S.E. Florida shore dive sites.
Oakland Park Blvd, Vista View Park
Oakland Park Blvd this nice little reef site at Vista View Park. Take A1A South from Oakland Park blvd until you get to NE 27th St. go East to N. Atlantic Blvd. Then turn North and a little way up on your right there is metered parking for the park. The entry is right there and goes out to a patch reef from 9ft to 18ft as you swim East. Lots of soft corals are here and many juvenile species hide from predators here. Park is open from 8am to 8pm. You’ll need your dive flag, no lifeguards.
Copenhagen Wreck
The Copenhagen is just East of The Sea Watch Restaurant in Lauderdale by the Sea. Unfortunately, there is no ideal place to park close to Sea Watch so you may have to get creative if you want to kayak to the wreck.
The closest public access is at Pine Avenue and El Mar Drive which is roughly ½ mile South of the Copenhagen. Pine Avenue runs alongside the Publix Supermarket in the Sea Ranch Plaza on A1A. I think you can launch a kayak from there but I am not 100% sure. There are no parking meters at El Mar & Pine so you may have to drop your kayak and gear off and park a bit South on El Mar Drive near Washingtonia (you could try launching here too but it is a longer paddle) then walk back. Another difficulty is that it is all metered parking on El Mar Drive so you will have a 2 hour limit before your time expires on the meter.
I am not advising that you do this but I see people park at the Sea Ranch Plaza parking lot and walk to the beach all the time. I have never seen anyone get towed but that does not mean that it will not happen. You could leave your car there to get around the meter problem but there is a chance you could get towed. You could also try parking in Damons at (A1A & Pine Avenue)...but they really don't offer beach parking to the public.
Farther North in Pompano there is SE 12th Street. I am pretty sure there are no life guards there so you may be able to launch your kayak from there but again there are parking meters. I am not sure what the time limit is on those meters. SE 12th street is about 1 mile North of the Copenhagen.
In between some of the tall condos there are hidden beach access paths that are designated for people that live West of A1A. You could try scouting these out and trying to find parking near one of these paths.
Hibiscus ave
Max depth 23 ft
Park as far east as possible on Hibiscus Ave
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hibiscus+av+%26+A1A,+lauderdale+by+the+sea,+fl&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.048013,59.414063&ie=UTF8&ll=26.186925,-80.09707&spn=0.008299,0.014505&z=16
Swim out about as far as the end of the pier, once you start seeing things on the bottom you can drop and head east. You will be able to view the first and second reef this way.
Hollywood Beach-Yellow Brick Road/Johnson St.
Hollywood Beach
Hollywood, FL
Type of diving: Beach dive to the rock pile followed by a cement mat east. Good night dive. Max depth 23'.
Directions to Site: From the North. I-95 south to Sheridan Street East to A1A. South to 1st left past Johnson St. to Michigan. Pull into parking lot, parking as far south and east as possible.
From the South: I-95 north to Hollywood Blvd. East to A1A. North to Michigan St.
Parking: Machine for parking takes dollar bills. They will ticket, so make sure you bring parking money. $1/hour.
Getting to the Site: Head to the beach from the south east end, past the lifeguard stand. Once you past the bouy, keep slightly north, you can drop down and continue east. The rock pile is just slightly north of the bouy, maybe 50 feet or so. There is plenty of fish on the rock pile and the cement mat. If cloudy, bring a flashlilght so you can peer into the cracks and crevices. Lots of grunts, tangs, ocean surgeonfish, doctorfish, parrotfish, queen angels, banded coral shrimp, eels, nurse sharks, tarpon, glasseye snapper, bar jacks, porkfish. The algae growth is pretty nasty, even so, there is still a wide variety of marine life.
Amenities: Lots of parking, showers on broadwalk. Public restooms very close. Shops, restaurants, eateries.
Closest Dive shop: Coastal Marine Diving Supply on Dania Beach Blvd., about 4 miles north. Take A1A north to Dania Beach Blvd, west about 1 mile. Shop on right. Closed Tuesdays. 954-923-2388. Air, Nitrox, rentals and sales.
Pros and Cons: Easy beach diving. Even if you miss the rock pile, there is some low profile relief running north and south, maybe 2 ft, that is quite intersting. Cons: algae has covered the rock pile killing most corals that were growing, and the surrounding area.
DEERFIELD BEACH EMBASSY SUITES DIVE SITE
Just drive around the condominiums and continue south on the beach road until the road stops in front of the Embassy Suites. Park in the metered parking, as far south as possible this way you will be closer to the stairs that lead to the beach. There are showers here as well as an observation deck for the non-divers of your group.
Your entry should be made south of the stairs from the observation deck. Enter the water past the rocks that show the property line for the condominiums. Once in the water about 200ft out the reef starts in 8’ to 12’ feet of water and ends in 12’ to 14’ feet of water.
DEERFIELD BEACH
This site is only for night dives because the lifeguards will not let you enter the water in front of them. That puts you under their protection and they cannot see or help us, as far out as we go when scuba diving so don’t argue with them. After nightfall park in the parking lot on the north side of the pier it is metered so bring money. Enter north of the pier
Perry Street rock pile
Overview: Perry Street & N Surf Road Dania Beach, fl
Directions to site:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Perry+street+%26+n+surf+road+dania+beach,+fl&sll=26.04752,-80.110331&sspn=0.005061,0.008626&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=26.04751,-80.113163&spn=0.00615,0.009527&z=16&iwloc=addr
Parking: metered parking
The diving: The entry is a good 100 yards from your parking, and the swim is out past the swim buoys. This rock pile runs from Perry Street a bit south but mainly north and offers many nooks and crannies for fish to hide. This is a young dive site with lots of new soft/hard corals and many juvenile species of tropicals as well as game fish. You’ll need your dive, no lifeguards.
Amenities: Showers
Boca Jap Rock
Jap Rock is a beach dive at the north end of Boca Raton's Spanish River Beach. The rocks are easy to spot breaking through the surface, forming a little "bay". This site is a nice spot for snorkelers because of its shallow depth and large variety of tropical fish. Plenty of soft corals and sponges are found here, along with the occasional lobster or two.
The current is often quite strong which is great for bringing in abundant marine life, but rip currents can make this a dangerous dive site. Make sure to check weather conditions before visiting this area. If it is a calm day, this is a great shallow beach dive, but poor weather makes this site hazardous.
http://www.divespots.com/scuba/map2.divespot?spotID=162
NE Spanish River Blvd East
A1ANotrh
Straight out(east) from Grand Bay CT
Grand CT 1/2blockto far north