Dive Report 19 September

After a trip to upstate New York it was good to get back into the water with a bridge dive. All the rain, or the northeast wind and swell, or whatever else can make the vis short, is making the vis short. Before entering the water at just before slack high tide I asked a couple of exiting divers how the vis was. They replied, "Twenty-five feet or almost infinite!" I thought, "Incredible". What the two divers said was, in fact, unbelieveable, because they could not be believed; the vis was ten feet at best. I think they were New Jersey wreck divers or Florida west coast muck divers who thought they had died and gone to heaven in ten feet of vis. Anyway, the water was at least warm at eighty-four degrees, and it was a great day to test my compass skills as we located the four wrecks off the beach by compass bearings. Despite what we might consider marginal conditions, our Discover Scuba students from Switzerland were happy with a sixty-three minute bottom time and lots of critters up close (no way else to see them!) Get in the water (even if the conditions aren't what you ordered), Ham

Picnic Report 24 August

Several folks mentioned that this was our first picnic without rain! We had absolutely glorious picnic weather for our post-dive get-together. The dive conditions were still showing the effects of Tropical Storm Fay as the vis was about 10' and after slack much, much less. Nevertheless, we had a nice dive in several groups as there is always (as long as there is SOME vis) something to see if we know how to look. Mother Nature calls the shots; we just have to know how to adjust. We will have another get-together in September. There is always something fascinating to see at the bridge. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 23 August/picnic reminder

Very nice at the bridge today! Still not premo conditions, but the vis was at fifteen feet and the water was up to eighty-one degrees. A sunny day with a calm surface made for a pleasant 1:18 bottom time. We saw a flying gurnard and a shortnose batfish along with some beautiful juvenile gray angelfish. Conditions were better than I expected. When the tide turned, however, it got real murky - six or eight feet of vis murky. High tide for the picnic dive Sunday, August 24 is 3:16 so we will plan on entering the water at about 2:45 or 2:50. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 22 August

Fay is still stirring things up creating marginal conditions at the bridge. We had about ten feet of vis today in seventy-nine degree water. It was great for compass work as we could not see our targets until we were very close to them. The stiff breeze gave us a strong surface chop at the start. By the end of the dive the wind had died down leaving us a calm water exit. The showers came and went the entire time we were there. It seems that Fay just will not let go. Maybe this weekend we will see some change, but right now the vis is limited and the water is colder than usual. If it doesn't bother you to dive in less than good conditions (you are a dive nut), it is fascinating to see what is going on when Mother Nature is in storm mode. Ham

Dive Report 21 August

Although this is not what we found on the beach under the bridge, there is a small day sailboat beached there. Another was almost under but with a little of her hull still showing out toward the channel. Tropical Storm Fay, or her remnants, kicked up a serious chop from the southwest and made the water a chillier than usual seventy-nine degrees. To our amazement, the visibility was still a very enjoyable fifteen feet! On the beach it looked like a Sahara Desert sandstorm as the wind whipped the beach sand across the parking lot. We were the only ones there! Figure that. If you are planning to dive this weekend, the water may be colder than the eighty-four degrees that we have been enjoying for the last month. Get in the water, Ham