Drift Diving in West Palm Beach
Trip information
- Location: North and West Palm Beach areas, Florida
- Dive boats: Kyalami Scuba Club
The trip cost includes:
- All transportation
- Accomodations (double occupancy): Super 8 North Palm Beach
- Snacks and beverages on the boat
- All air fills (supplement for nitrox)
- Drift dives on reefs and wrecks. More and more Neptune divers are Nitrox certified, so dive times usually run for an hour.
- The trips will include 6-7 dives total, one being a possible night dive depending on conditions. A typical schedule is a 2 tank dive on Saturday AM, a 2 tank dive on Saturday afternoon, a 2 tank dive on Sunday, and a possible night dive.
Specifics
- Price: $685 as of April, 2023, with air or nitrox fills. Check with the shop for updates.
- Nonrefundable deposit of $150 due at time of signing up for trip.
- Normally, leave Neptune on Friday, return to Augusta in the afternoon on Monday.
Gear checklist
Dive Gear
- BC, regulator, mask and snorkel, booties, fins, gloves, weight belt, weights, slate
- 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
- Yoke adapter for your DIN regulator if using boat cylinders; many cylinders nowadays have Pro Valves that can accommodate a DIN regulator (optional)
- Save-a-dive kit
- Dive log, c-card (absolutely essential)
- Goodie bag (optional; boat has some soft drinks and snacks)
- Safety sausage (SMB - absolutely essential)
- Audible emergency signaling device (optional, recommended)
- Camera equipment (optional)
- Oxygen analyzer (optional)
Clothing
- T-shirts, shorts
- Boat shoes, sandals, or whatever
- Swim suit(s)
- Windbreaker or hoodie for the night dive
- 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. Jean will bring cookies from A Piece of Cake. 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 service.
Dive Sites
These are some of 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.
The Ana Cecelia wreck and The Corridor (80+ fsw): The Ana C. is the newest artificial reef in the area, sunk on 13 July 2016, and now the beginning of The Corridor. Fish have already gathered there, and the structure is well on it's way to being a living reef. Neptune divers have enjoyed the opportunity to explore this 170-foot, 629-ton freighter! We then drift over to The Mizpah, a 185ft. Greek luxury liner that was sunk in 1968. It is an excellent wreck that (for advanced divers) can be carefully penetrated, though some of the inside is in danger of collapse. 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. Goliath Grouper sightings are common.
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, if not the world. Lots of critters. Look for turtles. Nice for a night dive.
The Danny and Spud Barge (70-80 fsw): A great wreck trek for exploration. Looks for nudibranchs near the Spud Barge.
Double Ledges (90 fsw): Twin ledges that lie south of the inlet. Lots of marine life, and a good site for lobster hunters.
Governor's River Walk wrecks (90 fsw): The Shasha, the St. Jacques, the Thorzina, the Gilbert Sea. Big sharks abound.
Juno Ledge (80-100 fsw): A large, spectacular ledge with tunnels. Often a site to find large fish and sharks. The north area includes Spadefish Point.
Jupiter Wreck Trek (95 fsw): The Zion Train, the Miss Jenny, and the Esso Bonaire. Sharks and goliath groupers abound. A favorite dive site.
Midway Reef, Spearman's Barge (70-80 fsw): A nice reef with a worthy wreck.
Paul's Reef (60 fsw): A nice ledge with soft corals and rock crevices. The north part is Sloan's Curve.
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. It has been broken apart over the years. The interior was stunningly beautiful, but penetration is dangerous, especially since much of it has collapsed; 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. Goliath grouper sightings not rare.
Ron's Reef (60 fsw): Fairly undistinguished reef system, but can have lots of fish. Ron's Rock is at the north. Beyond that is the "Flower Garden."
Shark Canyon (70-80 fsw): The name says it all. Also, a nice reef system.
The Trench (60 fsw): This is a 12ft. wide trench cut through a section of Breaker's 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. Stay close to the dive guide because there are different ways to explore this site.