With the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend under way, Sirena headed north out the inlet on our morning 8:30AM trip. Our first stop would be at Juno Ledges. Skimming across the glass-calm seas and clear skies was a real treat as we motored north. Along the way we would encounter numerous turtles at the surface. We were hopeful to come across many more during our dives.
The group began to descend on Juno Ledges. The current was moving a little more brisk than normal, but with miles of reef ahead of us, cruising at a moderate pace was easy. The group moved between the deeper ledge, which drops from 70 feet down to 90 feet, and the top ledge, in the 65 to 70 foot range. Both areas were covered with all sorts of marine life.
Green sea turtles and loggerheads would be seen throughout the dive. Numerous live whelks were strewn throughout one area of the reef along with countless conchs. Perhaps the beginning of a mollusk convention. Zipping in and out of view throughout the whole dive were countless Caribbean reef sharks.
For our second dive, Sirena headed south to Midreef. The hills and valley layout of this reef makes it a simple one to navigate with a strong current. Numerous loggerhead sea turtles were napping under the ledges. One small hawksbill sea turtle was busy looking for some delicious sponge to eat. It turned to look in my direction and stayed there staring. As I approached a little closer it turned completely towards me, turning its back to the current. When suddenly the current got caught under it and the turtle nearly did a headstand. It’s curiosity got the best of it as it stayed for a while staring straight into the glass dome reflection of my camera. So close, in fact, that its mouth was rubbing the glass. Very few wild animals in the natural world will allow such close encounter interactions. Just one of the many reasons why I love diving so much.
Throughout both dives we had 40-50 feet of visibility and 77 degree water temperature. While the current was a lot more brisk than normal, our long stretches of reefs and the many high profile ledges means that the current is of little concern while diving. Quite the opposite, at times, going on a little underwater magic carpet ride can be quite enjoyable.
Overall, it was another great day of diving in Palm Beach, Florida was a great group of divers at Pura Vida. We hope you will join us soon!
Prints of the following images are available. Please contact Laz at TheLivingSea.com.
