JANUARY 15, 2011

DIVE REPORT — WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA (double click on white box in upper right corner for better pic and read; all rights reserved):

Great diving today in West Palm Beach.  The seas were relatively flat, probably no more than 1 foot; the water warmed from last week to 72 degrees; the visibility was easily 80 to 100 feet of particle free water; and, there was no current.  We actually would have preferred a nice current so that we would not have had to kick constantly.

We headed south to the shallow reefs; on the way there the Spinner Sharks put on a little show — they have defintely arrived in Palm Beach County.

Turtles were everywhere!  Mating season is only weeks away and they are starting to arrive.  We did two dives and easily saw 20 turtles — most were Loggerheads, but also saw Greens and Hawksbills.

Nurse Sharks were also abundant — at least 8 to 10 on the two dives.  We are starting to see more and more Nurse Sharks in the early part of the year.  Not sure why that is; but, they are pretty skiddish.

Of course, Lionfish were everywhere also; we easily saw 20 of them on two dives.  One of the most beautiful fish on the reef.

Again, a great day of winter diving in West Palm Beach.