Drift Diving in West Palm Beach
Trip information
- Location: Riviera Beach Marina, North and West Palm Beach areas, Florida
- Dive boat: Captain Van Blakeman on the Narcosis.
The trip cost includes:
- All transportation
- Accomodations (double occupancy): Super 8 North Palm Beach, 757 U.S. Highway 1
- Snacks and beverages on the boat
- All air fills
- Drift dives on reefs and wrecks. More and more Neptune divers are Nitrox certified, so dive times can run as much as an hour.
- The trips will include 6 dives total. A typical schedule is a two tank dive on Saturday AM, a 2 tank Saturday PM night dive, and a two tank dive on Sunday afternoon.
Specifics
- Price: $525 as of June, 2011. Check with the shop for updates.
- Nonrefundable deposit of $150 due at time of signing up for trip
- Leave Neptune on Friday.
- Return to Augusta late in the afternoon on Monday.
Gear checklist
Dive Gear
- BC, regulator, mask and snorkel, booties, fins, gloves, weight belt, weights
- Computer (mandatory)
- Wet suit: 3 mm; dive skin (optional; mandatory if you're cold-natured or don't like jellyfish)
- Secondary light (for looking under reefs); also primary light and glow sticks or tank light if night diving
- Two air cylinders
- Save-a-dive kit
- Dive log, c-card (absolutely essential)
- Goodie bag (optional; the boat does not have drinks and snacks)
- Safety sausage (absolutely essential)
- Audible emergency signaling device (optional)
- Camera equipment (optional)
- Oxygen analyzer (optional)
Clothing
- T-shirts, shorts
- Boat shoes, sandals, or whatever
- Swim suit(s)
- Windbreaker
- Clothing for going into town (dressy or not, depending on your preference)
Other
- Motion sickness prevention, remedies (especially you, Frank)
- Ear plugs (in case your roommate snores)
- Personal snack food and beverages for the trip. The cars do stop from time to time so that you can stock up.
- Towels
- Large plastic garbage bags for wet gear
- Reading material, etc. for the trip
- Personal toiletries
- Sunglasses, sunscreen
- Extra batteries for equipment
- Cash - don't forget tips for boat crew! Allow $10 per boat trip, more less depending on level of surface.
Dive Sites
These are the ones that we most commonly visit. The sites are chosen both by the group and the Captain, depending on weather and sea conditions, as well as expected visibility. We usually have the whole boat, and split up into 2 groups. Newly certified divers are welcome.
Bath and tennis (60 fsw): Nice selection of reef creatures, fish. Look for stingrays, lobsters.
Breakers reef: (60 fsw): One of the nicest reef systems in the Palm Beach area. Lots of critters. Look for turtles. Nice for a night dive.
Corridor (80-90 fsw): A drift dive that usually visits several wrecks. The Mizpah is a 185ft. Greek luxury liner that was sunk in 1968. It is an excellent wreck that (for advanced divers) can be penetrated with an experienced guide. Inside, there are 3 levels to explore. The Neptune group does not penetrate this wreck, but the coral encrustration on the exterior makes it a nice wreck to visit. The PC1170 is a 160 ft. patrol craft is split into two pieces below the Mizpah's bow, also sunk in 1968. The Amaryllis is 450ft. long and lies in 80ft of water. Only its hull and bottom deck remain. Jewfish sighted on occasion.
Double ledges (90 fsw): Twin ledges that lie south of the inlet. Lots of marine life, and a good site for lobster hunters.
Juno ledge (90-100 fsw): A large ledge with tunnels. Often a site to find large fish and sharks.
Paul's reef (60 fsw): A ledge with soft corals and rock crevices.
Princess Anne (100 fsw): This is a 350 ft. long ferry boat once used to carry 800 people and some 200 automobiles across the Chesapeake Bay. It lies in an area with strong, shifting currents. The interior is stunningly beautiful, but penetration is dangerous; it should only be attempted by advanced divers with a very experienced guide. Once inside, it is easy to get lost, resulting in a possible out-of-air situation or unplanned decompression dive. The Neptune group does not penetrate this wreck. Jewfish (ummm, goliath grouper) sightings not rare.
Ron's reef (60 fsw): Fairly undistinguished reef system, but can have lots of fish. A site on the north end is called the "Flower Garden."
The Trench (60 fsw): This is a 12ft. wide trench cut through a reef before people knew better. This allows all kinds of animals (and divers) a place hide and escape the current. Nice aquatic life. It's John F.'s favorite dive site.