20200905_Fish Camp Rocks

Because it was a holiday weekend, we headed to the beach at 6:30 am. As it was, the closest spot to my favorite spot at Tower 17 was 3 spots North, but people left and I got my spot around 7:30 am.  Louis or Leo arrived at 8:00 am and had to park South of the beach entrance. 

Initial Phase Stoplight Parrotfish (Sparisoma vinde)

A diver who parked North of me introduced himself and asked to walk out with us so the Life Guards would not hassle him for diving alone. He waited while Louis and Leo got ready and we all got in the water. I didn't want to hold him up and I was not sure that I wanted a hunter with us, so I suggested that he take off on his own while Martha and I waited for Louis and Leo. He did.

Intermediate  Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)

Louis and Leo soon joined us and we swam out past the vessel exclusion buoy line and descended at 8:32 am on the blocks. I got this shot of a  Flamingo Tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) as we headed due East to the Gray Mid-way Rock. We lined up and swam East up the gun sight, but I never saw the Cigar Rock.

Indeed, we got set to the North and ended up at the green mountainous coral head across from the Perpendicular Rocks. Along the way I got this picture of a French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum). 

We continued North past the Swept Rock and onto the Big Coral Knoll where we ran into the hunter who had walked out with us. He already had a couple of lobster. 

 We spent some time exploring the Knoll and I got some pictures of this well camouflaged Slender Filefish (Monacanthus tucken) 

 We  headed South to the Fish Camp Rocks and more green Mountainous Coral. 

I got this shot of some Glassy Sweeper (Pempheris Schomburgki) below.

On a smaller Green  Mountainous Coral nearby I also got this shot of a Juvenile Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus). 

From the Fish Camp Rocks, Martha and I swam South to the Columnar Coral was covered with fine yellow cilia when I first saw it in 2007. Now it is just another rock. We swam back to the Fish Camp Rocks, to the Gray Mid-way Rock and then West to the beach.

On the flat but before the buoy line, I spotted a pair of Caribbean Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea) who may have been mating. The larger one (male?) distracted me and the smaller one (female?) slipped off into some bushes. 

We headed West to the beach, but ended up well South of the lifeguard Tower.  

Dive time was 2 hours exactly at a maximum depth of  20.9 feet. My A/C was 23.70 psi/minute; SAC was 15.64 psi/minute and RMV was .40 cubic feet per minute.  

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