With warm water, calm seas and the opening of the regular lobster season, August may be the best time all year to dive the Treasure Coast. Clear water should also be expected at most dives spots in our area, including shallow sites off local beaches all the way out to the deeper reefs and wrecks offshore. Provided tropical activity remains low, the Treasure Coast is in for a spectacular month of diving.
Light winds and calm seas should hold through the month allowing for clear water to continue for much of the local area, but it’s wise to watch tides if diving close to shore. Beach visibility maybe hindered at low tide since wave action is more likely to stir sediments up into the water, but while the water is deeper visibility is usually better. Divers looking to hit Peck Lake just south of the St Lucie Inlet for lobsters, should plan trips to coincide with high tide since outgoing tidal water usually heads south as it heads out to the ocean. Provided large swells and heavy rains stay away, our area should be in for some great conditions this month.
As strange as it sounds, our area could experience some of the coldest water temps of the year during the mid-summer months. Short-lived cold water upwellings are common this time of year and usually don’t last more than a few days to a week. Sometimes these are welcomed ways to beat the heat at the surface but in years past they can be chilly at times. Divers are wise to pack a wetsuit just in case.
Manly locals who may have skipped the mad rush during mini-season may time their first dive trip in August to coincide with opening day of lobster season, especially since August 6 falls on a Sunday this year. Everyone wants to know where to find their first bug and despite being hotly guarded secrets, there are a few go-to places where lobsters have been caught in years past. Shallow is sometimes better with many ten-pounders grabbed just off the north jetty of the Fort Pierce Inlet. Bathtub Reef and the shallow artificial reefs off Jensen Beach, known as the ‘mitigation reefs’ or ‘Nearshore A, B, and C’ on MartinReefs.com, are also great places to check either off the beach or from a boat.
FORECAST BY: Steve Wood
Deep Six Watersports – Stuart
(772) 288-3999 Stuart
(772) 562-2883 Vero
Email: Steve.wood@deepsix.com
Website: www.deepsixintl.com
