Reef Dive or Baited Shark Dive off Palm Beach?

[sportxlh]

This time of year you stand a pretty good chance of seeing Lemon and Reef sharks in Jupiter if you are on a non-baited dive. But the sharks don't come nearly as close to the divers as they do on baited dives. So it depends on whether you'll be happy seeing the sharks up close and personal or are satisfied seeing them at a bit of a distance as they cruise by (note that some reef sharks will get very close regardless of whether its a baited dive or not). I went out with Jupiter Dive Center two weekends ago and saw three Lemons, one Tiger, a number of Reef sharks and a couple Nurse sharks on a non-baited dive. Also saw half a dozen turtles and big green moray eels.

 

[KDAD]

I have a two tank scheduled for Friday with JDC. I will report back with a dive report includong visability and shark sightings.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I dove Jupiter 2 weeks ago. I am a Jupiter/West Palm "fan" and dive up there often. Two tank trip. First dive on the wrecks seeking lemon sharks (non-feeding), second on a reef known for its sightings of caribbean reef sharks.

Both dives: vis was about 60 feet on the wrecks, 40-50 on the reefs. Water was beautiful blue especially on the deeper wrecks. Temp was 78 with no thermocline. All told, for both dives, 7 lemon sharks; 5 reef sharks, one big nurse shark that swam right up to my mask, 12 goliath grouper including one exceptionally large specimen, almost 6 feet long, several dense schools of fish that you could not even see through, and, 5 large and very cooperative and docile loggerhead turtles.

My personal recommendation, the Jupiter Dive Center three tank dive on either Friday or Sunday. You will get the most variety of locations and subjects.That being said, early Feb is an "iffy" time for diving. Winter fronts can kick up the seas and reduce vis. But, if you hit a calm spell between fronts, you can have some of the best conditions of the year, as I did. You cannot rely on any dive report that is more than two days old. Often, I decide whether to dive only the day before or the same day, depending on the conditions.

Photographically, here is what to expect. On the deep wrecks you will have strong current and maneuvering into position can be iffy. Sometimes you have to hold on to or brace against the wreck or the bottom to stay in place. Vis is typically best on the deeper wrecks. They are deep (90-100) and nitrox is mandatory. If you are not used to those conditions, photography brings a lot of task loading--just be aware as I have seen a photog go OOG on these dives because they got buck fever and put photos ahead of basic dive safety. I have, more than once, left my camera on the boat for these dives and I am a very serious photographer with lots of dive time. In addition, "natural" shark behavior is somewhat stand-offish for lemons and reef sharks, so an ultra-wide lens is not the best choice and getting the "perfect" shot is difficult.

I do not do the feeding dives. They are done either with spearing fish or actively hand feeding sharks in random fashion, with the divers scattered about and not grouped together. It is the most dangerous shark diving imaginable. Sharks often follow the divers up to the safety stop. Add this to depth and current and you better be ready for an extreme dive--know this going in. No one has gotten killed or seriously hurt yet and if a bragging dive is essential for you, then that is the way to go. You will NOT see natural shark behavior. Photographically, you will get better "trophy" ultra-wide shots on these dives because of the extreme high risks the dive masters take in bringing the sharks in, but the photos will often have other divers in the background or look staged as the sharks are obviously gulping chunks of pre-cut fish. But, if you just have to get a trophy shark shot, you have the best chance here (but no guarantees, even these dives do not draw sharks 100% of the time).

As for other subjects, Goliath grouper are almost always guaranteed on the wrecks and some specific reefs,,and are often much more approachable than sharks. The same is true of turtles on the reef dives, and the schooling fish are great photo subjects. You will not be lacking for good subjects.

However, this is not caribbean reef diving like Cozumel or Cayman. The marine life, not the coral, is the main attraction. Still, you can get lovely wide angle scenics if conditions are good.

 

[scubadada]

If you want to see a prettier reef with more tropical fish, consider Boynton Beach. Rarely see sharks here, Goliath Grouper are less common (except on the Castor, a phenomenal dive), turtles are frequent

 

[Michaelszippy]

At least two people have died on Jim Abernethy shark feeding dives, albeit not in US waters. And Abernethy himself was attacked. I did one of those dives before I fully researched the risk. Ethical/philosophical questions aside, things have gone tragically wrong on baited shark dives. Juat another point to consider.

 

[drrich2]

Not relevant to Florida, but since the 'shark feed close encounters vs. natural, distant encounter' topic of shark photography has come up, and others may view this thread, it may be of interest that you can get fairly large, scary looking but reasonably 'safe' (on the condition no one does anything foolish) sharks in close without baiting or shark feeding - on the offshore wreck diving out of North Carolina (trip report).

Kate Rister:

There are 2 separate issues here. You can do a Forum search, or browse several pages of the Shark Forum section of Scuba Board, and read some extended discussions. The 2 key issues:

1.) Personal risk perception. Scuba diving entails some risk - drowning, etc... You consider these risks sufficiently low/mitigated & the rewards sufficient that you dive anyway. The fact some people die doing this doesn't scare you off. There are some who would choose differently. People vary in their view of the risks in varied circumstances (e.g.: the adequacy of modern mainstream OW training).

Okay, the issue of diving with fairly large, powerful predatory animals (albeit not natural predators of humans) presents similar personal risk vs. reward assessment issues.

2.) Supporting baiting/feeding of sharks for recreational diving. Some people believe this has little impact, or at least very low serious impact (e.g.: reef sharks might come a bit closer & check people out more often, but some think are unlikely to accost divers outside these specialty dives), and encourage public appreciation of sharks & conservation. Some people believe it's at substantial risk to cause danger - sharks accosting divers outside of shark feedings dives, which could lead to bites, or frightened humans retaliating, either of which could lead to pressure for shark culls.

These issues can, have been, hashed out at length. Only you can decide them for you. The forum discussions on it make for interesting, informative reading, whatever position you choose.

Richard.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

It might be germane to the summary above to add that baited/feeding shark dives are ILLEGAL in Florida and the local operator was recently convicted for the activity, These types of dives are now done outside of Florida jurisdiction.

Also teaching sharks to eat off the end of a diver's pole spear or speargun, may result in a shark being killed or having its eye(s) poked out, if it should engage in this behavior around a spearfisherman who intends to defend their catch and/or personal space.

If any of that matters to anyone.

 

[drrich2]

To get out of Florida jurisdiction into federal waters where the practice is not prohibited, the operator needs to go at least 3 miles offshore.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I am comfortable in my ability to participate in both shark dives and regular dives in which you see sharks. Are the regular dives off of Jupiter as nice as diving in say, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan? I will check out Force E as well, thank you.

I've only dove Roatan, but in my opinion Jupiter is a different ballgame than those sites. Rich and Guy have already covered most of the general dive conditions and I would probably agree with them that it's not equivalent to Belize, Cozumel, or Roatan. On top of that, the boats tend to allow divers more leeway; solo diving is not uncommon and in the case of the shark dives the DM's focus is going to be on the sharks, not you.

As you might have figured out, the baited shark dives are a loaded subject, and one that often brings up a lot of hyperbole. The response mentioning Jim Abernethy's operation is an example. A diver did die on one of his Bahamas trips as a result of getting grazed in the leg by a bull shark; while it was an accident and the shark did not "attack" him (it had been biting the bait box and the diver's leg was in the wrong place) it unfortunately hit an artery. The other loss of a diver mentioned was never demonstrated to have been due to a shark attack; if a diver had gone missing on a shallow reef dive in the Florida Keys and left the exact same evidence "shark attack" wouldn't even have been mentioned as a possible cause. When a dive operator gets bit while feeding sharks - which happens from time to time - it doesn't matter how minor the nip is or that the shark completely ignored the injured diver afterwards; some folks react as if the operator and everyone around him barely escaped a feeding frenzy at the jaws of unstoppable piscine Terminators.

Guy might assume that it's about going on a "bragging dive" and getting "trophy shots," but generally speaking it's frigging hard to get most sharks to hang around long enough for a close look without some kind of enticement. It happens from time to time, but don't bet on it. I view baited dives more as tilting my odds of having the encounters I want. Good luck getting three tigers, two great hammerheads, a bull, and a couple lemons all on the same dive without bringing party favors. Aside from some non-baited encounters with lemon and reef sharks (and nurse sharks, which I don't really count given their lifestyle), pretty much all of my shark sightings have been on baited dives or while spearfishing.

All that said, in my opinion the safe bet would be to do a non-shark dive this time around. From the sound of it you're not familiar with the area and conditions; adding photography and sharks to that might be a little much. In February you have a decent chance of seeing sharks outside of baited encounters (bulls on the deep ledge and lemons on the reefs); given the number of loggerheads I encountered on the surface Monday turtles are in as well. Definitely worth the trip in my opinion.

 

[scubadada]

There are several places within reasonable proximity where there is a good likelihood of seeing sharks, close up, without feeding them. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos is one example. My son and I saw Reef Sharks, some of good size, nearly every dive off West Caicos and French Cay.