South Florida Beach Dives

[pollywogg]

Hey everybody,
I'm based out of Jupiter, Fl. I have heard so much about the Ft. Lauderdale shore diving, amongst other places. I have done 20 or so boat dives, a couple handfuls of spring dives, and more times at the BHB than I can count. Can anyone give me some pointers on good locations for shore dives? Since I am based out of Jupiter, I would prefer not to go further south than Ft. Lauderdale. I'm just looking for nice spots to grab my gear and drop in.
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks Guys!
I originally posted this in the vacation forum, but this is obviously a better spot. Thanks everyone.

 

[tcarpjr]

The weather has been crappy recently but is supposed to settle this weekend. I strongly suggest Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for the easiest, prettiest first shore dive in South Florida. Pompano Dropoff is great but a long kick out for a beginner beachdiver. Other great sites only minutes south of the Anglin Pier include Vista Park, and, a bit further, Dania Beach where the erojacks and a great reef are only a few hundred feet offshore.

 

[djtimmy77]

This would be a good time to start chatting about this again, as my dive buddies and I are also looking to shore dive a lot. I am very interested in any dives in the Jupiter area, and also up towards Stuart and PSL, but we would also consider going south as well. Does anyone have coordinates for the barge (in a box???) off Jupiter beach?

On another note, are there waterproof GPS units or something that you can take out with you and not worry about distroying?

 

[Divergirl4U]

Check out the insider information thread it has several shore dives listed
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/60333-insider-information-local-diving-3.html

 

[Divergirl4U]

Here are a couple of Google maps I have look for the blue markers in the water and be sure to have it on satellite view and you can see the dive sites

Dania Beach - Google Maps

SR-A1A & Commercial Blvd - Google Maps

 

[DebbyDiver]

On another note, are there waterproof GPS units or something that you can take out with you and not worry about distroying?

Yes, absolutely. I have a really old Garmin that is water "resistant" that I use on my kayak all the time; I put it in a Dry Pak brand case so that if it gets splashed it will keep working. You can't take it down with you but you could clip it to your flag float. Then just don't lose your flag!!!

I dive from the beach using my kayak and when I find a great spot, I just ascend, press "mark" on the GPS, and label the spot when I get back to shore. I'm getting a nice little collection. Small GPS units suitable for your need are inexpensive; Bass Pro has a couple of them for $99. You do not need a fancy one. Mine is ten years old so it has none of the modern bells and whistles and it works perfectly for navigating the yak where I need to go.

 

[Shcubasteve]

Hey everybody,
I'm based out of Jupiter, Fl. I have heard so much about the Ft. Lauderdale shore diving, amongst other places. I have done 20 or so boat dives, a couple handfuls of spring dives, and more times at the BHB than I can count. Can anyone give me some pointers on good locations for shore dives? Since I am based out of Jupiter, I would prefer not to go further south than Ft. Lauderdale. I'm just looking for nice spots to grab my gear and drop in.
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks Guys!
I originally posted this in the vacation forum, but this is obviously a better spot. Thanks everyone.

If you are willing to travel to Ft. Lauterdale, you might consider Stuart, St. Lucie, ft. pierce area.

BathTub Reef
The Georges Valantine Wreck at the House of Refuge
South Side of Jensen Beach Public
Walton rocks
Ft. Pierce Inlet State Park
Pepper Park
RioMar Reef in Vero
Reefline off Mulligan's in Vero
The Boiler Wreck off Driftwood Inn in Vero

We have a list of shore diving sites from Bathtub through Sebastian in the Shop... PM be a fax number and ill send it to you. Summertime is on the way. Also you might check out my old thread Treasure coast Shore Diving and sign up for the call list. Whenever the water clears up, we've got a nice list of contacts. Might be fun with a large group. Any other questions about the Treasure Coast, feel free to ask!
Steve

 

[DebbyDiver]

Steve, is it possible for you to e-mail that list instead of faxing it? Our fax machine is really awful.

 

[diving_emtp]

I dive from the beach using my kayak and when I find a great spot, I just ascend, press "mark" on the GPS, and label the spot when I get back to shore. I'm getting a nice little collection. .

Hi there Debby! I'm curious as to how you find your spots. Do you start off from a known good dive site and expand out from there? Do you have a general idea of where a good reef might be? Or if you are in shallow enough water and while in your kayak you can spot a new reef line that you would like to explore?

I'm looking forward to the day I can get a kayak and do the diving you do!

Thanks - have a good one!

diving_emtp

 

[Shcubasteve]

Hi there Debby! I'm curious as to how you find your spots. Do you start off from a known good dive site and expand out from there? Do you have a general idea of where a good reef might be? Or if you are in shallow enough water and while in your kayak you can spot a new reef line that you would like to explore?

I'm looking forward to the day I can get a kayak and do the diving you do!

Thanks - have a good one!

diving_emtp

Check out Top Spot maps, they will get you in the general area.