Sunday 23 June 2019 Fish Camp Rocks

 Martha and I drove to our spot behind Tower 17 and geared up. We walked around some fishermen to get in the water without tangling ourselves in their fishing line. We swam out looking for the blocks and found them. I tried to establish an intersecting line but failed to take a picture, so I'm not sure that I will be able to find it again. Still, we started our dive at the blocks. Went up the gun sight to Irish thighs then the Cigar Rock and finally to the Gray Mid-Way Rock.

Got some pictures of a small school of Atlantic Spagefish, a number of grunts and Snappers and other common fish. We swam to the Big Coral Knolll, but there were no turtles there and not a lot of fish, either.

We went looking for the smaller knoll to the NE, but I turned back without finding it. We headed back to the Fish Camp Rocks and then headed West to the beach.

Bottom time was 130 minutes, our maximum depth was 19.2 ft. My SAC was 14.41 psi/minute and an RMV of 0.37 cubic feet per minute.

Friday, 21 June 2019 Martha and I return to the Yankee Clipper Jack

Martha and I left the apartment at 6:40 am and got to the beach by 6:05 am.  We geared up and got in the water at 7:20 am then swam to the Three Tiered Reef. I spotted a single Jack to the North but that was the only Jack I saw. We descended at 7:45 am but did not see any other Jacks. We had been on our 100-degree
bearing holding the parking lot lamp just South of the red Chimney on the Fire Station on the other side of A1A. We swam South but found rubbled reef not the Jacks, so we turned and swam North. This time we found the two single Jacks that Martha had found on an earlier dive and then we found the Jacks.








Early in the dive I found a Gaudy Nautica and Martha found a very large Cowry shell. We saw a lot of the usual Grunts and Snappers on the Jacks, but Martha also spotted a baby flounder (below) and a Spotted Cyphoma (left).

























We each swam with schools of Palometa (Trachinotus goodei).

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We also saw a Green Maray Eel (Gymnothorax funebris).


The water temperature was 80.6 degrees but there were currents that were much colder. Still managed to make a 121-minute dive to a maximum of 25.3 feet. My SAC was 15.31 psi/minute and my RMV was 0.39 cubic foot per minute.

Thursday, 13 June 2019, Martha and I dive the Swiss Cheese Reef

Martha and I headed for the beach early to dive the Swiss Cheese Reef off Tower 4. We geared up and got in the water about 7:20 am, swam to the buoy and descended at 7:36 am. Just as we got on the bottom, I spotted a large, dark cowry shell. Showed it to Martha as we swam towards the Wrap Around Ledge. She got it and carried it throughout the dive. 

 I took a number of pictures of the fish along the ledge, including the shot of the Sharpnose Puffer (Canthigaster rostrata) (above) and the Highhat (Pareques acuminatus) (left).

From the Wrap-Around Ledge we headed East to the Rock Line and went North to the tire, then we headed East again to the Crescent Moon Rock. On the rubble after the Crescent Moon Rock, I got this shot of a Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax).

From the rubble, we swam ENE to the Giant Sponges and the Staghorn Coral, where we saw lots of small Grunts and a couple of Bluespotted Coronetfish (Fistularia tabacana) (left). Went up to the Sectioned Rock and turned North to follow the reef. Went past the coral head on the ledge and the larger coral head, Continued North then made a sweeping counterclockwise turn and headed South.



Went past the coral head on the ledge and the larger coral head, Continued North then made a sweeping counterclockwise turn and headed South. Found a Gaudy Nautica and a flat sea biscuit. On the second pass by the Sectioned Rock, I got this photo of some Bluestriped Grunts (Haemulon sciurus) at the edge of the staghorn coral.

 We ended the dive by swimming due West to the beach. Took the photo on the right on our second pass by the staghorn coral.


Dive time was 131 minutes, maximum depth was 23.7 feet and the temperature was 82.4 degrees. My SAC was 14.74 psi/minute and the RMV as 0.38 cubic ft/minute by my calculation and 0.34 cu ft per my computer.

Tuesday, 11 June 2019 Dive off Tower 15 looking for the Little Coral Knoll

Martha and I left the apartment at 6:45 am and drove Federal Highway to Sunrise to A1A to get to Tower 15 by 6:55 am. Leo had advised us that the Little Coral Knoll was 130 degrees from the large rock to the NE of the buoy off Tower 15. We got in the water, swam out to the buoy, located the rock and descended at 7:27 am. A 130 degree bearing seemed about right so we headed out. As we headed out, a school of about 20 Tarpon swam by. It was majestic.

Not long after the Tarpon left, I spotted a Giant Anemone and took some pictures that included shots of some cleaner shrimp.  A while later, I was getting some pictures of Spotfin Butterflyfish when Martha came to me and wanted to show me something. I knew that if I followed her, I would never get back on the bearing, but I went anyway.





She pointed to a small shell in a nook of a rock. I reached for the shell, but it would not come out. Instead, an octopus tentacle wrapped itself around the shell. I continued to pull and the Octopus did as well. I was hoping to pull him out of the rock, but he let go to avoid that.







I gave him back the shell. Took some pictures, but this was a small octopus in a dark hole and I had no strobe. We continued on.









Got some pictures of a Long-Spine Urchin, a Queen Angelfish and a few other critters when I spotted a Green Sea Turtle who was apparently just waking up. He swam out of the way but did not seem to mind if I followed him. He just did not want me getting in front of him.








We swam into another turtle and the first one raced off so I followed the second turtle. There is really something very calming about swimming. with a turtle.









We next ran into a Scrawled Filefish (Aluterus scriptus) who was floating head down and pretending to be a floating branch. I got very close to him and took a picture. He did not move until I touched him. Then he bolted.









My last shot was of a Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) who had been patiently watching me with the Filefish.

The Dive was 134 minutes, maximum depth of 21.8 feet and a bottom temperature of 80.6 degrees. My SAC was 14.26 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.37 cubic feet per minute. 

Sunday, 9 June 2019, Martha and I Dive on the Fish Camp Rocks

 Martha and I left the apartment at 6:30 am. We got to Tower 17 about 15 minutes later and got my favorite parking spot. We geared up and got in the water at 7:20 am, swam out near the blocks and descended at 7:43 am.






There was no current this morning. The wind was less than 3 mph and SSW. We swam to the Gray Mid-way Rock and then East to the Fish Camp Rocks.









We found the usual Bluestripe, Smallmouth, Spanish, French and Caesar gunts as well as some Yellowtail and Gray Snappers.

 A Gray Snapper near one of the several Fish Camp Rocks.

 A shy Squirrelfish (Hollocentrus adscensionis) heading into one of the several Green Coral heads that make up the Fish Camp Rocks.

 A Yellowhead Wrasse (Halichoeres gamoti) cruising through the Rocks.

A picture of the invasive Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) perched on one of the Fish Camp Rocks.

A calm Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) on the rocks.











 The same Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) but now showing that it is involved











Several Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in a small school.

Bottom time for the dive was 122 minutes; maximum depth was 19.6 feet; my SAC was 14.21 psi/minute on an 80 Cubic foot tank and an RVM of 0.37 cubic feet/minute.

Saturday, 8 June 2019, Dive on the Yankee Clipper Jacks with Leo and Luis.

Martha and I left the apartment at 6:45 am and got to the beach early. Leo and Luis got to the beach at 7:30 am, just as they had promised. We got geared up and in the water by 8:03 am. We swam to the Three-tiered Reef in 20 minutes. I spotted two single Jacks and one group of two or three.

We descended at 8:29 am and I spotted the West end of the Jacks just moments after getting to the bottom. We split up: Leo and Luis went down the Northside of the Jacks while Martha and I went down the Southside of the Jacks.



There were many of the usual reef fish: Bluestriped, Smallmouth, Spanish and Caesar Grunts as well as the pair of French Grunts to the left settling some dispute.

There was no current to push you on or off the Jacks and lots of fish to look at and photograph. We saw small schools of smaller/younger Bar Jacks (right) and a number of older Yellow Jacks (below).

There were numerous Yellowtail and Gray Snappers










and several Juvenile Schoolmasters. (right).










We also spotted and I photographed a small school of Palometa (Trachinotus goodei). I have seen these fish before but had not had an opportunity to photograph them. These fish seemed quite at home on the Jacks and I got several shots.








Martha likes to hunt for shells and is often over the sand. This morning she found a very small Flounder in the sand about 20 feet South of the Jacks. She came and got me and my camera, but had some trouble locating the animal. We spent several minutes looking and she was successful in finding this 3 x 4 x 1/4 inch fish lying near the Eastern end of the Jacks. I took some pictures and we switched sides with Leo and Luis to swim back. 




On the way back, we spent 5 minutes swimming with a larger school of Midnight Parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus).

We also spotted a lone Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) (below).

Our bottom time was 120 minutes; the maximum depth was 24.3 feet; my SAC was 15.77 psi/minute and my RMV was 0.41 ft3/minute.

Tuesday, 4 June 2019 Martha and I dive the Yankee Clipper Jacks

Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus)

Martha and I left the apartment at 6:45 am. We got to the beach by 7:00 and were in the water by 7:32 am. There was a moderate to strong North current, but Martha and I decided to dive the Clipper Jacks anyway. We deliberately entered the water to the South of our mark.

Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus)

The parking lot lamppost was in line with the North side of the chimney on the fire station West of A1A when I entered the water. After swimming against the North current for 15 minutes, the lamppost was right on the South end of the chimney. By the time we got to the reef some 15 minutes later, the lamppost was in line with the South end of the building. We decided to descend because it would be easier to swim North on the bottom. We were right.

Midnight Parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus)

I swam up the first tier of the three-tiered reef and spotted two lone jacks. I swam up the second tier and found a second group of four jacks.  Finally, I saw the West end of the Jacks on the third tier.

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) with a
Nurse Shark  (Ginglymostoma cirratum) in the background

 Martha stayed on the North side of the Jacks and I got on the Southside. We swam to the ENE.

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

I spotted a Nurse Shark swimming SSE on Martha's side of the Jacks, then watched him cross over and start swimming towards me. I went down to his depth and waited for him, hoping to get a good shot of him straight on, but he turned and crossed back to the other side of the Jacks.







 I followed the Nurse Shark across the Jacks and encountered a Hawksbill turtle, who swam with me for a few minutes then turned away so I turned back and followed the Nurse Shark.

Nurse Shark  (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

I picked up the Nurse Shark again as it went to the bottom and turned North. I cut across the Jacks and managed to get ahead of it so that it turned South and headed across the Jacks one more time.

Nurse Shark  (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

I followed as best I could, but I could not keep up. I watch as the Nurse Shark swam off to the south and I got this last picture of it (right).

Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)

I stayed on the Southside of the Jacks and got pictures of a Queen Angelfish (left)  I also got several shots of a Porcupinefish (below)

Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix)

   Got a good shot of an Initial Phase Blue Parrotfish (below)

Initial Phase Blue Parrotfish (Scarus coeruteus)

 

This is a good shot of Martha (right) and one of the many shells she found on this dive. While we thought it was a Horse Conch, it now appears that the shell is a True Tulip shell.

Dive time was 125 minutes, maximum depth was 25.4 feet and bottom temperature was 80.6 degrees. My SAC was 15.99 psi/minute and my RMV was 0.41 cubic feet per minute.

All of my dive picture on this dive are available for review at the following link:  4 June 2019_Yankee Clipper Jacks