20200530_Yankee Clipper Jacks

Martha and I had been looking forward to diving the Yankee Clipper Jacks since before we left Laurel. I called Leo and we agreed to off Tower 2 at 8:00 am this morning to make that dive. 

Martha and got to the beach early, which was good since I discovered that the tank I had planned to dive was a short fill at 2300 psi. I drove back to the apartment to get a full tank and left Martha and Leo to gear up while discussing what they each had been doing over the winter. 

I got back and quickly got my gear on. We entered the water at 9:23 am and tried to swim along an 89 degree bearing keeping the black lamppost in the parking lot positioned in front of the narrow red brick chimney on the South side of the Fire Station on A1A. Things worked fine until we were maybe 200 yards out when the lamppost went behind a tree and was not seen again. We continued swimming on an 89 degree bearing.

Once we spotted the Three Tiered Reef, I decided to head NE and hoped to run into the jacks, which we did about 25 minutes later. Some of that time was spent recovering the flag which I had been carrying, but which escaped the line I was holding. Leo was behind me and quickly recovered the flag in the five or so minutes it took me to realize what had happened. Only a few minutes later, we came upon the Jacks about 50 feet East of where they started. 

We had a pleasant tour of the area. Martha got to explore to the area South of the Jacks and I just drifted along. We spent the better part of an hour then headed back to the beach. The wind was 7 mph which created some nasty waves hitting Martha and I from behind. The Life Guard drove her four wheel vehicle down to help us exit the water, but by the time she arrived, we had all emerged from the sea despite a fall or two. Martha later confided that she was nauseous by the end of the dive. 

Our dive time was 94 minutes with a maximum depth of 24.0 feet. My actual consumption rate was 24.28 psi/minute; my surface air consumption rate was 16.02 psi/minute and my Residual Minute Volume was .41 cubic feet/minute. 

  

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. 

28 May 2020_Fish Camp Rocks by way of the Big Coral Knoll

I got up early this morning around 5:00 am to walk Mia, load the Jeep and head to the beach. After the drive from Laurel back to Fort Lauderdale, it seemed strange to pack an empty Jeep. Hard to remember wetsuits, soap, towels, and the flag, but we fixed what we had to and made do with the rest.

We got to the beach at 8:24 am, geared up and entered the water in front of Tower 17 at 7:55 am. We walked out to the sand bar and swam East to the reef then descended at 8:33 am. 

There were no buoys off the beach to alert us to a current, but once I was in the water I could feel that we had a South current. I tried to compensate for the current but overcompensated and ended up just 10-15 feet South of the Big Coral Knoll. The Knoll has taken a beating during the past eight months while we have been in Laurel.  

We headed to the Eastern edge and then turned South to the Fish Camp Rocks. This area looked much more like I remembered, but it, too, has changed. We made a quick sweep of the Rocks then continued South to the Columnar Coral. When I first saw this coral it was covered with 3 inch coat of  that looked like sheets of grain waving in a breeze. Now it is just a bare rock and has been for several years. 

We returned to the Fish Camp Rocks and spent some time exploring each of the several larger rocks. We were looking for more turtles or maybe some nurse sharks, but there were none to be seen. We swam West the Rocks towards the beach. We surfaced at 10:24 am, but it took a while to get out of the water and on the beach. I fell a few times and had to work my way into deeper water to get my legs under me so I could stand up and try again. Once out of the water, I took the gear off and walked back in to help Martha climb out. I held out my hand for her fins but she took my hand for balance and walked out on her own. She later confided that she had vomited during the dive and that she felt nauseous at the end of the dive.

Our dive time was 111 minutes and the maximum depth was 20.4 feet. My actual consumption rate was 25.03 psi/minute; my surface air consumption rate was 16.85 psi/minute and my residual minute volume was .43 cubic feet. 

25 Sep 2019_Yankee Clipper Jacks

Martha and I were up early and headed to the        beach to dive for the first time in over two weeks.

The sunrise was striking and the sea was calm. I took her gear to the beach then returned for my        gear while she managed to get into hers. She was    her gear and in the water by the time I returned. 

We swim out on the surface to help find the Jacks and to save our air for the dive instead of the trip to the site. We stay on a 100 degree bearing by keeping the parking lot lamppost along the Southern edge of the fire house chimney, but we watch the bottom for the three-tiered reef to know when to descend and look for the Jacks. Visibility today was so bad that we descended to see if we were over the reef. Turns out we were and we were close to the Jacks, too. 

We followed a trail of single and double jacks to the line of Jacks and headed ENE. It was difficult to spot sea life. I shot some Palometa (Trachinotus goodei) I could barely see, but the pictures turned out fairly well. 

Martha and I stayed close together in the poor visibility. 

Along the way I spotted two French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum) apparently fighting over their respective Favorite spots on the Jacks.

A Spotted Goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus) on the sand on the way back to the beach.

A Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus)

A Yellow Goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus).

We reached the NE end of the Jacks at 2000 psi and turned the dive. We made our way to the beginning of the Jacks and left for the beach with about 900 psi. We came across a Hawksbill Sea Turtle on the shallow flat before the buoy line and I got some good pictures of that turtle. 

Bottom time was 101 minutes; maximum depth was 25 feet. My SAC was 15.55 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.4 cubic feet /minute. 

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) 

8 Sep 2019_Yankee Clipper Jacks

I was up early to walk Mia and set up my camera, but I could not get the strobe to work, so I left it behind. We left at 6:40 am, when Martha noticed a $12 person hanging around across the street, so we doubled back to see what he was up to. Just waiting for a ride, maybe. We got to the beach at 7:00 am and geared up. I carried Martha's tank to the beach and she put it on in or next to the water. I walked back and got my gear on. We swam out to the Jacks and descended at 7:54 am. 

Headed East and found several Jacks, then spotted the Western End of the Jacks. My alternate air source was leaking air the whole time. Lost 200 psi just on the 30 minute swim out. Spotted a small turtle early in the dive. It was just waking up and raced away once it saw me

. Martha saw an Eagle Ray. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful dive. I did spot a couple of fish I did not know. Unfortunately, I still do not know what they are. 

We got back in 123 minutes; SAC was 14.16 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.37 ft3/minute. 

Saturday, 7 Sep 2019, Dive the Big Coral Knoll with Leo and Luis

Sunrise on the beach

The beach from the water

Martha and I left the apartment at 6:45 am and got to the beach about 7:00 am. Got a couple of shots of the sunrise.

We parked 2 spaces North of our favorite spot. As folks left, however, we moved South first one and then the second space so we were right where we had hoped to be.


 Luis got to the beach a little before 8:00 and Leo came last but was able to park in the spot where we first parked.

Juvenile French Angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)

We geared up. I took Martha's gear down to the water but this time I put it in the water which was a mistake. She could not hold her fins, the flag, her 

weights and manage to put the BCD on.  

So she was standing in the water holding all of this stuff when we finally got geared up and were ready to get in the water. 

We descended at 8:40 am, but I had forgotten to open my tank valve so I headed back to the surface as I reached back and tried to turn on the air. The valve was stuck, so I had to surface and remove my BCD in order to open the tank valve. 
Once the valve was open, I descended again and we headed East to the Gray Mid-way Rock, but we got set to the North. I spotted the Perpendicular Rocks about the time I expected to see the Gray Mid-way Rock. We went there, then past to the Swept Rock and to the Big Coral Knoll.

Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum)

No turtles to be seen today, but lots of grunts and some parrotfish on the West end of the Knoll. Made a couple of passes and took some pictures, but decided to swim South over to the Fish Camp Rocks instead of staying on the Knoll.

Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentatus)

Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus) and two Mahogany Snappers (Lutfanus mahogoni)

My camera stopped working. The screen said that the 2nd card was not readable and the camera would not let me take any pictures until I removed and reseated the 2nd card. I could not do this underwater or while floating at the surface, so I shut it off and folded it up. I carried the camera as we toured the Fish Camp Rocks and then visited the Columnar Rock to the South and then swam back and to the beach.

Bottom time was 123 minutes; SAC was 15.15 psi/minute and RMV was 0.38 ft3/minute.  This time I walked out of the water and onto the beach all the way to the truck.

Thursday, 29 August 2019 Drift Dive on Sunkist Reef

We almost lost Martha, who needed more time coming down the mooring line. We started drifting along the reef before she got down to the reef. I had started back to find her when Acacia fortunately spotted and pointed me to a ghostly image of her still ahead of us.

We drifted through several schools of Creole Wrasse and even a small school of Atlantic Spadefish. I wished I would have taken my camera, but we were busy enough as it was.

 We came up in a thunderstorm and had lightning within a mile of the boat as we clamored on board. Getting up the ladder was again an effort for me and Divemistress Kim had to pull me up as I just could not get my legs under me.

Thursday, 29 August 2019, Deep Dive on the Lady Luck

Martha and I gathered up the gear and got to Alsdorf Park a little after 2:00 pm. Jerry called to say he was running late and would likely miss the bridge opening at 3:05 and he did. He got there about 3:45. Of course, by that time the Mos and come and then gone to the bank, so we missed another bridge opening and got to the dive site about 4:30 pm.

On the ride out to the dive site I discussed the dive with CS and Cora. I timed CS and Cora opening some combination locks. CS took 8.4 seconds to open his lock on the surface and Cora took 18.4 seconds on the surface. 

DM Kim took the line down and tied off to the wreck for us. We got in the water at 4:43 pm and got to the wreck and on the sand 6 minutes later. I timed CS and Cora opening their locks on the bottom. CS was 2.3 seconds longer on the bottom at 10.7 seconds.  Cora was 25.8 seconds or 7.4 second longer at 130 feet.

When we finished timing the locks, we headed up to the railing and then started to the bow of the wreck. We fought a losing battle against what had been a mild current on the surface. I spotted the line two decks above us and decided to go up to the lines. We continued up the line til we got to 20 ft at 16 minutes. We spent almost 4 minutes on a safety stop then surfaced and drifted back to the stern of the A Sea D and got out of the water. 

I found the ladder difficult to manage and Kim had to haul me up until my legs were above my knees and I could stand on my own.

Bottom time was 21 minutes at a maximum depth of 133.3 feet. My SAC was 22.03 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.37 ft3/minute.  I returned to the boat with 1890 psi still in my tank. 

Wednesday, 28 August 2019 Dive on the Fish Camp Rocks

Ms. Martha

Martha and I got to the beach about 7:00 am and the Mos arrived a little later. We got my favorite parking spot behind Tower 17. We geared up and got in the water.

Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus)

The beach had a large step and I fell on the way in. My foot sunk into the loose sand and a wave knocked me over.

Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)

 We swam out to the buoy line and descended a little beyond it. There was a moderate South current, so I tried to compensate and we ended up at the Perpendicular Rocks.

Spanish Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)

We swam past the Swept Rock and onto the Big Coral Knoll. Unfortunately, there were no turtles today, so we made one pass around the knoll and headed South to the Fish Camp Rocks.

White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii)

More fish on the Rocks than the knoll, but nothing unusual: Grunts, Snappers and Parrotfish. 

Bluestriped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus)

French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)

Martha and I continued swimming South and . found what is left of the Columnar Coral. It used to have 3 inch sillia that waved in the current. Now its just rock.

Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum)

We surfaced just inside the buoy line. Only CS was breathing fumes, but CSwalked was the only one of us to walk out of the water and onto the beach. I crawled out. Acacia fell and then crawled. Martha was helped out.  It wasn't pretty.

Spotted Scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) 

 Bottom time was 76 minutes at a maximum depth of 21.0 feet. My SAC was 15.93 psi/minute and the RMV was 0.41 cubic foot/minute.

Tuesday, 27 August 2019 Dive on the Yankee Clipper Jacks

Ms. Martha

I got up at 4:00 am this morning and finished editing some pictures from yesterday. Walked the dog then got Martha up at 6:00 am. We left for the beach at 6:30 am, but I discovered that I had left my neoprene behind, so I left Martha's gear with her on the beach and drove back to get my shorts and sleeveless top. That was One.

A single Jack

I got back to the beach before the Mos got there, but they were not far behind. I carried Martha's gear to the water, which was a long way on this beach. I carried the gear over one shoulder. Then I walked back to the truck and set up my gear, put it on and headed to the beach with my camera. I turned the camera on to get a shot of the lamp post and the chimney I use as a bearing. The camera was unable to read the compact flash card. That was Two.

Smallmouth Grunt (Haemulon chrysargyreum)

I returned to the truck, lowered the tailgate and opened the camera to see what the problem was. Everything looked in place, so I pulled the flash drive out and re-inserted it. This time it worked. So I closed up the camera and again headed to the beach. Walked in with the Mos and moved toward deeper water. I stopped to put my fins on and found that I could not sink. I was positively buoyant. I then discovered that I had forgotten to insert my weight packets into my BCD. This was number Three.

Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix) 

I had always been taught that if there were three errors or gear failures you should call the dive. Too many errors suggests early on suggests that there will be more. But the water was flat and warm and the sky was clear. I wanted to dive, so I walked back and got my weights and then swam as fast as I could trying to catch up to Martha and the Mos.

Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) 

I stayed on my 100-degree bearing, keeping the lamp post straddling the narrow part of the chimney on the firehouse. Before I knew it, I was on the 3-tiered reef. Martha and the Mos were to the SW. They swam back to meet me and I spotted a familiar landmark.

Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) 

  We descended and followed the single or double Jacks to the NW until we found the West end of the Jacks. From that point, we sort of split up, everyone moving East along the row of Jacks but with Martha and I on the South side of the Jacks and the Mos on the North side.

Fighting French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)

I really like this triology of French Grunts.  In the first two shots the fish are actively engaged in their struggle but the third shot reflect that moment when the struggling fish might ask themselves why they would want to struggle. What is the point?











Bottom time was 93 minutes at a maximum depth of 24.7 feet. My SAC was 17.11 and the RMV was 0.44 cubic feet/minute.