Dive Trip Report to: Florida's Beaches!
Purpose: Dive For Bugs
Dive #1: Wednesday, 28-July, Morning Dive. My Dive #
A. Dive Boat / Location: Beach Dive - South of Disney (Wabasso)
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 30 ft at first, then down to 5-10 feet
Seas: Flat
Water Temp: 77 on the bottom
Skies: Sunny Clear Blue Skies
Air Temp: 80 - 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 16 ft for 1 hour and 32 min! (120 cu ft tanks are nice!!)
Air consumption: Me: 3500 - 700 lbs (120 cu ft)
Current: Slight to the north, 1 ft E/W surge!
Description:
Well:
Today went OK!
Up at 5, at the dive site by 6:40 am, in the water around 7 am.
I spent 1 hr and 32 min at depths up to 16 feet! Seas were Flat. Vis was around 30 feet (Yea, believe it or not) when we first entered. (This was a beach dive in the Vero area where a vis of 10-15' is great). At the end of the dive, vis was down to 5 - 10'! Halfway throught the dive vis went from 30 to 5-10 in seconds!
I took home 3 good size keepers! 5 Got Away - pulled right out of the sling - wow! 5 were too small!
I had found several Lobster Hotels - reef outcropings about 10 ft long and maybe 1 ft high, going back at least 5 ft. Well, in several of these there were loaded with bugs! Unfortunately, there was about 1' of surge! Yea, every few seconds ya went to the beach a foot then back out a foot. Ya couldn't hold onto the reef easily - it's loaded with spiney urchens! This area is now covered with about 4 in of grass - it was bare several weeks ago. So, ya held onto a reef area, poked the flashlight into the ledge, spotted a bug and nursed him out some. When in range, ya looped his tail. Much of the time, the surge would sturr up enough silt and 4 in grass to cut vis to zero and you lost the bug! Ya wait a few min for it to clear!
When we entered the water, there were at least a dozen boats maybe another 100 yards out past us. When I left, the boats were a half mile out - the poor vis scared them off. There were also numerous bug heads only - someone was tailing the bugs in the water!
Well, tomorrow - we'll try the same spot. Same spot, same time!