By John Christopher Fine
Guest Writer, Dive News Network

I wasn’t old enough to drive. I’d be dropped off at the north end of Palm Beach where the inlet passes through to the Atlantic Ocean and I’d stay all day until I was picked up again at evening. A Texaco fuel dock and mail station served boaters and yachtsmen using the inlet to moor in the Port of Palm Beach or navigate the protected Intracoastal Waterway providing safe passage from Maine to Miami. It was one of my childhood playgrounds.

Florida Atlantic coast diving is generally boat diving. The offshore reef structure begins about a mile out and the depth remains fairly shallow on the inshore side of the reefs; approximately 50-60 ft. Further out, the reefs dip 80 ft. to the sand. There are many deeper dive sites but this is the general north-south orientation of the reefs. Inshore there are patch reefs just off the beaches. Wind, storms and wave action change these coral patches, cover them with sand or uncover them.

When I wanted to snorkel, I’d go in from rocks down from the Texaco fuel dock located right at the very end of Palm Beach where it meets the inlet. It is now a public pier. Trouble is wealthy folks do not want strangers in their exclusive neighborhoods so there isn’t any parking. Divers have to be dropped off to enable access. Along the rocks that serve as seawalls and jetties all manner of marine life abounds. It is a fertile hatchery and thus a place where small and unusual sea critters can be observed.

There are sea horses, nudibranchs, opistobranchs, frog fish, baby scorpion fish and octopus. Niches in the rocks provide ample shelter despite the current ripping through the inlet at tide change. A float and flag are required and snorkelers must remain close to the rocks, carry a flag and float and stay out of the navigable channel. Tide change can be wicked so checking tide tables is important; stay close to the rocks and be prepared for current.

Just outside the Palm Beach Inlet to the south, sheltered by a long rock jetty, there is great snorkeling. Schools of tarpon prowl for bait fish. It is not uncommon to see manta and eagle rays. Private boaters anchor to the south of the jetty to enjoy a day on the water in a protected cove.

Palm Beach is a drift diving area. The Gulf Stream comes in close to shore. While it is predominantly a north flowing current, there are eddies in the Stream taking divers south on occasion. We take a float with us. The float has a dive flag attached and a line taken below on a reel. Everything and anything comes into the Gulf Stream; sharks, rays, turtles, bill fish and Goliath groupers. Humpback Whales, Right Whales, Manta Rays, Cow Rays, and even Whale Sharks have also been seen off the coast. “This is the place to learn to drift dive. We have some of the best drift diving specialists in the world and some of the world’s best drift diving locations,” Captain David Brown said.

David and his wife, Lynn, own and operate Little Deeper Dive Charters out of the Lake Park Marina, north of the Blue Heron Bridge. The municipal marina itself is a diver’s luxury with hot showers ashore in well-maintained facilities. There are all-weather carpeted docks, comfortable picnic tables and a patio for picnics after a dive as well as easy access piers to get onto dive boats.

“Where else but in Palm Beach could you find 40 turtles or 40 Goliath groupers on a single dive,” David added. His enthusiasm never wanes. While divers may not actually count that many turtles and Goliath groupers on their dive there surely are many opportunities to see them. Palm Beach is a place where there are things for all people. We have so many different spectacular marine ecosystems. The biggest challenge is getting our customers to explain to us what they really like most,” Captain Dave said.

There are shallow dives, deep dives, places where divers are likely to see sharks, colorful reefs and shipwrecks bedecked with bright attaching marine organisms that attract large fish. Some of the wrecks were put down as fish havens long ago. Hurricanes have broken them up so many lie twisted on the ocean floor. Some remain intact and allow divers to drop inside their open hulls to get out of the current. Photographers always find exciting opportunities on the wrecks. Silhouettes framed shooting up against the bright sun make wonderful mementos. Blue bell tunicates and orange tubastrea coral are bright and beautiful. “We have just too many choices diving Palm Beach,” Captain Dave averred.

Captain Dave also touts the Horseshoe Reef. “It’s in the shape of a horseshoe. Drop down and you’ll be out of the current. Swim around the inside edge and look under the ledges,” Captain Craig Smart told his divers. Craig runs north out of the Boynton Inlet to dive Horseshoe Reef offshore of Palm Beach. It is relatively shallow, some 45’, to the top of the reef. The reef stands up about 20’ from the sand. Spiny lobsters abound in the many niches in the reef as they do in tropical areas; they find it an oasis out of the current.

“Lots of big turtles tend to like the reef north of Horseshoe. Divers should swim along the inside edge of the reef but go up over the top,” Captain Craig briefed his divers. When the Gulf Stream rips along at about 3 knots northward, Horseshoe Reef is a great place to explore. Check out the reef out of the current inside the protected area. Then swim up and on top of the reef heading northward.

There are times, of course, when the Gulf Stream current is nil. “You had to swim this time,” Captain Craig might quip when that occurs. There are times when the current meanders south, times when it is relatively mild and sometimes ripping. It is always exciting. Divers never know exactly what they’ll see below diving the Stream.

“Along with all the dive choices, Palm Beach has great dive resorts. Some have shuttle busses to bring divers to the boats. We have world class shopping and dining. Districts like Clematis Street, City Place, the Kravis Center. When people are not diving there is so much to do. Water skiing in a theme park pulled by an overhead cable on a lake is popular. Rent a canoe or kayak on the Loxahatchee River and explore under an Amazon rainforest-like canopy. Rent a bicycle and cruise the quiet streets of Palm Beach to see the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Swing by Worth Avenue for drinks, snacks and shopping at places frequented by celebrities,” Captain Dave suggested.

For all of it there are plenty of things to see and enjoy on land and sea. West Palm Beach has a modern international airport. Airlines offer competitive fares from major gateway cities. There is no need to travel to foreign destinations to enjoy world class diving and beautiful surroundings with plenty of exciting attractions for a well-rounded holiday.

For more information contact Captain David Brown at 352.636.8419 or visit his website at www.littledeepercharters.com, or contact Captain Craig Smart at 561.212.2954 or visit his website at www.idivestarfish.com.