Solo Dive on the Little Coral Knoll

The ocean was calm and quiet when I got to the beach about 6:00 am.  I geared up and got in the water and descended almost immediately in 10 feet of water.

I swam East and after a little searching found the Big Rock.  This time I was ready for the Nurse Shark and got a picture of him peeking out before he dashed off.







I headed off at 150 degrees and spotted a Sailfin Blenny who was coming out of his hole to communicate with his fellows by waving his large dorsal fin.  I spent about 15 minutes first setting the exposure and then catching the action.  Probably should have recorded a video, but I didn't.  I did get a nice 5 picture series of the action and one very clear shot of him out and at the top of his climb.

When I got to the Little Knoll, I found the Green Turtle had come by again to get cleaned.  I also photographed a number of the reef fish.  I spent the bulk of the dive on the knoll.

I returned to the Big Rock and along the way found and photographed a small sea hare.



 It was nearly 9:00 am by the time I surfaced and got out of the water and took off the gear.  The dive was 131 minutes.  Water temperature was 80.6 degrees and I was chilled though not miserable.  Storm clouds had gathered and it started raining before I could dry off.  I hid in the cab, but the rain went on for 20 minutes and I elected to not race into the water to beat the Life Guards. I packed and drove home.

Two 140 Minute Plus Solo Dives on the Little Coral Knoll

Got to the beach before 6:00 am but took time to re-organize the tanks and change 2 O-Rings.  Then I had to hurry to get in the water by 6:30 am.  I dropped early and made my way out to the swim buoy, except I could not find it in the haze, so I surfaced to see it about 10 ft to the SW.  I dropped and found the Big Rock.  There was a Nurse Shark under the Rock, but I was not able to get set up and take any pictures before the shark swam away.




 I did manage to get this photo of a Caribbean Spiny Lobster.











Headed on a 150 degree bearing to the Little Knoll and I found it.  Always a surprise.  The turtle that came by last time I was here was back again.  I think he came to get cleaned by the little fish.









Got this picture of a Star Horseshoe worm,








 





 this picture of a Spotted Goatfish,

 and this shot of a Rock Hind.













A forty six minute surface interval isn't very long when you consider that it takes 10 minutes to just get out of the water, another 10 minutes to get out of my gear and change tanks, and then about the same 20 minutes to get back into my gear and into the water.  I had about 6 minutes to drink my coffee.  But the water was warm at 82.4 degrees, and though it is still 18 degrees cooler than my core temperature, I was not miserable during the dive, which lasted 140 minutes.

My second dive was a repeat of the first, except that after I found the Little Knoll, I swam out to the Porthole Rocks at about 50 degrees from the NW edge of the Little Knoll.  Got set a bit by the current on the way back, but I managed to get back.


I found this funny looking nudibranch-like creature and got some okay photos.  Need to go out with the supermacro set up.

I did well on air, 146 minutes.  That's better than the first dive by six minutes.  Water temperature remained 82.4 degrees.

I make a early solo Dive on the Big Coral Knoll and then guide a diver onto the Knoll as my second dive

Got up and got moving early this morning.  I did leave without my wallet and had to go back,  but just went around the block.  Got to the beach a little after 6:00 am but still before sunrise.

Geared up and got in.  Swam out to 10 ft and descended.  Tried to hold 100 degrees, but got set North by the current and had to surface to see where I was.  Found the blocks and headed up the gun sight to Irish Thighs, then the cigar, and then to the Gray Mid-way, over to the Perpendicular Rocks, the Swept Rock and then the Knoll.

Got photos of this Intermediate Gray Angelfish,

this Purplemouth Moray Eel,

 this Bluestriped Grunt,

this Green Sea Turtle,

Spotted a post-larval juvenile trunkfish.  

Also found an odd looking nudibranch.




Tight on air, but over 2 hours, just not 20 minutes over. Just as well, since I had a diver I was supposed to meet at Tower 17 at 8:30 am to dive the Big Coral Knoll.









Brian was at the Tower when I got out of the water.  He brought his gear, so I had him sign the releases and gear up.  We talked a little about the dive and his weights. He is muscled, but was wearing a 2/3 full suit.  He carried just 10 pounds and did well, except for once when he just went up, but I think that has to do with putting air in his BCD.

Anyway, we swam to the blocks and descended.  He had no problem clearing his ears and we headed up the gun sight to Irish Thighs, the Cigar Rock and the Gray Mid-way Rock, then headed North to the Perpendicular Rocks, the Swept Rock and the Knoll.  He seemed to be doing okay on air, but I decided against a swim to the English Garden.  Instead, we left the Knoll on the Western edge and headed to the Fish Camp Rocks.  Saw a hogfish in its reddish mottled coloration,

some Glassy Sweepers

and some large Midnight Parrotfish.

Came to the Gray Mid-way Rock and continued heading West to the beach.

Brian hit 500 psi on the flat as we left the Blocks, so I had him use my air.  He wanted to be on my right, but the flag line was there because of the North current. We went slowly and it worked out.  We surfaced in 5 ft of water in front of the Tower.  He was tired, so we quit at one dive.  Too bad.

Two Solo Dives on the Little Coral Knoll

I had wanted to get to the beach by 6:00 am, so I could get ready and be in the water by 6:30, out at 8:30 and an hour surface interval before making my second dive.  So, of course, I locked my keys in the house.  Had to break in through the kitchen window.  Still, I got in the water a bit before 7:00 and swam out to the Big Rock, where I found a Nurse Shark. I could not get ready fast enough to get a picture before the Nurse Shark swam away. Went South to the second rock and then 145 degrees to the Knoll.



 Found a Goldentail Moray Eel on the Knoll and got quite a few pictures.  Hung out at the Knoll for most of the dive, but I did swim at 50 degrees and ended up a little West of the Porthole Rocks.









Also had a Green Sea Turtle come around to get cleaned.  He would swim right towards me, then turn away sharply.  Odd.  He came around twice while I was there.








This Queen Angelfish came to the West wall of the Knoll.












This Black Spotted Feather Duster was on top of the Knoll.











This Giant Anemone was also on the top of the Knoll, but the focus of the picture is the Squat Anemone Shrimp on the red sponge to the right.











This Red Hind followed me around for several minutes until I turned the camera and strobe on him and I didn't see him again.










I found this little Nudibranch on the top of the Knoll. Not able to identify it, but I only have the Humann book.











This Hogfish was busy chowing down and adopted his mottled red coloring.





At 1000 psi, I went back to the Big Rock with the current, ran down my air and then swam in to the beach.

The 27 minute surface interval was about 10 minutes getting in and 10 minutes getting out, leaving 7 minutes to get warm and drink a cup of coffee.  Great.  Second dive was much like the first:  I swam out to the Big Rock, descended and took some pictures then skipped the second rock and went 140 degrees to the Little Knoll.  Took some more pictures, then followed the current to the Big Rock where I ran my air down before swimming back to the beach.

Two Solo Dives on the Ledge of Turtles

I geared up and was pleased to see the tank registered 3400 psi.  Then I got in the water and it dropped to 3250. Okay.  I did well on air, at least at first.  I got 10 minutes out of the 250 psi extra.  Swam out to the Rock Pile, but didn't see it until I got underwater.  Once I found it, I headed up the reef at 120 degrees and swam right to the Sea Plume and the three little Mountainous Corals.  Hung around the Ledge shooting the fish





Got this shot of a Juvenile Yellowtail Damselfish

and then this Terminal Phase Yellowtail Damselfish (Golden Variation).













Also got this shot of a small group of Porkfish just hanging in the current along the Ledge.

I then swam East to Shark's Rock but there were very few fish there, so I continued on to the Eastern Ledge.









Found an Arrow Crab on the sand and got some good shots showing the mouth and eyes as well as the two bright blue claws.  Got to 77 minutes dive time at 1500 psi, and decided to head back to the Ledge.









On the way back, I spotted this Three Spot Damselfish
















and this Indigo Hamlet.













Spotted this Hogfish just as I reached the Ledge of Turtles.












I hung out on the Ledge with the fish, including this Rock Hind until I got down to 1000 psi and 96 minutes.











Got this picture of a Christmas Tree Worm on some Low Relief Lettuce Coral nust after leaving the Ledge.



Headed down the reef to the Rock Pile and was hanging out there when I noticed the flag was gone.  I surfaced, spotted it and recovered it, but when I went back under, I could hear the air bubbling out of my regulator. Apparently, when I surfaced for the flag, the regulator got unseated and the o-ring was leaking.  I headed back in to the beach, but instead of the 12 minutes I thought I would get, I got 5 minutes.

I decided to make a second dive.  Since the Lifeguard was in the tower, I had to walk up to the shower, then along the fence to the View Residences property before I could get in the water.  I headed East, but the current was stronger than before and I had to head a little South, too.  After 90 minutes, I ended up at the Ledge of Turtles, but I have no idea how I got there. Got down off the reef at 120 minutes and hung out at the Rock Pile until I was down to 300 psi and then I headed in.  Good dive time.

Solo Dive on the Ledge of Turtles

Swam out to the reef and spotted the Rock Pile from the surface.  Descended and headed up the reef at 120 degrees.  I went too far, but spotted the cushion coral, so I headed SW and found the Ledge.




Got some photos of this Striped Parrotfish

and this Brown Chromis.  Not a lot of unusual fish, so I decided to head over to the Shark's Rock.

Went due East from the two Coral Heads and ended up at Shark's Rock, near which I spotted this Scrawled Filefish.

I continued on to the Eastern Ledge.

I found this Giant Anemone in the sand just past the reef line.

By then I was at about 1400 psi, so I headed back first to Shark's Rock, then South to the Nipple Rock.  In the Rocks just South of the Nipple Rock, I found this Greater Soapfish and got a few pictures.

I continued on to the Ledge of Turtles and along the way took this picture of a Three Spotted Damselfish.


From the Ledge, I went down the reef at 300 degrees to the Rock Pile.  The water was calm, but very hazy. Killed time at the Rock Pile and left at 2 hours with 350 psi. Got another 14 minutes out of that and ended the dive at 134 minutes.

Solo Dive on the Big Coral Knoll

Got to the beach around 8:45 am and was in the water swimming out to the blocks by 9:15 am.  Got over the blocks, but could not see them from the surface.  Went down right on them, set up and started up the gun sight. Had some trouble finding the Cigar Rock, but finally got it, then went straight to the Gray Mid--way Rock and then North to the Perpendicular Rocks, the Swept Rock and the Knoll.

Got a shot of two French Grunts fighting, if indeed that's what this is.

Got a close up shot of the Cymothoid Isopod affixed to this Doctorfish.  According to Humann, the cymothoids begin life as 1/8th inch long, free swimming males which attach to the heads of fish.  Once attached, they lose the ability to swim, remain attached for life and "benignly scavenge" food from the water.

This Juvenile creole Wrasse was on the Knoll, but passed by several times to let me get a shot.

The Hawksbill Sea Turtle was foraging for food and the Angelfish and wrasse were looking for scraps.

 Gotta love the Redband Parrotfish with there built in smile.

This little Blenny has been on the Irish Thighs rock for about a week now.  He's used to me taking his picture.

This Purplemouth Moray Eel was a bit off the Knoll, but close by.


After cruising the Knoll a few times, I went back to the beach the same way I came and I spotted each of the landmarks.  Then I hung out at the blocks until I got to 400 psi and I headed for the Sea Rod and then the beach.  Went up at 132 minutes.

Luis, Leo and I Make one dive on the Eastern Ledge off Tower 17 and Leo and I make a second

At first, I wanted to take my camera, but the more I watched the waves the more I was inclined to leave the camera in the truck.  While I might see a couple of really nice things to photograph, it wasn't worth risking the camera since the photos were unlikely to be really good.  Visibility was a little better than yesterday, but it wasn't good.  We went down just past the swim buoy and swam NE against a strong South current.  Although I had hoped we would find the Big Coral Knoll, we did not.  We swam over some large rocks that  I did not recognize both going out and coming back.  We went North along the Ledge and I saw a large Pederson Shrimp by a corkscrew anemone.  I thought for a moment that I wished I'd brought the camera, but there were a lot of particles in the water and the pictures would not have been very good.  We turned West to the beach when Luis and I hit half a tank at virtually the same moment.  The trip back was with the incoming tide and we flew.  We came out at Tower 18.  I got out fine, but I got lucky and rode a wave in over the step.  I could just as easily blown up.  I was happy that I'd left the camera behind.

Luis decided against a second dive, but Leo and I wanted to get back in, so we did. I really wanted to find the Big Coral Knoll, we swam out to the swim buoy and I tried to just hold a 90 degree bearing, but we must have gone too far North, again.  We went South along the Ledge this time though and I spotted the wall of finger coral.  We turned West there and came just South of the Knoll.  I happened to spot the SE corner and swam over and around the Knoll a bit, then went to the Fish Camp Rocks.  The surge was pretty wild.  I flew back and forth across the flat rock between the BCK and the FCR.  We investigated the FCR a bit, then headed West to the beach. I found the Gray Mid-way Rock and the Cigar Rock, but that was the last thing I recognized until we passed the Sea Rod onto the sand at the beach.  So much easier getting out of the water without the camera.  I don't worry about losing it, or breaking it. If I fall, I just get back up.  No big deal.