20200926_Yankee Clipper Jacks

Leo and I decided to swim out to the Yankee Clipper Jacks this morning. We met in the parking lot at 8:00 am, got in the ocean at 8:30 am and descended on the third tier of the reef at 8:50 am. We were on the Jacks five minutes later.  

Chubs (Bermuda/Yellow)

Leo went to the NE on the North side of the Jacks while I went NE on the South side of the Jacks. We could see each others bubbles.

 a small school of .

Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus)

  

  

Black Margate (Anisotremus surinamensis)

Found this Spotted Trunkfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis) about 3 feet off the bottom and behind some Jacks.

Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus)

  

Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber)

Yellowfin Mojarra (Gerres cinereus) 

        

Sand Diver (Synodus intermedius)

As I came to the NE end of the Jacks I headed to the North and spent some time looking for the damage I had noted on my September 9th dive with Martha. I expected to see a deep gouge in the bottom which I had described as "large area of excavation." I saw no evidence of any excavation large or small. 

  

a Bandtail Puffer (Sphoeroides spengleri)

Leo and I switched sides on the Jacks as we headed West back to where we started. 

Initial Phase Queen Parrotfish (Scarus vetula) 

 

Midnight Parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus) 

 

Blue Runner (Caranx crysos) 

    

White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii) 

  

Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)

 

Blue Parrotfish (Scarus coeruleus) 

 

We got to the SW end of the Jacks and I was at 1,000 psi, so we turned the dive and headed West for the beach. We swam inside the buoy line and surfaced at 10:45 am. 

Our dive time was 115 minutes at a maximum depth of 23.6 feet. My A/C was 26.18 psi/minute; my SAC was 17.63 psi/minute and the RMV was .45 cubic feet per minute. 

I also got this shot of a Scrawled Cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis)

                                                                                  

                                                                                      

  

 

20200919_Blue Heron Bridge

 Martha, Leo and Luis wanted to go to the Blue Heron Bridge, primarily to see and photograph more exotic animals like octopus and sea horses. We could not work out scheduling conflicts for last weekend, but we did schedule a last minute trip for today. We met at in the Blue Heron's parking lot at 8:00 am. High tide was 10:23 am. We ignored the various warnings and recommendations that we not dive until 30 minutes before high tide. We geared up and got in the water at about 8:30 am.  

I waded into the water and got swept up in the current as I was explaining how we should stay under the bridge structure. I grabbed one of the pilings and hung on, hoping to see the others but visibility was poor so I went to the surface. I spotted Leo hanging onto a piling at the surface and understood that he could see Luis beneath him on the same piling but that Martha was not with them. 

I decided to drift with the current and hope I would run into her or that she would come to the surface so we could spot each other. Unfortunately, I drifted about 100 yards past the fishing bridge without seeing any sign of her. I went to the bottom where the current was weaker and worked my way to the East wall where the depth was only about 4 ft and the current seriously fell off. I walked/swam back to where we had entered the water and this time I went to the piling on which I had last seen Leo.

He was still there and indicated that Martha was below him with Luis. I descended and found her. She indicated that she was fine but that she would  stay wedged into the space between two sections of the piling until the current slackened. I swam to the next piling to the South and back hoping to entice her, but she was having none of it.

Luis presented me with our dive flag which was missing the upper 1.5 ft of rod. We did eventually leave the piling to swim back towards the shore, but I lost Luis and Martha, again. 

when they reappeared, Martha was pushing a heavy rock ahead of her and then pulling herself forward using weight of the rock to fight the current. Smart. We all got out safely if somewhat sobered by the strength of the current.  Leo and Luis wanted to dive the East Bridge, but Martha and I packed up and headed home. 

I logged the dive as 47 minutes at a maximum depth of 9.7 feet and with a "very strong" current. 

20200916_Swiss Cheese Reef

Early morning with Mia and Martha. We packed up the Jeep and headed for the beach at 6:30. Got there about 7:10 am but took some time setting up a new BCD. We entered the water at 7:43 am and swam out to the buoy line where we descended at 7:54 am. 

Got this shot of an Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) as we went East to the Wrap Around Ledge,  continued East to the Rock Line, turned North for a short swim to the tire, then got back on an Eastern bearing across the sand flat to the rubble then NE to the staghorn coral. 

 Got this shot of a Mahogany Snapper (Lutfanus mahogoni) on the Staghorn Coral.

Got this shot of a Juvenile Puddingwife (Halichoeres radiatus)

Visibility was poor early in the morning, but improved as the sun got higher in the sky. 

We swam East to the Sectioned Rock and then North to the beginnings of the reef.

Got this shot of a Spanish Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) as we went by the Sectioned Rock.

 

Martha found a small Southern Atlantic Stingray (Dasyatis americana)  about an hour into the dive. I got some interesting pictures from behind and above that stingray. Notice how the ray covers itself with sand to hide its presence.

We continued North along the reef for about 15 minutes and I saw a small and probably young Spotted Trunkfish in the reef. I tagged along with the fish and got some nice pictures of this small Spotted Trunkfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis). The fish worked hard to keep a large rock between me and him.

When I left the trunkfish, I found two French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)  engaged in a dispute and got a nice series of pictures of their dispute resolution.

 

They press their mouths together and push against each other until one of them surrenders or pushes the other off of the reef.  

These disputes can last for several minutes and sometimes one of the fighters will swim away only to attack from a different angle.

Martha came and got me to photograph this Lesser Electric Ray (Narcine brasiliensis). Often, we will find an electric ray well hidden by covering itself with sand.

We headed to the beach after that and surfaced well inside the buoy line at 9:59 am and swam to the beach.  The step onto the beach was steep and deep. Martha usually waits for me to get out, drop my gear then come back in to help her out, but this time she went first and got out like a pro. I stumbled along behind her but neither of us fell so I call it a win.

Our dive time was 125 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.8 feet. My A/C was 23.29 psi/minute; my SAC was 15.37 psi/minute and the RMV was .4 cubic feet per minute.

 

 

20200915_Swiss Cheese Reef

Sunrise was at 7:07 am so Martha and I left the apartment at about 7:00 am to head to the beach. Although I had charged my camera battery and formatted a disk, I had not fixed my broken mask strap and I had not worked on the tank strap for my old and patched Zuma BCD. I spent some extra time on those matters before we actually got in the water.  

There was a mild North current to deal with as we swam out to the buoy line, but once we descended at 8:07 am, the current stopped being a problem. 

We swam to the Wrap Around Ledge, then headed East over the rubble to the Rock Line where we turned North and swam to the tire. At the tire we turned East again and swam to the Crescent Moon Rock. 

We then swam NE to the staghorn coral and swam among the grunts, like this French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)  . I did not spot any Graysbys and just two Bar Jacks hunting on the staghorn coral.

I also photographed this Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) on the Staghorn Coral. From the Staghorn Coral we swam East to the Sectioned Rock.

We then turned North to swim the length of the reef. Got some nice shots of an Initial Phase Puddingwife (Halichoeres radiatus).

The visibility was poor for much of the dive, only 8 to 10 feet. The tide was going out and the water was milky.

We turned to swim South along the backside of the reef and I spotted some Caribbean Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea)  and followed them for several minutes. 

We turned the dive at 1200 psi on my tank. Martha had a smaller tank and less air. We swam inside the buoy line and surfaced in six feet of water. 

The exit was steep, but I made it out. I left my fins, camera and weights on the sand and went back to collect Martha's fins and the flag. Should have taken her weights, too. I went back a second time for Martha, but she had already started to climb out and I was as much in her way as I was helpful. We collected our gear and walked back to the Jeep. 

Our dive time was 103 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.1 feet. 

My A/C was 24.17 psi/minute; my SAC was 15.95 psi/minute and the RMV was .41 cubic feet per minute. 

 

20200909_Yankee Clipper Jacks

Martha and I walked the dog, packed the Jeep and left for the beach at 6:35 am. I forgot to get a new mask strap last night so I used my spare mask, which is clear. I had some trouble framing and focusing photographs, but I worked through it. The sun did not rise until 7:04 am and there were plenty of clouds to block the sun during the dive, so I kept the ISO at 800 - 1000 for most of the dive. 

We got our gear on and locked up the Jeep at about 7:00 am and walked into the calm and quiet water  to swim out to the Jacks. It took a few minutes to notice that there was a strong North current. I kicked as hard as I could and thought I should have made progress to the South but I would look over at the lamp and chimney and see that I had not. We would have been better off starting off at Tower 2, but we didn't. Once we got over the sand we descended at 7:47 am. Spotted a Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) as soon as we got on the bottom.

I recognized our position from earlier dives but we never got on the three tiered reef. I remember only that we went East from that point quite a ways before turning South to get to the Jacks. So we headed off to the South and Martha spotted  some single Jacks. We soon spotted the Jacks. We were at the NE end of the Jacks and there was a large area of excavation that I had not seen before. 

So we headed South to see if these were new Jacks or not. They were not.

The Cave/Canyon the Nurse Sharks often sleep in was familiar to both of us. Looks like somebody drove their ship into the side of the reef. Maybe spend some more time exploring that later. The sun was up, so I backed off the ISO to 250; shutter speed at 400 and aperture at 2.8. 

Got a shot of a  Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis) where the Jacks started.

 

Got a nice shot of a Yellowfin Mojarra (Gerres cinereus) 

a shot of a Bar Jack (Caranx ruber) 

 

a shot of a Striped Parrotfish (Scarus iserti)

a good shot of a  Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)

 

a Spotted Goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus) 

a Yellow Goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus)

Saw some smaller and maybe younger Black Margates(Anisotremus surinamensis) as well as a Black Margate with his spines extended. 

a shot of an  Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) 

got a shot of a single Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) in the Jacks

We left the Jacks at 8:54 am and headed West to the beach. I didn't see much to photograph until about 9:21 am when I spotted a Lesser Electric Ray (Narcine brasiliensis)   on the rubble. I got 3 quick shots then looked for Martha. When I turned back, the Ray was gone. I searched for a bit, but never say him again.

I took some final pictures of a Juvenile Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)

and what I think is a Mutton Snapper (Lutjanus analis) .

I then secured the camera as we headed over the sand to the beach. We surfaced inside the buoy line at 9:57 am in about 5 feet of water. The first thing 

I heard was thunder. A dark black cloud was coming up from the South so we hurried to get across the beach and up to the parking lot. Timing was perfect if it seemed to close at the time.

Out dive time was 130 minutes at a maximum depth of 23.8 feet. My Actual Consumption was 22.18 psi/minute; my Surface Consumption Rate was 14.94 psi/minute and my Residual Minute Volume was .39 cubic feet per minute.