I first became intrigued by scuba diving in my late twenties before my husband and I had children. We had booked a trip to Grand Cayman after reading The Firm, and I signed up for lessons at a local dive shop in Texas. I made it through the coursework and pool sessions, but the day before my open-water test in a murky Texas lake, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. My OB’s office laughed when I asked if diving was still on the table—so I traded tanks for a snorkel. We snorkeled in Grand Cayman, which was fantastic, but that was the last vacation of its kind for a very long time.
Fast forward a few decades. With the kids grown and off the payroll, we returned to Grand Cayman for Masters week. One morning we discovered a beach where, if timed just right, we could swim with sea turtles. That spark I felt in my twenties flickered back to life. By the time we planned our third Masters trip, I decided it was now or never—I was going to get certified. Doing so in my late fifties wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, but once you unlock the underwater world, it grabs hold of you. Being a bit landlocked back home, I’m always on the lookout for new dive locales. Which is how I found myself in The Palm Beaches of Florida in August for the Goliath Grouper Aggregation.
The Palm Beaches are about eight hours by car—my road-trip limit—or a quick and inexpensive flight. I love adventure, but I’ve also grown to love creature comforts. Good food, a great beach and a resort my non-diving husband could enjoy were all non-negotiables. The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa delivered on all counts. The condo-style rooms had space for dive gear, a full kitchen and laundry room. The beach and pool were first-class, and after long days underwater, I happily claimed a chair at the Reef Tiki Bar for a burger, a piña colada and eventually a nap.
As for the diving—fantastic. Hurricane Erin stirred up conditions at first, so we hit the reefs instead of the wrecks. Even so, I spotted a moray eel fully extended, a nurse shark gliding out from under a ledge and the largest, most colorful angelfish I’ve ever seen. By day two, the weather calmed, and we finally got the full goliath experience. These fish are enormous—eight feet long, several hundred pounds—think VW Beetle with fins. They gather to spawn, often surrounded by shimmering schools of baitfish, like a golden aura in motion. Ninety feet underwater with only the sound of your bubbles and the occasional booming call of the groupers, felt surreal, otherworldly. We even shared the water with a few lemon sharks.
On my last morning I squeezed in a dive at the Blue Heron Bridge, a shallow site across the intracoastal waterway. With a guide pointing out the hotspots, I spotted nine-armed sea stars, stingrays, sea biscuits and a tiny bandtail pufferfish. It’s the kind of place you could dive dozens of times and never get bored.
The diving was amazing, the resort was spot-on and the area itself had more to see and do than we could fit into four days. Diving or not, The Palm Beaches are worth a return visit. And we’ll definitely be back.
If You Go: The Palm Beaches & Goliath Groupers
Every August through early October, The Palm Beaches transform into one of the most thrilling dive destinations in the U.S. That’s when hundreds of goliath groupers—massive, VW-Beetle-sized fish—gather offshore to spawn. Divers can slip into this underwater world and witness the giants up close, often surrounded by shimmering clouds of baitfish and the occasional lemon shark cruising by.
Base yourself at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, which offers spacious condo-style rooms, a prime beachfront, and plenty of comfort for divers and non-divers alike. After a long day on the water, kick back with a piña colada at the Reef Tiki Bar or grab a nap by the pool.
For more adventure, don’t miss a dive at the Blue Heron Bridge—a shallow, critter-packed site where guides can point out everything from sea stars to stingrays to tiny pufferfish.
Getting There: About an eight-hour drive from Aiken or a quick, affordable flight into Palm Beach International Airport.