561 replies to this topic

[PerroneFord]

and, as was posted earlier, you can't DIVE with the manatee, you can only snorkel with them. the bubbles & sounds of dive gear will scare them, and since they are still a protected species, they are very cautious about anything that will harm them, which includes spooking them from their refuge location.


kelly

Sounds like a great rebreather opportunity. Norm, think I can go from OW to Rebreather in 2 months? LOL!

[scubagalpal]

I've been diving with a group in Jupiter, Blue Tang, who is great to dive with. Very accommodating. May be we could get that in one month. Suprisingly, despite diving in FL for many, many years, I've never done the manatee dive, so if that happens, I'm in. It'll give me a chance to meet some of you all.

[annasea]

Greetings scubagalpal,

Seeing as this is your first post... to SD!

The February Dive of the Month has been arranged. See details HERE.

[Marvel]

I have heard Boyton Beach and WPB has very good diving. The best time to go I have heard (water the calmest) is in March or April?....But the water is a little cool?.....What is June like?

Just checked my logs- no dives up that way in June- one in mid-March in Boynton. Water temp was 71 degrees. By June, the water temps here in Ft Lauderdale (30 miles south of WPB) are in the low to mid 80's. I'm thinking of diving in Jupiter tomorrow- I expect low 70's but there is the hope of Lemon Sharks to compensate....

[Latitude Adjustment]

Marvel, I was just reading a Lemon dive report on D2D, JDC had 7' swells and moved in closer to shore but the diving was still "crap". Good luck!

[Marvel]

Marvel, I was just reading a Lemon dive report on D2D, JDC had 7' swells and moved in closer to shore but the diving was still "crap". Good luck!

Yeah, wound up getting called 'cause of low viz. I did a dive in my side yard on Monday & the best visability was 3 ft. Mostly around 1 1/2 ft & COLD! 70 degrees. Only stayed down for a total of 37 minutes.

[Latitude Adjustment]

Well that's normal NJ beach dive vis and about thirty minutes longer than I could have dove wet up here, I'll take your side yard anytime beautiful.

[sunshinediver]

Everyone, I have no idea where you are getting your misinformation about DIVING with the manatees. I just came back from diving with them at Crystal River, and there were plenty of other divers there as well. There are "manatee police" in kayaks there who make sure that there is nobody doing anything illegal. Yes, there are protected areas where manatees can get away from snorkellers and SCUBA divers, but there are plenty of opportunities to SCUBA dive with them, and I have never seen any "cautious" manatees who were afraid of my SCUBA bubbles- despite snorkel tour operators who may tell you otherwise. Of course you cannot harass them, get between mother and calf, chase, them, etc. But they will come to you if you are diving.

Today we rented a pontoon boat from the Port Hotel & Marina. You got it right that this is an EXCELLENT operation, right there within plain view of one of the springs (King's Spring) where the manatees like to hang out. They make you view an 11-minute video before you rent their pontoon boats, and it explains why and how these amazing creatures are protected. It also tells you things to look for as you are making your way through the waters- which most of us locals are quite familiar with seeing- that indicate manatees are nearby.

Though we heard reports from other divers of 78 degree waters, my gauge registered 75 degrees...not too bad for this time of year in Florida. Air temps were about the same, though a late day storm dropped the temps to upper 60s by the time we were done.

After having some wonderful encounters with dozens of manatees lasting about an hour at King's Spring (maximum depth we reached outside the cavern was just 28 feet), we made our way down to Three Sisters, a short boat ride with views of gorgeous wildlife along the way (watch out for manatees swimming the same route!). Three Sisters was less crowded and was packed with manatees. Visibility at King's Spring started out pretty bad due to some rookie divers packed in like sardines, but it improved to about 20-25' pretty quickly and provided many great views of the manatees. One big guy was especially friendly to all the divers, beckoning them to scratch his tummy then rolling in pleasure after any encounter. Visibility at Three Sisters was as far as the eye could see...gorgeous and clear. Manatees were seen from the boat all around the springs, and lots of kayakers and snorkellers were also having great encounters- as were more SCUBA divers.

The only downside of the day was eating at the Ale House located at the marina. Food took a long time, wasn't that good, and didn't compare to other local spots with great seafood. I won't be able to join you guys when you are here in Florida, but I highly, highly recommend SCUBA diving instead of just snorkelling. One of my favorite things to do is to hang out on the bottom of the river and watch the manatees sleep! You just can't do that unless you are SCUBA diving.

Edited by sunshinediver, 29 January 2006 - 07:28 PM.

[ScubaPunk]

Thank you Sunshine. That is good news. I would much prefer scuba to snorkeling. Wish you could join us, but we will be making frequent trips to Florida, so maybe you can join the trip next month.

[sunshinediver]

Thank you Sunshine. That is good news. I would much prefer scuba to snorkeling. Wish you could join us, but we will be making frequent trips to Florida, so maybe you can join the trip next month.

I wish I could join you when you are here next month, but I already have a dive planned at Morrison Springs that weekend. I will be watching for your next visit to Florida and really look forward to meeting you, hopefully soon! In the meantime, enjoy SCUBA diving with those amazing manatees.

[SeaKat]

Swimming with manatees is allowed..but most reputable dive ops in the area will not take you in SCUBA with these mammals, for all the reasons anyone could guess. But diving with them isn't necessary anyway, since the best place to view them, up close and personal, is in the relative shallows, where, if unmolested, they will swim right up to you to interact with you: allow you to scratch their chins, under their flippers, etc. SCUBA with the manatees isn't "legal", and as much as I'd love to do it, and fancy myself a person who respects, and protects the underwater environment, we all know those who would take advantage of the situation, to the manatees' disadvantage. They are gentle, approachable, slow moving animals that are easily harrassed, injured, and snorkeling with them is sufficient to interact in a manner that is comfortable both both our species.
Have fun with them, y'all...they're marvelous. And if you are most fortunate, the 1200 pound "baby" we saw last time at Crystal River will spend as much time with you as your dive operator allows. :-)
SeaKat

[SeaKat]

thx for the links. I've gone with Birds before, bought gear at Am Pro, so I'm acquainted with several shops. This time I just took a John boat and explored on my own. I'm ready to get wet again, I really love this sport! I just need a dive buddy!

Hey HFish! I took a cavern cert. and one of my manatee trips with Birds Underwater...(is Rudy still instructing?)...great shop......also took a trip with American Pro......I"m getting spoiled, however, living here in Paradise now for a year.....got most of my training in cold, cold water..but now I'm a real wimp...I wait for warmer months/water to dive....how quickly we forget...lol
SeaKat (Ft. Myers area)

[surgeondress]

Has anyone come up with a March, April, May dive of the month plan for Florida?
chris dress

[annasea]

Has anyone come up with a March, April, May dive of the month plan for Florida?
chris dress

There's a THREAD for March, but not much info as of yet. Feel free to make a suggestion though!

For further updates, dives and Happy Hour information (we now have a HH Planner in Ft Myers, FL), check out the Upcoming SD Events, Happy Hours & Functions Details forum.

[sunshinediver]

I haven't been on this forum in quite a while, but all the links redirect you right back to the main page. Does anyone know of an April dive planned in Florida? I've been diving almost every weekend. I will be at Jackson Blue and Peacock Springs this weekend, then Panama City next weekend. Anyone else in FL diving in central, north, or west Florida?

Has anyone come up with a March, April, May dive of the month plan for Florida?
chris dress

There's a THREAD for March, but not much info as of yet. Feel free to make a suggestion though!

For further updates, dives and Happy Hour information (we now have a HH Planner in Ft Myers, FL), check out the Upcoming SD Events, Happy Hours & Functions Details forum.