A Solo Dive on the Little Coral Knoll, A Dive working on Leo's Mapping Project and A Dive with Camera that Ended Early

Got to the beach by 5:40.  Geared up using 8 pounds of weight and swam out to the swim buoy, where I descended and looked for the Big Rock.



Got some pictures of lobster at the Rock.

I tied to take some portraits of White Grunts and Ocean Surgeonfish on the Big Rock, but the area was teeming with juveniles and I couldn't get a clear shot.

  From the Rock I headed 140 degrees, which put me right on the tipped over coral head at the knoll.  I took lots of shots of White Grunts.  They gleam in the strobe.  

Also got shots of a Red Hind, a Graysby and what could have been a Rock Hind.

Saw several Gray Angelfish and took this photograph.

 Got a few shots of this Juvenile Dusky Damselfish.

 Got this shot of a Green Sea Turtle as I was heading back to the beach.












Leo was treading water when I got back to the beach.  He took the flag for me and we headed back to the truck to discuss the Mapping Project.  Luis was at the beach as well, and after I warmed up we geared up to complete Leo's Mapping Project.  We swam out to the Big Rock and descended.  Leo and I were set to measure and map, but Luis took his camera. We headed off at 140 degrees but somehow we just picked the SW corner of the knoll.  Leo ran measurements around the knoll and then we just looked at the fish.  Luis found a Sea Hare. I wanted to measure from the tipped coral head in the NW corner of the knoll to the Big Rock, but Leo wanted to know the reciprocal and I gave him bad information.  We ended up about 20 degrees off, which I recognized when I looked at our second measurement.  so we rolled up the tape and just swam in.  Only a 98 minute dive, but we were working.


Leo and I decided that we could measure from the NW corner back to the Big Rock and carry our cameras too. I gave up the hood and the long sleeve shirt, going, instead, with a sleeveless 1.5 mm vest and shorts. It was cooler but also freer.  I was less buoyant, too. Thinking about going to 6 pounds. I got several pictures of a Planehead Filefish as we headed towards the knoll.

 My Suunto gave me a Tissue Level warning after my second dive.  I tried to take a long surface interval. Nevertheless, 20 minutes into the dive my computer was having a fit about my nitrogen load.  I tried to signal the problem to Leo, but we went up so I could explain it.  I took the flag back to the beach since both Leo and Luis carry sausages.  It was a very short third dive for me, but I didn't get bent.  I liked that part.