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
