Lauderdale By The Sea

[Ghetto Diver]

Be mindful of the boat traffic.
The area between the 2nd and 3rd reef is a boat highway.
Dive flags get ignored for the most part.
Have fun.

 

[Ramon Corrêa]

Thank you, everyone! I took my girlfriend who has just gotten certified. So, I decided to stay at the 2nd ledge, rather than venture out all the way to the third one. I just wanted to make sure that her first time out with just the two of us wasn't too taxing on her - I wanted her to enjoy it. And enjoy it she did! We dove to the nursery that is a bit north of the pier, where the second ledge kind of things out, and we were blessed to see many schools of juveniles. It was beautiful. We will certainly become regulars there.

I wanted to make sure that I was available to help my girlfriend, so, in order to pay better attention to her, I wasn't able to take too many pictures. But I WAS able to catch this one, which was neat!

Thanks to all of you for your incredibly helpful tips!

Aug15

• Ramon Corrêa
• Aug 17, 2017

Saw this guy during a dive at Lauderdale by the Sea.

 

[iamrushman]

love the colors ...thanks for sharing..

 

[cbm369]

How long did it take to swim out to the 2nd bouy?

 

[Texasguy]

Looks like the original poster did not make this time to the 2nd buoy. It is 5 mins to the first buoy and 20-30 to the 2nd. If there is a strong current towards the beach, time it takes to swim out grows. If the current is strong, one can try to swim underwater near the bottom, using hands for propulsion (to lower oxygen intake and CO2 buildup). Remember, if the current is strong towards the beach, it may make more sense to ride back "home" on the surface and use up your gas at the ledge.

I usually go out with only two 40cu tanks, enough for 2 hours and 20 mins of 18 feet deep fun.

 

[Rred]

I think Gold Coast Scuba runs meetup groups there, several times a week. No charges to join the group, they're just a dive shop (the closest) encouraging diving in their area. And nice folks.

 

[Insta-Gator]

What are the depths at the respective reefs/ledges? (thanks)

 

[Ramon Corrêa]

How long did it take to swim out to the 2nd bouy?

Texasguy is correct, I did not make it out to the second buoy. Instead, I swam to the second ledge, but I paused at the first one a little first, so I'm not exactly sure if the time to the ledge itself had I gone straight out.

 

[Ramon Corrêa]

I went out to the second ledge, and my max depth was 20 ft and my average was 14 ft.

What are the depths at the respective reefs/ledges? (thanks)