20200919_Blue Heron Bridge

 Martha, Leo and Luis wanted to go to the Blue Heron Bridge, primarily to see and photograph more exotic animals like octopus and sea horses. We could not work out scheduling conflicts for last weekend, but we did schedule a last minute trip for today. We met at in the Blue Heron's parking lot at 8:00 am. High tide was 10:23 am. We ignored the various warnings and recommendations that we not dive until 30 minutes before high tide. We geared up and got in the water at about 8:30 am.  

I waded into the water and got swept up in the current as I was explaining how we should stay under the bridge structure. I grabbed one of the pilings and hung on, hoping to see the others but visibility was poor so I went to the surface. I spotted Leo hanging onto a piling at the surface and understood that he could see Luis beneath him on the same piling but that Martha was not with them. 

I decided to drift with the current and hope I would run into her or that she would come to the surface so we could spot each other. Unfortunately, I drifted about 100 yards past the fishing bridge without seeing any sign of her. I went to the bottom where the current was weaker and worked my way to the East wall where the depth was only about 4 ft and the current seriously fell off. I walked/swam back to where we had entered the water and this time I went to the piling on which I had last seen Leo.

He was still there and indicated that Martha was below him with Luis. I descended and found her. She indicated that she was fine but that she would  stay wedged into the space between two sections of the piling until the current slackened. I swam to the next piling to the South and back hoping to entice her, but she was having none of it.

Luis presented me with our dive flag which was missing the upper 1.5 ft of rod. We did eventually leave the piling to swim back towards the shore, but I lost Luis and Martha, again. 

when they reappeared, Martha was pushing a heavy rock ahead of her and then pulling herself forward using weight of the rock to fight the current. Smart. We all got out safely if somewhat sobered by the strength of the current.  Leo and Luis wanted to dive the East Bridge, but Martha and I packed up and headed home. 

I logged the dive as 47 minutes at a maximum depth of 9.7 feet and with a "very strong" current. 

20200916_Swiss Cheese Reef

Early morning with Mia and Martha. We packed up the Jeep and headed for the beach at 6:30. Got there about 7:10 am but took some time setting up a new BCD. We entered the water at 7:43 am and swam out to the buoy line where we descended at 7:54 am. 

Got this shot of an Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) as we went East to the Wrap Around Ledge,  continued East to the Rock Line, turned North for a short swim to the tire, then got back on an Eastern bearing across the sand flat to the rubble then NE to the staghorn coral. 

 Got this shot of a Mahogany Snapper (Lutfanus mahogoni) on the Staghorn Coral.

Got this shot of a Juvenile Puddingwife (Halichoeres radiatus)

Visibility was poor early in the morning, but improved as the sun got higher in the sky. 

We swam East to the Sectioned Rock and then North to the beginnings of the reef.

Got this shot of a Spanish Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) as we went by the Sectioned Rock.

 

Martha found a small Southern Atlantic Stingray (Dasyatis americana)  about an hour into the dive. I got some interesting pictures from behind and above that stingray. Notice how the ray covers itself with sand to hide its presence.

We continued North along the reef for about 15 minutes and I saw a small and probably young Spotted Trunkfish in the reef. I tagged along with the fish and got some nice pictures of this small Spotted Trunkfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis). The fish worked hard to keep a large rock between me and him.

When I left the trunkfish, I found two French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)  engaged in a dispute and got a nice series of pictures of their dispute resolution.

 

They press their mouths together and push against each other until one of them surrenders or pushes the other off of the reef.  

These disputes can last for several minutes and sometimes one of the fighters will swim away only to attack from a different angle.

Martha came and got me to photograph this Lesser Electric Ray (Narcine brasiliensis). Often, we will find an electric ray well hidden by covering itself with sand.

We headed to the beach after that and surfaced well inside the buoy line at 9:59 am and swam to the beach.  The step onto the beach was steep and deep. Martha usually waits for me to get out, drop my gear then come back in to help her out, but this time she went first and got out like a pro. I stumbled along behind her but neither of us fell so I call it a win.

Our dive time was 125 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.8 feet. My A/C was 23.29 psi/minute; my SAC was 15.37 psi/minute and the RMV was .4 cubic feet per minute.

 

 

20200915_Swiss Cheese Reef

Sunrise was at 7:07 am so Martha and I left the apartment at about 7:00 am to head to the beach. Although I had charged my camera battery and formatted a disk, I had not fixed my broken mask strap and I had not worked on the tank strap for my old and patched Zuma BCD. I spent some extra time on those matters before we actually got in the water.  

There was a mild North current to deal with as we swam out to the buoy line, but once we descended at 8:07 am, the current stopped being a problem. 

We swam to the Wrap Around Ledge, then headed East over the rubble to the Rock Line where we turned North and swam to the tire. At the tire we turned East again and swam to the Crescent Moon Rock. 

We then swam NE to the staghorn coral and swam among the grunts, like this French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)  . I did not spot any Graysbys and just two Bar Jacks hunting on the staghorn coral.

I also photographed this Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) on the Staghorn Coral. From the Staghorn Coral we swam East to the Sectioned Rock.

We then turned North to swim the length of the reef. Got some nice shots of an Initial Phase Puddingwife (Halichoeres radiatus).

The visibility was poor for much of the dive, only 8 to 10 feet. The tide was going out and the water was milky.

We turned to swim South along the backside of the reef and I spotted some Caribbean Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea)  and followed them for several minutes. 

We turned the dive at 1200 psi on my tank. Martha had a smaller tank and less air. We swam inside the buoy line and surfaced in six feet of water. 

The exit was steep, but I made it out. I left my fins, camera and weights on the sand and went back to collect Martha's fins and the flag. Should have taken her weights, too. I went back a second time for Martha, but she had already started to climb out and I was as much in her way as I was helpful. We collected our gear and walked back to the Jeep. 

Our dive time was 103 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.1 feet. 

My A/C was 24.17 psi/minute; my SAC was 15.95 psi/minute and the RMV was .41 cubic feet per minute.