Summary of West Palm Beach Dive
     I've Dived and gone to Heaven !

There are no words to describe the true feeling of diving to those who has never done it.

Thursday 3/18/2004 Dive Site was Governor's Riverwalk. 3 to 4 foot sea swells.
Air Temp 75 degrees at beginning of dive at 10:30 AM. Water Temp at Max depth of 90 feet was 73 degrees.
Dive time was 20 minutes 10 seconds. Visibility was estimated at 80 feet at depth.
Booked two tank dive with Pura Vida although they chartered S.S. Minnow Dive Charters because Pura Vida boat was in for maintenance. Boat departed from Riviera Beach - Phil Foster Park on Singer Island.
Dove two wrecks, the Shasha Boekanier, known as the Shasha, a 184 foot coastal freighter and the 180 foot St. Jacques. Both ships were former drug smuggling vessels seized and intentionally sunk in 2002 off Palm Beach County.
As I first descended I noticed an underwater cloud was slowly parting below me, allowing me through. As I got closer I realized the cloud was actually a school of approximately 100 Baracuda creating a sea of silver. Excellent ship to explore, both in and around with an abundance of young growth and fish of varying sizes, shapes and colors.

Thursday 3/18/2004 Dive Site was Governor's Riverwalk. 3 to 4 foot sea swells.
Air Temp 70 degrees at beginning of dive at 11:57 AM. Water Temp at Max depth of 59 feet was 73 degrees.
Dive time was 26 minutes 20 seconds. Visibility was estimated at 70 feet at depth.
Dove Shipwreck known as the 60 foot Barge or "Toy Box" which is a 30 foot wide by 140 foot long Barge partially filled with large (4-8ft diam.) blocks of concrete rubble. The large concrete blocks have large deep spaces between them for the fish to hide. These large crevasses were extremely interesting peering into. Excellent young coral and brilliantly colored fish.

Sunday 3/21/2004 Dive Site was Teardrop Reef. 2 to 3 foot sea swells.
Air Temp 77 degrees at beginning of dive at 9:01 AM. Water Temp at Max depth of 54 feet was 75 degrees.
Dive time was 33 minutes 0 seconds. Visibility was estimated at 90 feet at depth.
Again booked two tank dive with Pura Vida although they again chartered S.S. Minnow Dive Charters. Saw many Sea fans, Barrel Sponges, a few Trumpet Fish, Logger Head Turtle 4 1/2 to 5 Foot diam, Spotted Moray Eel, Golden Spotted Moray Eel, Yellow Moray Eel, White Moray Eel, a few Sharpnose Pufferfish and a well camouflaged fish believe it was a Scorpionfish. Excellent old coral reef and abundant brilliantly colored fish of all shapes and sizes.

Sunday 3/21/2004 Dive Site was Breaker's Reef. 2 to 3 foot sea swells.
Air Temp 72 degrees at beginning of dive at 10:40 AM. Water Temp at Max depth of 61 feet was 75 degrees.
Dive time was 32 minutes 30 seconds. Visibility was estimated at 90 feet at depth.
Excellent old coral reef and brilliantly colored fish. About a dozen Bottlenose Dolphins rode the boats bow waves on the way in. Walked up to the bow and looked straight down on them. Amazing to watch them as they rode the waves only 4 to 5 feet from me.

S.S. Minnow Dive Charters invited me for another two tank dive beginning at 1:00 PM but I thought I should be getting back to the house. Should have gone because no dive boats went out during the next week due to high sea swells. Both Pura Vida and S.S. Minnow Dive Charters each had a Divemaster in the water on each dive. Each trip had about 8 divers. Some divers were collecting for aquarium species to sell and other divers were spearfishing and others were taking their advanced diving certification dives. Divemaster Susan from Pura Vida was locating and pointing out different creatures of interest. If not for her, I may have missed seeing the large turtle resting at a cleaning station on the bottom and the moray eels.

Good buoyancy with 28 Pounds. 5 pounds in each BC back and 9 pounds in each ditchable pocket.
Wearing my normal setup of 19cf pony tank and 7mm Farmer John wetsuit but did not wear hood.
Was using a rented Luxfer weight compensating 80cf aluminum tank. Normally wear 24 pounds in fresh water with my Catalina non weight compensating 80cf aluminum tank. Might be possible to drop to 26 or 27 pounds of weight in salt water. This was my first salt water diving and deep diving with direct vertical decent and ascent. I did real well ascending without the aid of an ascent line although I could work on holding a more constant 15 foot depth during the 3 minute safety stop.

Check out these web sites
Pura Vida
S.S. Minnow Dive Charters