West Palm Beach Advanced Trip

This trip is designed for divers completing their Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox) and Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty courses and for advanced divers diving for fun. To participate in this trip you must be an Advanced Open Water Student or hold an Advanced Open Water rating and Enriched Air (Nitrox) certifcation.

Remember that you must have Divers Alert Network (DAN) Dive Accident Insurance. I also highly recommend dive travel insurance, which can be purchased from DAN or Dive Assure.

Sign-up: Coming Soon!

• 7 dives (see Itinerary for details)
• 2 nights at the Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront/Palm Beaches Resort
• Tanks and weights
• All scuba equipment for ProST and GT Scuba students
• Equipment rental for divers who aren't ProST or GT students: 20% discount from Pura Vida Divers or weekend-long full package from ProST for $75

The coral reefs in south Florida are as nice as Key Largo's but tend to have more large marine life such as sea turtles, rays, and sharks. The gulf stream current runs close to the south Florida coast so all of the boat diving is drift diving, in which the boat drops divers at the south end of a dive site and picks them up wherever they drift to at the end of their dives. While the entry can seem rushed sometimes, the diving is relaxed. You just float in the current until you reach your bingo air, ascend, and the boat comes to pick you up -- no navigating, no fighting the current.

While the drift diving is great, perhaps West Palm Beach's greatest attraction is The Blue Heron Bridge. The Blue Heron Bridge offers an easy walk-in shore dive with no current (if you time the tides right) and amazing sea life. On an Open Water certification trip we do the first three certification dives at the Blue Heron Bridge, the last certification dive on a drift diving boat, then take one more boat trip for additional experience and a chance to see reef sharks, turtles, wrecks, or more coral reefs depending on your preferences.

Day 1, Friday:

• Arrive and check-in at hotel (may also do after dives)
• Arrive at Pura Vida Divers by 3:00 PM to pick up tanks for Blue Heron Bridge
• Navigation, Search and Recovery adventure dives at Blue Heron Bridge

Day 2, Saturday:

• Morning two-dive boat charter for Deep and Peak Performance Buoyancy adventure dives
• Night adventure dive with Pura Vida Divers' group night dive at Blue Heron Bridge

Day 3, Sunday:

• Morning two-dive boat charter for Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty dive