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To quote today’s divers, “We saw everything!” So it seemed as the reefs were teaming with life. The regulars – turtles, eels, and the hoards of gorgeous tropical fish – were sighted. But it was the strange critters that appeared to have taken the lime light.

Cruising along the jump from Ron’s Rock to Flower Gardens we came across a very active octopus who looked a lot like the one I saw a couple of days ago on Breakers. This octopus was blending in really well with the reef and staying as still as possible, but our paths met and the octopus-looking piece of reef suddenly moved.

The group of divers watched the octopus travel along the reef, but things were beginning to not look very good for our octopus friend, for he was heading straight for a green moray eel’s hole. As it approached closer and closer to the eel I began to scream “Oh! Oh!” over and over again through my regulator. As if the octopus understood me, it quickly changed course and headed straight through the middle of the dive group. I suppose it figured we were less of a threat to it than the large green moray eel. I breathed a sigh relief.

The large footprints of some very large stingrays could be seen in the sand as we continued to drift along the reef’s ledge. There were bits of human debris littering the reef and the group did their part in cleaning it up. These are a sad reminder that what we consider a harmless plastic grocery bag can have an ill affect on our environment.

Back on the boat everyone seemed very excited about the dive and the pressure was on for the dive guides to equal or better the next dive. Unfortunately, we left the animatronic mating leatherback turtles back at the shop, so it was up to the dive guides to find some real critters. With a very ardent group of divers who were willing to stop and watch a critter for a while the likelihood of another great dive was likely. To improve the odds we dropped in on Breakers – Four Windows.

The owner of the large sand footprints was in full view of the group – a large southern stingray with a good five foot wingspan laid in the sand while each diver took their turn observing this spectacular elasmobranch. The lovely school of atlantic spadefish were at their regular spot a couple of fingers from the end of Breaker’s reef. These lovely fish always stop (diver) traffic, for they are a sight to see. Plus, they are friendly enough to usually come within a foot of a diver’s mask for a closer encounter.

As we were about to make the jump to Turtle Mound the group noticed a large nurse shark sleeping under a ledge and while the group looked at this cozy critter, my eyes were already scanning the horizon for it’s close cousin – the great hammerhead shark I had seen out here a couple of days ago.

We cruised across Turtle Mound, but our hammerhead shark friend would not be making his appearance today. None the less, back on the boat the group wore their smiles with pride and constantly reminded us what a spectacular day of diving they had. It is always great to hear such enthusiasm, not only to remind us that our tireless work is appreciated, but because the divers take home with them a different perspective of what our oceans are like. Not some dangerous place humans have no place in it, but a very unique and fragile environment whose survival depends a lot on our own doing. Hopefully these divers will share with others the splendors of our underwater world.

This week’s diving has been quite spectacular. The seas have even been considerably flat and the water has been crystal blue for a number of days topping over a hundred feet of visibility.

Of all the wonderful days of diving, today was certainly up in the ranks. With an enthusiastic group of divers we set out on our scuba adventure. We traveled south to Palm Beach’s beautiful shallow reefs.

During the dive briefing, I described the reef and some of the inhabitants we were likely to encounter along with some of the unique behaviors the divers were likely to see. One diver mentioned she wanted to see dolphins. Now turtles would probably be a little easier for me to show her, but I summoned the dive gods in hopes that this diver would have the opportunity to see her dolphins.

Our first stop was at Flower Gardens where the schools of fish around the fish bowl were in attendance. And, of course, the group always gets a kick out of the large green moray eel that lives in the area, too. Drifting at a slow pace through the crystal clear water made the diving feel so surreal.

As the final group of divers were making their safety stop, a pair of bottlenose dolphins swam up to us, checked us out for a few seconds and continued on their way. I laughed thinking perhaps our (dolphin) wishful diver must have had a genie bottle with her. I urged her to wish for a humpback whale for the next dive!

At Breakers reef the marine life was in full swing, too. Aside from the hoards of fish, turtles and corals, a few odd critters made their appearance. Among those was a very large common octopus who swam across the sand nonchalantly. I pointed out this octopus to one of the divers and, as he approached the octopus, the octopus flared himself up and turned all white; warning the diver to stand back.

Reaching the end of the reef we made the jump to Turtle Mound. As I was crossing the top of Turtle Mound I could see a large hazy shadow in the distance. At first I thought it to be a bull shark, for they have been frequenting the area. Much to my surprise it turned and slowly swam towards me. That is when I could see the very unique shape of its head – it was no other than a GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK! My eyes stirred with excitement. These moments really make diving all the more exciting. On the outside I kept my cool so as to not scare it away. The voice in my head chanted, “Come closer… come closer… please.”

At about ten feet away it turned and gave me a side glance. The whole time the smile on my face grew exponentially because of the encounter and the fact that the camera was rolling. I had proof this time that I was, in fact, in the presence of greatness (no pun intended). As it turned and swam away I could not hold my excitement any longer and I expelled a loud, boisterous laugh through my regulator.

Not knowing what to expect I continued towards the north side of Turtle Mound where a school of jacks was busy feeding on a small bait ball while beneath the action a small female loggerhead turtle slept.

All week, reports have been coming in from all the dive boats in the area of some amazing encounters – sharks of all kind, leatherback turtles and even a new frogfish. As we motored back to the dock, our trusty captain Jim Harris, who I must add seems to have some kind of strange (good) luck of dropping the divers right on top of the action, took Deep Obsession close to the shore. Capt. Jim Harris would say, “Okay Spinner sharks.. It’s time for some action!” and as if on cue… SPLASH!! A Spinner shark would jump out of the water right in front of the boat. As we made our way back to the docks numerous Spinner sharks would swim out from in front the boat. Another amazing day of scuba diving in Palm Beach, Florida.

We are very proud and excited to announce the grand opening of our new Marine Life Art Gallery. The art gallery features numerous large prints of marine life from around the world, but especially our own backyard – Palm Beach and the Bahamas. See photos of sharks, wild dolphins, manatees, gorgeous reefscapes and all sorts of strange marine life.

Our opening exhibition showcases award-winning underwater photography from Jim Abernethy, Brian Cripe, Sandra Edwards and Lazaro Ruda. We are also proud to showcase some stunning sculptures and paintings by world-renowned artists Wyland, Guy Harvey and Bob Talbot.

We will be having presentations and lectures by distinguished photographers and scientists every couple of weeks, so sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on these and other events. Come visit us soon.