Dive Report 31 July

Sunday mornings are nice times to dive compared to Sunday afternoons in the summer. Parking was not difficult, the picnickers had not arrived yet, and for some, a 9:21am high tide on a Sunday morning is just not something they want to do. Taking advantage of that situation, Carrie, our friend, John, and I had a one hour, fifty minute dive in eighty-six degree water with exceptional vis. Vis had to be over thirty feet. Yes, the dragging fins stirred it up once in a while, but that didn't seem excessive today. We entered the water an hour before the posted slack high tide and enjoyed wonderful vis even though we had to deal with a little current. It was worth it to me. We did the Michele counterclockwise route starting at the east end of the fishing pier and going west because this route works well when we are in the water so far ahead of the slack high tide. We saw a batfish, many octopuses (yes, they are still plentiful !), a spotted moray, a sharptail eel, and a gorgeous little spotted eagle ray toward the end of our dive. I was wearing a sunscreen shirt and my thin hooded vest. No wetsuit is needed right now. If you are a "weekends only" diver (unwilling to play hooky), the early high tides on Saturdays or Sundays are a good choice. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 20 July

Carrie and I had a day to ourselves so we went to the Bridge. A picture of my computer gives some of the basic info, our time and the water temperature. I have finally shed the wetsuit for a skin. The water was so warm I didn't experience the hint of a chill. Vis was exceptionally good at better than thirty feet for most of the dive. We saw the whitenose pipefish (rare Florida) on the north side of the fishing pier. I'm pretty sure we also saw a bluethroat pikeblenny female about twenty-five yards to the south of the second set of pilings. Always incredible critters to see at the Bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 19 July

With the hordes gone it was absolutely pleasant at the Bridge today. The water temperature off the beach was eighty-six, by the channel it was eighty-four. Vis was a milky fifteen feet. Nevertheless, without the diver traffic jam we had a very relaxing one hour, forty-eight minute dive looking for the little stuff. Octopuses are still everywhere. A polkadotted batfish was under the blue sailboat. Pederson cleaner shrimp are in that neighborhood, too. I was in a 3mm suit, but I certainly did not need it. I was more than toasty. If you can dive the Bridge on a weekday it is certainly worth it. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 17 July

A new record of 1.5 billion divers were at the bridge on Sunday 17 July! Yes, that is approximately one fourth of the earth's population. Dive flag manufacturers are making a bundle as divers comply with the dive flag regulation. However, given the fact that a diver is supposed to be no more than 100' from a flag in intracoastal waters, and the fact that there were 5,581,546 flags under the bridge, there was never a time ANY diver was more than 3.5cm from a dive flag or entangled in a dive flag line. I overheard some divers discussing a lobbying effort to get traffic lights installed between the pilings. At the least we certainly could have used some right-of-way guidelines. The "before divers" vis was about fifteen feet. The "peak divers" and "after divers" vis was about one to two feet. I had to chuckle thinking about those who are so concerned about students keeping their fins off the bottom. They should have been there; they could have lectured the photographers who lie on top of anything to get the picture and the "experienced" divers who haven't the slightest idea that they are leaving a dust trail similar to that of a stampeding buffalon herd. It's pretty funny. Water temperature was eighty-four. Some tempers (not mine) were much warmer. You have to laugh. Get in the water (anyway), Ham

Dive Report 16 July

Conditions have been fairly consistent lately with the vis at about twenty feet despite the rain, and the water temperature has been eighty-four. The octopuses are still abundant to the south of the bridge. We have seen a school of about two dozen squid near the blue-hulled sailboat with the rafts attached. There has also been a batfish under that sailboat. Many are diving without wetsuits now, but I'm still in my 3mm and toasty warm for our one hour plus dives. This french angelfish was under the fishing pier. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 5 July

We were successful at avoiding the hordes at the Bridge over the weekend. Today it was absolutely fabulous. We had few divers, eighty-four degree water, and twenty to thirty feet of vis. We could see well into the boat channel from the safe side of the pilings. My student was thrilled that we saw at least two dozen octopuses, a goldspotted eel, a neck (decorator) crab, a couple of yellow garden eels, several yellow stingrays, and a juvenile french or gray angelfish (it was too small for my eyes to distinguish). We played with the Pederson cleaner shrimp and tried to play tug-of-war with an octopus, but the octopus only saw us as a nuisance so we left it alone. Today's water temperature is the warmest we have had so far this year. I was in a 3mm wetsuit, but on Thursday I'm going to wear my diveskin. The report from offshore today was that the vis was better than eighty feet and the water temperature was eighty-two to the bottom. Play hooky and Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 2 July

Twenty feet of vis (as long as one is not around a group of students, then it's good practice for muckdiving) made navigation easy. Good vis also brings out the cameras; it appeared that most divers were carrying one. The water temperature was eighty-two. Carrie and I were in 3mm wetsuits for our one hour, twenty-five minute dive with a student and friends. Octopuses are still plentiful. The yellow garden eels community seems to be growing as we are seeing them in new places. A sharptail eel and a goldspotted eel had a territorial dispute under the fishing pier. There is a gorgeous intermediate queen angelfish on the upside down wreck. It has been there for quite some time. Parking wasn't too bad for a weekend dive; the morning high tide and rain showers were helpful. Conditions are great! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 1 July

It's been some time since Carrie and I have been at the Bridge, but today was a wonderful day to be back. The water temperature was eighty-two; I was almost too warm in my 3mm wetsuit for our one hour, eleven minute dive. I was with a student who marveled at the octopuses which are still numerous. A fabulous new development is a community of yellow garden eels thirty yards south of the first set of pilings. We head on a north northwest course from the upside down wreck to see them. They are listed as occasional Florida in the Reef Fish Identification book. A neck crab in full camouflage delighted us for a few minutes. I only saw it because it moved differently from its surroundings. (Sorry the photo is so poor.) Carrie saw a nurse shark out by the channel, a medium-sized one. It is the first time either of us have seen a shark of any kind at the bridge. There is a fairly large spotted moray in the junk pile on the north side of the fishing pier. My dive buddy and Carrie saw a bandtail searobin. Vis was between fifteen and twenty feet. Of course as "certified" divers dragged their fins along the bottom the vis became noticeably shorter. It made me chuckle to think of those who oppose conducting Discover Scuba programs at the Bridge because it is an environmentally sensitive area and they do not want Discover Scuba participants kicking up the bottom. Apparently, those folks have never been at the Bridge and watched what the open water students with "pool experience" do the bottom, or observed the "experienced divers" who haven't a clue as to what buoyancy and trim are. We were all there once. I find it pretty funny. Get in the water AND KEEP YOUR FINS UP :) Ham