JoAn's Dive Log

Entry and exit was very easy - a short pier with a ladder in front of someone's house. We talked to 2 divers and one local - they said no problem using the pier. We parked our car near the street upon recommendations of other divers and a sign. We left no valuables, left car unlocked and windows down. No vandalism or anything stolen. Unfortunately visibility wasn't good, say 20 feet. Two days ago, viz was great in this area... Oh well. Some algae on coral. Lots of nice tropical reef fish and a Chain Moray Eel. Lots of groupers.

Very easy beach entry, but a long swim out to the inner reef. There is a quite a distance to the outer reef - we had to head into the open blue water and swim a few minutes before we started to see the outer reef. Top of outer reef was at 70 feet, so you might want to make this your first dive of the day to really enjoy.

Beach entry was a bit rugged, but if you take your time, you shouldn't have a problem. Shallows were filled with Stag horn coral - very beautiful. Some Barrel sponges in deeper water. Some cool sights: intermediate phase Rock Beauty, Long Snout Butterfly fish, and Golden Tail Moray Eel.

This was our house reef, so we dove it multiple times - morning, noon, and night! Diving can't get easier than this. They have a rope that leads you from the dock to the reef. There are also nice sandy areas that are perfect for open water training classes (and so that no coral is damaged during the classes).

I rated the entry fairly low because I don't like ladders! And I wasn't about to "leap". So, I'm a bit wimpy. My husband would rate it a 5. But once I was in, I thought that the site was great. Lots of nooks & crannies for things to hide in. Cool sights: two Spotted Drums, Sharp-tail Eel, small turtle. My son had fun after the dive leaping into the water repeatedly.

It was a bit challenging getting in and out. First there are some steps, then an entry from a concrete deck. Saw two Juvenile Spotted Drums. After this dive, we drove by the Flamingo Sanctuary which was worth the diversion.

This was my favorite dive of the trip. The inner and outer reefs are separated by only 10 to 20 feet of sand. Some cool sights: Juvenile Spotted Drum, two of the biggest French Angelfish I've ever seen, and Banded Coral Shrimp. There are lots of smooth stones in the shallows - watch where you're stepping in!

Be prepared for a longish surface swim. There were some other groups at the site, but due to the wreck's size we didn't feel crowded. The bottom of the boat was covered with Sargeant Major eggs - each patch furiously protected by a male darkened Sargeant Major. Pretty funny!

Beach entry was a bit rugged, but if you take your time, you shouldn't have a problem. Shallows were filled with Stag horn coral - very beautiful. Some Barrel sponges in deeper water. Some cool sights: intermediate phase Rock Beauty, Long Snout Butterfly fish, and Golden Tail Moray Eel.

Current was a bit strong near the shore, but once we got to the reef it was negligible. Cool sights: 3 different groups of squid and my first Barred Hamplet.

Very short swim out to the reef. Lots of dark brown plate coral.

Very unique site. Wouldn't want to do it again, but glad that I've done it once. I rated lower for Beginner Scuba Divers because you need to have good buoyancy control to move around the pilings and people without bumping into the coral. There were two tugboats that started their engines then left while we were underwater. This made me nervous! But it worth it to see the Seahorses - my first.

We did our open water certification dives here! What an introduction to diving! Saw huge school of tarpon and tons of reef fish.

Should we consider this a shore dive? The Disney staff could not make the dive any easier to do. You walk onto a wide ledge, then back into your BCD. Take a few steps forward and your diving! I got within a few feet of some sharks and a spotted eagle ray. Not as many reef fish as I've seen in the "real world" though.