WPB or Jupiter

[vincent54]

i wanted to know if anyone has a suggestion for a trip to Jupiter in earlyMay or late April to Jupiter area. Is it a good time to go and what type of fish/sharks, if any, will be around? Also what dive op do you recommend? I plan on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday. My last two attempts in November didn’t get out, it was too rough for the boats. Thanks.

 

[Dan]

I like to go there during Goliath Grouper spawning in August-September. I went with Scuba Works. Here is a video from my last trip there:

 

[Johnoly]

i wanted to know if anyone has a suggestion for a trip to Jupiter in earlyMay or late April to Jupiter area.

In the last week of April WPB/JUP get's a 5 degree warm up in water temps. This is very important because it changes what animals move into the area with our gulf stream. Loggerhead & Leatherback turtles and Pilot whales are usually migrating thru our waters. Later, in the 1st two weeks of May the bait fish are swimming and on the deep 120 ledge there is an explosion of bull sharks. As soon as divers splash they hear it and 15 - 20 bulls will rush the divers just 30ft deep. We call it the running of the bulls and it's wildly exciting.

Also what dive op do you recommend? ....

What type of diver are you??? Do you want valet diving or is it more important that the boat runs in 5 foot seas? Do you stay with the DM underwater or ditch them? Are you a hunter or a reef photog? Each dive op has a "niche".

 

[sportxlh]

Both are good places to dive. I regularly saw more big marine life in Jupiter and Juno dives compared to WPB dives when I lived there, but I've experienced plenty of great WPB dives too.

Jupiter has a couple of dives that virtually guaranteed to have reef sharks and goliath grouper, even in April and May. The reef in WPB is prettier than Jupiter in my mind, so if you dive in a week where big marine life isn't showing up anywhere, WPB has more scenic sites.

As a side note, most of the bull sharks I've seen were in WPB, but all of the Lemons were in Jupiter.

Can't really go wrong with either location

 

[vincent54]

I usually make it back to the boat type of diver. Water conditions don’t bother me. I have been to the northwest, Maui and the outer reefs of the keys in heavy wind. Just want a boat that gets me to and from the dive. It doesn’t have to be a social dive, I’m usually focusing on the upcoming dive.

I am now a widower and have to start making the dives I always wanted to do. Thanks

 

[drrich2]

Is it a good time to go and what type of fish/sharks, if any, will be around?

Without derailing this into a debate on the ethics of shark feeding, going on a shark feed dive trip with Emerald Charters, for example, may be more likely to show you more species and a good deal closer. I went late April/early May in 2017 and saw a good range.

Good diving whatever you decide.

Richard,

 

[caruso]

I'm chartering a boat in West Palm for 2 days mid April, concentrating on wrecks. The last time I was there in 3/2018 there were lots of sharks and goliath groupers, schools of barricuda and tons of reef fish. Water temps weren't an issue with a 3mm wetsuit.That's Wednesday and Thursday. Saturday we will be 1/2 hour south in Boynton diving more wrecks, that will be my first diving in the area. We'll also be shore diving the Blue Heron Bridge while we're there. Check the link in my signature for more details still have a few spots left.

 

[PatW]

The ledge at Jupiter is about 85’ deep. West Palm is around 60’ and I think that there are shallower sites. They are really close to each other, so you can dive both. Also, I would suggest diving the Blue Heron Bridge. It is only diveable at high tide for about a 90 min interval. It is about 20’ max. It is loaded with macro life and bigger stuff can be seen. There are also fish there that are rare to see like sea robins, bat fish, frog fish and so on.