(Some fish are so
lazy! Slipstream riders.)
LEMON SHARK DIVE IN
JUPITER ! ! !
Time to go
see the lemon sharks . . .
Syd and I
are planning on a dive to go see the lemon sharks on the Atlantic side.
This will
be a two day dive. You can dive either or both days, your choice. I suggest you
try to do both trips and get the most for the drive over, etc.
DATES:
Sat. Feb 23rd
Dive boat
leaves the dock at 1pm SHARP. Need to get to Jupiter Dive Center NO LATER than
noon.
This will
be a two tank trip, returning about 5:00pm
Sun. Feb 24th
Dive boat
leave at 9:00AM SHARP. Need to be at the dive center no later than 8:30, 8:00am
is suggested
Syd and I
will drive to Jupiter on Sat morning, arriving at the dive center at noon. We
ill depart Jupiter about 1pm on Sunday.
COST:
You can
just dive one day if you want! And while you don’t have to stay the night, etc
if you don’t want to, but it is recommended. It’s a LONG day to go there and
back in one day, but it can be done.
Each two
tank trip on Sat or Sun is $60 per diver.
Tank
rentals (Air and EAN) are available at the shop. (Their default EAN fills are
36% as I recall.) It’s about $15 a tank as I recall, so each trip would also
have $20 - $30 of fill fees.
If you need
to rent equipment, contact the dive center for prices. If you are diving both
days, tell them – they may give you a discount, etc.
Operator:
http://www.jupiterdivecenter.com/
We have
been with them twice, they have good boats, very good staff and reasonable
prices.
Lodging:
We normally
stay at the Jupiter La Quinta. It is about 1 mile
away from the dive center. They have a free light continental breakfast and
free wireless.
http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.do?ident=LQ6109&propId=6109
I HIGHLY
suggest you book your room asap.
A double
room is going to be about $130, so about $65 a piece if you share.
(Rooms in
Jupiter are not too cheap, it’s an expensive town for a room. This place is the
closest and it’s clean, etc.)
DIVE DATA:
Syd and I
will be conducting a scientific dive to determine if lemon sharks actually
taste like lemons. Our methodology with be to entice the sharks to come within
contact range using a bag of limes (law of attraction.) We will use a mass of
limes equal to the square of the weight of a mature lemon shark – the attraction
of the limes should extend in a radius following the inverse square law. Any
lemon shark within that proximity will be unable to resist and will be drawn to
the limes.
In addition
to seeing lemon sharks, expect to explore some ledges having a profile of approx.
6’ to 20’. We usually parallel these ledges and there is a very respectable
quantity of tropicals, hard and soft corals and a
good density of marine life. Last time we also saw lobsters, a good sized sea
turtle and several moray eels.
Water temp,
expect low 70s.
There may
be strong current, not too bad on the bottom though.
NOTE – IMPORTANT: Be prepared for a FAST boat exit. Have all gear ready. Think of a TV
show of a military team entering the water – be prepared for that speed of
entrance. If there is strong current there may be additional fast-entry
procedures.
These will
be boat dives in depths to approx. 80 feet. Nitrox is going to be preferred.
Other wise your dive time will be limited to :20 to :30.
There will
be a dive master / guide in the water with us. The two previous guides have
done a fantastic job pointing out things to see.
Boats will
carry either 20 or 15 divers, depending on which boat we are on. Expect them to
be full.
CONCLUSION:
Total cost for all four dives and your share
of a room should be $200 - $250 – this is
a great price for four dives. (This will not include any equipment rental)
Leat me
know ASAP if you can go.
I want to
get a head count and get our spots reserved ASAP.
If you just
want to dive one day and save about $70 it is still worth the trip. If you can
afford both days, that is the way to go.
If you want
me to take gear in my truck I am happy to. You can give it to me at work on Friday
Feb 22nd.
I am friendly and will not eat you.