20200804_Swiss Cheese Reef

Martha and I got up early and left for the beach well before 7:00 am. We geared up, got in the water and swam out to the buoy line where we descended at 7:31 am. Visibility about 15 feet, which was much better than yesterday. I was using Leo's external macro lens and got this photo of a small Sharpnose Pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata).

The wind was less today so the waves were smaller. We made our usual dive: down at the pin, East to the Wrap Around Ledge then over the rubble to the Rock Line where I got this picture of a Juvenile Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus). 

We swam North along the Rock line to a large tire buried in the sand. At the tire we swam East to the Crescent Moon Rock where I found and photographed this small Yellow Stingray (Urolophus jamaicensis).   

From the Crescent Moon Rock we swam SE past Giant Barrel Sponges to the Staghorn Coral.

On the Staghorn Coral I got a good shot of  this White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii). We swam South and West to try to pickup the Wrap Around Ledge. I missed the main body of the ledge, but ended up just South of the Ledge. We turned West and headed over a sand flat towards the beach.

Along the way, I spotted some Blue Dartfish (Plereleotris calliura) who swim into the current near their nest and pick food from the flowing water.  I also got the shot below of 3 Gray Snappers

 Martha had picked up two large Conch shells and was carrying one in each hand as we got to the beach. She put one of the Conchs down as we headed into the beach. I got this shot of some Gray Snappers (Lutjanus griseus).

Going in at high tide made our lives much easier, even though Martha was carrying an 80 cubic foot tank instead of her smaller 65 cubic foot tank.  I carried the flag, Martha's fins and a Conch shell to the beach, but I didn't have to take my tank off, so walking back to the Jeep was not so onerous has it had been yesterday. We surfaced inside the buoy line at 9:46 am, Our dive time was 135 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.3 feet. My A/C was 22.30 psi/minute; my SAC was 14.72 psi/minute and my RMV was .38 cubic feet per minute.