Feb 15 2010, 12:00 AM

When Life gives you Lemons; DIVE!

When life gives you lemons, grab your scuba equipment and head to Jupiter, Fl. for some awesome sharky action. ScubaNation had the distinct pleasure to join Emerald Charters this past Friday for a three tank experience like no other in Florida or any other dive site in the USA. Jupiter, Fl. is now home to the sharkiest, most adrenaline packed dive around without using a passport. Picture congregating lemon sharks numbering in the 30's to 40's hovering above the sand slowly but surely zeroing in on divers for a closer look. Having sharks that range from 7-10 feet, 400-700 lb. come in for a closer look is a quick way to get the heart rate up. And a quick way to redefine Florida Diving.

Randy, the owner and operator of Emerald Charters has found gold with Lemon Shark diving during the winter months off of Jupiter. These sharks congregate during February and March for their mating season. There are times when the lemon shark numbers are well into the 100's. Usually when I do most of my diving we are in the Keys or Miami and the main attraction is wrecks. We see nurse sharks all the time. I like them, but it is more like hanging out with a dog.... for me the thrill was gone. I was really craving something new and exciting and diving with Emerald Charters was exactly what I was looking for. A new dive with the possibility of huge sharks with teeth. I was in!! 

Bitch'n Mitch and I headed up to Jupiter the day before to settle in and get a good night's sleep. We knew the weather window was tight and by mid day seas will be 6-8 feet off the east coast of Florida. Small craft advisories were up all week leading up to our Friday morning dive. However, the scuba gods complied and seas settled down for only those fours hours we needed to get to Lemon Shark mania. Literally the whole week had monster seas except those four hours we had scheduled for shark diving. So when Randy gave the green light, it was time to make lemonade. 

Dive: Submerged Barge in about 75 feet of water

Descended slowly to the barge and headed east to several pillars. Almost cathedral like and a perfect spot to hunker down and wait for the main attraction. Several large nurse sharks and goliath groupers were already on the scene waiting for the action to begin. Already I was impressed with he amount of large animals that were hanging around and we didn't even see a lemon yet. Well that changed a minute later.... I could start seeing the outline of large sharks from the shadows. One by one and what looked like a conga line were lemons, all hovering above the sand and gliding towards us in formation. 5, 10, 15, 20+ sharks move into the pavilion. Lemon shark action was on!!!!!! I maneuvered out in front of everyone with my camera rig. Set up on the sand with the gates sitting atop a piling. One by one the sharks swam right towards me and broke to my left or right inches from the camera rig. Dolly, a massive female covered with remora's was particularly breathtaking. She dominated the area and stood out as a show stopper. I was mesmerized by her girth and presence. The Lemons are both inquisitive and cautious. A good mix that can have a species excel for million's of years. They swam close but would put distance between us and them in an instant if they felt any sense of caution. They would twist and turn to avoid contact with any divers. So much action with so many sharks with no bumps or collisions. It was a perfectly executed dive with everyone enjoying the thrill of swimming with 30 Lemon sharks. 

The best part about this dive, I can drive to it. It costs $90 for a three tank dive. Did I mention that Randy's girlfriend is a gourmet chef. And they put together a gourmet lunch box for the divers between the 2nd and 3rd dive, unbelievable. You know when a company goes above and beyond and exceeds all expectations. Well that was the day spent with Emerald Charters and Randy. Awesome experience. Awesome sharks. Awesome diving. 

I recommend everyone head to Jupiter, Fl. and make some lemonade. 

Billy C.