We took a dive trip with Calypso Dive Charters out of the Port of Palm Beach this past week with the hopes of catching Goliath Grouper action. Our diving was focused on the Mizpah, a 185 ft long ship, completed in 1926 as a luxury yacht. It was sunk off Palm Beach in 1968 after being prepared as an artificial reef for fishing. It is situated upright in 95 ft of water with openings to the lower deck and areas where light shines through and fish slip in and out.
In mid August to the end of September, West Atlantic Goliath Groupers aggregate for spawning in large numbers off the South Florida coast. Protected in Florida in 1990, they are a unique diving experience to see. We estimated that there were 30 – 50 grouper around the dive site. “Bait balls” of small fish like the cigar minnow flowed like liquid silver around the groupers for protection from other medium size predators. It is fascinating to watch. The Mizpah has several easy to access openings to view the interior of the ship with beautiful Copper Sweepers, orange cup corals and bright sponges providing great color. We look forward to visiting this wreck again!