Pompano Beach Ft Lauderdale area

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Rod - 12 May 2007 19:38 GMT

Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?

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Lee Bell - 13 May 2007 04:40 GMT

> Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?

It's been done a time or two . . . million.

Since this area is pretty well known for its diving, I assume there's more
to your question than meets the eye. Care to expand on your question?

There's some nice shore diving, primarily around Lauderdale by the Sea, some
decent deeper reefs, and lots of wrecks. There's a dive operator or shop
every few blocks. Much of the diving us locals do tends to be a bit further
north, up around Boynton, where the reefs have not been as heavily, or on
some of the newer wrecks in the Keys. There's only so many times you can
dive on local wrecks before you begin to wonder what it's like other places.

Lee

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Rod - 13 May 2007 14:23 GMT

>> Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
>Lee

The wife, a non diver, just informed me that her company has canceled
all vacations in Sept and Oct, so our plans for North Carolina in Oct
went down the dumper. She found some places in late August in the
lauderdale area and checked to see if we could use free air tickets to
get there, hence my questin about diving the area. How far a drive
would it be to get up to Boynton if I were based in Lauderdale ? I
have been to Florida a number of times, but have never dived there.

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El Stroko Guapo - 13 May 2007 15:58 GMT

> The wife, a non diver, just informed me that her company has canceled
> all vacations in Sept and Oct, so our plans for North Carolina in Oct
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> would it be to get up to Boynton if I were based in Lauderdale ? I
> have been to Florida a number of times, but have never dived there.

Depends on where you are in Ft. L. Once on I-95 it's about 25 minutes to
Boynton. If yer staying at the beach, it's prolly about the same just to
get out to I-95.

m

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Lee Bell - 13 May 2007 17:31 GMT

Ahhh, makes sense now.

South Florida diving, everything from West Palm Beach (north of Boynton), to
Key West, is about as good at it gets without leaving the continental US.

Boynton's about an hour up the road. Check with El Stroko Guapo to see who
the current favorite operator is.

The diving in the Ft. Lauderdale area is pretty nice for those that haven't
been diving here forever, particularly those that don't get to see reefs or
wrecks in salt water very often. You can pretty much pick your sight by
calling around to the local shops. As many shops as there are, somebody's
bound to be going somewhere you'll like.

Most boats in both areas do two, two tank trips a day, one leaving around
8:00 AM, the other leaving sometime between noon and 1:00 PM. Prices run
somewhere around $50 a trip, give or take a bit, if you have your own
equipment. These days, most are probably a bit higher.

Lee

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Grumman-581 - 13 May 2007 20:17 GMT

> Boynton's about an hour up the road. Check with El Stroko Guapo to see who
> the current favorite operator is.

I kind of like Dixie Divers... Nothing really special about them, but
I figure that a company that is politically incorrect enough to use
the Confederate flag in their ads is my kind of shop...

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El Stroko Guapo - 13 May 2007 20:58 GMT

>>Boynton's about an hour up the road. Check with El Stroko Guapo to see who
>>the current favorite operator is.
>
> I kind of like Dixie Divers... Nothing really special about them, but
> I figure that a company that is politically incorrect enough to use
> the Confederate flag in their ads is my kind of shop...

Dixie Divers (the chain) went bankrupt a couple years ago. There is
still one shop, I think, using the name.

Pretty much all the operators up here are good. My favorites are:

Underwater Explorer, 6-pack, just sold by Richard to Kevin, former DM on
SplashDown, 561-577-3326 and operating from the same old slip at SeaMist
marina;

Starfish Enterprize, just a few miles north in Lantana behind the Old
Key Lime House on Ocean Blvd, 561-212-2954.

esg

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Grumman-581 - 13 May 2007 21:25 GMT

> Dixie Divers (the chain) went bankrupt a couple years ago. There is
> still one shop, I think, using the name.

I only encountered one shop when I was down there last... I think the
owner is from Brazil, IIRC...

Nothing fancy... Transportation to the reefs / wrecks... No problem with
you diving solo...

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Al Wells - 13 May 2007 23:04 GMT

> Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?

The boynton reef is the nicest, but there is some really good diving
from Pompano Beach too. I like Conrad Nix on Miss Conduct
http://missconduct.tripod.com/# Call him on the phone; he isn't the best
at emails.

In Boynton, I go with ESG's recommendations

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Lee Bell - 13 May 2007 23:57 GMT

> I like Conrad Nix on Miss Conduct http://missconduct.tripod.com/# Call him
> on the phone; he isn't the best
> at emails.

Conrad is an urban legend. I tried to book with him three times and the
trip was called off each time. I've never laid eyes on the man and, when I
checked on Snopes, they didn't have any information on him. He must not be
real.

> In Boynton, I go with ESG's recommendations

In Boynton, I dive with ESG, making it important for me to accept his
choice. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip out of Boynton. Leo Sand is
as good a captain as I know. Lynn always treated me well, even when she was
at her grumpiest, and Loggerhead did just fine the one time I went out with
them. 3 for 3 out of the Sea Mist Marina.

Lee

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JOF - 14 May 2007 01:02 GMT

> > I like Conrad Nix on Miss Conducthttp://missconduct.tripod.com/#Call him
> > on the phone; he isn't the best
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> checked on Snopes, they didn't have any information on him. He must not be
> real.

Then you've missed his Petafile dives.

JF

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Limey - 14 May 2007 03:59 GMT

>> > I like Conrad Nix on Miss Conducthttp://missconduct.tripod.com/#Call
>> > him
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Then you've missed his Petafile dives.

Prevert!

Answer yer damn emails willya? Or at least, tell yer wife to.

LD.

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Al Wells - 14 May 2007 02:03 GMT

> Conrad is an urban legend. I tried to book with him three times and the
> trip was called off each time. I've never laid eyes on the man and, when I
> checked on Snopes, they didn't have any information on him. He must not be
> real.

I get to Pompano Beach to dive with him every time I go to SoFL. His
drops are perfect, every time.

> In Boynton, I dive with ESG, making it important for me to accept his
> choice. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip out of Boynton. Leo Sand is
> as good a captain as I know. Lynn always treated me well, even when she was
> at her grumpiest, and Loggerhead did just fine the one time I went out with
> them. 3 for 3 out of the Sea Mist Marina.

I haven't been out with Leo, but I too have been treated very well by
Lynn and the guys on Loggerhead. I also never got out with the ladies
with sensible shoes before they sold their boat, but they operated the
same way the other Boynton boats do.

The Starfish Enterprise boat is good too. We did some dives with ESG
with them, and George M and I also used them for the SkyeCliff.

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Lee Bell - 14 May 2007 15:03 GMT

>> Conrad is an urban legend. I tried to book with him three times and the
>> trip was called off each time. I've never laid eyes on the man and, when
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> I get to Pompano Beach to dive with him every time I go to SoFL. His
> drops are perfect, every time.

It's easy for imaginary people to be perfect.

Every time I've tried to book with Conrad, something came up to prevent the
dive. Mechanical difficulties, rain, lightening, always something. He must
be mythical.

> The Starfish Enterprise boat is good too. We did some dives with ESG
> with them, and George M and I also used them for the SkyeCliff.

Good to know.

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Limey - 14 May 2007 03:58 GMT

>> I like Conrad Nix on Miss Conduct http://missconduct.tripod.com/# Call
>> him on the phone; he isn't the best
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> she was at her grumpiest, and Loggerhead did just fine the one time I went
> out with them. 3 for 3 out of the Sea Mist Marina.

Conrad is a good call for anyone who wants a *fun* six-pack in that area.
I have lived in Pompano for over 12 years and there's no-one I can recommend
above him.

Limey.

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George Cathcart - 14 May 2007 02:44 GMT

> Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?

I dove two weeks ago with ScubaTyme out of Pompano Beach. Excellent
boat and crew, based in the Sands Harbor Marina. We stayed at the
Sands Harbor Hotel, so we didn't even rent a car, just rolled out of
the room down to the boat each day. Plenty of restaurants and shops in
walking distance, and the beach is two blocks away for the non-diver.

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Rod - 15 May 2007 01:46 GMT

Thanks folks, I'll chime back in when I actually see that air line
ticketsOn 13 May 2007 18:44:29 -0700, George Cathcart
<george.cathcart@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Is there any chance at diving in the Lauderdal area ?
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>the room down to the boat each day. Plenty of restaurants and shops in
>walking distance, and the beach is two blocks away for the non-diver.

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