I was able to get out this past weekend with Pura Vida Divers out of Lake Park Marina. The late season cold front made for an interesting weekend but I was able to get in all 4 planned dives.
Sat afternoon 4/9/22 ... two shallow 50-60' dives off of Palm Beach proper
Winds were pretty strong but out of the W/NW so seas nearshore were pretty much flat. Conditions underwater were just OK. The strong cold front and west winds dropped the viz to 25-30' roughly. The current was minimal with a good bit of surge. Temps remain right around 78 F. It was very chilly on the surface due to the wind and air temps in the mid 70s. My boat coat once again was worth its weight in gold! We dived Tear Drop (outside to inside) and 4th Window.
Sun morning 4/10/22 ... two deeper 70-85' dives off of Palm Beach (South to North Double Ledges) and Palm Beach Shores (Corridor Wreck Trek)
It was a chilly morning (57-58 F air temp) with the winds mostly NW. The forecast was for them to shift to N and then NE later that morning. Conditions still looked decent so off we went. Putting on that cold wetsuit was rough but again, my boat coat was VERY VERY nice. Seas were starting to build but were initially 2-3 with a long period. They built throughout the morning as the winds shifted to the North. By the end of the trip they were still 2-3 but the period was shorter and there were occasional 4-5' swells thrown in. The conditions were also very "swirly" and not consistent making getting back on the boat a bit challenging. I had a bit of a pucker moment getting back on from the first dive as a swell caught me and threw me into the ladder when I was still 5' away. My reg hose and pony bottle got wrapped around the ladder. After being bounced around for what seemed like an eternity but was only probably 10-15 seconds I was able to get untangled. No real issue as I had my fins on and reg in my mouth but it's never fun to get tossed repeatedly against the ladder! Getting back on after the 2nd dive was thankfully uneventful.
The viz was improved (40-60' but variable) and the temps were still right around 78 F. The current was all over the place on the 1st dive (S to N Double Ledges). At times it was swelly, at times it was moderate north current, at times there was a strong west push. When we were attempting the jump from S to N Double Ledges is when we hit a strong west push. We kicked like %$#@& for what seemed like forever and still never got on North Double Ledges. Todd the dive guide renamed this dive "South to North Double Cardio". It was an apt name! The South Double Ledges part of the dive was very nice and super fishy. The jump was just a cardio workout! On the ascent we did see a huge bull shark with multiple jack friends, so that was cool. In the end it was just me and Todd the dive guide. Everyone else couldn't keep up and ended up coming up on their own.
Second dive was on Corridor Wreck Trek. Current was a bit more manageable but was still very swirly and a bit disorienting. The dive guide actually lost the flag after hooking off on the wreck! The wonky currents/swell caused it to "unhook" itself and off it went. No big deal. We completed the dive as planned and each group shot their own SMB upon ascent.
I captured a few decent shots. I will add them from my phone as additional posts below.
Sat afternoon 4/9/22 ... two shallow 50-60' dives off of Palm Beach proper
Winds were pretty strong but out of the W/NW so seas nearshore were pretty much flat. Conditions underwater were just OK. The strong cold front and west winds dropped the viz to 25-30' roughly. The current was minimal with a good bit of surge. Temps remain right around 78 F. It was very chilly on the surface due to the wind and air temps in the mid 70s. My boat coat once again was worth its weight in gold! We dived Tear Drop (outside to inside) and 4th Window.
Sun morning 4/10/22 ... two deeper 70-85' dives off of Palm Beach (South to North Double Ledges) and Palm Beach Shores (Corridor Wreck Trek)
It was a chilly morning (57-58 F air temp) with the winds mostly NW. The forecast was for them to shift to N and then NE later that morning. Conditions still looked decent so off we went. Putting on that cold wetsuit was rough but again, my boat coat was VERY VERY nice. Seas were starting to build but were initially 2-3 with a long period. They built throughout the morning as the winds shifted to the North. By the end of the trip they were still 2-3 but the period was shorter and there were occasional 4-5' swells thrown in. The conditions were also very "swirly" and not consistent making getting back on the boat a bit challenging. I had a bit of a pucker moment getting back on from the first dive as a swell caught me and threw me into the ladder when I was still 5' away. My reg hose and pony bottle got wrapped around the ladder. After being bounced around for what seemed like an eternity but was only probably 10-15 seconds I was able to get untangled. No real issue as I had my fins on and reg in my mouth but it's never fun to get tossed repeatedly against the ladder! Getting back on after the 2nd dive was thankfully uneventful.
The viz was improved (40-60' but variable) and the temps were still right around 78 F. The current was all over the place on the 1st dive (S to N Double Ledges). At times it was swelly, at times it was moderate north current, at times there was a strong west push. When we were attempting the jump from S to N Double Ledges is when we hit a strong west push. We kicked like %$#@& for what seemed like forever and still never got on North Double Ledges. Todd the dive guide renamed this dive "South to North Double Cardio". It was an apt name! The South Double Ledges part of the dive was very nice and super fishy. The jump was just a cardio workout! On the ascent we did see a huge bull shark with multiple jack friends, so that was cool. In the end it was just me and Todd the dive guide. Everyone else couldn't keep up and ended up coming up on their own.
Second dive was on Corridor Wreck Trek. Current was a bit more manageable but was still very swirly and a bit disorienting. The dive guide actually lost the flag after hooking off on the wreck! The wonky currents/swell caused it to "unhook" itself and off it went. No big deal. We completed the dive as planned and each group shot their own SMB upon ascent.
I captured a few decent shots. I will add them from my phone as additional posts below.
