SLS041611A First day of diving free

Yesterday was a great day for diving. The sun was out, the winds were down and the seas were fairly flat. After a quick cold breakfast we headed out to the ocean. The boys put up the main (on a schooner that's the back most sail) and away we went. Our first stop was Toppino's Buoy or 'Red 32'. The visibility was not great but we felt confident enough to turn the crew loose for their first 'buddy dive'. A buddy dive is where they can go diving as soon as they are together with their buddy in the water. The dive went well, everyone found the boat and we only had a few bumps regarding buddy teams. The next stop was Looe Key; named for the HMS Looe which floundered there on it's way for repair after fighting pirates. Looe Key had a little better visibility. We saw a shark, a Golioth Grouper and a lionfish (see prior post). Again, we had a few bumps regarding buddy teams.

After the dive we headed for Sombrero Reef. It's about a two hour ride to Sombrero. Sombrero is my favorite site to dive anywhere. On the way we ate lunch , filled and changed tanks and napped. Naps are an important part of diving as being on a boat can be tiring. We also fish between dive sites. Ryan hooked into a good size tuna but it got off of the lure at the end of the fight. The fish here really fight and Ryan worked very hard to bring in the fish...How big was it? It was that big! Always have to have a good fish story.

As we got closer to Sombrero we were able to see the bottom clearly in 45' of water. That's a good thing. We tied onto a mooring ball and got ready to dive. Mooring balls are large balls with ropes that are attached to the bottom. We use these reather than anchoring to avoid killing coral.

The dive went well. The visibility was much better than at Looe Key. Although they didn't see alot of animals they still enjoyed the dive...and the buddy system worked very well. Sombrero is where we did our first night dive. We picked Sombrero because we like to do night dives there. It is a good practice to dive a site during the day that you will dive at night. We had a quick second lunch or first dinner while getting ready for the night dive. We had to change tanks again and do a night dive briefing. While we were preparing for the dive we were treated to a spectacular sunset. We entered the water at dusk while the water is still a little light. The underwater world turns dark soon after we enter the water. There was a little current but not enough to 'call' the dive. The first part of the night dive is lead. With my large slingshot fins I was able to swim through the current easily. The divers had a little more trouble. I took the divers out to the end of a finger of coral and turned them loose.

The night dive went great. I think they really enjoyed it. One thing you see on a night dive is bioluminescence . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bioluminescence . After the dive we headed in to the anchor spot while enjoying a full moon. Once the anchor was dropped we had second dinner, bratwurst. After that I have no idea what happened as I fell asleep.

SLS041611A On the boat...first dive

The following page is a description of what the crew went through on their first full day, which is pretty much what all crews go through.

The crew had a very, very busy morning. They got up and packed most of their gear for the boat before breakfast. After breakfast it was off to the pool. Every crew has to get into the pool, in full scuba gear, to do a complete scuba review. There are about 20 skills that are reviewed. Everyone did ok which means we take them diving without any remedial training. They packed up their scuba gear and off to the commisary we went. At the commisary we loaded ice (5 LARGE coolers), and all of our food for the week. After that it was back to the scuba area to load all of the scuba gear and personal gear. Now we're ready to depart for the Conch Pearl; about a two hour drive. We stopped at Walgreens on the way to pick up a few necessary items.

We arrived at the Conch Pearl and it was time to unload the trailer and move everything about 50 yards to the boat. This crew did it very quickly; not an easy task. With everything on the dock we loaded all of the food and set up the scuba gear on the boat. Next Captain Denny sat everyone down for a thorough orientation. (see photo) The orientation covers alot of information, including some of what was covered the night before. Captain Denny believes that info. doesn't stick until it has been heard three times. After the orientation the crew loaded their personal gear and picked out their bunks. Finally, lunch time.

We departed the dock and headed out into the ocean. We were on our way to the first dive site, Western Sambo, for the first dive. I did my dive briefing then an in-water conditions check. Unfortunately the visibility was only 10-15 feet which is marginal. The first dive is a lead dive where the divers follow me around the reef. It gives me a chance to look the crew over in the open water. They did fine. We didn't lose anybody and we made it back to the boat. They saw a few animals which is rare on the lead dive because they are focused on staying with the group. They saw an eel, a ray and sea urchins. Tommorow I'll turn them loose to dive on their own.

After the dive we headed back to our mooring right off of Key West. We immediately set up for dinner...'crazy dream burgers'. I don't know what took place after dinner as I fell asleep, something I do quite often. Napping is a big part of the trip.

For those that are concerned, Squirt made it on-board.

diverDave

Tomorrow there will be more pics.

Lionfish in the Florida Keys

Lionfish, although beautiful, are an invasive species here in the Florida Keys. Their natural location is in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. This is a problem because they are dangerous to divers as they have venomous spines. They have no natural predators here and they reproduce in great numbers. They are displacing important commercial fish and reef fish. To combat this invasion a large scale assault is taking place against the lionfish. Many divers are arming themselves with small fishing spears to kill the lionfish. Once dead they become food for other fish, or more recently, food for people. They are rumored to be quite delicious. It's going to be quite a battle but divers here in the Florida Keys are ready to fight the invasion. For more information on lionfish see: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/welcome.html

SLS041611A Arrives

My new crew arrived today. They seem to be quite the motivated bunch. They arrived from NC after traveling since 2AM. We checked them in, finished their swim test and did all of the prep. work to get into the pool tomorrow morning for a skills check. We also have the PADI photo team following us around snapping alot of pictures of the crew. They photographers are going to come out in a boat to meet our boat on Tuesday to take more pictures. We're gonna be famous (or at least get a picture or two published). In the evening we had an orientation meeting then had the crew photo taken (see photo). The weather looks good for the upcoming week; but still, don't forget the sea sickness medicine.

For all the folks at home following along...let me know what you want to see and I'll do my best to post it.

diverDave

Heavy Metal Dives

Yesterday was a good day for diving. The weather was great and the seas were down. We had a staff dive for Advanced Open Water Divers, or above, on two wrecks; hence the name Heavy Metal dives. We decided on the Spiegel Grove and the Duane, both located in the Key Largo area. The USS Spiegel Grove (LDS-32) is a 510 foot ship that was sunk on 17 May 2002. The US Coast Guard Cutter Duane (WPG-33) is a 327 foot ship that was sunk 26 November 1987. Both wrecks are in great condition with lots of fish and coral. My dive buddy was Alex Bergstedt, my most trusted dive partner. We went diving on the Spiegel Grove first. We tied up to the ball anchored to the port stern of the ship. There was little current and the visibility was good. There were a few Golioth Groupers and a very large Hogfish on the wreck. I didn't go to the sand this time but did find 102' on the deck. The next dive was on the Duane. The water was clear, deep blue here with a good current running. The first divers to get in had almost no luck swimming against it. Scott rigged a 'Granny Line' which allowed us to pull ourselves forward against the current to the down line. Going down the line was a little slow as we had to wait on Aaron who was messing with his camera. It was my first time on the Duane and it was great. The visibility was stellar, yeah; and I left my camera on the dive boat, boo. The current wasn't too bad down on the deck where I found 103'. Again I didn't go to the sand. We covered most of the boat, using the structure to block the current. The Duane was one of the last few wrecks I had to dive in the Keys to have been on all of the major wrecks. The only wrecks left are the Bibb and the Benwood. Today I pick up a new crew of divers...SLS041611A. Keep checking for updates all next week.

April 15th, 2011

Tax Day...need I say more?

Talking with captains

I get up real early everyday. It's a great time to get some 'alone' time. Periodically a captain will drift in to talk. (the other early risers) I learn alot from them. They like to talk about the program, trips, boats, etc. They talk about the problems they've had with crews and how they handled them.. That's helpful. I also like talking about the trips they've done, places they've been and the boats they've sailed. They usually tell me about sailing large boats like the Western Union or Appledor, both outof Key West. They also tell me tales about delivering boats of all types to all sorts of exotic places. The rich like to visit exotic places with their boats but don't like to sail them there. Sometimes they call me 'captain' because they don't know any better and because I work on the Conch Pearl. I have no reason to become a captain so I don't apply, even though I have more than enough sea time.