdale and, for some reason, have not ventured farther north. I'd love to find a bare bones Palm Beach area dive op (6 or fewer divers aboard) that caters to experienced divers and dispenses with extra frills, such as the one I found in Pompano:

http://www.aviddivercharters.com/main.php?page=home

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Best,

 

[moneysavr]

Dude,
Man you will love WPB! I would do the short trip up to Boyntonbeach, the reefs are well,, They ROCK! there are several wrecks with some nice local "Grouper" tons of reef life,
I dive with Splashdowndivers its a nice boat and great staff,with shop and parking by boat,If your not looking for large group dive during the week not weekend as mostly locals I meet on the boat weekedays,and Boynton has no real hotels so it is not tourist trap like FLL.
They will help you make your dive like your own flag & solo within your skill, on the wrecks they hang a line due to drift.
It seems like the boat you dive off Pompano is nice and I am sure you will find the Splashdown crew as nice just more room on boat,snacks,Great staff,and nice reef area unlike some of the spot reefs I have been on a bit south.
just my 3 cents,
Dive safe!
Brad

 

[HowardE]

Yeah... Splashdown.

The water is cleaner in Boynton and the reef has more life and more sponges than in FLL.

 

[Tom Winters]

You don't get the same density of dive ops in Palm Beach county that you do in Broward - for years, Broward had the most aggressive artificial reef program and sank stuff in all sorts of depths.
Offhand, I can't name any PBC 6-pack heavy-tech friendly ops like Oliver's operation and only three deep wrecks - Sea Mist II off Jupiter, the Ande off Rivera Beach, and the Skyecliffe outside of the Boynton inlet. None of the dives are on anyone's regular schedule, although Narcosis (Ray) Dive Charters does the Ande on a group charter and Starfish Enterprise (Craig) has the Skyecliffe on their web page. Both owners are amenable to dives like this though if enough people book.

 

[DMdoogie]

Oceanquest scuba has a small boat, 12 divers max, but will take just a few divers, especially on weekdays. Sandy will dive anywhere the group wants, and many experienced divers go out with her regularly to advanced sites. They run out of the Riveria Beach marina.
www.oceanquestscuba.com

 

[KBeck]

I -think- there is a dive charter out of the same marina as Splashdown called Pelican that is a smaller (relatively) boat than the norm...don't think they skew to the "tech" side, though, if that's what you're asking.

 

[Web Monkey]

Yeah... Splashdown.

The water is cleaner in Boynton and the reef has more life and more sponges than in FLL.

You guys up for some dives on Friday the 31st?

Terry

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hey,

Thanks so much, guys, for the info. As it happens, tech diving is not a priority for me; I just like an operation that expects me to have my $#^+ together and won't set sail with a boatload of students or once-a-year divers. (Hey, I'm very happy for those folks and wish them the best possible diving experience; I just don't want it to be at my expense )

Capt Oliver of Avid Diver in Pompano spares me the lengthy, cutesy boat briefings, lets me dive for as long as I like and won't read me the riot act if I dive without being attached to a buddy. I'll be interested to check out Pelican and Splashdown.

Again, thanks very much for the input.

Best,

 

[DMdoogie]

Splashdown would be my choice for Boynton Beach diving. They give each team their own float so you can go where you want. They also give you the choice of dropping you on the inside or outside of the reef.
Try West Palm Beach diving from the Lake Worth Inlet or Jupiter diving from the Jupiter Inlet for a different experience.

 

[scdivegirl]

Ocean Quest Scuba...boat is "Sandy's Sunday". My husband and I were there on vacation with our kids, but my husband is schedule to go back in May with our dive club, they are doing tech dive training. I believe he told me the "Andy", Princess Anne and Hole in the Wall were the sites they had planned. I think they are paying for a private charter, not sure of the price, but there is 5 in the group going, and I am sure Sandy or Doug will be diving with them also. Sandy's email ocnquestscuba@aol.com