Dive Trip Report to: Key Biscayne National Underwater Park - THE WALL, 02-Aug-98
Purpose: Dive the 100' WALL
Key Biscayne National Underwater Park, Inc. (The dive shop and boat operation) (305)-230-1100
The dive boat is a large pantoon boat, typical Keys type dive boat. There's lots of room, three exit's and two side ladders. The crew is friendly and knowledgable. The boat does not have a dry box or any place to keep you stuff dry (my only complaint). They will fill your tanks overnight for the next days dive ($1.50 per tank - a real good deal).
The Hampton Inn, Florida City - 800-HAMPTON - or - (305)-247-8833
Dive #1:
Saturday Afternoon, Dive # 140
A. Dive Location:
Virginia Reef, Ball Buoy # 5
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
30'
Seas:
Calm - 1'
Water Temp:
?F / Covering: Used a 3 mm shortie with a lycra suite under it!
Skies:
SCBS - Sunny Clear Blue Skies, no wind, heavy rain inland.
Air Temp:
high 80's, low 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 26' for 46 min,
Me: Analog - Not Recorded,
Dive Partner: Cochran Dive, Computer (Unreliable) - Not Recorded,
Dive Partner: Analog - Not Recorded
Air consumption:
Me: 3700 - 2200 lbs, (120 cu ft),
Dive Partner: 3000 - 1200 lbs (80 cu ft)
Current:
Mild
Description:
Lots of colors, lots of coral, several lobster traps and lots of rope from the
traps cutting into the coral. There were some high ledges, lots of fingers and
lots of fish. This is a very pretty reef and some say it's the best reef in
the keys.
Dive #2:
Dive # 141
A. Dive Location:
Pacific Reef Light
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
30'
Seas:
Calm 1'
Water Temp:
91 deg F at 15' / Covering: Used a 3 mm shortie with a lycra suite under it!
Skies:
SCBS - Sunny Clear Blue Skies, no wind
Air Temp:
high 80's, low 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 24' for 41 min,
Me: Analog - Not recorded,
Dive Partner: Cochran Dive Computer (Unreliable) - Not recorded,
Dive Partner: Analog - 24'
Air consumption:
Me: 3300 - 1700 lbs (80 cu ft),
Dive Partner: 3300 - 1600 lbs (80 cu ft)
Current:
NR
Description:
There were lots of bugs, we found 5 Florida Lobster under one ledge. There
were many more holes with one bug in them. Most were small, under 1 pound in
size. There was one Green Moray Eel in a hole, we managed to try to take it's
picture - it was back in the hole about 1' with it's mouth opening and closing
while breathing. There was a small ray - about a foot across. Again, lots of
colors, lots of coral. The fan coral has some real pretty blue mounting stems
where the coral is attached at it's base. The area was mostly flat with some
small fingers.
For our dive, we had one diver with slight congestion, so we asked for a longer entry to allow for a possible stop or two on the way down to equalize. The boat captain readily set us up in a perfect entry. We all entered and made it to the 65' bottom without much difficulty. I had the dive ball! There, we went for a roller coaster ride to the NE, we kicked to the East. We were a few feet above the grassy and sponge filled bottom. It was a real blast traveling over this territory at such speed, in the warm water with really great vis. After a few minutes, we could see where the bottom fell away. This was the beginning of the WALL. Over the edge we went, I was letting out line on the buoy as fast as possible. Right over the edge and down to the bottom we went. There was a very very large Green Moray Eel curled up in a small cove. The eel made a few mouth gasps at us, but at our speed, we couldn't stop. We did manage to get out to a sandy spot for a few seconds and bury our depth gauges in the sand to get a quick max depth. We started at the deep part of the WALL (100' level) and worked our way up to 70-80' One person holds the Buoy (me) - it's a real sled ride. The current really drags the buoy and the person holding on. My dive partner held onto me, the other 2 divers in our group really had to swim to keep up. At one point, I tried to stop by swimming backwards as hard as I could - There is now way you can stop against the pull of the current. There were lots of colors, real big sponges and one ray buried in the sand. The ray, on the bottom around 100' in a large cove was about 8' wing tip to wing tip and 15' head to tail. It was like being a pilot of a fast moving jet as we were pulled along the WALL. There were edges and ledges and boulders and sponges to explore - at a high passing speed. In some spots the WALL goes straight down from 65 to over 100', in others it takes 50' to make it to the bottom. If we looked to the left, there was the WALL, to the right the open sea. Several divers saw a very large barracuda.
At 1000 lbs of air, our dive computers telling us we had only a few minutes left at depth and the end of the WALL, we all ascended to the 15' 3 minute decompression stop. Then we climbed back on the boat and everyone shared the unbelievable jet ride along the WALL. Everyone agreed that this dive is a MUST DO AGAIN.
FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS: If your the one with the ball (your the leader, you can't get lost, everybody must keep up with you), you should let the current pull you along feet first. Instead of the normal hold-the-ball and go head first, put your feet out to slow down your drift. If you don't, your dive partners will have trouble keeping up! Put your feet out as if your water skying and have your dive partner (s) hold onto you. This way, you all stay together and don't use up a lot of air trying to follow the diver with the ball!!!
Dive #4:
Dive # 143
A. Dive Location:
Highway To Heaven, Ball Buoy 2
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
30'
Seas:
1'
Water Temp:
?F / Covering: Used a 3 mm shortie with a lycra suite under it!
Skies:
SCBS - Sunny Clear Blue Skies, no wind
Air Temp:
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 24' for 56 min,
Me: Analog - 27',
Dive Partner: Cochran Dive Computer (Unreliable) - 23' for 60 min,
Dive Partner: Analog - 25'
Air consumption:
Me: 3200 - 700 (80 cu ft) - I did a lot of the current fighting!,
Dive Partner: 3200 - 1500 (80 cu ft)
Current:
Strong - We tried to hide behind the large fingers for protection from the
current.
Description:
About one half of this dive was ducking behind large 15' high fingers and
swimming along the sandy bottom looking into the many many swimthroughs (too
small to go in) and holes. There were lots of fish. When we first entered, a
large school (50 maybe) large (5 lbs) blue parrot fish swam by and around us.
Again, there were lots of small bugs in the holes and ledges. One turtle -
spotted by my dive partner in a deep hole, I didn't see it due to the angle.
There was lots of colors, lots of coral, lots of fish, lots of big fingers to
swim around.
Last Updated: 10-July-2002