Dive Report 29 December

It's the time of year to see manatees and we saw one today! Cold water brings them in. Today the water temperature off the beach was seventy-two while the water temperature at the boat channel was seventy. The vis off the beach was fifteen feet, quite a bit better than the eight or nine feet at the boat channel. We saw the manatee just off the beach by the seawall that leads over to the fishing pier. I took several pictures of it as it appeared to be in no hurry even though I was on SCUBA rather than snorkeling. When we have seen manatees in the swimming area during our 300 yard snorkel/swim, they have been very tolerant of our presence. When we have seen them while on SCUBA they have been much more skitterish. During the snorkel/swim I saw a seahorse and a bandtail searobin. Between the seawall and the first set of pilings there was a good-sized flying gurnard. What a great day! The air temperature was in the sixties and we had little or no breeze meeting us at our exit. It's a fabulous time of year to see the manatees. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 27 December

Cold, cold, cold! The air temperature was 48 in a constant breeze from the northwest and the water temperature was 70 off the beach and 68 at the boat channel. Cold. Vis was down to between ten and fifteen feet. The chop on the intracoastal has lifted sand into the water so it is milky. Nevertheless, my open water student in two 3mm wetsuits (and 24 lbs of lead to sink them) did very well on our fifty-six minute dive. Tobin, the most die-hard bridge diver I know, said he felt pretty comfortable in his 3mm suit with a 3mm hooded vest. He's tougher than I am. I was in my drysuit with substantial undergarment to stay toasty. As I've said previously, I am too old to be cold. Tobin saw a striped burrfish, a couple of pipefish, and other critters I missed as my focus was on my student and completing the skill set before he froze. We did it! If you're "tough enough" (or have a drysuit) Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 25 December

Four of us enjoyed 73 degree water with twenty feet of vis under a bright, mostly sunny sky. I was comfortable for our one hour, twenty minute dive in my 5mm wetsuit and 3mm hooded vest. We did the "Michele Route" going directly to the fishing pier and working our way west. (Of course, we did the "Michele Route"; Michele led the dive!) We saw two species of batfish, a sharptail eel, a spotted moray eel, many blue, gray, and french angelfish of all stages, pufferfishes, many lobsters, banded coral shrimp, Atlantic spadefish, and, unfortuately, two lionfish. We were able to dispatch one of the lionfish, but the other eluded us. We can only hope to control their numbers at the bridge and on our dive sites offshore. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a beautiful Christmas morning in south Florida. It doesn't get any better. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 23 December

Fabulous vis today! We had thirty feet of vis in 72-degree water. With a bright, sunny sky we could see exceptionally well. A beautiful spotted eagle ray glided out into the boat channel. I saw the first flying gurnard I've seen for quite some time. It wouldn't display both wings at one time, but one was good enough for me. My student and I were in drysuits for our sixty-one minute dive and were toasty. A former student tagged along in a 3mm fullsuit and said she felt fine; she was much more focused on what the critters were doing than on the water temperature. Get out your winter suit. Do what you have to do, but ..... Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 21 December

Yesterday at the pool session I informed my three open water students that we would do a 300 yard snorkel swim instead of the 200 yard pool swim because the pool is pretty small (715 laps required to do 200 yards) and because we would have the chance of seeing manatees if we did a snorkel swim at the bridge. I figured we at least had a chance of seeing manatees because the water temperature has been in the low seventies. BUT, (dopey me!) it didn't occur to me to bring the CAMERA while we snorkeled. I know what you're thinking. (Yeah, sure he saw a manatee, but didn't get the picture. Yeah right.) But we DID see a manatee AND her CALF! They were swimming very closely together. The water temperature was seventy-two on my computer. They were not at all alarmed by our presence or they were too cold to react. We were with them in the swimming area for several minutes. Made my day right there and we hadn't put on the dive gear yet. The vis was 15' or so. It was better than I thought it would be. Several southern rays were looking for breakfast. A batfish under the fishing pier (nobody on the pier, imagine that) was cooperative for the camera. I had to take the picture of the butter hamlet; I love them. I was in a 5mm suit with a 3mm hooded vest. For our 54-minute dive I was comfortable. My students in 3mm suits were chilled. I was pleased to exit the water into no breeze at all. That made breaking down the gear and putting it in the van much more pleasant than it is to do when the wind is howling out of the north. The bottom line is that winter conditions, although more challenging in terms of comfort, do provide opportunities that we do not have during the warmer times of the year. So, brace yourself and get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 8 December

I can't believe I have been away from the bridge for almost a month! Today was a great day to get back into it. The water temperature was seventy-three. The vis was a slightly milky twenty to thirty feet. With a bright sun and virtually no clouds I could see quite well. I had three spotted eagle ray sightings. I don't know if I was seeing two or three of them as I saw them singly at different times of the one hour dive. The searobin (I'm not sure which species) seems to almost always be at the corner just off the seawall foraging in the sand. We have seen it there very consistently. It's also rare to do a bridge dive without seeing a sharptail eel. I had to take the lobster picture just under the fishing pier. My picture of the eagle ray wasn't particularly good as none of them came close and the water was milky. Only two other divers were there. I expect they were comfortable until they got out of the water into the stiff breeze from the north in an air temperature of about 45! They made some loud noises as they scooted pretty fast from the water to their car where they just about ripped off their wetsuits. In my drysuit (I'm too old to be uncomfortable) neither the water temperature nor the air temperature and windchill factor were a concern. The diving is great (and VERY few are there) if you have the exposure suit and routine for dealing with cold air temperatures. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 12 November

Today we definitely experienced the effects of the big surf offshore (8' to 10'); we had six feet of vis and the water temperature dropped two degrees to seventy-seven. My two open water students, here from NY, were game to give it a go. I think it is a good experience to dive in not-so-easy conditions. We have many more opportunities to dive if we're not "cupcake divers." My two students are comfortable in the water and despite their misgivings at the start, we had a nice one hour, ten minute dive. They were in 3mm full suits and I was in a 5mm.(They are from up north! Nobody complained, and I didn't tell them what I was wearing). Of course, anything we saw was up close, but we managed to see a batfish, a searobin, a couple of sharptail eels, a pair of adult french anglefish, and many others. Navigation without surfacing was a challenge, but if one dives the bridge enough, the junk becomes welcome navigation aids. I just kept giving my student compass bearings and the very enthusiastic twelve-year-old guided the way. We had a bright, sunny day with an eighty degree air temperature. It was nice! Again and again, we don't know unless we go. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 11 November

Thirty feet or more of vis in water that ranged from eighty-one to seventy-nine degrees made for a very pleasant dive day. The much better than normal vis was a surprise. We could see the shadow of one set of pilings from another set; that is one hundred feet! A gorgeous spotted eagle ray glided over the sand just south of the first and second set of pilings. A bandtail searobin danced along the bottom just off the seawall between the beach and the intracoastal. A couple of sharptail eels foraged for their lunch. With the air temperature around eighty degrees on a bright, sunny day, it was definitely a good day to "get in the water", Ham

Dive Report 8 November

The north wind was STILL blowing! Underwater I couldn't care less, but getting out of the water after the dive requires Spartan discipline and resolve. The vis was shorter today at between ten to fifteen feet; that was to be expected considering the high surf outside the inlet. The water temperature was still seventy-seven. In my 5mm full suit I was very comfortable for our one hour, fifteen minute dive. My open water student in a 3mm full suit was fine; he was so engrossed with all the mini-lobsters that being cold didn't occur to him. He can't wait to get offshore with his lobster gear. We saw two species of searobins, a bandtail and a blackwing. Not looking like lobsters, my student wasn't particularly interested. We saw the octopus in the same lair and a couple of sharptail eels foraging about. I wrote a note on my slate about the "no taking of tropicals" regulation to a diver who was trying to catch a puffer fish in a yogurt cup. The puffer was way too fast for him anyway. It didn't need my help. Overall, it was a nice dive with very few divers in the water. What do I thank for that...a Monday morning or "less than cupcake conditions"? Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 7 November

"The north wind will blow and we will have snow!" Well, not snow, but the north wind was blowing at ten to fifteen knots. I don't know how to figure wind chill temperatures, but with a fifty degree temperature, the wind made it quite chilly. Mostly cloudy skies kept the sun from contributing even a psychological degree of warmth. Anyway, that was all above the water. IN the water, the conditions were great. We had twenty feet of vis in seventy-seven degree water. Yes, to those who are concerned about water temperature, that is the coldest we have had in a while, but it was much better than the seventy-five I experienced at the pool yesterday for two hours! In a 5mm full suit I was very comfortable for our one hour, twenty minute dive. We saw the bandtail searobin, an octopus, a school of blue runners, many small lobsters, two sharptail eels, atlantic spadefish, and other regulars. The challenge was getting OUT of the water. Our strategy was to dash from the water to a picnic table where we quickly got out of our gear and wetsuits, and put on big coats BEFORE we disassembled the gear and packed it into the van. It worked pretty well. I passed on my usual shower at the fish-cleaning table. A shower in a fifteen knot north wind did not appeal to me at all. The next stop was Dunkin Donuts on US 1. A cup of hot coffee was the perfect finishing touch (not including washing gear) to a very nice dive. Get in the water (with a strategy), Ham

Dive Report 31 October

Carrie, Bill (an open water student), and I arrived early for our Sunday afternoon dive anticipating a parking challenge, but parking was easy. There were no where near as many picnickers as there are in the summer. A bus full of eager open water students set up gear next to us at least giving us a "heads up" about what not to expect in terms of vis. But even before the kids entered the water we were aware that it had fallen off significantly from the thirty feet it was yesterday down to about ten to fifteen feet. It was pretty milky. The water temperature remained at seventy-nine which for me in my 5mm was very comfortable. Carrie in a 3mm fullsuit was quite chilled after our one hour, nineteen minute dive. We saw several little eels, most of which were spotted eels. The photograph is Bill's. A big school of intermediate horse-eye jacks hunted under the fishing pier not caring at all about our proximity to them. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon of diving! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 30 October

Fabulous vis at the bridge in 78-79 degree water! Carrie, Bill (our open water student), Walt (a certified diver who drove from Pennsylvania to dive only to be faced with boats at the dock because of rough seas) and I had a dive in thirty feet of vis which had to be better than that in places. That is even despite the big school of mullets stirring up the bottom and the 4,780, 312 students from every dive shop within 230,000 miles. It was still great vis! I think the tidal flow was pretty steady and that may have helped. Anyway, we saw the squid discovered by Bill (helpful dive hint # 46-b: dive with young people who can still see). It hovered cooperatively until it had had enough of me and then changed colors and did its little space rocket impersonation. "Grumpy" the batfish posed for every photographer there, quietly awaiting the next paparazzi in line as a movie star would. Photograhers were lined up like aircraft in holding patterns. Pretty funny to see the command of this batfish. A beautiful juvenile of the boxfishes family has us wondering which one it is. A bandtail searobin posed patiently for the camera just south of the third set of pilings. We even saw a small spotted eagle ray during our pre-dive snorkeling exercise in the swimming area! I confess that when I heard Marv Caples mention the previous day's water temperature (79), I turned to my trusty old 5mm. I know what you northerners and mid-westerners and west-coasters are thinking, but I don't care. I was toasty warm. Others in 3mm fullsuits were a mixed lot with some being cool at the end and others being quite content. We were almost two hours early for the 2:44 high tide so parking wasn't a problem even though it was a Saturday afternoon high tide. I wonder if my drysuit seals have been powdered. Get in the water (NOW, winter is coming!), Ham

Dive Report 24 October

Beautiful, sunnny day at the bridge! Even though it was a Sunday, the 9:46 high tide was before the picnickers arrive so the parking wasn't too much of a problem. Of course, every dive shop within 50 miles (or more) was there, but there is plenty of space (except out at the channel at slack high tide). The vis was actually a little shorter than it was for the night dive the night before. And that is BEFORE all the students entered the water kicking up the bottom just as you and I did when we started. Anyone following me in the early days of my diving probably thought a herd of buffalo had just passed through. Carrie concurs noting that trim is not much of a concern when survival is overloading all the other circuits. Anyway, an AOW student doing compass work (and working on TRIM) and I saw a blackwing searobin and a batfish among all the other critters in 81 degree water. The vis was ten to fifteen feet (not around the aforementioned students). In a 3mm wetsuit and thin hooded vest I was very comfortable for our one hour, twenty minute dive. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 23 October

NIGHT DIVE! The beach officially closes at sunset, but the Jupiter Dive Center has a permit that allows designated divers to use the beach until 10pm (way past my bedtime). Veronica of the Jupiter Drift Divers chose Saturday night to do a club dive through the JDC. She could not have made a better choice. It was hitting the trifecta: Saturday night (sleep in on Sunday), 9:11pm high tide (perfect timing), and a full moon (lots of light)! Tobin and I entered the water a little after 8:00. It was quite dark by then. Off the beach not far from the swimming area we poked around the little center console wreck and then worked our way over to the upside-down wreck. The tidal current in that area is weak so divers can enter the water well before slack high tide and not have to fight a current. There were a zillion little lobsters especially on the upside-down wreck. Navigation was easy as the vis was fabulous. On our way to the boat channel Tobin found a gorgeous octopus out hunting. Others in the dive club saw several stargazers. An enormous southern ray startled me a bit as it flew almost directly over me out of the dark. It was a great outing for the Jupiter Drift Divers, a very active club of great people. I was very comfortable in a 3mm fullsuit in 81 degree water for our one hour, twenty-eight minute dive. It was very much worth staying up past my bedtime! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 14 October

We still had thirty feet of vis today in 82 degree water. The skies were overcast with an occasional drizzle, but that helped the parking situation, no problem getting a parking place. Blue runners were feeding under the fishing pier in a frenzy of activity. A large southern ray swung by to investigate. The bandtail searobin was at the corner just off the seawall where we have seen them frequently. Carrie and I were in 3mm suits and were very comfortable for the one hour, twenty minute dive. Tobin, in a dive skin, was cool after a little more than an hour. My open water student, without exposure suit, was comfortable until he got out of the water. Then he felt cold as the skies were still overcast. It was a very nice, relaxing dive with a great deal of action. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 11 October

Great vis at the bridge today! It had to be in excess of thirty feet. The water temperature was eighty-two and I felt overdressed in a 3mm fullsuit for our one hour, twenty-two minute dive. We saw a flying gurnard, spotted eagle rays, and Carrie saw the little northern stargazer and got its picture. What a difference a few days can make. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 October

It was pretty green, but well worth the effort to make the dive. Tobin discovered the beautiful frogfish out pretty close to the boat channel in about 9' of water. He was carrying the camera and took the accompanying shots. There were a couple of mantis shrimp and a blackwing searobin. (I am taking the opportunity while I'm writing about fish to apologize for mistakenly identifying the striped burrfish as a web burrfish in earlier blogs. I'm learning.) The camera is a great tool for learning fish and critter identification as its memory is significantly better than mine. Anyway, Carrie, my open water student and I wore 3mm wetsuits for our one hour, twenty-four minute dive and were very comfortable in the 81 degree water. Tobin's computer read 78 degrees at the boat channel. I think he was in a dive skin for his hour and a half dive. The vis was around eight to ten feet. Considering the very rough seas of the last several days, I was amazed that the vis was as good as it was. The incredible fish and critters are there regardless of the vis. If the vis is short, bring your magnifying glass and look at the little stuff up close. Always something to see at the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 25 September

If you didn't mind riding the commuter train at rush hour, you wouldn't have minded diving at Blue Heron Blvd. Bridge. Carrie, a diving friend, Jan, an open water student and I entered the water about forty-five minutes before slack high tide. Off the beach the vis was maybe fifteen feet in eighty-four degree water. None of us were in wetsuits for our one hour, nineteen minute dive. (Carrie and Jan did an hour, twenty-nine minutes). I wasn't even cool; it was very comfortable. But once the Mongolian hordes came crashing in from across the Asian steppe, the vis fell off dramatically as did the elbow room. It was so crowded at the boat channel we opted to not go through "the canyon" for fear of becoming wedged in there with the four hundred twelve other divers who were all trying to go through at the same time. We'll have to establish a maximun occupancy for that area. Ah, for the weekdays! Anyway, despite the somewhat crowded conditions we saw some pretty interesting critters. The little web burrfish kept posing for me. "I'm ready for my close-up." It kept turning offering me different angles. I'm used to them skittering away as fast as they can go. Not this one. It was in love with the camera. Great fun. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 September

It was a two-seahorse day, one black and one orange. The water was eighty-four degrees; none of the six of us had a wetsuit on and we were all fairly comfortable for our one hour, thirty-two minute dive. Carrie and I were showing a newly certified diving family how we navigate at the bridge. They did the compass work and they carried the reel and dive flag. We entered the water well before slack high tide and had to deal with the current, but the twenty to thirty feet of vis on flood tide was worth it. One of the girls was carrying the reel and flag while her sister took pictures. The seahorse pictures are hers. A weekday 9:33 high tide was a sweet time to dive the Bridge. Very few people were there. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 4 September

Better conditions have returned! The water is a toasty eighty-six, but more importantly, the vis was between ten and fifteen feet. HOWEVER, it is Labor Day weekend and parking is at a premium. We arrived two hours before high tide and got the last two spots at Phil Foster. For our one hour, twenty-one minute dive we were all comfortable without wetsuits. As a few intoxicated locals started a heated argument that had all the potential of blowing up into a fight I remembered why I try to avoid bridge dives on weekend afternoons. The weekday early morning high tides are absolutely the nicest times to dive the bridge. So, if you have the option, skip work to dive the bridge; it's worth avoiding the weekend. Get in the water, Ham (The photo: The kids had played hooky if you missed that episode. If you do not know who these people are you have had a deprived childhood. I'd complain to my parents.)

Dive Report 3 September

It was a great day for compass work; we had 5' of vis! There were actually some other lunatic divers in the water. This is a picture of them. At least we had a good reason to be there. Advanced open water navigation work does not require much vis. Why the others were there is beyond me. In five feet of vis we had a very difficult time keeping track of each other let alone seeing anything that did not bump into us. The eighty-six degree water was pleasant. Again, no wetsuits were required for our one hour, twenty-eight minute dive (no, it did not take us that long to find our way out!) A pre-dive electric storm cleared the parking lot that contained only a few cars in the first place. My students had a great dive being very successful at following compass bearings. The dive turned out much better than I expected. It is not surprising to be surprised at the Bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 2 Sept

The short vis was bound to come after all the turmoil offshore from Danielle and Earl. We had only between 6' and 8' of vis, but that did not affect the enthusiasm of a very excited twelve year old who just wanted to dive, no matter what. I love that kind of energy and I really enjoy diving with children who are so excited to be on this great adventure. This motivated young boy brought his father along with him into the open water class. I much prefer to see the child bringing the parent rather than the parent bringing the child; it makes an enormous difference in the experience for the child. Anyway, everything we saw, including a bandtail searobin and a sharptail eel, was up close. My young buddy pointed out EVERYTHING with great excitement. He was a very good buddy, staying by my side throughout the dive, but not on top of me. My young student was in a 3mm wetsuit for our one hour, three minute dive and was very comfortable. His father, Carrie, and I did not wear wetsuits and were very comfortable in the eighty-six degree water. We can learn much from children; it can all be new if we see as a child sees. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 31 August

Fooled again! Thank goodness! With the rough seas from the last several days I anticipated short vis at the bridge today. I had no students so Carrie and I did a very leisurely two hour, six minute dive in eighty-six degree water with better than TWENTY feet of vis! I really didn't expect the conditions to be so good. On top of it all, there were only a few other divers and we saw them briefly twice. It was pretty much like having the whole place to ourselves. We saw three batfish, two octopuses, a bandtail searobin, a banded jawfish, and the yellowheaded jawfish that has been on the east side of the third set of pilings for several weeks. We looked for the goldspotted eel that we saw a few days ago at the western end of the fishing pier, but we did not find it. We did not find the frogfish or yellow garden eel either. It was, however, yellow stingray day as we saw at least half a dozen in fairly close proximity to each other by the center console boat wreck. A BIG southern ray cruised by us in the shallow water between the sea wall and the first set of pilings. I like to return to the beach in that shallow water because we often see rays there. So despite the pounding surf which I thought would be mixing sand into the water to create a milky mess, we had very good vis in warm water with very few other people in the water. What do I know? The bridge always has a surprise, BUT we have to go to know. We have to "Get in the water", Ham

Dive Report 28 August

What a beautiful day for a bridge dive and a picnic! Carrie, an open water student, and I entered the water at about 10:30 for an 11:15 high tide. Off the beach the vis was close to thirty feet. This was, of course, before 4,562,891 student divers entered the water. (I'm pretty sure of my count; two others had the same number.) I have never seen so many dive flags in the water. With a water temperature of 86 we didn't wear wetsuits; dive skins were adequate for our one hour, twenty minute dive. I would have stayed in the water longer, but I was afraid if I did that there wouldn't have been any hotdogs or hamburgers left at the Jupiter Drift Divers picnic. As it was I got there just in time for a hamburger. (Thank you, Stan, for saving me one!) The picnic was well-attended. Lots of goodies to eat. It was a very pleasant way to spend the middle of the day, great dive and good friends. Our gift from the Bridge was a frogfish! Carrie found it and then pointed it out to a photographer. Once he started to take pictures the line of photographers started. I was third in line as I patiently waited for the two in front of me to complete their portfolios of 5000+ pictures each. It was a good exercise in buoyancy for my student as I instructed him to not touch the bottom while we waited. By the end of the wait the kid not only had good buoyancy, but his trim was pretty good, too. Carrie graciously took the camera before we ran over our three hour nitrogen loading limit and got the attached photo. I love the Bridge! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 24 August

Eighty-two degree water was four degrees cooler than our last dive at the bridge a couple of days ago, but we were still very comfortable in dive skins for our one hour, eleven minute dive. Vis was a little better than last time at twenty feet and better in some places. The water is mixing though as we could see shimmers from time to time and noted slight temperature changes along with vis changes. Nevertheless, the conditions made for a very pleasant dive with our young Discover Scuba participant who took the accompanying picture of the batfish. The octopus photo is mine as I almost always go to the pipe to say hello. We didn't have time to look for the yellow garden eel as I mistakenly told our young diver's parents that we would be out of the water at 9:30; we could have easily gone on for another fifteen or twenty minutes, but I didn't want to keep parents waiting. The Jupiter Drift Divers are sponsoring a picnic after the bridge dive this Saturday. High tide is at 11:15 so we will plan on entering the water at about 10:30. I have an open water student to whom I will be introducing the wonders at the bridge! Then it's on to burgers and dogs! Come meet the folks who participate in this very active dive club. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 20 August

In a dive skin the eighty-six degree water with ten to fifteen feet of vis was very nice. An open water student and I were in the water for one hour, eight minutes for our 6:30pm high tide dive. Carrie had a Discover Scuba student in the water for about the same time. None of us wore wetsuits. There were a few other divers there, but the weekday/late afternoon high tide combo made for easy parking in my favorite spot. The little bandtail searobin displaying all its "plummage" was again in the very same spot off the beach! It's been there for a few days now. Remarkable. I didn't get a chance to look for the yellow garden eel as we got a late start and the sun went behind big clouds around 7:00. I'll be back next week though looking for that little critter. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 19 August

Eighty-six degrees and ten to fifteen feet of vis made for a very pleasant one hour, twenty-six minute dive. We saw only a few snorkelers on our dive. To be at the southern end of the boat channel pilings at slack high tide we did the "Michele route" which starts under the eastern end of the fishing pier and goes west and then south through "the canyon". The late afternoon sunshine made it a gorgeous time to be in the water. I was testing my buoyancy in a 3mm suit and my heavy steel doubles. I would rather have been in a dive skin, but I need to get a feel for the doubles and a wetsuit. I wanted to try my 5mm suit, but that would have been unbearably warm. Carrie took the pictures. She got this nice one of a balloonfish. We saw what we are pretty sure was a yellow garden eel just off the beach southeast of the playground. I am going to try to relocate it for a photograph. Always something new at the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 17August

It was warmer than I thought it would be! Having experienced somewhat cold water for this time of year offshore on Monday, I thought it might be in the seventies at the bridge. I brought my 3mm suit and wore it, and BAKED. The water temperature ranged between 84 and 86. I would have much preferred a dive skin. Nevertheless, my two open water students wore full 3mm suits and we pretty much figured out proper weighting. That is nice to know before a boat dive which we are doing tomorrow. It's much more convenient to play with weight at the bridge. Vis was between 10' and 15', not great, but we still saw a batfish, a pipefish, a sharptail eel, a bandtail searobin, an octopus, and a good-sized southern ray. I don't know if the first day of school in Palm Beach county had anything to do with it, but there were very few people at the bridge for the 3:28 high tide. It was very nice having most of it to ourselves. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 12 August

Twenty of feet of vis in 84 to 86 degree water made it a great day to be at Blue Heron Bridge. I wore a 3mm full suit, but I would have preferred to dive in a dive skin. My 10-year-old open water student and I were very comfortable for our one hour, thirty-five minute dive. I gave her a camera to play with (and to prevent her from using her hands for buoyancy or manuevering) so the photos attached are hers. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 11 August

Yes, from time to time I live at the bridge. What a fun day today. My open water students were very comfortable in the water and we looked everywhere at everything. It's so much fun once students move beyond survival mode. The water was eighty-two degrees. The vis was between fifteen and twenty feet. In 3mm full suits all divers were very comfortable for our one hour, fifteen minute dive. The bright sun made the good vis all the better. Three of our open water students ages 10, 12, and 14, were all over the dive site. The excitement of seeing so much meant lapses in awareness of buddy proximity; Carrie got a good work out keeping the students corralled. As a buoyancy exercise to end the flapping of hands, I gave two of the students a camera to share. One of the students took the picture of the manatee. What an incredible thrill. One of the students also took the octopus picture. I wish I had more cameras to loan. You should see their trim and buoyancy now. Carrie and I feel like grandparents; we get to play with the kids and then return them to their parents. I love it. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 10 August

It was a parking lot trifecta! A weekday, an early-morning high tide, and rain showers combined to leave plenty of space for premium parking! Nice! There was a pretty good chop resulting from a gusty south wind. For instruction it was perfect for simulating offshore conditions. When on the surface, fully inflate your bcd, keep your mask on, your regulator in your mouth, and your back to the sea. A student only has to suck down a little sea water to understand the wisdom of those guidelines. Underwater conditions were very good. We had 15' to 20' of vis (quite a bit better than yesterday) and the water was 82 degrees. Our students, Carrie, and I did a one hour, forty-eight minute dive time. That is the longest dive I have done with students. In 3mm full suits we were all quite comfortable. The students were much more at ease today and really got to see some of the special critters the bridge has to offer. We had a very good time! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 9 August

Better and better! We had a little better vis today, 10' to 15', and 82 degree water. At 7:00 am on a Monday morning there was only one car besides ours in the parking lot. The high tide was at 8:06 am. My open water students arrived late so we actually started the dive at 8:03 after doing our predive safety check. We had to go straight out to the channel to run the skill set, but as is often the case with younger and smaller students, ears would not cooperate. Skill set incomplete, we started back after the ebb had started. The water became increasingly greener and the tidal flow became stronger. My students struggled with the current until we reached the relative calm of the water off the beach. I figure there is nothing like experiential wisdom to understand why we dive the slack high tide, and that it does not wait for us. I didn't have to say a word. Now they know better than they would have from any explanation from me. We'll be back tomorrow morning (well before slack high tide I'll bet). Get in the water (on time!), Ham