Join us off West Palm Beach, Florida – May 17-19, 2024
Why West Palm?
It’s turtle season!! During this time, thousands of turtles flock to the area to nest. Four of the world’s seven species of sea turtles visit the area- green, hawksbill, loggerhead, and the colossus of them all, the giant leatherback which can grow to 1,300 pounds. It isn’t uncommon to see dozens of turtles per dive and the reported maximum is 53 sea turtles on ONE dive!
Furthermore, West Palm Beach is home to the Blue Heron Bridge. This unassuming structure has been ranked as one of the best dive sites in the world! Infamous for tiny critters and unique marine life, search for seahorses, pipefish, frogfish, batfish, stargazers, and over 100 different species of nudibranchs, as we drift along its pillars.
Offshore, reefs and wrecks provide homes to hundreds of species of fish, moray eels, turtles, and sharks. Here, the Gulf Stream Current flows nice and close, bringing clear warm water with it. The reefs are relatively shallow, meaning no long boat rides out! Along Riviera Beach, the prevailing current typically runs parallel to the coastline and provides great opportunities to go with the flow on a drift dive.
Travel Plans
Join us for 4 boat dives with The Kyalami Scuba Club as we explore offshore! We will also do a fifth dive under the popular Blue Heron Bridge. If you’re interested in continuing education, consider adding on a Nitrox class or your Advanced Open Water Certification.
For this trip, we’ve booked a vacation home just blocks from the harbor. Our home for the weekend has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and plenty of space to socialize in the family room and on the patio. We have two king beds perfect for couples and 2 queen beds which are great for single divers! If you are a single diver we will do our best to help find you a compatible & like-gendered person to buddy up with. You never know… you may find a future best friend!
Itinerary
Friday, May 17 2024
- 5:00 pm: Check into our vacation home
- Meet your new travel companions, soak in the beach, and grab some dinner.
- Go over the paperwork and knowledge reviews (PADI Courses only)
- Remember that we’ll be diving early the next morning. Make sure to stay hydrated, limit any alcohol consumption, and get a good night’s rest. If you tend to get seasick, I highly recommend taking a Dramamine the night before.
Saturday, May 18 2024
- 6:45 am: Drive to the harbor. The boat departs at 8:00 but they want us there early.
- 8:00 am: Board the Kyalami Too for 2 Dives – sites will vary with conditions
- 12:00 pm: Arrive on shore! Refuel and take a nice surface interval before our dive on the Blue Heron Bridge.
- 6:30 pm: Enjoy a guided night dive of Blue Heron Bridge
- Remember that we’ll be diving early the next morning. Make sure to stay hydrated, limit any alcohol consumption, and get a good night’s rest. If you tend to get seasick, I highly recommend taking a Dramamine the night before.
Sunday, May 19 2024
- 6:45 am: Drive to the harbor. The boat departs at 8:00 but they want us there early.
- 8:00 am: Board the Kyalami Too for 2 Dives – sites will vary with conditions
- 12:00 pm: Arrive on shore! Enjoy a group lunch before hitting the road.
Price List:
All rooms listed below are for double occupancy in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath vacation home. The house is designed to sleep 11 adults however there will only be a maximum of 7 of us.
- 1 king bed in the primary bedroom ($699 pp / double occupancy or $999 pp / single occupancy)
- 1 king bed in the secondary bedroom ($649 pp / double occupancy)
- 1 queen bed in the secondary bedroom ($649 pp / double occupancy)
Book your dive today to secure your spot!
Includes:
- 2 nights accommodation (double occupancy in 3 bedroom home)
- 5 dives
- snacks and drinks on the boat
Does not include:
- Transportation to West Palm Beach, Florida
- Tanks or any other rental equipment
- Nitrox Tank Rental: additional 85$ for 5 dives
- Air Tank Rental: additional 65$ for 5 dives
- Any additional instruction fees
- Food and drinks
Terms:
- 50% deposit due at booking
- Balance due by April 30, 2024
- If you need to reschedule before April 30, 2024, you will be subject to a $100 rescheduling fee and will receive credit for a future trip. After April 30, 2024, we will not be able to issue any credits or refunds, as we need a total of 6 divers to maintain the wholesale rates we secured for this trip. However, we will work diligently to help you find a diver to cover your spot. If we do find a replacement diver, you’ll be able to reapply your payment on a future trip and a $100 rescheduling fee will apply. If you are concerned with this I recommend looking into travel insurance.
Possible PADI Add-ons:
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver ($244)
- Advanced Open Water Diver ($389)
- Advanced Open Water with Nitrox ($608 – save $25!)
All PADI classes will be conducted under First Coast Divers. If you are interested in signing up, click on the link above, call the shop at 904-737-0050, or email contact@firstcoastdivers.com. Make sure to let them know you’re on the Singer Island trip! Please be aware that the Enriched Air Specialty Diver course is NOT an in-water course, but we will teach you how to safely breathe Nitrox. There is an additional fee for Nitrox tanks.
This trip is likely to sell out – click here to secure your spot today!
Requirements:
- Must have been diving at least once in the last year.
- If you are not Nitrox certified, the charter regulates your bottom time to 30 minutes maximum. I highly recommend getting your Enriched Air Certification before this trip.
- Dive Accident Insurance. I recommend enrolling with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) for a Regular Individual Membership ($40/year) and Master Insurance Coverage ($44/year), at minimum. Make sure to enroll in a policy that provides coverage for dive accident insurance. DAN also offers travel insurance which is not required but highly encouraged.
- Gear: tanks, ~10% of body weight in dive weights, BCD, regulator with alternative second stage, pressure gauge or air-integrated computer, timekeeper, fins & booties, mask & snorkel, a surface marker buoy and a primary and secondary dive light for our night dives.
- AOW students will need a dive knife and compass.
