October conditions in South Florida?

[itr1416]

Can anyone tell me what the weather, visibility, and currents have been over the last few weekends around the South Florida area. My husband and I have never been in October and we are thinking of attempting our deepest dive yet, 126ft. And I am scared of the depth, currents, visibility, ect....anyone out there been off Pompano Beach latley? Or just have any general knowledge of the area this time of the year?

 

[Walter]

If you're scared of the depth, perhaps you aren't ready for it. What was your deepest dive to date? How many times have you dived to that depth and when was your most recent dive to that depth? Also, what site are you considering?

 

[itr1416]

My deepest dives have been around 70ft. Which I have done only a few, I have only been diving for about a year, I think I will be ok with depth if the water has good visibility and calm,(which I know that is what we all want)! We went to Costa Rica in August and the water had a lot of current and bad vis, and I think that scared me a bit. That is sort of why I was just inquiring about current conditions. I mean I know no one can predict what it will be like for sure, but just some advice about what it has been like....we are going to the Rodeo 2 wreck.

 

[matts1w]

The conditions off Pompano are inconsistent- especially this time of year. Telling you things have been great or things have been poor is silly. The ocean down here changes day to day and tide to tide. I have been in Pompano where the water looked like a calm lake, no current and crystal clear. The next day was rough, milky, and a ripping current.

The Rodeo 25 can be pretty big dive....depending on conditions. Use common sense and listen to your inner self. If you do not think you have the training to do the Rodeo under the conditions at the time do not do the dive. There aint nothing on that wreck to see that is worth getting hurt. There will be other days and other dives.

On the other hand, it could beone of those amazing East Coast days we all hope for. On those days the wrecks and reefs over there rival anywhere in the Caribbean.

 

[Stu S.]

Dive Reports:: Jupiter Dive Center, Scuba diving lessons at a PADI 5 Star facility, daily scuba diving trips in Jupiter, Florida

This is updated daily, and is a history rather than a prediction. Diving below 100 feet is unusual in South Florida. A dive boat may go to such a place maybe once a week, sometimes less.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

The Rodeo can by a great dive, especially when conditions are good. I dove the Rodeo on September 22nd and there was not a drop of current and the water was a rich beautiful blue, but as previously mentioned on this thread, that's not always the case.

To safely dive at deeper depths, one definitely needs to acquire some additional knowledge, skills and experience. So many things need to be taken into consideration when diving deeper, such as buoyancy considerations upon ascent, no decompression limits, potential emergency decompression procedures, potential equipment failure, etc. And on thop of all that, one is usually not exactly clear headed because of the narcosis. And trust me, when something goes wrong and anxiety levels climb, the norcosis induced perceptual norrowing only gets more intence, which is why basic skills need to be second nature when diving deepe, because there is usually limited time to solve problems.

I am certainly not aware of your actual experience level, so I'm not saying you shouldn't do the dive, but make sure you are realistic with your skill level before hand. Also, most dive boats require either an advanced certification or proof of recent deeper dives before allowing someone to dive at that depth.

In summary, make sure you are within your comfort level. If not, seek an advanced certification or at the very least, buddy up with someone more advanced and carefully discuss the details of the dive plan and what to realistically expect, prior to attempting the dive.

Good luck and safe diving!

 

[Ed Jewell]

I use the links below to help me with my dive/no dive decision. I hope they help.

http://evsjupiter.netfirms.com/ (Jupiter Web Cam)

Lake Worth Inlet (Palm Beach Web Cam)

Boynton Inlet (Boynton Beach Web Cam)

Marine Forecast - NOAA's National Weather Service (NOAA Marine Forecast: Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach)

Spearboard Spearfishing Community - Powered by vBulletin (Good source of dive conditions from other divers)

 

[Volume311]

You don't exactly have to drop down to 126' which I am gonna assume is to the sand. Hang around on top of the wreck at 80' and go down if you feel more comfortable, which you most likely will.