29 May 2020_ Swiss Cheese Reef (T 4)

This morning we decided to visit the Swiss Cheese Reef off Tower 4. We did better at remembering to bring everything we needed, including the weight bucket with some extra weights and the dish soap to use as anti-fog on our masks. We parked by 7:00 am and got geared up and headed for the water when I noticed that there were no buoys at the opening to the Wrap Around Reef. Indeed, there was only one buoy that Martha spotted to the South.

We got in the water and swam out towards what I hoped would be the opening to the reef. There was a moderate to strong current to the North and we got set to the North. We descended at 7:39 am as we came off the sand and onto the reef. Nothing looked familiar, so I headed South hoping to find some formations I recognized. Soon I recognized the SW corner of the wrap around ledge and confirmed our location by following the reef South to the lower ledge and spotting the larger rock to the Southwest. So we swam around the reef, over the rubble and East towards the rock line. 

Visibility was not great, probably 10 feet or less, but we found the rock line and then traveled North to the tire before heading East across the sand flat. Missed the Crescent Moon Rock but found some barrel coral that might have been the marker to the Staghorn Coral, but wasn't. We continued to swim East and found the Swiss Cheese Reef running North and South. Headed North and found lots of landmarks I recognized. 

We went past the Coral Head on the edge of the shelf and turned the dive at the next set of coral heads. As we headed south along the reef line, I spotted the Sectioned Rock and we turned West and swam right to the Staghorn Coral where we saw a number of tropical fish: including French Grunts, Smallmouth Grunts, Pork Fish and Angelfish. 

Coming West to the beach I spotted a small Green Sea Turtle who seemed quite willing to swim along with me. Martha did not see the turtle. I lost it when I went back to get Martha. Wish I had brought my camera.   

We continued swimming West to the beach and exited slowly to avoid being toppled by the waves hitting us from behind. Total dive time was 103; maximum depth was 18.6 feet; actual consumption was 25.31 psi/minute; Surface Air Consumption was 17.40 psi/minute; and my residual minute volume was .45 cubic feet per minute.