We had pretty good conditions under the big bridge for a Discover Scuba experience and open water dives. The vis was 15' and the water temperature was 78. I have been told that dredging in the inlet is reducing the vis. I am hopeful that work will be completed soon. Most of the usual suspects were there along with a beautiful, fairly large for the bridge, octopus. Our Discover Scuba people were thrilled. As one would expect for a Tuesday afternoon, we had the place almost all to ourselves; no parking problems. Play hooky; get in the water, Ham
Dive Reports 20 and 21 April
Two gorgeous dive days in a row after a week of rough weather! I thought the vis would be real short on Sunday after a week of big northeast swells and 7' to 9' waves, but Mother Nature fooled me again with wonderful conditions at both the east bridge on Sunday and the big bridge on Monday. We had thirty feet of vis on both days just before slack tide. The water temperature on Sunday was seventy-seven; on Monday it was seventy-five. Sunday was barracuda day under the east bridge as there had to be almost twenty of them. Monday's dive produced a beautiful polka-dot batfish and a web burrfish. The vis was good enough Monday so that we could easily see each of the three off-beach wrecks from each other. Of course on Mondays, the place is almost abandoned; there were six other divers. Play hooky; get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 15 April
Mating season at the east bridge! Four of us entered the water at 5:35 for a 5:52 high tide and were treated to twenty feet of vis. The water temperature ranged from seventy-five to seventy-seven degrees in shallower water, much warmer than the air and windchill. A nice, slow pace rewarded us with a show of eyed flounder mating. What a dance the two performed before spawning. Horseshoe crabs were either playing leap frog or mating. It depends on the age of your dive buddy. We watched a dark mantis shrimp excavating for whatever reason they excavate along the western seawall. Two beautiful blue angelfish intermediates in the little runabout wreck just off the beach topped off the very relaxing dive. The dive flag was hooked by a fisherman, but by simply allowing him to lift the flag out of the water, he unhooked his line and dropped the flag back in. No problems. The stiff north north west wind greeted us with a hearty hello and encouraged us to quickly get out of our gear and into dry clothes and boat coats. It was worth it. I ALWAYS see something I've never seen before at the bridge! Get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 14 April
Rather than do our taxes we decided to go diving! On a 4:49 high tide we did a very relaxing dive on the east bridge. The vis was about ten to fifteen feet and the water temperature was seventy-five. It was a salvage dive as we found a weight belt and a pair of reading glasses. (We're not above retrieving useful junk.) The intracoastal was back to its normally placid self and all the jazz festival enthusiasts were gone; we had the place to ourselves. Very nice. Get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 13 April
Wow! What an adventure in what is normally a pretty placid place. Gorilla picnickers! The front that was supposed to come through at midnight apparently didn't inform the forecasters of a change in arrival. I've never seen whitecaps that high on the intracoastal. It amazes me how fast the weather in Florida can change. What REALLY amazes me is how the cook never left his post even during the height of the storm! Pouring rain in high winds and the grill was never abandoned. Picnickner's Medal of Valor for the cook! I've never seen anything like it. Wonderful foods from gorilla picnickers were abundant and we all did our best to devour it all. Despite the marginal diving conditions, the divers all got to experience some of what bridge diving has to offer. If the divers enjoyed the dive under those conditions, they will absolutely love it when the water is clearer and calmer. Thank you to everyone who attended and made the get-together an "event to be remembered". The Jupiter Drift Divers are a fun group of folks with a great sense of adventure and a greater sense of humor. I had a fabulous time. See you next month for a dive on the east bridge, Ham
Dive Report 11 April
Improving conditions! Friends dived at the bridge for the 1:21 high tide and reported 15' to 20' of vis in seventy-five degree water. They reported that it was French Angelfish day as they saw the whole range: juvenile, intermediate, and adult. Somebody opened the pen, too, as there were hogfish all over the dive. They are wonderful to see as they are in several colors. It's amazing how fast conditions can change. As an experienced wreck diver says, "You won't know unless you go." So go! Get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 10 April
Lousy vis! Eight feet - maybe. Four open water students and I did the training dives with a "git 'r done" determination. It was not a sightseeing day as the vis was so short that we had all we could do to keep track of each other. The water was seventy-five degrees. We have some east wind coming so we're hopeful that will bring us some clearer water. Ham
Dive Report 7 April
We had a nice morning dive at the east bridge this morning with a 9:49 high tide. Skills practice was the purpose of the trip, but we were treated to a shortnose batfish, a big flying gurnard, a southern ray/bar jack team, and a very active sailfin blenny giving a great show. The vis was about twenty feet. The water temperature was seventy-five. Gorgeous day. I have to mention that yesterday on the Republic IV at Area 29 I had the most spectacular dive I have had there. The vis was eighty feet plus; it might have been quite a bit more. We cruised at seventy feet in a moderately fast current. The "landscape" from that depth in that area is spectacular as we flew along. We saw three lemon sharks, one being in the twelve feet plus range. It was an enormous fish! The other two were in the eight to ten feet range we figure. What an incredible day! We're looking forward to Sunday's bridge dive. Please bring lawn chairs for yourselves as it being a Sunday, there will probably be quite a few people there. Get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 1 April
Nice late afternoon dive! Even with a 5:25 high tide the sun is still very high in the sky. The vis is still a milky ten feet, but the water is still a very comfortable 77 degrees. We saw a small (two feet) bluespotted cornetfish just off the beach under the big bridge. It is the first time I have seen one at the bridge. I always see something new at the bridge! Get in the water, Ham
Dive Report 31 March
Gorgeous afternoon for a dive! Water temperature 77 degrees! The visability was a milky ten feet, perfect for the missing diver exercise for my rescue student. Our "missing diver" is the bicycle between the second and third set of columns under the big bridge. Once the bicycle is found, I become the unresponsive diver. (I've been informed I'm not particularly responsive anyway so this role suits me.) My student found a little octopus, too. We also searched for and found easily the small center-console open boat that is on the bottom just to the south south east of the second sunken sailboat you can see from the beach. It's only about seventy-five feet away, but be careful if you go looking for it underwater as you are headed for the main boat channel. You don't want to overshoot the wreck and end up in the boat channel!! We snorkeled to it and then descended to check it out. I've been told there is one more just to the west of that one. I'll let you know. Eighty-five minutes of bottom time and not even a chill. Get in the water! Ham
