Dive Report 30 April

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

Dive Report 22 April

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

Dive Report 30 March

The water temperature was seventy-nine at the east bridge! Vis was about fifteen feet. The sunny day with an air temperature of about eighty made for a very pleasant experience for my two advanced open water students, one of whom had never been to the bridge. We practiced blowing bags with reels and then took the grand tour. Octopuses are plentiful right now. The Atlantic spadefish are numerous and in many sizes. Divers were talking about a small spotted eagle ray cruising around the bridge; we saw one a couple of days ago at the bridge and one from the dock at the Jupiter Dive Center. There was no problem parking on this beautiful Friday afternoon. If you are planning a dive at the bridge this weekend, sacrifice a chicken to get a parking spot. Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 28 March

The visibility at the east bridge today was a milky fifteen feet. Considering how rough it was offshore I was pleased with the fifteen feet. We enjoyed seventy-seven degree water for one hour, twenty minutes and didn't experience the hint of a chill as Carrie and I were in 5mm wetsuits with thin hooded vests. Seahorses abound under the east bridge as do octopuses. Unfortunately for the seahorses, many divers know they are there and do anything to take their picture. I suppose it makes the seahorses tougher. Among the schools of Atlantic spadefish and porkfish we saw a small spotted eagle ray, too. A bright, sunny day with an air temperature of about eighty made it a very pleasant experience (the fact that it was a weekday only added to the enjoyment.) Get in the water, Ham

Dive Report 15 March

The only thing we had to beware on this ides of March was the traffic and construction on Singer Island! The road is being paved; it took twenty minutes to get from the north to the south end. Construction around US 1 at Donald Ross was no picnic either! I think I'll take Military Trail or 95 for a couple of weeks. All the traffic bologna was worth the dive. The vis was better than thirty feet especially when the sun poked through the clouds. A water temperature of seventy-seven was very comfortable in my 5mm wetsuit. There were probably two dozen divers there, quite a few for a weekday. We were rewarded with the curious squid and the neck (decorator) crab. It was a relaxing one hour, twenty-four minute goof-off dive for Carrie and me. Get in the water, Ham