Solo Dive on the Clipper Jacks

      I'd messed up the diving yesterday because the Post Office was closed and I needed a certified mailing receipt for my Florida Sales Tax Return (the penalty for untimely filing is several hundred dollars and you can't depend on the Post Office to postmark the return).  Anyway, I decided to dive first and then go to the Post Office.

      The morning was cold, but warming.  I got to the Parking Lot by the Yankee Clipper about 8:30 am and was in the water slightly before 9:00 am.  I descended on the algae and swam out looking for octopus, but didn't see any.  I left the algae and swam over sand to the reef, then when I got to sand again, I headed South and ran into the Jacks.

When I got to the Jacks, I found a small Nurse Shark. I got some nice pictures.

I also found lots of Trumpetfish, including the one to the right, which has a blue face.  I've seen this fish before, but these are my first pictures.

 Usually, the Trumpetfishes face is the same color as the body.










I found a small school of Midnight Blue Parrotfish. This was as close as I got.

 I also found this Banded Butterflyfish.

I got several pictures of a reddish fish I did not recognize, but later found was a Glasseye Snapper.

On the way back to the beach, I ran into a small Atlantic Guitarfish just past the algae patch.  He let me take several shots and swim all around him while he sat motionless watching me.

Nice dive, but short.