Dive Trip Report to:
Dania Beach - EuroJacks
Purpose:
To
Beach Dive Florida
for old wrecks, cannon, ships, bugs etc!
Dive #: 1
Sunday, 20-Aug, Morning Dive. My Dive # 328
A. Dive Boat / Location:
Beach Dive - Dania Beach
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
30 ft on the jacks, 40 ft on the reef line
Seas:
Flat to 6 inches
Water Temp:
84 deg (use a skin and a shortie)
Skies:
Typical Florida Sunny Clear Blue Skies!!
Air Temp:
80's to low 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 23 ft for 1 hr 12 min
Air consumption:
Me: 3200 lb to 700 lb, 80 cu ft air [21% NITROX]
Current: Nil
Description:
Well this dive was highly recommended by Janel's Dive Group. It's a 2 1/2 hour
drive from Melbourne to just south of Lauderdale Airport. The park is a big
park - but the parking situation is not clearly marked. You can't leave your
car at the end near the pier! That cost me a $15 parking ticket. The pier
does have a rest room - port-a-pottie. The showers down from the pier are not
fit for human use!
From our parking spot, it was a 100 ft walk to the water. You had to walk up 200 ft before you entered the water (Dania Pier Regulations). We then swam on our backs with inflated BC's north about 400 yards. This was equivalent to swimming to the 3rd reef at Pepper Park. Opposite a dead tree, the man made reef line started. It consists of cement jacks about 4 ft high in 15 ft of water. This line of jacks extends about 400 ft out into the ocean. There are some fish - not as many as seen on say a Breakers Dive. But, the snorkeler's could see the reef and the life! We did see one big (a dozen) school of spade fish and a group of big angels.
At the end of the man made jack line (east end), the 1st reef started. This reef went down to 20 ft. It had some ledges, not as many or as big as in Pepper Park. Over a 50 ft distance the reef line went from 15 ft to 23 ft, the deeper on the inland side. No bugs. We did see one turtle about 1 1/2 ft long. We progressed south along this reef line till we were equal to the pier. We were about twice the distance out as the pier is long. From here we started back in and surfaced about mid pier line. It was an interesting and pretty dive. Vis was great, water temp good and overall conditions OK.
One snorkeler decided to walk down the beach (north). She was approached by a male and told that this part of the beach was a male beach! Yep - fag-it-hang-out! Bobbie and Tiffeny were welcomed to their first Bacardi Limon Beach Dive in the traditional method!