West Palm Beach, 1999
Author: Sully

Posted by Sully on September 07, 1999 at 09:58:52:

I'm sure there's no need to convince all of you, but diving is just the greatest! When you are geared-up and ready to giant-stride or back-roll off the boat, you never really know what to expect or what you will see. My recent, brief trip to West Palm Beach had no shortage of excitement and surprises, leaving me with that well-known longing for the next dive, whenever and wherever that might be.

Dive Operator

For this trip I selected Coral Island Charters (CIC), a decision based primarily on recommendations from this forum, but also based on their responsiveness to my numerous requests for info. CIC advertises "tuxedo level service", and while that may be a bit of a stretch, their operation has many excellent amenities. There are also some important areas of their operation that I feel can be improved (more later).

Logistics

We arrived at the marina an hour before the scheduled departure time. A CIC staffer helped us unload our gear and directed me to park our car in a secure lot ¼ mile away. After filling out releases we were permitted to board the new, 46 ft. Coral Palm, a superbly designed and equipped dive boat. Before departure we were given a thorough briefing of emergency procedures and equipment aboard the boat which included an EPIRB, raft, life vests, fire extinguishers and Halon system, O2 and backboard. Additionally, both dive masters were licensed EMT's. Amenities included a large restroom, upper and lower deck seating with shaded areas, hot/cold showers with shampoo and sunscreen, towels, iced water, beverages, fruit, cookies, and pretzels. The boat is configured with handrails running down the center of the main deck (for ease of shuffling in your fins) and multiple hand-holds at the rear dive platform used mostly while re-boarding the boat.

Approximately 15 minutes before arriving at the dive site, one of the dive masters presents a thorough dive briefing which includes a general sketch of the site and important directional landmarks. They also give specific instructions for water entry and exits. Since West Palm Beach diving is strictly drift diving, it's important to enter the water as quickly as possible and descend immediately or risk missing the site entirely. Actually, the dive master enters first and carries a reel and float ball that is used as a marker for the boat captain. When the captain yells "Dive, Dive, Dive" everyone shuffles to the end of the boat and enters the water. After each dive a roll call is done to make sure everyone is on-board.

So far, so good. Right? Well, the next item is where I felt that CIC was less than stellar. On the ride out to the first dive site I discussed my need for a buddy with the 2 dive masters. Although my wife (regular buddy) was on-board, she currently has a little diver of her own on-board which made her a sightseer and snorkeler on this trip. Anyway, I was surprised to learn that neither dive master was interested in being my buddy, but they asked a group of 4 other divers whether I could tag along with them. Since they welcomed me eagerly, I figured that was ok for me even though I didn't really have one assigned buddy. This seeming lack of interest in me as a single diver was repeated by the dive masters on each of my 4 dives. I ended up seeking out my own buddy each time. Now, I don't necessarily need a dive master to find me a buddy, but I just thought it odd that they were not willing to buddy-up with me especially when everyone else was already buddied-up and I was really a 3rd wheel.

The dive masters basically did their own thing in the water. Once we jumped in, we were on our own. That was ok for me and some others, but there were a few divers doing their first ocean dives and they could have used some assistance while they were struggling to descend or trying to stay neutral. At the very least they should have been watched. After all, the current was ripping pretty good and the vis was not superb. Let's face it, new divers need to be watched. On past trips, dive masters have always been available to point out critters and give directional help, but on this trip we did not see the dive masters until we were back on the boat. Again, I believe that a hands-off attitude is fine for more advanced divers, but not necessarily appropriate for all divers.

The Dives

Day 1, Dive 1

The first dive was at "Double Ledges" where, as it turned out, the current was quite strong. As I was getting ready to giant-stride into the water I could see the other divers drifting away at a pretty good pace. The diver in front of me delayed a bit before jumping so by the time I entered the water my 4 buddies were nowhere to be found (vis at the surface was poor). I descended to the reef anyway (85') and found 2 other divers and decided to hang near them. I was immediately surprised by the large variety of fish that I encountered, both large and small. I even had my first shark encounter when a 4' gray reef shark swam directly at me and only veered off when he got to within an arms length of me. I also saw a huge, lone barracuda cruising over the reef and another large shark cruising nearby. I really enjoyed the safety stop in the brisk current because it made me feel like an untethered spacewalker as I flew quickly over the reef below. I learned later that my original buddies were delayed near the surface because one of them had trouble descending.

Day 1, Dive 2

The second dive was at the beautiful Breaker's Reef (55'). Because of the shallower depth, the vis was much better and it was easier to stay together as a group. The current was still quite strong as we drifted over soft corals and through large schools of snapper, grunts, porkfish and other reef creatures. Near the end of the dive I was too busy snapping pictures and suddenly found myself alone again. Knowing I was risking the wrath of my permanent buddy waiting topside, I aborted the dive. I did my safety stop in virtual darkness this time, flying over a seemingly endless sand plateau all the time wondering where the current was pushing me, but still enjoying the ride. At about 10' I could see 2 other divers so I ascended slowly with them. My wife was not pleased to see me surface without my assigned buddies again, so I had to promise to be more careful. Ah shucks!

Notes from Day 1

My wife had paid $10 to rent a snorkel vest which had a leak. There were no replacements. Snorkeling was not possible (due to vis) anyway, so we didn't make a big deal of it. I guess we could have asked for our $10 back, but it wasn't a big deal. Also, we were scheduled to do a 2-tank dive (out of 3) and it was explained to us that the boat would drop us off before going out again for the 3rd dive. Well, the crew claimed no knowledge of this and ended up having to secure a ride for us at a nearby marina. I called CIC about this and they claimed that our 2-tank dive was clearly marked on the crew's manifest and they apologized for the mixup. Again, no big deal but I didn't want a repeat on the 2nd dive day.

Day 2, Dive 1

Upon boarding the boat I immediately secured a buddy (as per my agreement with my wife) for the day. We listened to a thorough briefing of Paul's Reef (70'), but after entering the water it was clear that they dropped us in the wrong location. We headed north as instructed and found a small patch of reef that held some initial promise (2 medium-sized morays and some large barracuda). However, a few minutes into the dive while I was pointing out an eel to the other divers, I realized that I had not properly secured my camera to my wrist because it was NO LONGER THERE! I looked up and saw my camera and strobe rising quickly to the surface in a column of my own bubbles (&%^*#!!). I guess it's time to get those counter-weights! I signaled my buddies that I had to surface and by that time I could no longer see the camera. As I did a slow ascent I figured I had seen the last of my camera and that the boat would be nowhere in sight. As I surfaced and spun around I saw my strobe bobbing just 200 yards away. Score! I could also see the boat in the distance, so I signaled it with my Dive Alert (thanks hon!). Hey, a lost dive maybe, but some $$$ saved.

Day 2, Dive 2

My last dive was at Moray Alley (60'). After securing my camera (duh!), we descended to another pretty reef where we immediately saw 2 small rays and a very large green moray. Later in the dive I found 2 lobster and pointed them out (with mixed feelings) to 2 bug-catchers in our group. This very nice dive ended with the sad realization that I was done diving for at least a few months. It's a tough life!

Summary

I really enjoyed diving West Palm Beach and my first real drift diving. The vis was not as good as I had hoped (~30'), but the water was deliciously warm (~84F). I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and abundance of fish and I definitely plan on returning some day. As for CIC, they get excellent grades topside, but poor grades in the water. I know that many divers want less interference from dive masters, but under certain circumstances I feel that their assistance is desired, if not required. For comparison sake I will probably use another charter when I visit WPB again, but I certainly don't rule out using CIC again in the future.

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Last edited on June 29, 2002