20200613_Swiss Cheese Reef

As often happens, the evening forecast calling for thunderstorms was replaced early the next morning by one calling for cloudy skies with no mention of thunderstorms. Martha and I agreed to meet Leo and Luis
in the parking lot behind Tower 4 to dive the Swiss Cheese Reef this morning. The sea was relatively calm but visibility was only about 8 feet. We geared up and got in the water about 8:15 am and descended descended at 8:30 am somewhere near the beginning of the first reef and East of the first berm. 

We swam East to the Wrap Around Ledge then continued over the Rubble where I spotted a Bandtail SeaRobin (Prionotus ophryas).

This French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) was on the Eastern edge of the Wrap Around Ledge.

From the Wrap Around Ledge, we swam East to the Rock Line then North to the Tire and from there we headed East again across a large sand flat to the Cresent Moon Rock. These Spotted Goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus) were encountered as we crossed that sand flat. 

After the sand flat, we swam Northeast over a rubble covered area and looked for some Barrel Sponges which would indicate we were close to the Staghorn Coral Reef.  

We swam North along the Swiss Cheese Reef and found a few bright green Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis) among the rocks near the end of the Reef. We turned the dive when Martha hit 1500 psi and swam South along the reef line. Somewhere we lost Leo, who later explained that he had interacted with some 7 foot, 200 pound dolphin while we were otherwise engaged.

We continued South along the reef line to the Sectioned Rock, where we turned West and enjoyed the Grunts on the Staghorn Coral. We had about 800 psi when we got to the buoy line so we killed some time exploring before heading in.

We surfaced at 10:22 am for a dive time of 113 minutes at a maximum depth of 19.0 feet. My Actual consumption rate was 22.15 psi/minute; my Surface Air Consumption was 15.23 psi/minute and my Respiratory Minute Volume was 0.39 ft3/minute. We each got out of the water without incident.  

20200610_Tower 4 Sand Flat

Today's dive was a repeat of yesterday. We got up around 5:00 am. I worked on the dive pictures from yesterday and took Mia for a short walk. Martha and I left the apartment a little after 7:00  am. We geared up and walked to the beach about 7:40 am, got in the surf and swam East from the first berm to the vessel exclusion line where we descended at 7:53 am. Again, we were right on the buoy pin and chain, as a friendly Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) would confirm.

The water was clearer but also a little cooler than yesterday.  Like our dive yesterday, we headed East over the blocks to the Lip of the Wrap Around Ledge; East over the rubble to the Rock Line and North on the Rock Line to the tire. We then headed East again to the Crescent Moon Rock and over the Rubble. Martha found a rather large Gaudy Nautica in the sand before the rubble. 

Unlike yesterday, though, when we headed NE we actually came to the tip of the staghorn coral. I got several photographs of  Graysbys (Cephalopholis cruentatus) above and to the right

and a few shots of the Juvenile Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus) below. 

From the Staghorn Coral, we headed due East over the Swiss Cheese Reef and onto the sand flat.

At 1500 psi we turned the dive and came WSW towards the beach. Martha spotted a Peacock Flounder (Bothus lunatus) well camouflaged on the sand. She pointed it out to me and I follow it then lost it then followed it again to get some photographs. 

She also spotted a small Purplemouth Moray Eel (Gymnothorax vicinus) on the rubble begore the Wrap Around Ledge. 

Finally, Martha spotted a Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on the Eastern edge of the Wrap Around Ledge. After photographing the Lionfish, we swam West and surfaced at 9:41 am. Our dive time was 108 minutes with a maximum depth of 23.8 feet. My Actual Consumption rate was 24.04 psi/minute; the Surface Air Consumption rate was 15.86  psi/minute and the Residual Minute Volume was 0.41 cubic feet/minute. We exited the water without incident but I did manage to put my dive vest on the roof of the Jeep and to lose it as we drove off.   

20200609_Sand Flat off Tower 4

I woke up a little after 5:00 am. I packed my dive bag and got the camera ready. We left the apartment a little after 7:00 and parked behind Tower 4. We geared up and walked to the water. There was no step this morning and the water was fairly calm. We got in easily and swam East off the first berm. At 7:49 am we descended a little shy of the vessel exclusion buoy to the South, but it was right on the empty pin for the buoy that should have been in front of the Life Guard Tower. 

We swam over the blocks to the Wrap Around Ledge, then over the rubble and East tot the Rock Line. From there we went North tot the tire and then East to the Crescent Moon Rock. We headed ENE on the next reef line and came upon this Balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus) in a Barrel Sponge. We were hoping to get to the Staghorn Coral, but I saw nothing familiar so we went East to the Swiss Cheese Reef and the large sand flat on top. Martha hunted for shells while I took pictures.  

We just kept heading East until Martha hit 1500 psi. Then, we headed WSW and ended up at the Sectioned Rock where I took some pictures of a Giant Anemone (Condylactis gigantea) and then swam over the Staghorn coral taking pictures of the many fish on that reef. From there we swam SE to the sand flat and back to the Rock Line.

Ran into an Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) who took a liking to my black and silver fins. He followed me down to the vessel exclusion line rubbing his body along the tip of my fins. 

As we were coming in to the beach, a group of 6 or 7 Tarpon swam past us, slowing down to see what we might be doing. Unfortunately they were moving faster than I was. I got no shots as they swam past us. 

It was a good dive. Both Martha and I walked out of the water without incident. Dive time was 103 minutes at a maximum depth of 23.9 feet. Actual consumption was 25.3 psi/minute and the SAC was 16.7 psi/minute. Suunto computed the RMV as 0.46 ft3/minute and I calculated it at 0.43 ft3/minute on my form.

 

20200608_Fish Camp Rocks by way of the Big Coral Knoll

I got up early to take Mia for a walk then I packed up my dive gear, charged an extra camera battery and double checked that I had packed everything we would need. I loaded the jeep and Martha and I got to the beach at Tower 17 around 7:15 am. We geared up and were in the water by 7:30 am. There was a mild North current on the surface but we easily swam 30 yards past the buoy line to our usual starting point. We descended at 8:01 am, but I saw no landmarks that I recognized. We swim slowly to the South and East, hoping to correct for the current as we continued. 

We spotted a small Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) as we sank to the bottom and I got some nice pictures though I did not bring my Strobe.

The turtle may have been sleeping. In any event, it got up and swam slowly away as if we had awakened it

At about the 20 minute mark I spotted a pointed coral head I recognized by its caved in South side. We apparently had not gotten set by the North current, but had instead had over-compensated for the current and found ourselves North of our landmark. We swam to the Northeast  hoping to find  the Gray Mid-Way rock and its two sisters, but we did not find them. 

Instead, we ended up near this Smooth Trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) on the Perpendicular Rocks just South of the Big Coral Knoll, which has taken a beating during the past eight months while we have been in Laurel. Much of the coral has bleached and there are not as many fish as I remember. It is familiar, but different.  

As we crossed the top of the Knoll, a small boat or maybe a ski-do passed directly overhead. Scary. We got closer to the bottom which was only 8 feet deep.

This Bluestriped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) seemed well settled on the Knoll, but I am much more accustomed to seeing  schools of French, Spanish, White, and Small-Mouth Grunts together with Bluestriped Grunts on the Knoll.

We swam around the perimeter of the Knoll then headed South past the Swept Rock and the Perpendicular Rocks and quickly found the Mid-Way Rock, where I spotted several lobster like this Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus).

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At the Mid-Way Rock, we turned East and swam to the Fish Camp Rocks, which is a collection of small and large coral heads. Like the Knoll, we usually find lots of fish and other marine life on and under the Rocks, like this Spanish Grunt (Haemulon macrostomum) on the right and this Black Margate (Anisotremus surinamensis) below.

We explored the Fish Camp Rocks until we were getting low on air, then turned West to the Gray Mid-way Rock and continued West to the beach. 

We came up well inside the vessel exclusion zone at 9:50 am. We swam in until we could stand on the bottom.

I exited the water, dropped my fins and camera on dry sand, then went back for Martha's fins and the flag, which I placed next to my fins and camera.

Martha fell over the step where the water was shallow. She began struggling to get her gear off. I took her tank and BCD, but I fell down, too, going over the step and ended up crawling out while she walked out of the water. Bill, the Lifeguard, offered to help me, but I was content to crawl out rather than attempt to stand a second time.  

Our dive time was 109 minutes at a maximum depth of 20.6 feet. My actual gas consumption was 25.17 psi/minute; my surface air consumption rate was 16.95 psi/minute and my Residual Minute Volume was 0.44 cubic feet/ minute.