Hold On for the Ride

Eight divers took part in a morning dive with Starfish Scuba to drift across the beautiful vibrant reefs of Boynton Beach, Florida. It was a true drift dive in every sense of the word—fast-moving, challenging, and a reminder that sometimes the ocean decides where the adventure takes you.

^{ADA divers: Fabian Lago, Jay Abbazia, Barbara Hoffman, Karen Hausheer, Cheri Craft, Stephen Pie, Amber Laureano and Rudy Lopez .} 

Dive 1 – 'Gulfstream' Reef: The first drop of the day sent all eight divers into decent conditions with a strong northwest current. The group descended together onto the reef, but almost immediately the current grabbed hold and swept us toward the sandy area west of the reef ledge. The drift was powerful enough that some divers couldn’t make their way back to the ledge, while others battled their way east and were rewarded with an incredible lineup of reef life from small yellowhead jawfish, to large loggerhead turtles, and even a large nurse shark.

Dive 2 -  Briny Breezes: For the second dive, the group used a better understanding of the current’s strength and direction to split into two smaller teams. This made for a more controlled drift and gave everyone a better chance to explore the reef.
The reef delivered plenty of action, with a massive angelfish gliding by, juvenile drum and boxfish tucked among the reef, and more yellowhead jawfish popping up from the sand. A school of Atlantic spadefish also joined the dive, as curious as ever and seemingly just as interested in checking us out as we were them.

^{Photos by Rudy Lopez.}