Dive Report 4 December

I love diving at the Bridge on a weekday morning; we own it! Parking is not a problem (I refuse to use the word "issue"). Vis was fifteen to twenty feet off the beach, but in certain areas it fell off to eight to ten feet. For the most part, the vis was very good. The water temperature was seventy-eight so in my five millimeter suit I was comfortable for our one hour, twenty-nine minute dive. The little seahorse by the seawall was still there. Flying gurnards and searobins are in the neighborhood right now. With a bright, sunny day it was a fantastic day to be at the bridge. Conditions are very good! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 2 December

We had a beautiful, sunny day at the Bridge with much better than expected vis. What a change from Friday! After Friday's milky eight feet I expected pretty much the same. What a pleasant surprise to have twenty-plus feet off the beach. Under the west bridge out by the boat channel the vis was quite a bit shorter with distances varying between eight and ten feet. It was probably a function of many student divers as is usually the case on a weekend. Nevertheless, a student and I saw two batfish, a flying gurnard, a small spotted eagle ray, a southern ray, and the convention of sheepshead which seem to be everywhere. (They remind me of Milton Berle). The water temperature was seventy-seven, but I never felt chilled during our one hour, three minute dive. The bright sun definitely plays a role in temperature perception for me. Parking was not a problem even for a Sunday morning high tide. The great vis was quite a gift and shows we never know until we go. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 30 November

When the diver I was supposed to guide did not show up at the Bridge it was "Ham Mason's Day Off"! I entered the water at 8:45 for a 9:08 high tide, but I still got an hour and fifteen minute dive. The water temperature was seventy-seven; in my 5mm suit with a light hooded vest I was comfortable. Visibility varied from eight to ten feet with the water being milky everywhere. There were several flying gurnards scavenging about, none of whom were cooperative for the camera. They would spread their wings a little, but they did not want their picture taken. Oh well. Underwater photographer I am not so I looked for something that does not move much. A diver pointed out two seahorses to me which I would not have seen without her help. They were just off the beach by the seawall under the west bridge. On my way back along the beach in five feet of water I found another seahorse on my own! You can see why; it is a black seahorse against white sand. The other two that were pointed out to me were in grassy stuff and well hidden. There were reports from other divers of seahorse observations so apparently something is going on with them. Go see them! Get in the water, Ham

Dive Reprot 16 November

At least the water was not freezing; it was seventy-nine degrees. In my five millimeter suit I was toasty for the sixty-three minute dive south of the east bridge. And the parking was easy for our Friday 9:54 high tide dive. And the air temperature was mild. And my student was only twenty minutes late. Could have been worse.  (I'm thinking. I'm thinking. There has to be some more good stuff.) BUT......vis was six feet. That was doable for my advanced open water student who was doing compass and bag/finger spool skills. As we were preparing to inflate the bags from depth we almost ran into another student and instructor who were doing the same thing. We did not see them until they were... SIX feet away. Whoops. Excuse us; we'll just move over here. I brought the camera; I did not take any pictures. We saw some curious bar jacks who were entertained by our signal marker and finger spool exercises. A few yellow stingrays were hiding in the sand hoping we would not disturb them as we passed over them. After slack high tide the flotsam in the water was pretty thick. The high tide was one of the highest I have seen there completely surrounding the lifeguard station with 6" to 12" of water. It is November in south Florida.  Get in the water  (just do it), Ham

Dive Report 21 October

The water at the Bridge was quite green from all the fresh water runoff from whatever sources reducing the vis to about ten feet. The water temperature was a very pleasant eighty-two degrees for our one hour, sixteen minute dive. Three advanced open water students and I practiced blowing surface markers with finger spools and compass work. An intermediate spotted eagle ray flew by us, but the vis was short and I was too slow for a picture. The accompanying photo I believe is a juvenile scrawled cowfish. Carrie and I could not find a picture of one, but we see many adults at the bridge so that is my best guess. Parking was not a problem as I arrived three hours before the slack high tide. I was entertained by a swimmer being swept by the current around the seawall under the west bridge. There was no danger; it was so far ahead of the high tide that all he had to do was to stand up to get back around. A boater also drove his boat, filled with guests, right into the snorkeling area where boats are prohibited by large white buoys, RIGHT IN FRONT OF NOT ONE, BUT TWO COAST GUARD BOATS!!! There are fools and there are damn fools. The Coast Guard captain was very patient with the "skipper" of the errant boat. Incredible. It reminded me of the time last year when a "skipper" steered his forty feet plus sailboat through a dozen dive flags rather than through the BOAT CHANNEL! That "skipper" was finally fined. That's not all. I watched four divers enter the very brown, tannic water three hours before the slack high tide only to be swept from the eastern edge of the swim area well past the western side in minutes, only to finally ascend and decide that the current was too fast and the vis was too short to do a dive. That "dive" must have been an "experience-builder" for the four. I think they learned a great deal. It's all good. Nobody was hurt. Best of all, I was quite entertained.  There is plenty to see at the Bridge, below and ABOVE the water!

Get in the water, Ham