The lobsters I saw here yesterday are gone! Even the really little ones! Mini-Madness. Anyway, I don't always get to pick the times for bridge dives that fit a schedule I like; yesterday was one of those days. High tide was at 7:45 pm with an 8:09 sunset. The beach closes at sunset and some of the officers who patrol the park are sticklers about it. To finish a certification dive we didn't have much choice. In addition, the sky looked as it did to Dorothy and Toto just before their great adventure. Oh well. We have to finish even though there won't be paper umbrellas in the drinks by the pool after the dive. Underwater was much more pleasant than topside. The student and I watched the rain pummel the very choppy surface as the heavens opened and the winds blew. The storm didn't bother the fish and critters. The water was a toasty 85 degrees and the vis, despite the darkness, was 20'. Of course we were almost the only ones there. There was one other lunatic diver. My student was thrilled with a BIG southern ray up close and a gorgeous flying gurnard. We had an adventure dive that actually turned out to be quite pleasant. And, as is typical of Florida's summer weather, the skies had cleared by the time we ended the dive. What a fascinating place we live in here. Get in the water (even if the sun isn't shining), Ham
