20200727_Swiss Cheese Reef

 Martha and I left for the beach a little after 7:00 am. We parked on the wall by the beach entrance. We swam out to the buoy line to descend at the buoy pin at 7:59 am. We then headed to the Wrap Around Ledge, went to the rock line, swam North to the tire, then swam East to the Crescent Moon Rock. Got a nice shot of a Sharpnose Puffer (Canthigaster rostrata).   From the Rock we swam over some rubble to the staghorn coral and then East along the Swiss Cheese Reef.

Martha found a small Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) under a rock. We played with the shark some trying to coax it out in the open and get a better photograph. Martha touched his tail and he left the rock and swam North along the reef. I followed him and got several good shots but I also blew through about 400 psi getting them. I was down to 1000 psi, so we turned the dive.

I lost Martha near the staghorn coral.  I had to ascend to spot the flag. She was not far from me, but visibility was not good and I just could not see her under water. 

Got a few shots of Smallmouth Grunts ((Haemulon chrysargyreum) and French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)  on the way to the beach.

We continued swimming SW and found the sand flat. We crossed and went to the Wrap Around Ledge, but I headed off to the larger coral head to chew up some time. 

On the way I got a few shots of this Spotted Goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus). Martha and I surfaced inside the buoy line with less than 350 psi in my tank.

Dive time was 132minutes at a maximum depth of 18.7 feet. My AC was 21.18 psi/minute; my SAC was 14.87 psi/minute and my Residual Minute Volume was .38 cubic feet per minute.  

   We got inside the buoy line at about 115 minutes and pushed another 21 minutes to end the dive with less than 350 psi and 132 minutes of bottom time.