Working on the Conch Pearl

The Conch Pearl is the dive boat that I do my live-aboard diving on. It is a 57 foot, steel hulled, gaff rigged schooner. http://www.schoonerconchpearl.com/ I love the boat and the people that live on it. I have been on the boat for over six years. I love to work on the boat as I feel I'm contributing to the boat and its life.


Over the last two days I removed all of the rope lifelines and stripped and sanded the pin rails and belaying pins. They're ready for varnish but unfortunately I won't be able to get away to help today. We also went over the emergency procedures for the upcoming COI...big Coast Guard inspection. It should go very well as the CP is a tight ship...very ship shape. Denny is always repairing or improving things and Holley is in a never ending wrestling match with rust.

tanks, tanks, tanks...again

Scuba Tanks need alot of maintenance. For something that's extremely durable, alot goes into keeping them that way. They require inspections. Every year they have to be visually inspected; inside and out. Every five years they have to be hydro tested. Yesterday we had to prep 81 tanks for hydro and deliver them. That involves stripping labels, removing boots and removing valves. Then we had to load them and unload them from the truck and trailer. It's a good workout. Alex, Jess and I worked hard yesterday.

SLS041611A Good Friday, Earth Day, Last Day

Yesterday was Good Friday and Earth Day. I hope everyone remembered the meanings of the day.

The crew had a good last full day with Florida Sea Base. It was an early start leaving the mooring off of Key West in hopes of getting in one last dive. We started out as always, putting up the sails and heading out to the ocean. We started the compressor and began filling tanks. As we turned the corner in front of Fort Zachary Taylor the wind hit us hard. It wasn't long after we got into the wind that we decided that we would have to 'call' the dive. It was just too rough. The spray was coming over the bow so we had to slow down and take our time motoring back to the dock at Stock Island. Most of the crew used the time to pack their gear.
We arrived back at the dock and it was time to get to work. The crew off-loaded all of their gear then started a completed cleaning of the boat inside and out. The boat needed to be scrubbed down to remove all of the salt from the spray. After the boat was cleaned it was time for lunch. All of the leftovers from the week were brought out along with the usual lunch.
The Sea Base vans arrived on time to pick up the crew. We loaded up the trailer, said goodbye to the Conch Pearl and headed back to base.
On the way back we stopped at Baby's Coffee, the 'southern most' roaster of coffee in the Keys. Everyone went in and got something; coffee, soda and snacks. For the rest of the ride everone slept...at least I did.
Back at base we emptied the trailer, washed all of our gear and then the crew was free until 17:45 for flags. After a quick flags ceremony the crew went to Luau where they did the Raisin Bran song. A few other crews did skits then they all played Hawaiian Tug-O-War. It was brother against brother, son against father. After the games we had a Luau dinner.
After the dinner we retrieved all of the gear that we had washed and returned it to the scuba storage room. Now all of the work was done.
We sat down at the quarterdeck and did a Thorns and Roses to review the high points and low points of the trip. It seems there was a common theme of anchor watch as a low point. As each crew member went I handed them their Florida Sea Base Patch.
A few hours later, 1AM, we met again for breakfast and to load their transportation home.
I hope you all enjoyed your time in 'the Keeeeeeeeeeys'.

SLS041611A Windy Day

Yesterday was a fairly windy day. We were still on the dock at Stock Island so the crew got to sleep in a little and had a cooked breakfast. We are protected from the wind at the dock so we rely on the information from 'conditions buoys' out in the ocean to get accurate conditions. From the dock we can also see the flag at the power plant and it was standing straight out; 20 knots or so. There were a few chores to do before we could leave the dock. The boys had to finish some laundry, clean up breakfast, put away the power cords and clean up their stuff.
We left the dock, put up the sails and headed out until the ocean. It was windy and a little bumpy. We had to refill scuba tanks so we went out into the Gulf Stream to do a little blue water fishing. Trolling is a passive activity where you wait and wait and wait for a fish to hit. We caught a few 'grass bass' but that was it. Some of the boys spent this time studying, especially Zach. Some spent the time sleeping.

We had lunch and headed in to Western Dry Rocks to dive. It's the most western site that we dive. The names of sites in this area aren't that creative. I did a conditions check. The surface was rough, there was some pretty good surge and visibility was only about 15 feet. Everyone got in and did the dive.

After the dive we moved on to Sand Key. The visibility was so poor that we passed up the site and moved on to Eastern Dry Rocks (I told you the names weren't that creative). The visibility was better here. The condition check reported that the surge was leas and the visibily was about 20 feet; a little better. Abunch of the scouts saw a large Nurse Shark. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_shark Overall it was a pretty good dive. I even found a large pile of chain that I had been searching for during the past few dives at this site.

After the dive the crew raised the sails again and we headed for the mooring behind Key West. While passing the corner at Key West the wind was really ripping. When we got into the harbor the sails were taken down and we motored to the mooring. Once on the mooring the boys started fishing with Cuban Yo-Yos again. Lots of pinfish were caught and a grunt or two. One of the pinfish was used as bait on the shark line, which we put out at night. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pinfish .

We watched a wonderful sunset and had a late dinner of spaghetti. The boys were really wound up, this being the last night on board but they eventuelly went to sleep.

Tomorrow is the last day on board.

Writing the blog

I started this blog to help me remember my crews and trips and to give the folks at home a chance to keep up with the activities of the crew. I usually get up very early (05:00) so it gives me a little me time to write the blog, check my e-mail, and do whatever it is people do on the computer. I turn the top of the fridge/freezer into a mini office; uncomfortable but functional. I only get about two hours before people get up and breakfast gets started.


I really enjoy it, especially when people leave comments. I also like followers. My hope is to have at least 10 folloewrs. I would feel like a successful blogger if I reached 10.

SLS041611A nice dive day

Yesterday was an average, nice dive day. We woke up to have a relaxed, cooked breakfast. We usually have a quick, cold breakfast so that we can get up and go quickly but we had a little extra time. After breakfast we weighed anchor and headed off for Looe Key. The winds were up and it was a bit 'sporty' but it was a nice day. We filled all of the scuba tanks, changed out the empties and napped. We fill the scuba tanks on the back deck of the Conch Pearl using a diesel powered compressor. It's a bit noisy but a necessary evil as it it the life blood of the dive program. The water was beautiful on the way which gave us hopes of great dive conditions. When we arrived at Looe Key we weren't disappointed; the water looked the best it had all week. I jumped in to do a conditions check. The conditions check is when the Divemaster jumps in to check the dive conditions; depth, surge, current and visibility. I was very happy to report visibility of about 50-60 feet!

The dive was great. The crew saw all kinds of animals. We saw rays, sharks and lots of Golioth Groupers, which are very large fish, turtles and lionfish. We moved the boat to a different mooring ball and did our second dive. It was more of the same, a great dive. After the dives we headed back to Stock Island, the dock where we started. We were going in for our mid-week break.

Both the legs from Boot Key to Looe Key and Looe Key to Stock Island take several hours. On the way we fish, eat and nap. The napping is a necessity as everyone gets tired from diving, being on a boat, being in the sun and anchor watch and because we can. We fished along the way and several fish were caught. Some of the boys also took the opportunity to jump into the pilot house to drive the boat for awhile.

We arrived at the dock at Stock Island (sometimes called Stock Rock) ready to get off of the boat. The crews enjoy being on the boat but they also enjoy getting off the boat during the mid-week break. The big deal with the mid-week break is they get to use real

toilets, take real showers, they have A/C in the cabin and there's no anchor watch. They also take a walk to the local convenience store for ice cream and sodas. In addition it's steak night! This high adventure stuff is really tough.

We had a visitor for dinner too. Kyle Moran, a Florida Sea Base staffer dropped by to say hi. Kyle works as a sea exploring mate; another job that keeps the staffer out at sea during the week,like me.

SLS041611A Anchor Watch

The Conch Pearl is a USCG inspected vessel. That is no easy feat and certifies the Conch Pearl as a very stable and safely outfitted vessel. A requirement for imspected vessels carrying paid passengers is to have an anchor watch. On our adventures that involves two hours shifts from 19:30 to 07:30. There are two people on the shift, to make sure no one falls asleep. Most people read, especially the boys that have homework to do. It hasn't been too bad at night because of the full moon. It's very tiring for the crew as they lose two hours of sleep every night. Of course they make up for it during the day, between dives.
It's a necessary evil but there have been times when it was needed. We've seen dragging boats,, closely approaching boats,, incoming bad weather and even someone yelling for help from the mangroves.

SLS041611A Photo Day

Yesterday was the big day. We had the PADI photo team on board with us doing a photo shoot of the boys in action, on the boat and underwater. We're not quite sure what the photos are for. We woke up early and started the compressor immediately to fill the scuba tanks we would need for the day. The boat crew refills the scuba tanks using a diesel compressor that is on the back deck of the boat. We spent the night 'on the hook' (anchored) outside of Marathon at Boot Key so it was going to be a short trip in to Poncho's Fuel Dock to pick up the photo crew. We had a quick cold breakfast and off we went.

When we arrived at the dock the four folks from the photo crew were already waiting for us along with a member of BSA National staff. We loaded up with people and fuel and headed out to Sombrero Reef. http://www.divespots.com/scuba/spotID-36/view.divespot We put out the fishing rods on the way out and it didn't take long before Caleb caught a mackeral.

It took us about 45 minutes to get out to the reef. The winds had increased during the night so conditions on the surface were a bit 'sporty'. On the way out the photographer was busy snapping pics of the boys. The conditions looked great. We did our briefing, along with directions from the photographer, then 'a diving we did go!' The surface was a little 'sporty' but below the water was fairly clear and there was no current. We went on a lead dive with the photographer and two assistants with another snorkeling above. The boys seemed to be naturals at being photographed. They loved it as well as the photographer. After the first dive we had lunch, watched the BSA National representative get sick then prepared for the next dive. It was immediately obvious that the visibility wasn't as good on the second dive. We followed the same routine this dive except something was different. On this dive the boys were hamming it up! They lost their innocent edge in front of the camera and were posing and behaving to get the photographer's attention.

After the dive we returned to the boat for the trip back to Ponchos. On the way back in the photographer stayed busy shooting more pics of the boys. When we reached the dock we off-loaded the photo team and then everyone got off to go into the store for ice cream and sodas. We had to wait for the tide to come in as the channel was quite shallow and were scraping bottom on the way in.

Once the tide came in a little we headed back out to the anchor spot.

We dropped the anchor and the crew began fishing immediately. To fish while anchored we use Cuban Yo-Yos and chicken for bait. http://www.palmbaybaitandtackle.com/products/cubanyoyo.htm

Richard was the first boy to catch a fish...a real monster. After that everyone that was fishing seem to catch a fish or two. We use one of the fish as bait on a shark line that we put out at night. Some nights we're lucky and catch a small shark. Not last night.

Everyone will be getting up in an hour or two and I'm out of material. I hope you're enjoying the blog. If you are, please leave a comment.

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.

Start of a slow week

It's going to be a slow week here in the Florida Keys. Yesterday I helped Alex change the oil in one of the boats and then took a nap. After that I made a few phone calls and did a little work on the computer. That's it, another day at Florida Sea Base.

Day two...private charter

Sunday morning, time to sleep in. I slept in until 06:00 when my alarm went off. Quite a feat for me. We weren't expecting to hear from the 'charter boys' until 09:00 so it was supposed to be an easy start. Denny predicted that only a few of them would show up and that there was a 50/50 chance that they were going to want to dive at all. I helped Holley clean up a bit when they called to say that some of them would be over for breakfast. We started getting breakfast ready a few minutes later and then there they were, pulling up in a taxi. They must have called while on their way over from the MTV house. Holley had all the food and stuff out to make breakfast, which wasn't started, so she freaked and started throwing food around to get breakfast ready and to put stuff away. Only four of the group showed up. It was decided to see how they felt after eating before deciding on whether or not to dive. It was already sounding like it was a no-go on diving. Denny listened for dive reports from the local dive boats on conditions at the V. It sounded like more of the same from the previous day. This help the group decide to pack it up and go home. They needed to have the plane back by 18:00 anyway. We helped them pack their stuff and offered to return their rental gear and tanks for them. They called a taxi and away they went, hopefully returning again. Gone...peace...rest. It always seems the same when a group leaves. Now it was time to clean up a bit then off to KW; we had to load and return the rental gear, have lunch and ice cream then return for a nap. Returning the gear was a snap then it was off to BO's for lunch. We found a metered parking spot right next to BO's, fed the meter and had lunch. After lunch we headed over to the KW Ice Cream Factory, feeding the meter again. Ice Cream is good! We returned gto the car to find just about every car around ours with a ticket, but not the FJ. Good job feeding the meter. Keep riding that karma train Denny & Holley. We returned to the boat for a much needed nap. After the nap I loaded the Jeep and returned to FSB,l driving in Sunday afternoon Florida Keys traffic. Beatutiful day for a boat ride!

New day...private charter

Saturday,our scout crew is gone and now it's a private trip on the Conch Pearl out to the V (Vandenberg)...so we thought. Jess, my DM for the day, and I headed out from FSB at 05:00 (yes, 5am). We had to leave that early so that we would not be caught in the traffic at the seven mile bridge. They were having their annual bridge run and the bridge was going to be shut down from 06:30 - 09:30, stopping all of the traffic on the only road going up and down the Keys. Jess slept most of the way since she isn't quite the morning person that I am. We arrived at the CP hoping that the charter group had not spent the night on the boat, so that we could go back to sleep there. We were wrong. I went below to find all six guys sleeping so Jess and I quietly went below. Jess went back to sleep, I went to work on my computer. The charter group started waking up one at a time. They had spent the previous night partying in KW. Eventually they all made it up on deck and we were able to start discussing the plans for the day. It was previously decided that we would be going to the V; so far so good. Next they decided that some of them wanted to dive nitrox; hmmm. Then they discovered that some of them needed equipment. I love great planning. So they called a taxi and it was off to Dive Key West, a local dive shop to rent gear and nitrox tanks. There were a few snags, Jess couldn't dive nitrox as she didn't have her nitrox card yet and they wouldn't rent more than two tanks per person, even to instructors. Two hours later they returned with all of their stuff. Finally, everyone was on board with all of their gear and it was off to the V. The weather was great. Jess, Denny, Holly and I put up the Main and Jib. It sure is different working a private charter. On a scout trip the scouts pitch in to do everything. On a private charter the divers are 'guests'. There were no other boats on the V; good luck or a bad sign. When we got to the balls the reason was obvious. The current was running so hard that the mooring balls were being pulled under by the water but the water was so clear that we could make out the V below us. Denny got on the radio and found that two other dive boats had been on the CSM (Cayman Salvage Master) earlier and that the current wasn't supposed to be as bad. We went over to the CSM and found that ball being pulled under, but not as bad so we tied on and gave it a look. By now, although it was nice, the previous night's partying started getting to the guests and a couple of them were 'ralphing' over the side. One of the guests jumped in to check the current for himself and was quickly convinced that it was too strong to dive. He and I probably could have made it. We were both Jersey Wreck divers, having been on some of the same boats and wrecks at home. Ok, so the wrecks were out. We moved over to Toppino's Buoy so that everyone could at least get in a dive. There was even current running here; no too much to dive, just enough to be annoying. Luckily Toppino's is a reef with alot of structure so divers can get out of the current. It wasn't a bad dive. One of the guys brought a spear gun so Jess took it along to try her luck. What a sight. Once this dive was over it was time to go in. The few divers that weren't feeling well were done for the day and the others just wanted to go in. They had plans for more partying since they had rented the MTV house for the night and had big plans. Back on the dock the guests gathered their gear and headed off in a taxi. I washed gear, Denny hooked up power, Jess and Holley cleaned up below. Nap Time! After a much needed nap we headed over to the Hogfish. I had the usual, their 'Killer Hogfish Sandwich'. Next we dropped Jess off at the bus then headed to Publix for the next day's supplies. I don't even remember going to bed.

SLS040211A last day on the water

Yesterday was the crew's last day on the boat. Although we needed a quick start we still had a cooked breakfast to make up for the previous night's 'sandwich dinner'. It was an uneventful start as we left the mooring ball and headed out to the reef. We were headed to Toppino's Buoy to take a look at conditions there. When we arrived we tied onto the mooring ball and sent Jess in to do a conditions check. The visibility was fair but there was a pretty good current running; enough to 'call' the dive at this spot. We moved over to Western Sambo to a spot we hadn't been on before. Here the conditions were better, although the visibility was still only fair. The dive went without incident with the exception of Kyle dropping his weight belt for the second time on the trip. 'Thanks Kyle!' We left the reef and headed back to the dock on Stock Island. On the ride back the crew packed all of their personal and dive gear and also had lunch. Once we were back on the dock the crew emptied the boat and did a thorough job of cleaning the boat insdie and out. The customary pictures were taken of the dive crew and the boat crew then it was into the vans for the two hour trip back to FSB. Once back at FSB the crew unloaded the trailer, washed their dive gear and headed to the dorms for much needed showers. The crew was back on dry land for good. I had to leave the crew in Jess's capable hands but I'm sure the rest of the night went well. The crew attended flags, then Luau where they did a skit. Then it was off to Luau dinner to cap off the night. All in all they were a good crew. They were awarded the Captains Club patch from Captains Denny and Holley with an outstanding rating.

SLS040211A dive, dive, dive, dive

Yesterday was a diving day for sure. The crew did four dives; three day dives and a night dive. To some that may not seem like alot but add the constant physical effort of dealing with a pitching boat and it can be very tiring. It was an early start again. We have a cold breakfast whenever we have to get up and get going. We headed out under full sail again, on our way to check out Toppino's Buoy, a dive site with mooring balls. Mooring balls are big, floating balls with mooring ropes that are attached to the sea floor. These are used instead of anchors which wreck the coral. Toppino's had terrible visibility so we headed off to Eastern Dry Rocks. The visibility wasn't great but it was diveable. Some of the boys brought along a waterproof deck of cards and had a game underwater. Next we moved over to Western Dry Rocks; a site that is about 8 miles out from Key West. On the way to Western Dry Rocks a pod of spotted dolphins came along to swim and play in the pressure wave that is created at the front of the boat while underway. Craig has some fantastic video of the dolphins. When we got to the dive site the visibility was unreal for this time of year. I jumped in to do a conditions check and was immediately swept away by a strong current. No dive here for this group. We moved the boat to a spot behind the reef which blocked the current which was great. We all jumped in to experience fantastic visiblilty, 50-75 feet. There were some great animals spotted; reef sharks, a nurse shark and an octopus. It was also a great opportunity to take some pictures. The next stop was to revisit Sand Key. The visibility wasn't great here, but it was good enough to dive. Again, some of the boys brought along a Rubik's Cube to play with. Jess had an encounter with some dolphins that came close enough for her to see them underwater. After the dive some of the crew expressed the desire to do another night dive so we moved back to Western Dry Rocks. On the way we had sandwiches and brownies for dinner. Too rough to make spaghetti. It was Sylvaines (sorry if I spelled it wrong) birthay and his Mom sent along some delicious brownies. Thanks Mom! Captain Denny managed to find a mooring ball that was protected from the current so we all jumped in for the night dive. The conditions were still stellar. There was also alot of biolumienesance . The ride back was quite long and Captain Denny and I rode back on the bow, getting splashed by perodic waves; not fun.

Divemaster Jess

Jessica is out on the Conch Pearl this week. We're seeing if she likes it, if she's a 'good fit' and to help out. Jess graduated this year's Divemaster Academy, which I helped teach over this past Christmas. I'm confident she can do the job. She's really good with the crew members. She's also very anxious to learn everything she can; even how to do 'fender rodeo'. Next she wants to catch some fish. Go get'em girl.

SLS040211A dives and relaxes

Wednesday was a relaxing day. The day was beautiful, all day. We started at 7:30am with the alarm clock, the on board generator. Don't ever accuse this group of being up and at'em go getters. The boys are relaxed all the way, even when getting up. We had another cold breakfast, filled some tanks then headed out. We went out to Sombrero Reef/Key/Lighthouse, about a 45 minute trip, to do our first dive. We were disappointed with the visibility, 10-15 feet at best, but decided to dive. There is a large pillar coral formation at this reef that I was going lead divers to. I waited on the bottom for 20 minutes under the boat. When no divers showed up I went off to the pillar coral myself. I found a group of divers near the coral and lead them to it. After the dive we headed for Looe Key, about a two hour trip. When we are moving from site to site we usually troll for fish, change our tanks and refill the empty tanks. This group does the tank change quite well; something some groups never get. Another thing we do is nap. When we arrived at Looe Key there were few boats, a sign that dive conditions were not great. It turned out that visibility was about 15-20 ft. The crew went diving anyway, off to see some sharks. When everyone returned the crew was quite chatty, a sign that they enjoyed the dive. One buddy team saw a shark and others saw other animals. They also played fender rodeo. This is where you get one of the large boat fenders and try to climb on top of it and ride it, trying to stay up as long as possible. Several people finally mastered it. Some, including Jess, tried jumping off of the boat with the fender between their legs...not very successful. We left Looe Key and headed to the Stock Island dock for our mid-week break. It was another few hour trip; more fishing and napping. During the mid-week break the boat is tied up to the dock where there are power for the A/C, showers and no anchor watch! It was steak night, our favorite dinner, and we also ate Wade's fish. After dinner the crew took a walk to the 'Stop and Rob', our pet name for a local convience store. Most came back with a bag of goodies. Because there was A/C nobody slept on deck. Instead two people slept on the floor inside. If you want to see more information on the Conch Pearl go to http://schoonerconchpearl.com/ .

SLS040211A ...into the night

Yesterday had an early start. The generator started, everyone jumped up (yeah, right) and we had a cold breakfast, cereal and pop tarts, and off we went. We started out under full sail, heading east for Looe Key. All of the way to Looe Key we were sailing through water that had a milky, green color which didn't give us hope for a good dive. Most of the crew slept on the way because it was a restless night for most of them. Not only did they have anchor watch but the boat was also rockin' and rollin' due to the way it was sitting on the mooring and how the wind was blowing. When we arrived at Looe Key the visibility was awful; 10 ft. at best. There were only one or two other boats on the moorings, unusual for Looe Key as it is a very popular dive site. We made the decision to move on to Marathon in search of better visibility. While we are moving from site to site we usually troll for fish. On the way to Marathon we moved further off shore into 'blue water' to better our fishing chances. We caught two nice dolphin fish. For a small fish they are lively fighters. We had a third fish on the line but it got off right next to the boat. As we got closer to Marathon a front developed and was moving from the west that looked on the radar to be nasty. As the front neared the sky quickly turned dark. We decided to go in to Poncho's to get fuel and let the crew buy ice cream and soda while the front passed. Everyone got off the boat for some sort of treat. After the boat and crew were fueled up and the front had passed we headed out to the reef to dive. We were pleasantly suprised to find the visibility at the reef to be pretty good, 20-30 feet so we jumped for a nice dive. While we were diving another front approached. At the first rumble of thunder Captain Denny put the recall siren in the water and had everyone return to the boat. The recall siren is a device we can put in the water to transmit sounds, like a siren, underwater. It can be heard quite far away. We moved the boat to a bigger mooring ball and decided to have dinner while we waited for this front to pass and to prepare for our night dive. Ah, bratwurst, beans, rice and salad...yum. After dinner we moved back to the previous mooring ball and prepared for the night dive by attaching marker lights to the tanks and having a night dive briefing. The visibility held and the night dive was beautiful. The crew saw all sorts of creatures; rays, turtles and an octopus. After the dive we motored in to Boot Key where we anchored for the night.

SLS032611A Followers

I understand we have a few folks following the blog now. If there is anything specific you would like to hear about or see just let me know. I'll try to post more pictures. Please comment on the blog after you read it. diverDave

SLS040211A has a tough day

Yesterday we woke up to a pretty good breeze. We had a cooked breakfast then headed out under full sail. The stiff wind had us heeling over and the waves were bouncing us around; a little sporty but not too bad. We headed west hoping to find some decent visibility. We stopped at Sand Key where conditions weren't too bad. There was little or no current, some surge and about 25+ feet visibility. The ride had alot of divers, including Jess our other DM, feeling pretty bad as we had been bouncing around since we left Key West, so a few divers sat out the dive. It was a nice dive for me. I ran into almost all of the divers and I saw a large reef shark swimming around the large coral head. We left the ball and had lunch on the way over to Western Dry Rocks. By the time we got to WDR only four of us were up to diving. We went on an excursion. During the dive I checked the distance from the boat and tried to turn the group around...and they lost me. I surfaced, they didn't and took a compass bearing to the boat. I returned to the boat and the others soon followed. We headed back to KW to the relief of most of the people on board. I went to sleep for another (3rd?) nap. There were some other activities yesterday. Kyle caught a mackeral while we were trolling between dive sites. They also caught alot of pinfish in the anchorage. Jess and Ian went kayaking and most of the day's zombies came back to life. Dinner was the predictable chicken patties, green beans and stuffing. Not bad for dinner on a boat. Tomorrow we'll probably head east. I hope the winds lie down a bit for those who suffered yesterday.

SLS040211A goes diving

I woke up early yesterday and got started with my morning routine feeling fairly rested. I was still feeling pretty good from my last crew with hopes of the same for this crew. We were taking along a new divemaster, Jess, to see how she would like the live aboard. We met for flags and breakfast then off to the commisary to start the 'process'. We loaded the usual 5 coolers of ice and the rest of the food then off to the scuba area to load everything else. We were 'wheels up' before 10am...pretty good! We arrived at the boat nice and early and started loading the boat with a brief interruption for a passing rain shower. There's hope for this crew; they got to work and actually listened! They did their orientation and set up their bunks as I caught my first nap. We had lunch and it was off to the reef. We went to Western Sambo for our first dive, a lead dive, in conditions that weren't great but do-able. That went well with the exception of a little manatee action over a shallow part of the reef. Jess brought up the rear of the bunch, 'herding the cats'. We let the group go free for their second dive; Jess took a diver on a one-on-one led dive. A late day but not a bad one. The burgers were good and delivered a crazy dream as promised...lobsters, lobsters Walt!

SLS040211A arrives

Yesterday I said goodbye to SLS032611A at breakfast, after receiving a crew t-shirt and a nice tip. I spent the morning doing laundry, re-packing, getting a haircut and finishing up a history test and assignment. Alex Bergstedt arrived Friday so I have someone to talk to and hang out with now. He's a good friend. We had hamburgers for lunch, my saturday favorite, then it was off to have a nap before the crew arrived. I had about an hour nap before I got the call that my new crew was here. I met them at the program office, arranged for our photo and started the check-in process. The swim went well, equipment issue then the pool. Set-up took a little time but we got in the pool and finished in good time. Everyone, for the most part, did well in the pool. After the pool the crew left to go get dinner at Whale Harbor. When they finally arrived back from dinner (9:00pm) we did a hurried orientation. Jess was present since she will be going with us this week. I'm looking forward to her being on board. She may be doing the live-aboard this summer so we're giving her a trial by fire.

SLA032611A Final Day, Final Dive

Last day on the water for this crew. We're really going to miss them. They didn't need a crew leader as they all pitched in and they LISTENED! The morning started early. Denny was up and the boat was off of the mooring right away. We headed out to Western Sambo but conditions were awful. It was bumpy and there was no visibility. We moved over to Toppino's where things were better; fair visibility but still bumpy. The dive was good; they saw rays, eels and a large nurse shark. At the end of the dive the last two divers were waaaaaay off. They gave the sign that they were ok but couldn't make it back to the boat. So far so good. I climbed on board and we moved the boat to pick them up. Mistakes: they were way too far from the dive area, they didn't keep track of the boat, they used all of their air swimming on the surface...new divers! I hope I don't have to fill out an incident report...Steve? I pick up a new crew today. Wow, about five hours off. Good thing I got up at 5am to do my laundry; even though inconsiderate staff members left their laundry in the machines.

SLS032611A Windy Day...Let's Go Sailing

It was another windy day here in the Keys. The winds have been up over 20 knots. We left Stock Rock hoping to beat the winds but the ocean was angry so we went out back, up the NW channel. We headed to Cottrell Key and the Amesbury (Alexander?) wreck hoping things would be better bayside. It gave the crew the chance to experience the Pearl under full sail. By the time we got to Cottrell Key the winds were really blowing but we were protected a bit by the key. The crew went diving and snorkeling in the 15 ft water. Some of the crew saw lobsters and even some octopus so they went back out to lobster, catching 5 undersized bugs. By now the winds were howling and another dive boat reported conditions at the Amesbury were bad so we headed back to 'the barn'. Once we were on the mooring the crew started fishing for bait fish with Denny's summer sausage. After they caught a few bait fish they started fishing for sharks. They caught a few sharks, one even on a yo-yo. It was great fun and the crew was really up.