Diving with Loggerhead Sea Turtles Along Florida’s Atlantic Coast
June is turtle nesting season in Florida, and the waters along the state’s southeast coast host some of the densest sea turtle populations in the United States.
Divers and boaters frequently encounter:
- Giant Loggerhead Sea Turtle
- Graceful Green Sea Turtle
- Deep-diving Leatherback Sea Turtle
With turtle season underway, Danielle and I headed back to Jupiter for a two-day dive weekend hoping to spend some time underwater with these amazing creatures.
🚤 Diving with the Jupiter Dive Center
We booked our weekend dives with Jupiter Dive Center, a well-known operation running charters along the Palm Beach County reefs and wrecks.
Saturday afternoon greeted us with calm seas, sunshine, and warm weather — perfect diving conditions.
As we motored out toward the reefs about 30 minutes east of the Jupiter Inlet, we immediately spotted several giant loggerhead turtles resting on the surface.
Seeing them before the dive only increased our excitement.
Our destination was Bonnie Reef, a popular reef system sitting around 70 feet deep.
But the dive master warned us about one thing.
Visibility would be poor.
The normally strong Gulf Stream current had slowed dramatically, allowing suspended particles to build up in the water.
Instead of the typical 40–80 feet of visibility, we were looking at less than 20 feet.
⚠️ A Rough Start to the First Dive
Our first dive didn’t go quite as planned.
As soon as we entered the water, I realized I was underweighted, making it difficult to descend properly.
Back to the boat I went to grab additional weight.
When we returned to the reef, Danielle ran into a different problem.
Her new dive mask began flooding repeatedly, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
At 70 feet, a mask problem can quickly become uncomfortable — and potentially unsafe.
After snapping a few photos, Danielle signaled that we should ascend.
Even though she was struggling with her mask, we made a controlled ascent and completed our three-minute safety stop before surfacing.
Back on the boat we swapped masks and prepared for our second dive.
And just to rub it in…
A huge loggerhead turtle surfaced right next to the boat.
🐢 Saturday Dive Two: A Sleeping Loggerhead
Once our surface interval ended, we headed back down at a site known simply as Loggerhead.
Visibility was still under 20 feet, which meant staying close to the dive master.
Not long into the dive he pointed toward a rocky overhang.
There, tucked beneath the reef structure, was a massive loggerhead turtle sleeping peacefully.
The turtle looked to be at least six feet long, with its large head resting comfortably against the rock.
Watching such a large, ancient creature simply resting on the reef floor was incredible.
We spent several minutes observing the turtle before continuing along the reef.
Danielle soon spotted something else interesting — a huge lobster hiding deep in a crevice.
I leaned in with my camera light to get a closer look.
The lobster didn’t seem very impressed.
At least I didn’t try to grab him for dinner.
📸 Testing My New Underwater Camera Setup
This trip also gave me the chance to test a new underwater camera rig.
Instead of our usual camera setup, I was using my iPhone 13 Pro inside a SeaLife underwater housing with a powerful dive light.
The setup worked extremely well.
The large phone screen made it easy to:
- switch between photo and video modes
- frame shots underwater
- adjust lighting quickly
Because of the cloudy water, video wasn’t very useful — but I captured some great still photos of reef life.
Danielle usually handles most of the photography, but I had a lot of fun experimenting with the setup.
🌊 Sunday Morning: Hoping for Better Conditions
After dinner that evening at Tiger Woods’ sports bar, we turned in early and were up by 6:30 a.m. for our Sunday morning dives.
We were hoping the visibility had improved overnight.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t.
If anything, it was worse — around 15 feet of visibility.
The boat was only about half full, though, which made the trip much more comfortable.
We zig-zagged along the reef searching for turtles.
Eventually we located another sleeping loggerhead tucked beneath a ledge, along with several lobsters hiding among the reef rocks.
One of my favorite photos from the dive was actually from the ascent — columns of bubbles rising from the other divers toward the surface.
⚓ Sunday Dive Two: Exploring the Bonaire Wreck
For our final dive, the captain gave the group a choice:
- stay on the reefs
- or visit a nearby wreck
Everyone voted for the wreck.
We headed further offshore to the Bonaire Wreck, sitting in 80–90 feet of water.
After a quick current check, we dropped directly onto the stern of the wreck, which is now heavily deteriorated but still provides excellent habitat for marine life.
We drifted slowly toward the bow, exploring the structure and checking out the coral growth covering the wreck.
One of the more amusing sights was an old toilet still attached to the wreck, sitting open for anyone who might need it.
A medium-sized grouper hovered nearby, clearly unimpressed by our visit.
We took a few fun photos — including one of Danielle looking through a porthole — before our air began running low.
Time to head back to the surface.
🌊 Final Thoughts on Our Turtle Diving Weekend
While visibility wasn’t ideal, the weekend was still a lot of fun.
We saw several large loggerhead turtles, explored a wreck, and spent two enjoyable days diving off the Jupiter coast.
We also learned a couple of useful lessons:
- Always double-check your weights before entering the water
- Always test new gear before deeper dives
We also met several great people over the weekend, including Chris and Morgan from Tampa. We’re hoping to meet up with them again soon for scalloping in Tarpon Springs.
Even when conditions aren’t perfect, a weekend underwater is always a good weekend.
⚙️ Gear Report
❌ ProEar Dive Mask with Ear Covers
Rating: 1 Star
Danielle tested this mask in the pool and it seemed fine, but it failed during real dive conditions. It repeatedly flooded and caused significant problems during our first dive.
It may have been user error, but at this point we can’t recommend it.
⭐ SeaLife Underwater Smartphone Housing + Sea Dragon 2500 Light
Rating: 5 Stars
This setup exceeded expectations.
Highlights:
- bright adjustable dive light
- excellent waterproof housing
- full camera control underwater
- large phone screen for framing photos
The light really helps bring out colors underwater, and switching between photo and video modes is simple.
Highly recommended.
🤿 Dive Shop Review
🛥 Jupiter Dive Center – Republic IV & Republic VII
Rating: 5 Stars
This was our first trip with Jupiter Dive Center, and we had a great experience.
Highlights:
- friendly and helpful crew
- organized dive operations
- attentive dive masters
- quick diver pickups after surfacing
The Republic VII was full on our first day, making things a little tight, but the second day aboard the Republic IV was much more comfortable.
Overall we would happily dive with them again.
Related Posts
