Carrie, a friend of ours, and I took a chance despite the howling winds and recent rain to do a bridge dive today. The vis was eight feet and the water temperature was seventy-five. Our friend was trying a drysuit while Carrie was in a three millimeter suit with her three millimeter hooded vest, and I was in my five millimeter suit with my three millimeter hooded vest. Carrie was chilled, but I felt pretty comfortable after our sixty-one minute dive. We were rewarded with a batfish which was under the big bridge by the third set of pilings. We watched a banded jawfish watch us. Before we got in the water we watched a little spotted eagle ray from the fishing pier. The fish and critters are there no matter how wild the weather is topside. Those who haven't been to the bridge in a while will note that there are new buoys marking off a "no boats" area. It's a nice addition to the area making it safer for the divers (as long as the boaters know what the buoys mean! Remember the sailboat captain who sailed his big sailboat through the divers as he missed the channel?) Anyway, continue to dive defensively, and Get in the water, Ham
Seventy-three degrees in the water today with vis of about eight to ten feet made the training dive doable. My student was in a seven millimeter suit (he is from MA) and I was in my five millimeter suit with my three millimeter hooded vest. For our ninety-two minute dive both of us were very comfortable. Octopuses are in several places; without looking too hard we saw five or six. The polkadotted batfish was just off the beach in about seven feet of water. We saw the little mantis shrimp (I think it is a mantis shrimp) in six feet of water off the west side of the little bridge. So even with short vis we had a nice dive! The hose water at the fish-cleaning station felt warm as I rinsed off. It's not summer yet but, Get in the water (with your winter suit), Ham
