(L-R) Peter Friedman,
Captain Jason Landau, Lynn Brown, and Captain David Brown on the walkway
outside Blue Heron Bridge Scuba and Watersports. (John Christopher
Fine, Copyright 2016)
The Blue Heron Bridge spans the Intracoastal Waterway
connecting Riviera Beach with Singer Island. It is a massive
fixed-bridge that replaced a concrete structure that has been partially
kept for fishermen to use. The bridge, at its eastern end, crosses Phil
Foster Park. This Palm Beach County beach and park is a popular diving
destination as well as a launching ramp for pleasure boaters. Divers in
South Florida make regular trips to the “Bridge” when bad weather keeps
boats off the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The “Bridge,” with its free
parking, showers, sandy access to the lagoon, and shallow water, is also
a popular training site for Scuba instruction.
Peter Friedman partnered with dive instructor Christy Campbell to
create Blue Heron Bridge Scuba and Watersports at the Blue Heron Bridge
county park. They formed a perfect match with Captain David Brown and
his wife Lynn, owners of Little Deeper Dive Charters, Inc. The result
has been a boon to divers, snorkelers, and beachgoers at this popular
destination. There is now a full-service dive shop providing air and
nitrox fills, gear rental and service, instruction as well as a
well-stocked store. Part of the concession is to offer kayak rentals.
Their brand new food cart sells hot dogs, packaged food, and beverages.
The facility was long overdue and is proving to be a popular National
Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) dive center.
Peter Friedman was born in Brooklyn, New York. “I learned to dive in
1974. I’m a muck diver,” he laughed about his early dives around the
City. He is quick to add, “I dove all over the place. I’m a NAUI
instructor and course director, I’m a technical diver, a rebreather
instructor. Ours is a multi-modular dive shop.” Peter is also a
certified instructor with technical diving agencies. He relates a
humorous period in his life when he first graduated college:
“I’m an electrical engineer by trade. When I graduated all electrical
engineers were driving taxi cabs. I didn’t want to drive a cab so I
went fishing. When anything happened they sent the kid over the side,”
Peter laughed. Peter followed his career path as an electrical engineer
successfully until fifteen years ago when the diving bug saw him open a
shop in Orlando. “We still have the shop in Orlando and also have shops
in northern Florida’s cave country, here at the Blue Heron Bridge, in
Stuart, and we will be opening a shop in Asheville, North Carolina. We
also specialize in first-responder training for fire and police,” he
said.
Peter spoke outside the Blue Heron Bridge shop along a promenade on
the water. His two dogs Maggie and Riley were attracting the attention
of passersby that had a hard time resisting their friendly tail wagging
antics. “I love diving. I find inner peace. When I go cave diving that’s
all that’s in my mind. The same with technical diving. It’s like
solving a big puzzle. I like being busy.” Divers were enjoying a lavish
continental breakfast in the dive shop compliments of Peter and his
partners. Some stopped to thank him for the free food.
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