After doing much research on ScubaBoard and Trip Advisor, the charter we chose for our first trip to Jupiter was Emerald Charters which is owned by Randy Jordan. Reservations for the charter are made through Scuba Works in Jupiter. I can't say enough good things about Jay and the rest of the staff at Scuba Works. They are super! Tanks and weights (if you don't have your own) are picked up there and then you drive to the marina to get on the Emerald Charter. The days we went diving were: August 9, 10, 12, and 13. WHAT A GREAT TRIP!
OK....maybe the first two days weren't the best because the seas were high and the viz was terrible. However, on both days we did Randy's famous "Shark Dive" and those were the highlights of the trip! OMG, we had so many sharks buzzing by us and at very close range....it was awesome. Silkies, duskies, sandbars, and we even saw a couple hammerheads although they didn't come close. Never once were we scared or nervous. Randy has a protocol which keeps the divers away from the fish he's giving to the sharks. The sharks were not interested in us as food....enough was supplied by Randy. Because the viz was bad, the remaining two dives were a bit of a disappointment. It was hard to see much and at 70-80 feet the water was very cold. On the second day we hit a thermocline where the temp was 65 degrees! UGH!
We didn't dive the third day because the weather/seas were still a bit rough. We'd never been to Jupiter so we spent the day driving around and seeing the sights.
The fourth and fifth days of our trip were the best. The weather was beautiful, the seas were calm, and the water temps warmed up (at depth) to about 70 degrees. The first 40 feet the temps were around 84 degrees. We did another shark dive on the third day which was awesome. After that we actually got to see the reefs because the viz had improved. We dove along with people who were lobstering.....never had been on lobster dives before....so that was cool to see. So both the second and third dives on day four were fun!
On day five, Randy took my husband and I to the three wrecks ---- Zion, Jenny, and Bonaire ---- to see the Goliath Groupers. Wow, they are incredible! Although the viz at the wrecks wasn't great, the GGs are so huge, it's hard to miss them. We also became part of bait balls (whew!) which was a really strange feeling. This was a wonderful first dive of the day and I do want to go back when the viz is better. All of the rest of the divers on the boat went hunting for lobster so on this dive it was just Randy, hubby, and me. Nice!
On the second dive, my husband ended up getting separated from Randy and me during descending. He ended up with a guy who was lobstering. Randy took his lobster gear and spear on this dive. He killed several big lionfish and we found three lobsters (one was a female with eggs so back it went). We saw a silkie shark and yellow headed jawfish along with other fish. It was a fun dive with decent viz and temps. My hubby was back on the boat when we got picked up and his computer was in deco. He decided to not do the third dive....good choice!
Everyone on the boat that wanted to do the third dive were looking for lobster. I got to dive with Randy again and we saw two HUGE loggerheads, two big groupers, and a bunch of lionfish which Randy put an end to. He's a great shot! Randy saw a lemon shark on this dive---dang, I missed it! This was another fun dive because the viz and temps were both good. Also, this was my 100th dive!!!! What a great way to spend a milestone in my short diving history!
I can't say enough good things about Emerald Charters. The charter is run efficiently and effectively. The captains we had were all good. The lunches provided by Randy's fiance looked and were said to be delicious (I don't eat on dive boats....too prone to chumming :depressed
and quite filling. There was bottled water and soda pop in the cooler along with cookies and pretzels on the counter. The boat is big with plenty of room for gear.
OK...because all of our dives have been "resort" dives, I learned a lot on this trip about non-resort diving in FL on Emerald Charters. Here's a list for those who are like us who've never gone diving anywhere except at resorts:
Thanks Randy and crew for a great trip! We'll definitely be back!
OK....maybe the first two days weren't the best because the seas were high and the viz was terrible. However, on both days we did Randy's famous "Shark Dive" and those were the highlights of the trip! OMG, we had so many sharks buzzing by us and at very close range....it was awesome. Silkies, duskies, sandbars, and we even saw a couple hammerheads although they didn't come close. Never once were we scared or nervous. Randy has a protocol which keeps the divers away from the fish he's giving to the sharks. The sharks were not interested in us as food....enough was supplied by Randy. Because the viz was bad, the remaining two dives were a bit of a disappointment. It was hard to see much and at 70-80 feet the water was very cold. On the second day we hit a thermocline where the temp was 65 degrees! UGH!
We didn't dive the third day because the weather/seas were still a bit rough. We'd never been to Jupiter so we spent the day driving around and seeing the sights.
The fourth and fifth days of our trip were the best. The weather was beautiful, the seas were calm, and the water temps warmed up (at depth) to about 70 degrees. The first 40 feet the temps were around 84 degrees. We did another shark dive on the third day which was awesome. After that we actually got to see the reefs because the viz had improved. We dove along with people who were lobstering.....never had been on lobster dives before....so that was cool to see. So both the second and third dives on day four were fun!
On day five, Randy took my husband and I to the three wrecks ---- Zion, Jenny, and Bonaire ---- to see the Goliath Groupers. Wow, they are incredible! Although the viz at the wrecks wasn't great, the GGs are so huge, it's hard to miss them. We also became part of bait balls (whew!) which was a really strange feeling. This was a wonderful first dive of the day and I do want to go back when the viz is better. All of the rest of the divers on the boat went hunting for lobster so on this dive it was just Randy, hubby, and me. Nice!
On the second dive, my husband ended up getting separated from Randy and me during descending. He ended up with a guy who was lobstering. Randy took his lobster gear and spear on this dive. He killed several big lionfish and we found three lobsters (one was a female with eggs so back it went). We saw a silkie shark and yellow headed jawfish along with other fish. It was a fun dive with decent viz and temps. My hubby was back on the boat when we got picked up and his computer was in deco. He decided to not do the third dive....good choice!
Everyone on the boat that wanted to do the third dive were looking for lobster. I got to dive with Randy again and we saw two HUGE loggerheads, two big groupers, and a bunch of lionfish which Randy put an end to. He's a great shot! Randy saw a lemon shark on this dive---dang, I missed it! This was another fun dive because the viz and temps were both good. Also, this was my 100th dive!!!! What a great way to spend a milestone in my short diving history!
I can't say enough good things about Emerald Charters. The charter is run efficiently and effectively. The captains we had were all good. The lunches provided by Randy's fiance looked and were said to be delicious (I don't eat on dive boats....too prone to chumming :depressed
and quite filling. There was bottled water and soda pop in the cooler along with cookies and pretzels on the counter. The boat is big with plenty of room for gear.OK...because all of our dives have been "resort" dives, I learned a lot on this trip about non-resort diving in FL on Emerald Charters. Here's a list for those who are like us who've never gone diving anywhere except at resorts:
- The price of the charter does NOT include tanks or weights. You pay for those separately.
- Don't expect anyone to schlep your gear....you do this yourself. However, the captains were very nice and helped place tanks in the boat if they weren't doing something else more important.
- Know how to set up your own gear. Nobody does this for you (which I'm happy about!).
- Bring a repair kit if something goes wrong with your gear...you need to be responsible for fixing the problem. However, Randy and other divers on the boat were very helpful if someone had an issue.
- If you need a lot of lead to dive, this charter may not be for you. Randy advocates for divers to use less lead and use breathing to control buoyancy. He's a wealth of information on buoyancy control and is happy to give suggestions and advice.
- Most of the divers we were with had hundreds....maybe even thousands.... of dives under their weight belts.
- You don't have a DM in the water with you. You need to know how to use a compass to navigate.
- You must be nitrox certified. Keep a close eye on your computer. All three dives can be a bit deep.
- You must have an SMB (a tall one if the seas are rough) and know how to deploy it.
- Get a Nautilus Lifeline and know how to use it.
- Come with a good sense of humor and desire to have fun!
Thanks Randy and crew for a great trip! We'll definitely be back!
