West Palm Bch/Palm Bch Dive Ops ??

[jpomerantz]

Hi. I will be down visiting my parents (they're in WPB) in August and looking for a good dive op in that area. Usually go to FLL but do not want to drive down there this time and have never been on the PB reefs and wrecks. Any recommendations for a non-cattle boat operation? Thanks!!

 

[scubadad]

Hi. I will be down visiting my parents (they're in WPB) in August and looking for a good dive op in that area. Usually go to FLL but do not want to drive down there this time and have never been on the PB reefs and wrecks. Any recommendations for a non-cattle boat operation? Thanks!!

I like The Diversity. It's in Pompono. Smaller boat, let's you use all your air. I dive 95s and 108s with him and he does not care, "it's your air, go and have fun". Captain Tony runs a good operation.

 

[KBeck]

Jay-- There is definitely plenty of diving to be had in West Palm Beach; for the most part, the dive ops are of the size that take some 15-20 divers per trip.

I second scubadad's recommendation regarding the Diversity (Sunstar Aquatics); Tony's the best. The boat can get cramped, but he's great, and generally allows divers to go in small groups with their own flag rather than diving the "herd." From West Palm, it's a 30-40 minute dive.

You can also go south (though not quite as far as Pompano) to Boynton. There are several charters out of the same marina. We use Splashdown a lot, scubakevdm on the board is the DM and makes it great fun; they also break you up into smaller groups.

To get more than the standard reef dives, just request a wreck as far ahead as possible when booking, and I've found they'll usually honor your request.

West Palm/Riviera Beach certainly has it's share of charters; baitedstorm on the board DiveMasters the A1A boat regularly if you want to drop her a line.

You can also go north to Jupiter if you're comfortable with some deeper profiles (70-90 ft reefs). I love the reefs; I have yet to fail to see sharks, large turtles, large stingrays, Goliath Groupers, or any combination of all of those on every single dive. Capt. Paul on Temptation is great.

Let us know when you're in town and you may just get a boat full of Conch divers to share the fun with!

 

[Scuba_Dad]

Hi. I will be down visiting my parents (they're in WPB) in August and looking for a good dive op in that area. Usually go to FLL but do not want to drive down there this time and have never been on the PB reefs and wrecks. Any recommendations for a non-cattle boat operation? Thanks!!

I normally use Pura Vida Divers. They have a small boat, and the crew is great! Another good charter is the one BaitedStorm DM's for. A1A Palm Beach Dive Charter I haven't had the chance to dive with them, yet... but if BaitedStorm is on the boat... you're guaranteed a good time... :dazzler1: Another good one to try is Jim Abernethy.

The boats are strating to fill up on the weekends. Make your reservations early. Last week, I had to call 4 charters before I could find an open slot...

Al

 

[jpomerantz]

Jay-- There is definitely plenty of diving to be had in West Palm Beach; for the most part, the dive ops are of the size that take some 15-20 divers per trip.

I second scubadad's recommendation regarding the Diversity (Sunstar Aquatics); Tony's the best. The boat can get cramped, but he's great, and generally allows divers to go in small groups with their own flag rather than diving the "herd." From West Palm, it's a 30-40 minute dive.

You can also go south (though not quite as far as Pompano) to Boynton. There are several charters out of the same marina. We use Splashdown a lot, scubakevdm on the board is the DM and makes it great fun; they also break you up into smaller groups.

To get more than the standard reef dives, just request a wreck as far ahead as possible when booking, and I've found they'll usually honor your request.

West Palm/Riviera Beach certainly has it's share of charters; baitedstorm on the board DiveMasters the A1A boat regularly if you want to drop her a line.

You can also go north to Jupiter if you're comfortable with some deeper profiles (70-90 ft reefs). I love the reefs; I have yet to fail to see sharks, large turtles, large stingrays, Goliath Groupers, or any combination of all of those on every single dive. Capt. Paul on Temptation is great.

Let us know when you're in town and you may just get a boat full of Conch divers to share the fun with!

Thanks. I used to live in FLL so would go out of Deerfield Inlet on Parrot Island Scuba with Jerry so I want to try something further north. This will be in mide-August - maybe we can get a group together?

 

[scdivegirl]

Dove with all of the above...and none of them can compare to Ocean Quest Scuba's operation. Name of the boat is "Sandy's Sunday", (small groups only) and my family and I just spent a week diving with them. Boat Rules 1. have fun 2. dont go into deco 3. don't run out of air. We had a great time, each dive a new dive sites, and with Sandy as our dive guide we just had a totally different experience than with any of the others. First the groups are small, and everyone gets personalized attention. By the end of they day, the friendly, professional crew knew are names, and were we were from. I had my two sons with me, and they just made the kids trip...We were allowed to dive our computers, and were never rushed to get back into the water. Each day, we would discuss what kind of marine life we would like to see, and then Sandy would call out a couple of names and away we would go. We spent the surface intervals looking for Dolphins and Sailfish, the kids got to do some diving off the bridge, and we just had a wonderful time. We have dove all around and this is the best operation we have ever been on. The crew is just as friendly and helpful as you could ask for...and I think Sandy must have gills....we would recommend them to everyone, we'll never dive with anyone else again. Narcosis is a cattle boat, Abernethy's last time we were there, we didnt like at all, (sand drops/clueless crew), Puria Vida is nice, but they have such strick bottom times, it is crazy. Try Sandy and her crew...you'll have a good time.