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
