Palm Beach & Jupiter · United States · Reef · Drift
South Double Ledges
Twin ledges from 20 and 26 m (65 and 85 feet), ending in a circular bowl
Area photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A twin reef running north to south off Palm Beach, dived as a drift. One ledge rises five feet from 26 m (85 ft) of water and the other stands about eight feet high from 20 m (65 ft), and the reef ends in a large circular bowl full of fish and coral. Big tropical fish and gamefish are common along it, and it is a known site for spiny lobster.
Where it is and how deep
26.7398° N, 80.0047° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a drift over a twin reef that runs north to south. The structure is two parallel ledges: one rises about five feet off the bottom from 26 m (85 ft) of water, the other stands roughly eight feet high from 20 m (65 ft). You can follow either the lower or the upper ledge as it curves northeast, at depths ranging from 68 to 87 feet (27 m), riding the current along the reef rather than swimming a fixed route.
The reef itself is worth slowing down for: massive tropical fish along the ledges, gamefish sighted frequently, and the spiny lobster the site is known for. The end of the reef opens into a large circular bowl populated with fish and corals, which is the natural place for a drift to finish before the group leaves the structure behind.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Palm Beach & Jupiter: Lemon sharks aggregate Jan–Mar and goliath grouper spawn Aug–Sep; the Gulf Stream keeps visibility high year-round.
Sources
- South Double Ledges — Scubago
- Reef Diving - Pura Vida Divers — Pura Vida Divers
More dive sites in Palm Beach & Jupiter
Muck & macro
Over 100 nudibranch and sea slug species in under 8 m of water
Reef
A King Neptune statue set down in the late 1970s marks the north end
Reef
Schooling gamefish and goliath grouper over a sharply cut ledge
Reef
Lemon sharks stage on this reef ledge by the dozens each January and February
Wreck
A 1926 patrol yacht scuttled here in 1968, dived on the current
Similar dives elsewhere
Fields of coral drifted to 18 m with goliath grouper and sharks
Thirty-two mooring buoys along one spur-and-groove reef
The south end of Molasses and the start of the reef drift
Sand slopes, low coral walls and a warship at 28 metres