Thursday, 29 August 2019 Drift Dive on Sunkist Reef

We almost lost Martha, who needed more time coming down the mooring line. We started drifting along the reef before she got down to the reef. I had started back to find her when Acacia fortunately spotted and pointed me to a ghostly image of her still ahead of us.

We drifted through several schools of Creole Wrasse and even a small school of Atlantic Spadefish. I wished I would have taken my camera, but we were busy enough as it was.

 We came up in a thunderstorm and had lightning within a mile of the boat as we clamored on board. Getting up the ladder was again an effort for me and Divemistress Kim had to pull me up as I just could not get my legs under me.

Thursday, 29 August 2019, Deep Dive on the Lady Luck

Martha and I gathered up the gear and got to Alsdorf Park a little after 2:00 pm. Jerry called to say he was running late and would likely miss the bridge opening at 3:05 and he did. He got there about 3:45. Of course, by that time the Mos and come and then gone to the bank, so we missed another bridge opening and got to the dive site about 4:30 pm.

On the ride out to the dive site I discussed the dive with CS and Cora. I timed CS and Cora opening some combination locks. CS took 8.4 seconds to open his lock on the surface and Cora took 18.4 seconds on the surface. 

DM Kim took the line down and tied off to the wreck for us. We got in the water at 4:43 pm and got to the wreck and on the sand 6 minutes later. I timed CS and Cora opening their locks on the bottom. CS was 2.3 seconds longer on the bottom at 10.7 seconds.  Cora was 25.8 seconds or 7.4 second longer at 130 feet.

When we finished timing the locks, we headed up to the railing and then started to the bow of the wreck. We fought a losing battle against what had been a mild current on the surface. I spotted the line two decks above us and decided to go up to the lines. We continued up the line til we got to 20 ft at 16 minutes. We spent almost 4 minutes on a safety stop then surfaced and drifted back to the stern of the A Sea D and got out of the water. 

I found the ladder difficult to manage and Kim had to haul me up until my legs were above my knees and I could stand on my own.

Bottom time was 21 minutes at a maximum depth of 133.3 feet. My SAC was 22.03 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.37 ft3/minute.  I returned to the boat with 1890 psi still in my tank. 

Wednesday, 28 August 2019 Dive on the Fish Camp Rocks

Ms. Martha

Martha and I got to the beach about 7:00 am and the Mos arrived a little later. We got my favorite parking spot behind Tower 17. We geared up and got in the water.

Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus)

The beach had a large step and I fell on the way in. My foot sunk into the loose sand and a wave knocked me over.

Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)

 We swam out to the buoy line and descended a little beyond it. There was a moderate South current, so I tried to compensate and we ended up at the Perpendicular Rocks.

Spanish Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)

We swam past the Swept Rock and onto the Big Coral Knoll. Unfortunately, there were no turtles today, so we made one pass around the knoll and headed South to the Fish Camp Rocks.

White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii)

More fish on the Rocks than the knoll, but nothing unusual: Grunts, Snappers and Parrotfish. 

Bluestriped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus)

French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)

Martha and I continued swimming South and . found what is left of the Columnar Coral. It used to have 3 inch sillia that waved in the current. Now its just rock.

Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum)

We surfaced just inside the buoy line. Only CS was breathing fumes, but CSwalked was the only one of us to walk out of the water and onto the beach. I crawled out. Acacia fell and then crawled. Martha was helped out.  It wasn't pretty.

Spotted Scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) 

 Bottom time was 76 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.0 feet. My SAC was 15.93 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.41 cubic foot/minute.

Tuesday, 27 August 2019 Dive on the Yankee Clipper Jacks

Ms. Martha

I got up at 4:00 am this morning and finished editing some pictures from yesterday. Walked the dog then got Martha up at 6:00 am. We left for the beach at 6:30 am, but I discovered that I had left my neoprene behind, so I left Martha's gear with her on the beach and drove back to get my shorts and sleeveless top. That was One.

A single Jack

I got back to the beach before the Mos got there, but they were not far behind. I carried Martha's gear to the water, which was a long way on this beach. I carried the gear over one shoulder. Then I walked back to the truck and set up my gear, put it on and headed to the beach with my camera. I turned the camera on to get a shot of the lamp post and the chimney I use as a bearing. The camera was unable to read the compact flash card. That was Two.

Smallmouth Grunt (Haemulon chrysargyreum)

I returned to the truck, lowered the tailgate and opened the camera to see what the problem was. Everything looked in place, so I pulled the flash drive out and re-inserted it. This time it worked. So I closed up the camera and again headed to the beach. Walked in with the Mos and moved toward deeper water. I stopped to put my fins on and found that I could not sink. I was positively buoyant. I then discovered that I had forgotten to insert my weight packets into my BCD. This was number Three.

Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix) 

I had always been taught that if there were three errors or gear failures you should call the dive. Too many errors suggests early on suggests that there will be more. But the water was flat and warm and the sky was clear. I wanted to dive, so I walked back and got my weights and then swam as fast as I could trying to catch up to Martha and the Mos.

Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) 

I stayed on my 100-degree bearing, keeping the lamp post straddling the narrow part of the chimney on the firehouse. Before I knew it, I was on the 3-tiered reef. Martha and the Mos were to the SW. They swam back to meet me and I spotted a familiar landmark.

Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) 

  We descended and followed the single or double Jacks to the NW until we found the West end of the Jacks. From that point, we sort of split up, everyone moving East along the row of Jacks but with Martha and I on the South side of the Jacks and the Mos on the North side.

Fighting French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)

I really like this triology of French Grunts.  In the first two shots the fish are actively engaged in their struggle but the third shot reflect that moment when the struggling fish might ask themselves why they would want to struggle. What is the point?











Bottom time was 93 minutes at a maximum depth of 24.7 feet. My SAC was 17.11 and the RMV was 0.44 cubic feet/minute.

Monday 26 August 2019 Shore Dive on Swiss Cheese Reef

Cora Mo

After a 45 minute surface interval, CS and Cora geared up with new tanks, but Acaca, Martha and I had more than half a tank left, so we used the same tanks. We geared up and got back in the water where poor Martha had been standing and holding her gear, the flag and my fins.

CD Mo

We swam out to the buoy. when CS noticed that he had forgotten his camera. He and Acacia went back to get it while Martha, Cora and I descended at 9:35 am and headed pretty much East over the Wrap Around Ledge, the rubble out to the Rock-line and then to the Crescent Moon Rock and NE to the staghorn coral.

Acacia Parks Mo

Yellow Stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis) 

I took fewer pictures than usual, but still had 150 to edit. Got some pictures of a small  Yellow Stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis) who posed for me and even let me scratch his undersides. I put my hand flat on the sand and moved my index finger under the lip of its wings. I moved slowly and began to rub its belly with my finger. He let me rub him for maybe two minutes.

Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentatus)

 Saw and photographed some Graysbys on the staghorn coral

Spotted Goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus) 

and got some really good photos of some Spotted Goatfish

Cero (Scomberomorus regalis) 

I got several pictures of a Cero busy hunting smaller fish on the Staghorn Coral.

Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus tractus) 

From the Staghorn Coral, we went too far East and got into some unfamiliar territory. At one point, Martha and the Mo's lost sight of me and headed North past the Staghorn Coral. I raced to catch up to them and get them turned around.

Smallmouth Grunt (Haemulon chrysargyreum)

Despite the chaos, we ended up coming out right at the buoy.

Bottom time was 67 minutes at a maximum depth of 18.3 feet. My SAC was 14.63 psi/minute and the RMV was .38 ft3/minute.

Monday, 26 August 2019 Search and Recovery Diver off Tower 4

We began with a pre-dive briefing. Cora had reviewed the manual and was familiar with the types of searches described there. I usually had students search for a tire to recover since the tire was large and
there were many of them scattered along the Fort Lauderdale beaches. On a prior dive on the Swiss Cheese Reef, however, I had spotted a small but heavy concrete piece with an eyelet in its center. I showed a picture to Cora and instructed her to find this piece along the Swiss Cheese Reef.

We discussed the type of search pattern that might be used and which one would be most efficient. At first, she suggested an expanding square pattern, but instead of a point, we had a line to search. We agreed that having the five of us swim north on the West side of the reef shelf would be the most efficient method to use. We next worked on tying a Bolan knot to attach the lift bag to the weight. Then we geared up and got in the water.

Because Martha is having trouble with her back, I carry her gear to the water for her and carry it back after the dive. Sometimes it takes me a little longer than others to make the trip first with her gear, then with mine. Nonetheless, we managed. We swam to the buoy line and descended at 8:01 am.

We swam East to the Wrap Around Ledge and continued swimming East over the ledge and across the rubble to the Rock Line and then to the Crescent Moon Rock. changed direction from East to NE to the Giant Barrel Sponges and then to the Staghorn Coral. Went East across the coral to the Sectioned Rock and then North along the Swiss Cheese Reef.

Cora spotted the weight after about 15 minutes. She tied to lift the weight, but could not. She tied a Bolan on the eye hook and then tied the lift bag to that line which was a little more difficult because I deliberately used different diameter lines. I filled the lift bag with air from my regulator. The 50-pound lift bag lifted the weight nicely. Cora put a line on the weight and pulled it along near the surface while we swam along the bottom West to the beach. CS carried the weight out of the water and I struggled to carry it to the truck. I dropped my gear and walked back to help Martha get her gear out of the water and back to the truck.

Bottom time was 50 minutes at a maximum depth of 19.0 feet. My SAC was 16.80 psi/minute and the RMV was .43 ft3/minute.

Sunday, 25 August 2019 Navigation Dive off Tower 4

Martha was tired and elected to stay on the beach. CS and Acacia wanted to find a hardware store to repair Cora's fins. Cora borrowed CS's fins and she and I went out to make a navigation dive.

We swam out to the buoy to descend at 10:14 am, swam over the Wrap Around Ledge and headed to the rock line. We were swimming East when it occurred to me that this was an ideal sand flat to use. So we stopped and set up.

I remained in one place with the flag and Cora swam 30 kick cycles on a 100-degree bearing, then returned on the reciprocal bearing. Thirty kick cycles is about 20 yards, so I left the flag in place and followed her at a distance. I got back to the flag in time for her to find me. She was less than 2 feet off the mark.

Her square was not as tight as it might have been, but she nonetheless found me in the limited visibility. She was within 5 yards. I congratulated her and we swam over the staghorn coral again before heading back to the beach.

Our bottom time was 52 minutes at a maximum depth of 18.3 feet, which was pretty good considering I did not change to a new tank but rather used the same tank I used on the first dive. My SAC was 13.7 psi/minute and the RMV was .35 ft3/minute. Good dive all around.

Sunday, 25 August 2019 Buoyancy Dive off Tower 4

At 6:30 am, Martha and I drove to the Ocean Parking Lot on South A1A and the Mos were just moments behind us. Gearing up was a little chaotic, but we got it done and were on our way to the beach by 7:25 am. I was carrying the hoola hoops. We descended at the buoy line at 7:42 am and headed East to the Wrap Around Ledge. I had planned to get on the sand before the staghorn coral, but decided it was problem enough to carry the hoops to the Ledge.

I set the Hoola Hoops up and took Cora aside. I did not test for buoyancy because we had just guessed at the 8 pounds she carried and I am certain she was heavy.  We did make a very slow controlled descent and then spent time hovering and moving from one depth to another by just changing our breathing. Then we went through the hoops.

I lead and Cora followed. I went through the bottom hoop on the West; swam up to the bottom hoop on the East and floated up to pass through the top hoop using only my breathing to change depth. I went back and forth floating to different depths and swimming from one set of hoops to the other. Cora followed. Once the pattern was established, I stepped back and watched as Cora went from one hoop to another. She did very well, so I went through on my back and she followed, moving slowly and carefully controlling her depth. She was moving a little too fast, but she had good control of her position in the water.

We joined the others and headed to the Staghorn Coral then North along the Swiss Cheese Reef to the first Coral Head on the upper shelf. I turned the dive there and we swam back to the beach, picking up the hoops at the Wrap Around Ledge. No one was out of air. and no one complained of being too heavy or light.

Bottom time for the dive was 69 minutes at a maximum depth of 18.4 feet. My SAC was 17.99 psi/minute and my RMV was 0.46 ft3/minute.