Dive Report 24 December

Enjoying twenty to thirty feet of vis at the bridge on a sunny day was a great way to spend Christmas Eve day. The little spotted eagle rays are being very cooperative as they are being spotted by many divers. My Discover Scuba students and I saw one out by the channel and one by the seawall by the beach. Errin and Tobin captured one in the accompanying photo. Michele and Norman saw one under the fishing pier. Marv Caples saw three together off the beach where the "Sumar" and "Boondogle" are moored. This was the third dive in a row for sighting the eagle rays! My computer registered seventy-five degrees for the entire dive. No seventy-sevens. In my 5mm suit I was very comfortable, but those in 3mm suits were chilled at the end of an hour dive. We did a fifty-seven minute bottom time and both of my students were cold. Scorpionfish are everywhere. Spotted eels are being seen in many places. We watched an eel and a scorpionfish argue over territory on the south side of the solid bridge support. No boats went offshore, too rough. Nobody, I am happy to report, was seasick at the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 23 December

We're not having the blizzard that is happening in the country's mid-section, but winter is coming; the water is getting colder. Yesterday my computer recorded seventy-five and seventy-seven for most of the dive. In my 5mm suit I was comfortable for our one hour, twenty minute dive. Tobin and my student in 3mm suits were becoming chilled toward the end. The air temperature was in the low seventies so getting out of the water wasn't uncomfortable. My fresh water shower at the fish cleaning station was, however, invigorating in the breeze! We saw a beautiful little spotted eagle ray cruising between the first and second set of pilings. A batfish was between the second and third set as well. The spadefish are in great numbers as illustrated by Tobin's photo. The little blue angelfish juvenile (Tobin's photo) is in the "canyon" between the boat channel pilings and the solid bridge support. Spotted eels and scorpionfish are everywhere. Tobin photographed a little web burrfish again. Mike Phelan was there with a species count of fifty-seven and he was taking pictures. Marv Caples was there with his camera rig. Check out his photos on the JDC site. With a bright, sunny day the vis was between fifteen and twenty feet. Put on your thicker neoprene and get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 18 December

I had doubts about good visibility today because the wind was so strong and has been for several days. The waves and surge tend to kick up the sand and reduce the vis. The rain also has a tendency to shorten the vis so I was even less optimistic that a bridge dive today would be possible. My refresher student didn't want to deal with the wind and rain and postponed his dive. Tobin, however, bridge fanatic that he is, and I, almost always game for a bridge dive, decided to give it a try. The wind was very strong and the chop was as heavy as it gets at the bridge with hurricane winds excepted. We were delighted to discover ten feet of vis in seventy-seven degree water! Wind, rain, chop, so what? It was calm underwater. The only reminder of what was happening at the surface was my bobbing reel as the flag danced on the waves. I was almost too warm in a 5mm suit. Tobin wore a 3mm and was comfortable for our one hour, thirty-six minute dive. We saw the smallest batfish I have ever seen at the bridge out in the sand to the south of the first set of pilings. Tobin got some nice pictures of a webburrfish. There were many quarter inch or smaller french and gray angelfish juveniles. Several ocean-sized horse-eye jacks were at the channel along with dozens of Atlantic spadefish. With a strong south wind the current was running north well after the posted 9:17 slack high tide. Tobin and I hid behind everything we could find to make it easier. Under the fishing pier, as I was hanging onto a piece of concrete I saw what appeared to be a feather in the sand. I carefully brushed away some sand with my slate to slowly uncover a stargazer. Its response was simply to bury itself deeper. I wanted to see it and so I continued to uncover it until it poked its head out of the sand. That satisfied me as I really did not want to further harass the fish. I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't had to hang on to the concrete to deal with the current. So much is at the bridge if we really LOOK! Wow! What a day. Again and again, we don't know unless we go. Sometimes we get skunked, but today wasn't one of those days. A STARGAZER! What a reward. (Quick note: I have talked to Palm Beach County Parks folks and the PBC Sheriffs' Dept. to learn that construction on the little east bridge will not affect Phil Foster Park.) Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 4 December

Thank goodness my wetsuit stretches; we had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I wore my 5mm wetsuit (superstretch!) and a .5mm hooded vest today thinking the water might be cold. I was too warm in seventy-nine degree water; my 3mm wetsuit and the hooded vest would have been adequate. Our refresher student was in a 3mm suit and very comfortable for our one hour, seventeen minute dive. Vis was pretty decent being in excess of twenty feet. The day was overcast and we saw rain hitting the surface of the water during our dive, but even without bright sun the vis was still quite good. Two large flying gurnards displayed their wings for us. They are the largest ones I have seen at the bridge. Two batfish just to the south of the fishing pier entertained us. A group of four or five horse-eye jacks were hunting out by the channel. The Atlantic spadefish were out by the channel, but not in the large numbers we saw a couple of weeks ago. There are several tiny gray and french angelfish juveniles here and there along with a couple of blue angelfish adults which we don't see often at the bridge. A sharptail eel was poking around for a meal. It felt good to get back in the water even if we did have too much neoprene and a few extra Thanksgiving pounds on. Get in the water, Ham

Dive/Picnic Report 22 November

It didn't feel like late fall; we had a breezy, partly sunny day in the mid-seventies. The vis was about twenty feet and the water temperature was eighty-one, very nice for our one hour, ten minute dive. Actually, my dive buddy, Leyla, kept on going with her camera after I called it quits. She won the award for having come the longest distance to the dive/picnic, from Switzerland. (She is home to share Thanksgiving with her family and took advantage of the dive opportunity.) We saw a polkadot batfish, a gorgeous little butter hamlet, a neck crab for which I looked very hard with my magnifying glass, a very cooperative, displaying intermediate flying gurnard, a sharptail eel, many Atlantic spadefish, juvenile highhats, yellow stingrays, juvenile blue angelfish, juvenile french and gray angelfish, and many other critters. Other divers from the Jupiter Drift Divers club saw several spotted eagle rays. Many thanks to Veronica and Stan for setting up and cooking. Their deeply appreciated efforts make the Jupiter Drift Divers a very active and successful club. It was an absolutely pleasant late-fall afternoon with friends in south Florida! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 18 November

It was very nice to be back at the bridge on such a gorgeous day after having been out of the water for two weeks. What a day to come back! Parking was easy! The air temperature was about seventy-two at eight this morning as an open water student and I geared up. The vis was an exceptional sixty feet as we could see one set of pilings from another; they are one hundred feet apart. The water temperature was a very comfortable eighty-one as my student and I were wearing three milimeter wetsuits. There were more Atlantic spadefish intermediates there than I have ever seen before; there had to be close to a hundred in two or three separate schools out by the channel. We could see well out into the channel. The little blue angelfish juvenile in the "canyon" out by the channel has grown significantly. Yellow stingrays were in many places. Lobsters were in the rubble under the fishing pier. We watched a sharptail eel hunt for breakfast. The highpoint of the dive for me was a beautiful spotted eagle ray cruising between the seawall and the first set of pilings. They are so incredible to watch and with the vis today we got to see it for quite some time. The Jupiter Drift Divers are having a picnic at the bridge on Sunday, November 22 after a dive on the 11:44 high tide. We'll be there about ten o'clock or so. I'm thinking about having bagels and coffee at the bridge before the dive and then picnic after the dive. Why not? (It was so good to be back in the water.) Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 25 October

Perfect day for a picnic! The parking was EASY! Oh, and the weather and diving conditions were superb also. It's all about being with your friends. My face is a little sore this Monday morning because I laughed so much both on the dive and at the post-dive picnic. Rob and Sharon found the elusive "frogfish" as demonstrated in the photo. We scoured the area under the west bridge, but didn't see a real frogfish. A batfish, a banded jawfish, a tiny, tiny french angelfish, and of course the ever-friendly Atlantic spadefish were all there in vis that varied from a few feet to ten to fifteen feet. Vis was better out by the channel. The water temperature was eighty-four. I was in a 3mm wetsuit and more than toasty. A dive skin would have been fine. After the dive we enjoyed gorgeous weather (no sign of the customary shower that often accompanies our picnics). Michele brought bison burgers and Norman grilled them to perfection. Arnold Palmers and iced tea with plenty of lemon (for Rob) were the beverages of the afternoon. It was a joyous afternoon with our wonderful friends. It doesn't get any better! Get in the water, Ham

BYO Picnic Sunday, October 25

A group of us are going to dive the 2:14 high tide on Sunday, October 25 and have a picnic after the dive. To keep things simple it is a "Bring Your Own" picnic. We will try to be at a table close to the intracoastal. Parking can be tricky on a Sunday so plan to come early (we'll be there around noon or before) and kick back and relax. Seas will be calming in the next several days so I expect the vis to be decent. The water temperature will probably be in the low eighties. If you have the time, come join us on what is forecast to be a hot day. It will be a great day to GET IN THE WATER, Ham

Dive Report 21 October

Wrong AGAIN (or still)! With rough seas offshore (4'-6') I thought for sure that the vis at the bridge would be worse than it was yesterday. My open water student and I were very pleasantly surprised with ten to fifteen feet of vis in water that was eighty-two degrees. We chose to dive under the east bridge and saw a sharptail eel, a juvenile bandtail sea robin, the resident intermediate spadefishes, and a school of two to three dozen sheepshead, something I've never seen before. Our dive time was ninety minutes. In three millimeter suits we were toasty. Always amazing how fast conditions can change. If we don't go, we don't know, AGAIN! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 20 October

Need I say more? The great stretch of fabulous conditions we have had at the bridge are subject to the same law of nature as everything else material in the universe, CHANGE. Our vis today was between three and four feet, five would be stretching it, a lot. The water temperature was seventy-nine and I was very glad I chose my 3mm suit rather than my dive skin for our sixty-three minute dive. My open water student has only two days to do the dives so into the soup we went. We did see a batfish very up close. It was a great day to test navigation skills, too. Not being able to see meant we really had to rely on the compass. We're at the little east bridge tomorrow. With a forecast of 5' to 7' seas tomorrow, the vis probably won't be any better. As long as I can see my compass we'll be able to do the dive. Get in the water (maybe this weekend?), Ham

Dive Report 17 October

Fabulous morning for a dive! Being a morning person (I know some of you just can not relate to that) I love early morning dives at the bridge. This morning was about as early a slack high tide we can have and still be diving in sunlight. Sunrise was at 7:20 I think and high tide was at 8:11. It was gorgeous! My two open water students Michael and his son, Noah (Michael is a certified diver taking the course with his son) were treated to a spotted eagle ray hunting for breakfast and a good-sized school of horse-eye jacks hunting for anything that moves. The jacks came by as we were doing an alternate air source ascent; I had to stop Michael and Noah mid-ascent to see the jacks swirling all around us. (An alternate air source ascent should be that slow and comfortable anyway.) The vis was exceptional for the bridge. It had to be between twenty and thirty feet. We could see way out into the boat channel from the eastern side of the pilings marking the channel. The water temperature was eighty-four. Michael and Noah wore light wetsuits and I wore a diveskin. We were all very comfortable for our one hour, seventeen minute dive. For one of the best dives in south Florida, it's worth getting up a little early on a Saturday morning! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 October

Great vis today! With a bright, sunny sky we could see beyond thirty feet under the little east bridge (until the tide turned; vis falls rapidly when that happens). Five of us braved the early fall weather (90 degrees air temperature with a nice breeze from the south) to do a very relaxing fun dive. We looked for the frogfish and seahorses but didn't have any luck. We did see a beautiful polkadotted batfish and a gorgeous juvenile blue angelfish. A mantis shrimp oogled us I think; it's hard to tell where they are looking. Of course, the Atlantic spadefish came up to greet us as they always do. A few large barracuda loomed in the distance as small schools of bait fish swirled toward and away from us. After an hour of bottom time we drifted south and then west through the moored boats just south of the swim area finishing our dive at ninety minutes. In a dive skin I was very comfortable. 88 degrees! At the beach we didn't want to get out of the water to the world of gravity. What a great day of diving! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 8 October

I think the warning about winter coming was premature. With an air temperature of ninety today and a water temperature of eighty-six, it certainly felt like the middle of summer. The bridge experience started with assisting a young couple in jump-starting their car. (I can't remember how many times I have needed that assistance. Nice to be able to return the favor.) My open water student and I followed the usual training route out to the boat channel. At the surface following our alternate air source ascent she asked me if I had seen the manatee. Apparently, the beast swam right next to me and I never saw it! Rats! My student assumed I had seen it and didn't think it any big deal. Oh well. We still had a very nice dive in surprisingly short vis of no more than ten feet. With an east wind I expected better. After one hour, twelve minutes I was no where close to feeling a chill wearing just a dive skin and a .5mm hooded vest. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 6 October

Winter is coming! The water temperature has fallen from eighty-six to eighty-four! As the photo confirms, the vis today was fabulous; it had to be over thirty feet. An open water student and I saw a batfish, a banded jawfish, a QUEEN angelfish (I do not remember having seen a queen there before), a tiny blue angelfish juvenile, and a SPOTTED EAGLE RAY! Even though I can feel the winter water coming in I was still in a dive skin and very comfortable for our fifty-nine minute dive. After having had to deal with the parking at the bridge on Saturday, I had to take a picture of the 9:15 am, Tuesday morning parking lot. What a joy! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 24 September

Incredible conditions! Forty feet or more of vis and eighty-seven degree water! Where were you all? A friend and I did a goof-off dive under the little east bridge in search of the elusive frogfish. No luck with the still elusive frogfish, BUT we did see a gorgeous seahorse along the western seawall, a large octopus in the sailboat wreck, and two large bandtail searobins along with many of the other resident critters, sharptail eels, etc. With such a bright, sunny day the clear water provided fabulous vis. We didn't want to leave and did a one hour, thirty-five minute dive time in dive skins. In water this warm I didn't have a thought of a chill. The forecast for the weekend is very good. Finally, check out the Jupiter Dive Center website (jupiterdivecenter.com) for the Sunday afternoon "Dive for $45" offer. Click on "Dive for 45" in the middle of the page for details. Conditions are terrific! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 23 September

Sad news. One man's junk is another man's treasure, or, boaters' junk is divers' treasure. The little sailboat that was under the pontoon has been removed. That great little habitat for so many critters was lifted out of the water a day or two ago. There were only a couple of confused french angelfish intermediates left looking for their former home. Oh well. We still saw a batfish and a web burrfish. We spent more time poking around the pilings. A highlight of the dive was finding TWO decorator crabs. The water is still very warm at eighty-six (we dived in skins) and the vis was about fifteen feet. Our one hour, thirty-three minute dive time went by pretty quickly. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 20 September

The water is still wonderfully warm at eighty-six degrees. In addition, the vis was exceptional at better than twenty feet in some places. We entered the water about forty minutes before slack high tide to beat the rush of divers. On our one hour, twenty minute dive we saw practically nobody and had the clear water. There are several blue angelfish juveniles out by the boat channel in gorgeous yellow and blue. A good-sized school of Atlantic spadefish has greeted us out there the last several times we've gone. We see mantis shrimp on a pretty regular basis. One batfish was between the solid bridge support and the third set of pillars. Doing the early morning dives on the weekend has been pretty easy in terms of parking. It seems that the afternoon dives are the ones that require getting there plenty early to get a parking space. It was fabulous! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 15 September

The water is still warm at eighty-six, but the vis has been off lately at around ten feet. The marine life is still spectacular; we're just seeing it up close! Two batfish, a web burrfish, several tiny juvenile blue angelfish, a spotted moray, a juvenile butter hamlet, about the littlest lobster I've ever seen, zillions of bait fish, and a gorgeous school of Atlantic spadefish were all there for our enjoyment. Our high tide was at 6:21 pm. I like the way the low sun lights up the area around the boat channel with the pilings back-lighted. In just dive skins Carrie and I were very comfortable. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9/9/09

We had late summer weather at the bridge today, sun and thunderstorms. Carrie and I tried to capture the t-storm just to the southwest of the bridge in a photo, but it just doesn't do it justice. The rain held off until we finished the dive and then we got the fresh-water rinse as we broke down our gear. Great fresh-water shower; it rained hard! The water was a little green from all the recent rain and that limited the vis to about ten feet. I was in a skin and very comfortable in eighty-six degree water for one hour seventeen minutes. Being a weekday morning, we had only a few divers as company. We didn't see them on our dive. A bandtail searobin out by the sailboat wreck and a beautiful seahorse just off the beach were gifts from the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 2 September

I'm a little slow to post this one. I had no idea I would be so busy as a retiree. Anyway, Wednesday morning was a beautiful time to dive. The photos say most of it. No parking problem and gorgeous conditions. Vis was better than it has been. We probably had twenty feet. A sunny morning with little cloud cover helped. The water temperature was eighty-four and I spent our fifty-four minute dive time in a skin very comfortably. We saw an adult and a juvenile bandtail searobins along with many of the usual suspects. It might be a little tougher to get going in the early morning hours, but the payoff is worth it. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 29 August

We started our bridge day with a picnic under a gorgeous sunny sky. BUT, this is southern Florida in the summer so the afternoon meant a wild thunderstorm coming through, actually two thunderstorms. The wind was so strong that the rain was driven under the bridge all the way across. The only shelter was behind the concrete pillars. We saw it coming and stowed all the picnic gear so it was exciting rather than a nuisance. After the thunderstorms two open water students and I did an hour and thirteen minute dive. There was a large school of medium-sized horse-eye jacks out by the channel. With the return of large schools of baitfish we are seeing blue runners frequently as well. The water was eighty-four to eighty-six degrees. I did not need the 3mm suit I was wearing. The rain has shortened the vis to between five and fifteen feet. It didn't matter; we had a great time. A bridge picnic with a few "Arnold Palmers (tea and lemonade)" and a bridge dive! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 26 August

Warm water at the bridge today; too hot for a wetsuit! At between 86 and 88 degrees the water is just too warm for a wetsuit. The recent torrential downpours in the mornings and afternoons have contributed to relatively short vis. It was only about ten feet today and sort of green. I was working with a refresher student while Carrie and a friend poked around looking for the elusive frogfish. Some friends diving under the east bridge said they saw two over there, but under the big bridge we saw none. We did encounter a batfish though by the sailboat wreck under the pontoon platform. There seemed to be many gray angelfish of all stages among the pilings. Beautiful day at the bridge; just have to watch out to not be sun-burned. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 19 August

A very odd day at the bridge. Before I left the house at a little after 6:00am I saw on the local news that there was a search being conducted for a missing swimmer and that the local news stations had set up at Phil Foster to catch any action. So at least I was expecting the Park to not be so quiet as it usually is on a weekday early in the morning. With the remnants of tropical storm Ana coming through in cloud bursts and lightning in the distance, there were very few people at the bridge besides the news crews and a member of the sheriff's office. The sheriff's deputy asked us politely to not go in the area east of the swimming area as they considered it a potential crime scene. I inquired about going west under the big bridge with my open water student. He probably realized at that point that we were not interested in participating in a recovery operation and said we could go. As the squalls blew through there was a pretty good chop that I could feel through the dive flag and reel. Flashes of lightning occurred a couple of times as the skies became darker, and we could see the rain pelting the water, but it was peaceful where we were. We did the usual route for open water students visiting the wrecks and then going under the bridge to the edge of the boat channel. It was yellow stingray day as we saw at least five. My student rescued a little hermit crab from an octopus who was reluctant to let go of it. Fascinating to watch. A couple of lobster are still under the fishing pier. After the dive, with apparently no action to report, news reporters approached us probably for lack of something better to do. My friend and my student each granted a little interview to the "newsthirsty" reporters. Always something different at the bridge. Yesterday a colleague at the shop asked if I ever tire of the bridge. My response, "Never!" Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 17 August

I've been falling behind on my reports. We dived on a 6:41 pm high tide and didn't get home at what I consider a decent hour. (If I told you my regular bedtime I'd never hear the end of it.) Anyway, the conditions were gorgeous. We had thirty feet plus of vis in 86 degree water. Parking was not a problem on a Monday afternoon. (We were at the bridge on Sunday afternoon, too, and we were VERY LUCKY to get a parking spot as a car pulled out right in front of us. I attribute it to clean living.) I will be at the bridge at 7:00 am on Wednesday for a 7:51 high tide. I still haven't been wearing a wetsuit and I'm still toasty after more than an hour in the water. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report

The water is so nice and warm. Two divers doing a refresher with Carrie, and four open water students and I did one hour twenty minutes without exposure suits. The water temperature is eighty-six. The vis was a little disappointing at fifteen to twenty feet. West Palm got some strong showers this morning; maybe that was the cause. Nevertheless, a gorgeous dive! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 August

What a great dive day for the Jupiter Drift Divers dive/picnic! We started off with breakfast goodies and coffee to make sure we would get a good spot for gear set up and picnicking. At about 10:40 we entered the eighty-eight degree water to enjoy the twenty feet of vis. Divers were entertained by the batfish, flying gurnards, highhats, gray angels of all sizes, and myriad other fish and critters. One of my buddies, Steve, and I wore no exposure suits; I was glad I didn't wear my 3mm wetsuit because it was just too warm for me. Carrie was fine in her worn-out, but comfortable-and-hate-to-throw-it-away 3mm wetsuit. The post-dive picnic was fabulous as many divers brought salads and desserts to supplement the grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. By one count there were 47 participants. A special thanks to Veronica and Stan who contribute so much to making the Jupiter Drift Divers a very active and fun club. Check out the link and join if you are not already a member! Get in the water, Ham

Picnic Reminder! Sunday 10 August

Reminder to all that the Jupiter Drift Divers are having a picnic after the bridge dive this Sunday, August 10. High tide is at 11:10 so plan on being there at least an hour earlier than that if you want to dive. If you are not a member of this very active club, this is a great opportunity to meet many of the club members and find out what the Club has planned for the next few months. Hope to see you at the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 29 July

We figured the one place a million divers wouldn't be today was at the bridge and we were right! On such a gorgeous day for diving there were a few divers at the bridge who weren't caught up in lobster lunacy, and we saw only one diver under the east bridge while we were there. Sandy, two young recent advanced open water graduates, and I swam around the swimming area rather than carry our gear down the beach. We were rewarded with a flying gurnard and a striated frogfish. Further toward the east bridge we saw the tiniest blue angelfish juvenile I have ever seen in the little wreck that is just off the beach. Under the bridge were the usual snook, atlantic spadefish, gray and french angelfish, a sharptail eel, and the last three lobsters in southern Florida. Near the western seawall we found another striated frogfish and sharptail eel. While under the bridge in a sandy spot the boys practiced shooting a bag using a reel. I believe all advanced divers should be shooting bags offshore, at least from the safety stop. These kids know how. What a great place to practice skills and see incredible marine life. Our dive time was one hour, twenty-four minutes in eighty-six degree water with twenty feet of vis. The boys and I didn't wear wetsuits; we were very comfortable. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 27 July

Warm water to say the least! Eighty-six degrees! In a 3mm wetsuit I was almost too warm. I think I'm going back to my diveskin next time. We had twenty to thirty feet of vis for a beautiful early afternoon dive. We warned the half dozen or so lobsters that we saw to run for it while they can. Offshore temperatures have been in the low to mid eighties also. It's a great time of year to be diving! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 22 July

I have had my cup of coffee and I'm psyching myself for the lawn. Short vis today as the water was a little green from the rain. We had about ten feet of vis, and that was a cloudy ten. It's great for compass work and looking at the critters that are up close; we saw two mantis shrimp, one large and one small. My open water student was fascinated by the starfish and was really fascinated by the four or five lobsters that we saw, all shorts. Several people have asked about the rules regarding lobster at the bridge. I have not the slightest idea. I'm one of the seven people in Florida who doesn't care about them. The water was a degree warmer than yesterday so our one hour, three minute bottom time in eighty-two degree water was most pleasant. The parking lot looked as it did yesterday - empty. Nice! It was a beautiful morning to be in the water. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 21 July

The last time I saw the parking lot at Phil Foster look like this was Saturday evening after our dive as we surfaced into an approaching wild thunderstorm. When we entered the water at about 5:30 it was a sunny day with some gray clouds forming to the southwest. When we emerged from our dive, an hour and twenty minutes later, it appeared Dorothy and Toto were just about to leave Kansas. We didn't even break down our gear; everything went into the mobile dive shop jiffy quick and we took off just before the storm broke. What a light show on the way back to Jupiter! Wow! Anyway, that was Saturday evening. Today, Tuesday 21 July, high tide was at 8:03 am. Only real dive nuts get up early to dive at that hour. Tobin was there! An open water student, Tobin, and I made the usual route between the wrecks and under the bridge in 81 degree water. Vis on the flood side of high tide was about fifteen feet. On the ebb tide it got as low as three or four feet until we made the corner at the beach heading back east. We saw a batfish, one of the tiniest gray or french angelfish I have ever seen, a resident yellowhead jawfish who is always home, a mantis shrimp who would not come out to play, and a black grouper trying to hide in one of the small wrecks. There are also some lobsters around and, of course, the atlantic spadefish and the bermuda chub. Speeding stoplight parrotfishes mimic those who run red lights, cutting right in front of us. It was a beautiful morning at the bridge. I would have liked to have stayed with a cup of coffee to ease into the day, but I had some other responsibilities. BUT, tomorrow morning after my dive with my student, who is arriving with his parents, I am going to have that cup of coffee at the bridge and ease into the day (before I have to go home and mow the lawn). Thanks Tobin for pulling the flag! Get into the water, Ham

Dive Report 17 July

Typical south Florida afternoon - thunderstorms all around us. There is a very positive side to these storms; people leave the park so parking is much easier. Also, the picnic tables get a nice fresh water rinse. With overcast skies the vis was shorter at about twenty feet, maybe a little more. It was still easy to navigate to the wrecks that remain. An experienced advanced open water student, who needs an AOW card to be able to do some of the dives where dive operators require AOW, and I ventured off the beach almost due south to the center console wreck. We practiced in and out of our gear underwater which was good for me because I have a new BCD with which I had not practiced that skill. From there we went due west to the upside down wreck which is close to the channel (be very careful if you venture out to this one). Our next leg was a little north and then west to the sailboat wreck (we call it the 230 wreck because that is the compass heading from the beach). A 330 course from there took us back under the bridge where we measured fin kicks from one set of pilings to the next. Just before this the rain and lightning started to happen. Great light show. I can't count the number of times that has happened offshore. At first it seems a photographer is taking pictures. No photographer, must be lightning. It's never bothered me while I'm under water. Once offshore I nearly jumped out of my skin when we surfaced during a fast-moving electric storm and a bolt hit probably within a quarter of a mile. I suppose it is similar to playing PowerBall; there is a chance. Oh well. The water temperature was eighty-four. At the end of our one hour, twenty minute dive in just a skin I was thinking I might like a cup of soup for supper. The batfish were there. Carrie and our good friend, Rob, saw snook in the pilings and the "tiniest" gray or french angelfish she has ever seen. It was too tiny to tell! My student pointed out a big spotted moray just to the north of the fishing pier. (Lightning = no people on the fishing pier) There were also a couple of big lobsters in the sailboat wreck and just north of the fishing pier (Michele!). We capped off our wonderful dive with supper at the Sailfish Marina with our great friends, Rob and Sharon. Great day! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 16 July

The conditions are so good we just had to do a fun dive. The water temperature was eighty-six and the vis was greater than forty feet. I did the dive in a skin for one hour, thirty-five minutes and was never cold. We saw a bandtail searobin, a batfish, a tiny blue angelfish juvenile, a mantis shrimp making a new home, many gray and french angelfishes of all stages, and an octopus. Carrie, Chris, a diver getting back into diving, , and I had a wonderfully lazy dive. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 15 July

It's too hot for a wetsuit. I thought I would not be saying that, but at the bridge today with the water at eighty-six, it's too hot for even a 3mm suit. Next time I'm there (this Friday) I'm going to wear a skin and see how that goes. I at least need something to prevent the sun from burning me. Vis today was SPECTACULAR! It had to be forty feet plus. The conditions are about as good as it gets for whimpy divers so if you have been waiting for "cupcake" conditions, THEY ARE HERE! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 13 July

What a difference a couple of days can make! How many times have I said that? [3,210,975] Anyway, an eighty-four degree water temperature out at the channel and eighty-six off the beach made for a very comfortable one hour, twenty-three minute bottom time. Trish came here from Nebraska to avoid the frigid quarry experience and this time the sacrificing of the chickens worked. The vis was thirty to forty feet. It was like being in a wonderfully warm pool, but with yellowhead jawfish, an intermediate and an adult batfish, many french and gray angelfish juveniles and intermediates, and an octopus, besides all the other regulars. We actually started our predive briefing standing on the seawall where we saw a small spotted eagle ray. That was before we entered the water! Summer conditions are back! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 10 July

After several weeks out of the water, this happy camper, Tobin, has had a couple of nice dives in the last two days, one under the big bridge and today under the little east bridge. Today I was with a young student and her mother diving under the big bridge and the fishing pier (there was one man fishing from the pier). Carrie, Tobin, and some friends from the Philadelphia area dived under the little bridge. The water is a little green from all the rain we have been having. Vis was between ten and fifteen feet, sometimes shorter. The water was a degree or two colder today than yesterday at seventy-nine. Carrie reported many Atlantic Spadefish and many angelfishes. We saw pretty much the usual suspects as I was mostly watching my ten-year-old student. She did really well. At one point she caught her snorkel on an anchor line and her mask came off. Like an experienced diver she simply replaced her mask and cleared it. I was very impressed. I love, too, seeing the excitement of new divers as they see the starfish, the lobsters, the little flounders, the parrotfish, and all the other attractions. Nice day at the bridge with nice people. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 July

After a few weeks away from the bridge it was "back in the saddle" for a beautiful dive. The water was a little green as we have had some fresh water added EVERY afternoon for several weeks, but the vis was still generally about ten to fifteen feet. The water temperature was eighty-two which made for a very comfortable one hour, twenty-five minute dive in 3mm wetsuits. We were a group of seven certified divers, some of whom were getting back in the water after a long dry spell (ten years in one case!). What a great place to get "back in the saddle". We saw a batfish, the tiniest blue or queen angelfish I have ever seen (it was too small to tell), a sharptail eel almost completely in its hole with only its head sticking out (I've never seen that before), and somewhere between twelve to fifteen lobsters lined up in a row all facing out in shoulder-to-shoulder formation under the fishing pier (you should have seen that, Michele!). Scorpionfish were all over the bottom. And, of course, on a Thursday, practically nobody was there. Nice! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 18 June

On a clear day...... Wow! Forty to fifty feet of vis at the bridge. We could see the shadows of a set of pilings from another set of pilings; they are one hundred feet apart. In my three millimeter wetsuit (no hooded vest) I was almost too warm; I may wear just a skin next time. The water temperature was eighty-four. [Water temperature offshore today was eighty-one on the bottom.] Heather, a fellow instructor who also lives under the bridge as I do, said she had seen three frogfish under the fishing pier. There were only a couple of people on the pier, and we don't interfere with their fishing if we are directly under the pier, so a student and I searched for the frogfish. We found one on the northern side about halfway out the pier. It was a gorgeous striated frogfish. My student and I were thrilled. The late afternoon sun gives the bridge fantastic lighting so we could see well out into the boat channel WITHOUT GOING INTO IT. (We see some divers doing that from time to time. Not a good idea. Stupid comes to mind.) Anyway, if the park allowed "buff diving" (some people do that believe it or not - with scuba gear!) now would be the time to do it if that is how one likes to dive; it's warm enough! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 15 June

Another ho-hum two frogfish, a big flying gurnard, a shortnose batfish, a sharptail eel, a big southern ray, a seahorse, and zillions of baitfish dive at the bridge. We had partly cloudy skies with some thunderstorms to our south, but they didn't affect us except to maybe reduce park attendance to even fewer people for a weekday. The vis was between ten to fifteen feet, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer as the fresh water mixed with the ocean water. The water temperature was a very comfortable eighty-two. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 13 June

For those of you who have been waiting for water in the eighties, IT'S HERE. Not those EIGHTIES, eighty degrees! We had a water temperature of eighty-two degrees in ten to fifteen feet of vis. An advanced open water student and I reviewed open water skills, compass work, and reel and bag practice. In doing so, we saw a batfish and an octopus among the many other critters. Carrie saw a striated frogfish just north of the "canyon," (just like the picture in Humann's book!) Mike Phelan saw a southern ray and an eagle ray. The toughest part of the dive was getting out a little after noon into the aromas of grilling burgers, hot dogs, chicken, etc. I wished I had brought more than my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple. Oh well. We'll try to do a bridge brunch in July. The Jupiter Drift Divers have a bridge picnic planned for August 9. They are meeting there at 10:00am for the diving with the picnic to follow. Consider joining this very active dive club that features a dive of the month and other activities with a fun group of people. Get in the water, Ham