Palm Beach Dive Thread
- Thread starter Divin'Papaw
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Catito
Contributor
CALLING LOCAL DIVERS:
Monday September 25 is expected to be flat. Pura Vida has a boat going out at 10am (two tank), 50 to 60ft reef. Right now only two divers on the boat. Need 4. Consider calling them and joining. If you reserve over the phone you save a few bucks. Need to reserve by Sunday or they will cancel. I am hoping that does not happen!
Monday September 25 is expected to be flat. Pura Vida has a boat going out at 10am (two tank), 50 to 60ft reef. Right now only two divers on the boat. Need 4. Consider calling them and joining. If you reserve over the phone you save a few bucks. Need to reserve by Sunday or they will cancel. I am hoping that does not happen!
I went out on a private boat yesterday, 9/24/23. We went northeast of the inlet for our first dive. Surface conditions were rocky. Forecast called for 3+ft swells, 8s interval. Storms had just passed through, and the surface was angry. We didn't see any charters out and only a couple of boaters fishing.
First dive max depth was around 95. Water temp was 85-86 top to bottom, and the current was ripping north. Visibility was 50-60ft. I was the only one without a DPV, which made navigating any direction a challenge. I saw one small lionfish but was blown past it before I could even think to spear it. I found 3 patches of lobster, in total I counted 12 lobsters, all smalls except 1 which I caught.
Second dive, I know we went north. Max depth was 75ft. I didn't look at the temp, but it was more comfortable, so had to be a degree or two cooler than the first dive. Visibility was still 50-60ft. The current wasn't as strong, which made moving around easier, but was still strong enough that you had to quickly descend or miss a spot. I saw two shorts when I had 3200lbs of air. The DPV divers were zigging and zagging and then were gone, last seen heading east. I quickly learned why, I was over nothing but sand. I started going east and found some small structure, but no lobsters. With 1200lbs of air left, I see a boulder in the sand, maybe 2-3ft in diameter and antennas all around it. I counted 12 lobsters, but they were all small. I pushed the shorts out of the way and found 2 keepers hiding deeper inside, which I caught. 2 divers hit their limit on this dive, and they caught some really large lobsters. They scootered east and found some good ledge structure which I never found. At least the rock at the end was there for me
On the way back to the inlet, around 1pm, I would say swells were around 2ft and not angry like the morning. We saw a couple of charters going out on their PM trips.
In total, took home 3 lobsters, which is enough to feed the lobster eaters in the house a dinner.
TLDR; We had healthy northern currents, decent vis, and warm water north of the inlet.
First dive max depth was around 95. Water temp was 85-86 top to bottom, and the current was ripping north. Visibility was 50-60ft. I was the only one without a DPV, which made navigating any direction a challenge. I saw one small lionfish but was blown past it before I could even think to spear it. I found 3 patches of lobster, in total I counted 12 lobsters, all smalls except 1 which I caught.
Second dive, I know we went north. Max depth was 75ft. I didn't look at the temp, but it was more comfortable, so had to be a degree or two cooler than the first dive. Visibility was still 50-60ft. The current wasn't as strong, which made moving around easier, but was still strong enough that you had to quickly descend or miss a spot. I saw two shorts when I had 3200lbs of air. The DPV divers were zigging and zagging and then were gone, last seen heading east. I quickly learned why, I was over nothing but sand. I started going east and found some small structure, but no lobsters. With 1200lbs of air left, I see a boulder in the sand, maybe 2-3ft in diameter and antennas all around it. I counted 12 lobsters, but they were all small. I pushed the shorts out of the way and found 2 keepers hiding deeper inside, which I caught. 2 divers hit their limit on this dive, and they caught some really large lobsters. They scootered east and found some good ledge structure which I never found. At least the rock at the end was there for me
On the way back to the inlet, around 1pm, I would say swells were around 2ft and not angry like the morning. We saw a couple of charters going out on their PM trips.
In total, took home 3 lobsters, which is enough to feed the lobster eaters in the house a dinner.
TLDR; We had healthy northern currents, decent vis, and warm water north of the inlet.
OP
Around here, you never know if you will find a thermocline or not when you get to depth. That's why I favor a front zip wet suit for diving here. If you get too hot, you can unzip & cool down a little.
Unfortunately, front zips are not commonly carried in the local shops. Only a few front zip full suits seem to be available across the entire market. Camero is one. One of the Italian companies offered one, I think it might have been Cressi. EVO sells a shorty front zip that is often stocked at a shop in Dania, but it's a unisex design & doesn't seem to fit very many people all that well.
Back zip suits are great for surfing & free diving with a spear gun, but I don't like them for diving with back mounted SCUBA.
I will sometimes dive with a very thin back zip full suit, and add a front zip vest or shortie over it. When I lived in colder climates, it seemed that every Farmer John combo had a front zip jacket. I don't know why they are not more common in the one piece suits.
Last year I switched to wearing the Sharkskin Titanium 2 front zipper jacket and pants. I can also wear it under my wetsuit during the winter.
Scientists will unleash an army of crabs to help save Florida’s dying reef
Not all heroes wear capes. Some are crabs.
www.vox.com
I'm all for saving the reefs, and a few extra crabs seem harmless enough, but bringing in an invasive species & putting on a puppet show for them to train them about local predators? Really?
All that aside, it's sounding like we may have a new type of crab showing up in the local area in a few months.
I am left to wonder why they would not just populate with more stone crabs or blue crabs, or some other species that is already here.
OP
Scientists will unleash an army of crabs to help save Florida’s dying reef
Not all heroes wear capes. Some are crabs.
I'm all for saving the reefs, and a few extra crabs seem harmless enough, but bringing in an invasive species & putting on a puppet show for them to train them about local predators? Really?
All that aside, it's sounding like we may have a new type of crab showing up in the local area in a few months.
I am left to wonder why they would not just populate with more stone crabs or blue crabs, or some other species that is already here.
Hummm. Have we not learned that introducing an invasive species can, and more often does, have unintended consequences???
johndiver999
Contributor
I catch and eat those crabs. Don’t you guys see them on the reefs? Btw south tide 50 ft vis in100 off MacArthur bch
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