Riviera Beach/West Palm with Force-E Scuba

[diveprof]

I see no problem with the OP deciding to use the local Shop (Force E) as a booking agent. I doubt that you can negoitiate a discount by booking just a few dives directly with a boat AND the shop may be able to direct the customer to the best local boat that will accomodate their particular desires with respect to dive site/depths etc.

There are many good charter operators in the area, but there is one single operator which I would NOT recommend: NARCOSIS. I have personally witnessed the owner/operator (Van) engage in reckless and life threatening and irresponsible operation of his vessel. A most decidedly unprofessional and unsafe operation in my experience.

So you are a bit ambivalent about the Narcosis? Seriously,Pretty strong words... I'd be curious as to exactly what your experience was. I' ve only had good experiences. He seems to place a premium on safety. He requires all to carry a safety sausage. His DMs are good. However, if you and your dive buddy wish to do your own thing he tends to accommodate. It is a large boat with the capability of carrying a lot of divers. I avoid it on holiday weekends for that reason. Other times, it is a big boat (good in rough seas) with fewer divers.

 

[diveprof]

Who is Debbie? Yes, they are south of W. Palm.

I've also heard good things about Walker's but haven't dived them.

Sorry about the "ie." I know it is Debby with a "y"

 

[dumpsterDiver]

So you are a bit ambivalent about the Narcosis? Seriously,Pretty strong words... I'd be curious as to exactly what your experience was. I' ve only had good experiences. He seems to place a premium on safety. He requires all to carry a safety sausage. His DMs are good. However, if you and your dive buddy wish to do your own thing he tends to accommodate. It is a large boat with the capability of carrying a lot of divers. I avoid it on holiday weekends for that reason. Other times, it is a big boat (good in rough seas) with fewer divers.

Not ambivalent at all. The guy has demonstrated irresponsibility and total recklessness and endangered divers due to the negligent operation of his vessel.

Believe me or not; my recommendation is to simply pick ANYONE other than that operation.

 

[Sorrows]

Okay, well this is a bit disturbing as the guys at Force-E have booked us on the Narcosis. And it is a holiday weekend (Columbus Day) Did you really find it that much of a cattle boat?

I realize Force-E is just the booking agent for the boats, but as we are out-of-towners, unfamiliar with the diving in the immediate area (except for the Bridge) and since we used Force-E last year to get our tanks and weights, we thought we might as well use them this year for all the diving. I did speak to them in some detail, explaining what we wanted, (mix of wrecks and reefs) our experience level (AOW), etc. and they seemed very accomodating. These days I find I am just so dammed grateful to find anyone who will actually talk to me, period.

Thanks for giving me something to think about and thanks for the restaurant reccomendations, too!

 

[Surfrunner]

DumpsterDiver, I am also curious as to what your experience was. I have been with Narcosis twice and absolutely will book with them next time I'm in PB. I first dove with Van about 2 years ago because a buddy of mine who has been with him many times highly recommended Narcosis. I've had two great experiences. Van is a really personable guy and as diveprof said, really does seem to put a premium on safety. Like most of us, safety is my first concern and I tend to be sensitive to unsafe practices. I have never seen anything with the Narcosis op that would give me pause. If you know something we don't please share.

 

[djtimmy77]

Most of the boats in West Palm are "cattle boats"

The nice thing about Narcosis is that when it is full you have more room than any of the other bigger boats in the area when they are full. If I am going on one of the larger boats in WPB, it is my preference because of that reason alone.

 

[diveprof]

I don't think Columbus Day will qualify as a major holiday so it might not be a full boat. Like Djtimmy77 says, "when it is full you have more room than any of the other bigger boats." He often drops folks in multiple groups so even if the boat is full, your dive group will not likely be very large. Should you be unlucky enough to have a day of 5-6' seas, being on this boat may be the difference b/w a day of diving vs. a cancelled dive trip. Vans's boat handles the seas well. Add in the neat video/GPS mapping feature he has on his boat and you are able to see the profile of what you will be diving before the dive. One of the best things about Van's boat is that he does the Jupiter AND West Palm dive sites, so you get some of the shallower dives too. I usually do both the morning and afternoon boats and last trip it worked out for me to do the deeper Jupiter stuff in the a.m. and shallower W. Palm dives (45-60's) in the pm. Don't know Dumpster Diver or his issues (which he did not really identify/specify) with Capt. Van. That has not been my experience. The Force-E folks are very helpful and good folks. Nothing wrong with booking through them. I don't think that they have steered you wrong. They have a nice store too. Lots of the accessories that you really don't need, but can't pass up .

 

[Sorrows]

diveprof, that's a very good point--right now the weather looks a little dicey and October is always a bit chancey in Florida; I know we've lost out on several days of diving in the Keys for that very reason. Sometimes a big boat is nice.

I found the Force-E people very nice last year when we dove the bridge and they've been very helpful this year (on the phone so far) So I have no complaints. The wreck dives sound excellent--certainly a lot of them. I hear the reefs are good, too, although I am worried about viz. But we'll manage, I'm sure, as long as the weather cooperates!

"Lots of accessories that you really don't need, but can't pass up" Hmmmm...sounds just like my husband. Me, I'm a sucker for the dive travel books. I keep them under the bed so he doesn't know how many I buy. It's like my own stash of fish porn.

 

[shorediver66]

I also find Force E in Pompano very helpful and friendly. They have booked boats for me on a few occasions and I am very pleased.

 

[diveprof]

diveprof, that's a very good point--right now the weather looks a little dicey and October is always a bit chancey in Florida; I know we've lost out on several days of diving in the Keys for that very reason. Sometimes a big boat is nice.

I found the Force-E people very nice last year when we dove the bridge and they've been very helpful this year (on the phone so far) So I have no complaints. The wreck dives sound excellent--certainly a lot of them. I hear the reefs are good, too, although I am worried about viz. But we'll manage, I'm sure, as long as the weather cooperates!


"Lots of accessories that you really don't need, but can't pass up" Hmmmm...sounds just like my husband. Me, I'm a sucker for the dive travel books. I keep them under the bed so he doesn't know how many I buy. It's like my own stash of fish porn.

Like Wrecks? Ask for the Corridor when they ask for requests. Multiple wrecks in more or less a line that you can drift one to the next. Goliath Groupers, turtles, and if you are lucky, maybe a frogfish, plus the usual cast of characters. Worried about vis? Vis is a mixed bag, most like great vis, but sometimes you can actually get closer to critters in lower vis.
Regarding the accessories, I'm with your husband. Hey this is life support equipment, gotta have it! If you don't have it, you might want to get the Reef Set (Reef Fish Identification, Reef Creature ID and Reef Coral ID) by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach for your fish porn collection