Ideal conditions for shore dives

[DiveRNC]

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[DiveRNC]

National Weather Service Marine Forecast

 

[Zaixon]

Shore diving in S. FL this past week = no go seas have been rough but idealy look for 2-4 ft seas and nice weather. This weekend is lookin to clear up sat night and sunday should be nice

 

[oimate84]

Thanks for all the help! DiveRNC, that link was very helpful and I bookmarked it for reference. I go to NSU grad school for marine bio, so luckily finding dive buddies is not that difficult for me There is a club at NSU, but id like to get involved in other area clubs too. Thanks again!

 

[TSandM]

I understand that the original question was based on assessing Florida shore diving conditions, but since it was put in a general forum, I'll add some general thoughts.

The most important thing about assessing shore diving conditions is to know WHAT conditions you need to assess! It sounds as though, where the OP is, surf is the biggest concern, as it often is in Southern California and Monterey. But even then, there may be specific characteristics of a given site that determine how MUCH surf is safe to essay. Monastery Beach in Monterey comes to mind, where a very sharp shore break combines with the surf to make even modest waves difficult to dangerous. The site can look pretty benign to someone with surf diving experience, even when it is absolutely not.

In Puget Sound, you could walk up to any number of sites and think they looked peaceful, only to get in the water and find yourself being rapidly swept away from the only exit. We don't deal with surf, but our dive planning is intimately involved with tides and currents -- and again, the specific topography of a site can make it diveable with certain currents and unsafe in others.

Research pays off -- research through local dive shops or clubs, local websites, and local divers.

 

[Hoomi]

Ideal shore diving conditions:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7021&l=5d93ac2036&id=100000281320892
Himalaya Bay, on the Sea of Cortez, just north of San Carlos/Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In Puget Sound the first thing we look at is tidal exchanges (today's are pretty good ... only about seven feet). Second thing we look at is weather ... in particular, what the wind's doing. Given the combination of the two, you can figure out which sites are diveable. Living on an inland sea means that no matter what the tides and weather are doing, something's gonna be diveable. But the best sites are the ones you really want to make sure you time with slack conditions on the lowest tidal exchange days ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TMHeimer]

oimate84: Not to hijack, but I'm curious as to where you have done these great shore reef dives in S. FL. Depths, surface swims? We look to get down there at some point.

 

[OneRestlessNative]

oimate84: Not to hijack, but I'm curious as to where you have done these great shore reef dives in S. FL. Depths, surface swims? We look to get down there at some point.

Anywhere you can find parking from Ft. Pierce and headed South down through the southern end of Ft. Lauderdale. There are so many places its hard to list them all. The depths never get below 30ft and the reef lines average 100-300 yards from shore. In most cases there is an inner and an outer reef. There are more reefs farther out but generally too far to swim to. High tide is generally best but not critical. At times there can be medium to mild currents, usually headed north. The closer you get to Lauderdale the more "tropical" stuff you will see and the cleaner the water will be. Google Ft. Lauderdale, then hit the satellite view, zoom in, pan North up the coast, and you can actually see the reef lines in most cases. Most of the images patched in are clear enough to see the bottom structure. Don't forget the dive flag and quarters for parking.

These are the most popular, and ones I have done: I'm sure others will ad more....
Lauderdale By the Sea
Dania Beach Pier
Blue Heron Bridge (This is an inter-coastal waterway high tide bridge dive, West Palm)
Blowing Rocks (Jupiter Island)
Bath Tub Beach (Stuart)
Pepper Park (Ft. Pierce)

Browse, post, ask in this forum. Lost of friendly locals will point you in the right direction or join you and show you around. Check "continuing sagas of the blue heron bridge" thread. Some great photos there and some dedicated locals capturing a stunning variety of life.
Florida Conch Divers - ScubaBoard

 

[DennisS]

Here's a link to the Fort Lauderdale cam

Fort Lauderdale Beach Live Camera at Marriott BeachPlace Towers

I go diving when it looks like a lake, it takes a few days for the visibility to come back after the surf is up.