I cant really understand why more people dont dive Palm Beach County. The marine life can be spectacular. Can anyone shed some insight on why this is the case?
I can share my anecdotal experience. I live in southwestern KY and fly out of Nashville to wherever. Been to Bonaire 7 times, dove a number of places on cruise ship stops, like coral reef diving in warm water with high viz. Last year, having a baby, I wanted to stay close to U.S. medical care (just in case) and not subject our baby to real long plane rides. So I was looking at Florida. The range of options was mind-boggling, but digging on the forum and elsewhere, here's how it looked like it shook out to me.
1.) Florida Keys - mainly shallow reef diving, usually low current, good viz. (not Cozumel or Bonaire class, but good), option for deep wrecks for a few dives, could set up hotel & dive package all with the dive op., and Rainbow Reef Dive Center goes out twice per day, so I could cram 20 dives into 5 days, for example (& I did). So I booked with them, then went to Orbitz & got plane tickets & an SUV rental, and that's about as close to a turn-key operation as I was likely to get and for a scuba trip, pretty cheap (wife, Mother-in-Law & baby didn't dive, but added little to the cost of the hotel room). Plus we stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, and the dive shop & boats were at the end of the parking long. And there were other things to go do to amuse them. Not much beach though. My understanding was that the upper Keys had the best coral reefs. Dive times tended to run around 50 minutes or just over, but 20 dives in a 10 trip package cost me $600 + tax, $640 something total + tips, and the dives were all guided. They even let me use the 2 100 cf AL tanks they had on hand, at no extra charge.
2.) West Palm Beach - warm, really good viz., more larger animals, good reefs (but maybe not as good as the upper Keys?), but drift diving and deeper diving. I didn't notice a 4 dives per day every day option, and I don't recall quite as easy a 'turn-key' approach. My wife is a 'dabbler diver,' OW and Nitrox, likes Key's type conditions, didn't like drift diving in Cozumel, and I don't think I could make her pursue AOW at gun point. Think of the cruise ship 'vacation diver' people refer to on the forum. Likes Bonaire, but if she does 8 dives there in a week that's plenty for her. So her not having AOW might keep her from some dives, and she wouldn't like drift diving.
3.) Jupiter - similar to West Palm Beach, lower viz. but still good, more big animals. I'd probably aim to dive with Jupiter Dive Center, rent steel 120 tanks with nitrox, planning a 2-tank trip mornings most days and maybe a 3 tanker a couple of days when offered (e.g.: Sunday and Friday?), and they've got some hotels linked on their web site. I'd need to book the hotel separately. It's not clear to me whether if I rent the tanks & what-not with them they'll be on the boat, or whether I need to pick them up at the dive shop and bring them back daily. Doesn't look quite as 'turn-key' as Rainbow Reef's operation. But maybe it is.
So I've been to Key Largo, I hope to get in another Bonaire trip alone to solo dive for a week this summer, and I'd like to take a week off this fall to hit Jupiter and dive with Jupiter Dive Center, while spending afternoons doing other things with the family.
Sounds like West Palm Beach diving is somewhere between Keys & Jupiter, drift diving like Cozumel, and if Jupiter happens (can be hard to get time off from work) and goes well I might like to hit West Palm Beach someday, Lord willing and providing.
Advertising could be helpful. Back before Florida diving got pointed out to me repeatedly, I thought if you wanted to see sharks in the Caribbean area, you went to the Bahamas, or on a shark feed dive in Belize or similar.
I wonder how many people taking dive trips to the Bahamas would be better served with a West Palm Beach/Palm Beach trip instead?
Richard.
P.S.: Disclaimer: I often size up potential dive destinations & compare options on the basis of limited 1st hand experience where I have it, and my interpretation of what I recall from input I receive from others, either of which may be in error. But I don't have the luxury of having a perfect understanding to base destination decisions off it. If anyone cares to critique my understanding of the nature & relative merits of the above locations, I'd be interested to hear what you have to say!
