I've not been diving as much recently as I did when Jorge operated the hotel, which was then called the Bridge @ Cordova. I took the property back on 1 October 2016 and have been operating it since then as The Hotel Cordova and Hostel (www.thehotelcordova.com). The property was a mess. No maintenance had been performed since 2014 when I won a $90,000 judgment against him for unpaid rent. We spent three months riding the property of dirt, insects and junkies. I watched one fellow nod out in a chair, shook his shoulder to wake him and asked him what drugs he was on. He attempted to stand and denied that he had ever used drugs, but the hypodermic syringe hanging from his thigh told a different story.
Anyway, those days are behind us. I taught Ms. Martha to scuba dive and we spend most mornings diving off the beach in Fort Lauderdale, at least during the warmer months. This is a running diary of our dives and ties to my photographs. Enjoy.
Diving off Tower 20 on New Years Day
Martha and I got up early. I walked Mia and then we loaded the truck and headed to the beach a little before 7:00. We arrived at the beach about 10 minutes later. The parking lot at Tower 4 was packed. The street at Tower 17 was packed. We found an open space behind Tower 20 and parked. Took a while to gear up, then got in the water at 8:00 am.
Unfortunately, Martha fell getting through the surf zone. A mild South current carried her into some fisherman's line. I went to help and he hooked my camera. It took us a while to get untangled, but we soon managed to get free and to swim past the buoy line, where we descended.
Orange Spotted Filefish
A Spotted Moray Eel
and a Sergeant Major at the Sharks' Rocks.
I shot this Spanish Grunt over the Staghorn Coral West of the Rock.
I got this picture of a Gray Snapper as we left the Staghorn Coral.
Once I got oriented and we headed South to the Nipple Rock, then turned West hoping to hit the Ledge of Turtles. I got some pictures of a group of French Grunts as we left the Nipple Rock. My pictures are posted at New Years Day
