Dive Report 28 February

We had a sunny and warm day at the bridge today! It felt like summer (until we entered the water which at seventy-two is a little cooler than summer water.) Carrie, a devoted bridge-diving friend, and I started our sixty-four minute dive with a "ditch and don our gear" practice exercise. The shallow water is a safe place to practice with buddies looking on to lend assistance if needed. With fifty feet of vis we first visited the overturned open-boat wreck just south of the blue-hulled sailboat. There was a queen triggerfish there along with several gray angelfish. Be careful if you go out there as it is fairly close to the boat channel. From there we went northwest to the new wreck where there are always little french and gray angelfish juveniles. After a once around the wreck and the silt kicked up by an open water class (we have all done it!) we headed north to the bridge. On the way there we saw two squid that hurried away and a little octopus who quickly sought the refuge of its lair from the bubble-blowing monsters trying to get a better look at it. Once alongside the bridge we headed west to the channel. Two manatees traveling north close to the surface passed by obviously on their way to an appointment. I have not seen them this far away from the shore before. As we passed between the last bridge support and the channel, an area we call the "canyon", a sharptail eel was searching for its brunch. What a wonderfully relaxed, enjoyable dive. Not one of us even came close to feeling seasick. I love this place. Tomorrow should be pretty, too. High tide is at 10:53, about an hour or so before winter is forecast to return. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 26 February

Incredible vis at the bridge today! It had to be eighty feet! The vis offshore has been phenomenal lately and with the east wind, the blue water is fairly close to shore. The vis at the bridge today was probably a result of the close blue water. Even after slack the Intracoastal was as clear as a well-maintained swimming pool. A student, Carrie, and I did a one hour, fourteen minute run time in seventy-two degree water. Carrie got a bit cool at the end in her 5mm suit; I was pretty comfortable in my 5mm with a 3mm hooded vest. We saw a shortnose batfish and a flying gurnard among all the usuals which we could see from quite some distance. With the sun coming through it was an absolutely gorgeous morning underwater. Without question, the vis today was the best I've experienced in quite some time. What a treat! (Note: MANY turtles are being seen offshore almost everywhere. Reef sharks are very consistently observed on Area 51 and Captain Mike's. The lemon sharks have been seen frequently, although not on every dive, on Captain Mike's just on top of the ledge in the sand in 70'-75', and in quite a few other places. That is the problem with the lemon sharks, we're seeing them, but they are not consistently in one spot.) Get in the water; winter diving means lots of fish and critters, Ham

Dive Report 24 February

I love mid-winter in Florida. We had a quick little shower at the bridge this morning and then the sun was out by the time we left the water. There are a few new french and gray angelfish juveniles here and there; they are so little that it is hard to tell which they are. A flying gurnard gave us a show of its wings as we gently passed by. It seemed that there were several stoplight parrotfish following us around. The vis was better than thirty feet. The water temperature was seventy-two; I was very comfortable in a 5mm jumpsuit and 3mm hooded vest for our fifty-three minute run time. With a 7:49 high tide we were out of the water by 9:00. A cup of coffee after the dive was a nice way to welcome the day. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 16 February

Despite a strong north wind that created one to two feet of whitecaps on the Intracoastal, we had twenty feet of vis in seventy-one degree water. The surge was very strong and good practice for my open water student who got to experience the movement on the bottom and the importance of turning one's back to the sea upon surfacing. We had very realistic ocean-like (calm ocean, but ocean nevertheless) conditions. The shortnose batfish, web burrfish, and the gorgeous little spotfin butterflyfish were all there to entertain us. The only wreck that has been removed is the one that was closest to the beach. We visited the others. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 14 February

Gorgeous day at the bridge! We had a bright, sunny, and WARM day at the bridge (and everybody knew it because it was standing room only). The visibility was better than thirty feet except for where new students were kicking up the bottom. It's a good place to kick up the bottom if the bottom is going to get kicked up. Anyway, the water temperature out by the channel was seventy-one and seventy-three by the beach. I am sad to report that the little sailboat wreck right off the beach has been removed. I'm not sure how much of a danger it posed to anyone, but it was a great sanctuary for little fish and a great attraction to snorkelers and divers alike. The wreck just to the south of the one that has been removed is still there, marked by a plastic bottle. I will see if the new wreck, the one close to the channel, is still there on Monday. On a more positive note, now that the Park is a no-take zone for fish collectors, we are seeing many more juveniles. My dive buddy and I saw a beautiful tiny, tiny spotfin butterfly fish and, of course, many juvenile french and gray angelfish. What a treat. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 5 February

Colder than yesterday! I had an open water student who wants to complete certification before a dive vacation so into the water we went. The water temperature was sixty-four! I couldn't believe it; I must have looked at my computer half a dozen times to be sure. My student was in two 3mm wetsuits and was actually pretty comfortable. I didn't see him shiver and he didn't turn that telltale blue. We did a forty-seven minute dive. I would have been a popsicle if I'd been in a wetsuit; thank goodness for my DRYSUIT! The vis was a short five feet, but we navigated to the new wreck and out to the channel without any trouble. The toughest part of the day was getting out of the water. My student really felt the cold when the strong north wind met us. Amazingly, there were several other divers there. Crazy people probably. Get in the water (with enough exposure protection), Ham

Dive Report 4 February

I just returned from seeing family and doing some skiing in upstate New York. Look what followed me home! We had sixty-eight degrees for our water temperature today in ten feet of vis. Three of us were trying our new drysuits for the first time and what a pleasure it was. Sixty-eight degrees is very comfortable in the drysuit. Carrie was too warm! We saw an octopus, a flying gurnard, a shortnose batfish, and a seahorse. Not bad for ten feet of vis. I believe the little puffers were shivering. Chances are with the north wind we had today blowing up whitecaps on the Intracoastal, the vis at the bridge will be short for a few days. I'll let you know. I am there tomorrow with an open water student. Get in the water (just know how to stay warm), Ham