We had a great cruise with some great people on St. Patrick's Day. We were concerned about the weather but the skies opened up and a beautiful sunset was displayed on the horizon.
Rachel dove with us in November. Here are some of the pictures that she took. The weather was not fully cooperating that day but she managed to take some great pictures any way.
Jim & Bea just recently dove with us. These pictures are super. There are some real highlights in these pictures and we appreciate you sending them to us.
With 10 divers and 3 snorkelers on board the Reef Hopper we departed the marina at 0835. The winds were out of the southwest at 13 knots as we arrived at Horseshoe Reef. With the anchor in the sand channel we were right in the middle of the north leg allowing us easy access to the inside or outside of the north ledge. As we made our descent we found a moderate current heading east and decided to begin on the inside ledge. As we made our way west along the ledge a pair of Banded Coral Shrimp were hanging upside down under a small patch of coral. A rare Orange Spotted Filefish was trying to remain unnoticed as we passed. On the west end of the ledge where the coral creates a large overhang, a very large school of Porkfish, Grunts, and Snappers were congregating. Crossing back to the inside ledge we came upon a Spotted Moray. At first we could only see his tail but soon he stuck his head out of the coral to look around.
We moved Reef Hopper west to Barbara’s for our next dive. In my briefing I tried to describe the different spots along the reef where I often find Nurse Sharks and have been finding Princess the Loggerhead Turtle. I immediately swam west hoping to find Princess. As we came upon one of the ledges I had described as a Shark hangout, we were greeted by 4 divers from another boat taking pictures of the Nurse Shark resting under the ledge. We quickly moved on to the west. We were pleasantly surprised to find Princess right where I had hoped. She came out of her resting spot, swimming around us as she headed toward the surface for some air.
Upon arrival at Shark Harbor we made our descent on the eastern end of the site into a strong easterly current. We worked our way west winding through the various sand channels separating the 3 to 6 foot coral patches. We encountered a Porcupine Puffer seemingly sharing the company of a Hogfish. Large numbers of Masked Gobies clung to the shadows of the reef and a Tobaccofish was darting back and forth on the edge of the reef. We moved the Reef Hopper northwest to Doughnut Reef for the second dive, anchoring on the west side to allow the dive platform to position itself over the north ledge. As all 5 divers gathered together beneath the Reef Hopper a large Southern Stingray accompanied by a large Cobia swam around us, off into the distance and back again. The Cobia would not give the Ray a moment’s peace as it continually bumped the Rays wings. As Spiny Lobster season is getting closer, the Spiny’s are abundant on every reef, although that will change once the traps are set. At the end of our dive Craig found an Arrow Crab that climbed around his hands for an artful display.
For the second day in a row we started our day with a dive on the Thunderbolt. As we rounded where Marker 1 use to be (kinda like out in the country when the directions read "turn where Simpson’s bull stands under the oak tree") we could see the ripples in the sand. The winds were blowing 5 knots out of the south and the seas looked like a mirror. We were expecting another spectacular day. We had not considered one factor, current. When I jumped to attach the Reef Hopper bow line to the mooring we were drifting east of the mooring quickly and once hooked up it was an easy drift back to the dive platform. Our four divers had a good time but were rather surprised at the air it took just to get to the Thunderbolt. We did penetrate the wheelhouse but limited our explorations to conserve our air. Our second site was Barbara’s Reef where the current was considerably less. I told the divers if they were willing to push the current I would take them in search of Princess the Loggerhead Turtle I have been finding on the west end of the site. While we saw Yellowhead Jawfish, Spiny Lobsters, and Hermit Crabs, Princess was the showstopper. She took flight from the coral crevice where she was resting and gracefully swam through the middle of our group.
This morning we started our day with a trip to the Thunderbolt. The Reef Hopper had 9 divers on board as we left the dock. As we started down the descent line, we had a moderate current and 100 feet of visibility. Dave and Angie were performing their deep dive for Advance Certification so we spent the majority of our time on the upper bow deck checking gauges and executing Nitrogen Narcosis tests. Our second site for the morning was Samantha’s Reef. As soon as I did a Giant Stride entry I switched to my snorkel to look at the reef while I awaited my buddies. A large Nurse Shark was casually swimming west right under me. A solitary Snook was hanging out under a ledge on the west end of the first ledge. An Arrow Crab was peaking out from under a rock looking as if he wanted to make a run for the shelter of the larger ledge.
In the afternoon 10 divers and 3 snorkelers accompanied us to Delta for our first stop. I took Jay and Jeremy by the monument to the Wreck of the Ivory, a slave and ivory trade ship that sunk in the 1800’s. A small Porcupine Puffer greeted us as we headed south along one of the spur coral formations. A large Spotted Drum was sitting in the protection of a low hanging ledge. We could tell lobster season is still closed as there were Spiny’s everywhere. We moved east to 492 Reef for our second dive. I had not been there in awhile and enjoyed returning to this site. As we were swimming west into the current we found a Juvenile Drum. Near the end of our dive we came upon John from California, who makes underwater communication devices for the Navy, enjoying the company of a Nurse Shark. He later told us this shark would swim away and come right back to him, lying in the sand next to him. It was all I could do to hold 10 year old Jay back.
We departed Captain Hook’s Marina with 3 divers and 10 snorkelers at 1305 for Elbow Reef. I anchored on the west end of the site where the wind would place the dive platform over sand for the descent line. After making our descent we swam east into the current along the 10-foot south ledge. Almost immediately I spotted Jaron the Porkfish. I have been seeing him for about 4 months now and look for him every time I visit the Elbow. On the north side of the site we found a Southern Stingray resting in the sand. He allowed me to get close enough to reach out and pet him. He then lifted up out of the sand and gave us a beautiful view of his flight across the reef. For our second stop we moved the Reef Hopper west to Pillar Patch. We began our dive on the small coral patch just west of the Pillar stand, swimming around the large Brain Corals to the north side of the ledge. We crossed the sand finger to the Pillar stand continuing east. We were trailed by a couple of snorkelers from our boat as they enjoyed watching us find various marine life. A Black Grouper appeared comfortable with our approach until we were within 3 feet of him. A Spiny Lobster was tucked into a coral crevice with a Sea Urchin over his head. As we came back to the coral patch on the west end of the site a Southern Stingray was cramped among several corals which I found amusing as they are usually out in the sand.
