SLSU033113A – Sunday March 31st, 2013

Day 1 – Arrival Day…Happy Easter

 

The crew arrived on a bus…with whole lot of other people. We love it when lots of Scouts arrive…really. But when they all arrive at once it creates and air of urgency and chaos, but somehow we get everything sorted out. What made it difficult for our crew, the Live-Aboard Crew, was that our leader was the leader for the whole group. It didn’t slow us down much but it did put us behind for the rotation of check-in activities.  This week the crew will have the pleasure of having PADI divemaster Jenna Burton working and diving with us.

The first thing we did was collect certification cards to make copies. That alone slowed us down more…’Semper Gumby’. We next went to the T-Dock to have the group photograph taken. The base photographer gets very testy if you don’t do this right after arrival. Then it was off to the dorm to put up gear and get ready for the swim review. We were originally assigned to the San Pedro room but it was full. Luckily we ran into Luke, the Sailing Director, as he was coming to tell us to switch into the San Francisco room. Again, ‘Semper Gumby’.

When everyone was ready for the swim review we did a quick base tour from the dorm railing and then headed off to the swim area. There was another crew in the swim area so we switched tacks and issued dive gear instead. Flexibility is the key when so many crews arrive at once. We finished issuing gear and headed off to the swim area.  Because of the backup we shared the swim area with another crew and completed the swim review doubled up. Hooray, everyone can swim!

We sent everyone back to the dorm to retrieve any and all equipment that they would be diving with and had them meet at the scuba area. Here at the FSB scuba area we train some of the most conscientious divemasters around at our annual Divemaster Academy. We also certify hundreds of divers every year. FSB is one of the largest scuba operations in the world. Today was just a scuba review for the crew. We issued wetsuits and weights but time was against us so we had to stop for flags and dinner. Easter dinner was good…ham, potatoes, green beans, etc. and most of the crew went back for seconds.

After dinner we met back at the scuba area to finish our scuba review. We did a thorough verbal review of the skills then had everyone don their wetsuits, weights and gear and get into the ‘deep’ pool to perform their skills. We do a complete review of skills in the pool for a few reasons. It’s a refresher for those that have not dived a lot or have not dived in a long time. It also gives the divemaster and instructor a chance to look the crew over in the water to see how comfortable the divers are and to see how well they do. For the most part the crew did quite well…as well as is expected. A few bumps but nothing to be too concerned about so forward we went. We wrapped up the gear for transport and turned everyone loose for the night.

SLSU032413A – Sunday March 31st, 2013

Day 8 – Departure Day

 

The crew had a very early departure today, the earliest I ever had to deal with…2AM. Luckily my sleep is so bizarre it was no problem for me to see them off. I had to do my laundry anyway. I met everyone in the Galley, made sure they had something to eat and found some coffee cups then we said our goodbyes.

This was one of those good crews. We had leaders that had been here before, that we actually remembered. That’s not an easy feat when you realize the number of crews that come through here every year, not to mention in six years. The youth were great to have around, they brought no ‘baggage’ with them (no pun intended Colleen) and they set to every task without any issues or problems…a testimony to great leaders.

Thanks for coming to Florida Sea Base.

diverDave

SLSU032413A – Saturday March 30th, 2013

Last Day On The Water

 

Saturday is the last day out on the water so it’s a get up and go day. Everyone was up and moving right on time. We had a quick cold breakfast, ‘dropped the ball’ (left the mooring) and headed out to the ocean for the last time. On the way out we passed a large cruise ship and raised our sails right beside them, giving those on board a good show.

The winds were back up and the seas were rolling pretty good. We were going to look at a dive site called Toppino’s Buoy, but because there isn’t much protection from the rolling waves there wasn’t much hope of diving there. The winds had caused the seas to increase so Toppino’s was out. We headed back to the Western Sambo complex, back to Wrecker’s Reef. We went to a ball that we had not been to, giving the divers a look at another part of the reef.

With the reef helping to protect us from the waves (we were only being throw around moderately) we were able to dive. The conditions were stellar; 75’ visibility, no current and little surge. The crew made some signs and a flag to take down for photographs. Most of the crew posed for the pictures; some were snorkeling, some stayed on deck. Taking pictures of a group underwater is challenging. You have to get them down on the bottom, lined up, without stirring everything up, and then get them all to stop exhaling (bubbles) at the same time. This group made it harder by trying to use two signs made of floating poster board. All in all I think we pulled it off but we won’t know until we see the pictures. It was so much effort to handle the signs that it winded Bob enough for him to get back on the boat. I took the rest of the divers and we went on a tour of the reef.

After the dive it was time to get to work. On the trip back into the marina the crew had to have lunch and get all of their personal and dive gear packed. This kept everyone’s minds off of the fact that we were still being tossed around. The crew dropped the sails for the last time and the boat was docked. The crew set to the task at hand, removed everything from the boat and cleaned everything inside and out. I must say this was one of the best crews we’ve had when it comes to getting to work without any hesitation. Since the driver had arrived early there was no time for any slacking off. When all was done the boat looked great. The crew loaded everything into the trailer then took their final pictures and said their goodbyes. They’ll be missed by Denny and Holley as no hassles crews are few and far between.

We hopped into the vans and headed back to Florida Sea Base. On the way back one of the vans made one last stop at Baby’s Coffee for some ‘Southern Most Roasted Coffee’. When we arrived at base we unloaded the van and got down to our final push. They cleaned all of the scuba gear then they were turned the crew loose until flags. Flags had a massive attendance. There were about 9 crews there, each with 8 to 20 people. Someone had a birthday so the ceremonial birthday chair was brought out and everyone sang happy birthday.

After flags everyone put on their luau shirts and the luau began. First there were games like Hawaiian Tug-o-war and limbo then there was the luau dinner with a beautiful Florida sunset as the backdrop. After dinner the crews performed skits and songs. When all the fun was over it was back to the dorm to finish packing and get to bed…tomorrow will come quickly.

SLSU032413A – Friday March 29th, 2013

Lobster? What Lobster?

 

This crew has had the pleasure of being on the dock for three of their nights. That’s three nights of no anchor watch. They should be well rested but the diving and rolling seas are still keeping them pretty tired.

We started the day with a cold breakfast so that we could get going quickly. We were going lobstering. We got off the dock early and headed for Pelican Shoals. This used to be a small island that has been worn down over the years so that it is all pretty much under water. It slopes down to around 20 feet so there is plenty of 8 -12 ft. deep areas for skin diving for lobsters. Scouts aren’t allowed to scuba for lobster due to risk management issues. The crew received a briefing from Captain Denny on the best methods for catching lobster using a net and a tickle stick. Everyone geared up in their snorkeling gear and off they went, being led by Divemaster Paul. The seas were really choppy adding to the difficulty but the crew really went at it. We call it 'sporty'; when the boat is being tossed back and forth and you don't walk around, you throw yourself from place to place and grab on. After about and hour they had had enough and everyone returned to the boat. The reward for their efforts was one lobster that was too small. Sometimes there are lots of lobsters at Pelican Shoals and sometimes there are none. Being the end of the season may have had something to do with it.

 

We left Pelican Shoals and had lunch on the way to the dive site. The seas were really rolling so any movement was a real challenge. We arrived at the dive site hoping that the reef would protect us from the large swells, which it did, with little effect. The dive site was Wrecker's Reef, a reef in the Western Sambo group. The visibility was great. When I jumped in to do conditions and got down to around 30' it was so peaceful, especially compared to being on the surface. There was no current, very little surge and fantastic visibility. The dive was great. Steven even spotted an octopus and we watched it race across the bottom, changing colors as it went.  Everyone made it back on to the rocking boat. That's not easy when it's really rocking bad.

 

The crew voted to do another dive which was led by Paul. Again they had a great dive. After the dive we headed to the mooring in Key West Harbor.

 

Dinner was our traditional last night dinner of steaks,mashed potatos and green beans. Too bad we couldn't have Surf & Turf.

SLSU032413A – Thursday March 28th, 2013

A very full dive day

 

No sleeping in this morning. This was a full dive day. We had a ‘cold’ breakfast so we could get up and out to the reef. We pulled up the anchor and off we went, back to Looe Key. This time there were already several dive boats at the site. The temperatures had come up just a bit and the sun was shining so we hoped for a much warmer day. By the time we were on the mooring ball the seas had become pretty sporty. Even though the winds had dropped a bit, the seas had become bigger, rolling the boat back and forth. This is great incentive to get off the boat and into the water.

We did one dive with the visibility being about the same as the day before. I went out with the two Jr. Divers, Aiden and Alex, and we saw a couple of reef sharks. While we were under the water the folks on the boat were getting beaten up by the rockin’ and rollin’. Denny decided with the marginal visibility and the sea conditions that we would move back West in search of better conditions; especially since we were hoping to do a night dive.

We made the long trip from Looe Key to Western Sambo (2 ½ hours) to find clear water and calmer seas. Denny is rarely incorrect when it comes to matters of the sea and weather and this time he was once again right on the mark. We did two more dives at Western Sambo, first at the East end then at the West end or  ‘Haystacks’ as it is known. There is a grouping of large haystack shaped coral heads that give the site its name. Since everyone liked Haystacks we stayed there to do our night dive. First we had a great dinner of chicken patties, corn and stuffing then we were treated to a beautiful Key West sunset as we geared up for the dive.

Night dives are a little different than day dives so we had to do an extensive briefing before getting in. We get in while it is still a bit light, to get the divers used to the low light, then do our dive as it gradually gets dark. The moon was rising late so we had a ‘dark’ night dive; lights from dive lights only. The dive went very well although there were reports that I was going a little fast while leading. I thought I was going too slow. Go figure. Anyway, everyone returned to the boat without incident and we headed back to the marina for the night...woo hoo!...hot showers and no anchor watch.

SLSU032413A – Wednesday March 27th, 2013

Is this Key West?

 

Here we are in the southernmost part of the continental US and it’s 50 degrees and windy. Not exactly what everyone was prepared for. These temps don’t go well with bare feet and wet bodies. This is supposed to be the coldest morning but that is little comfort right now. The crew will be getting up soon, climbing out of their cozy bunks…surprise! It was the new record low for Key West for this date.

It was another slow wake up because of the weather. We stayed on the dock and had a nice cooked breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage. That’ll be the last cooked breakfast for the week. After breakfast we said our goodbyes to dry land, put up the sails and headed out to sea to go to Looe Key. It was quite ‘sporty’ out on the ocean but not as bad we thought it would be. The ride to Looe Key was about 2 ½ hours so most of the crew just stayed below out of the wind and spray. A few braved the cool temps and bitter wind on deck, bundled up in their rain gear. We had lunch on the way and surprisingly everyone ate. When we’re rockin’ and rollin’ on the ocean a lot of people don’t like to eat.

We arrived at Looe Key to find the place empty. There are usually plenty of boats here because it is such a popular dive site. During our dives one other commercial boat and a couple of private boats did show up.

It was finally time to dive. We usually dive everyday but day 1 and 2 were ‘dry’ days because of the late arrival and the Key West weather day. First we had everyone take down the sails. With the wind blowing that’s no easy feat. Next everyone got into their wetsuits. Brrrrrrrrrr. Denny gave a long and detailed briefing on the procedure for gearing up and getting into the water then I gave a dive briefing. We hit them with a lot of information at first….some is new and some is just reinforcement of things they’ve done before or learned while getting certified.

I went in first. I go in first to do a ‘conditions check’; I go to the bottom and check the depth, current, surge and visibility then I return to the surface and report my findings. This time both I and Divemaster Paul hopped in. Everything was good except for the marginal visibility. We could dive but we prefer much better visibility, especially at a site like Looe Key. The first dive is a led dive. The divers stay with the Instructor and Divemaster so that we can address any issues that might crop up and to assess the diver’s skills and abilities. It was a rocky start as a few divers were a little slow getting their ears to clear and there was also a weight issue. After that it was all good. The first dive went very well. We returned to the boat, everyone boarded and we got ready for the next dive.

On dive two Paul went snorkeling with Brian while I took the rest of the divers on a tour. A few people opted out due to being cold. Dive two also went well. There was a large Golioth Grouper waiting to greet us back at the boat which was a pleasant surprise for the divers. For dive three we moved the boat to a different part of the reef. Looe Key is quite large so we can do multiple dives without repeating a location. Dive three went well and we returned to find the same Golioth Grouper waiting for us. It had followed the boat from the previous location. Everyone stowed their dive gear and proceeded with my favorite part of the day…drying off and getting into dry clothes.

We headed in for the day to anchor behind Key Lois. The rumor is that Key Lois once had a research facility that used monkeys as test subjects. When the facility was closed down many of the monkeys were somehow turned loose so now the island is home to wild monkeys. Anyway, we dropped the anchor far enough away from the Key so as not to hear the monkeys and proceeded to have a dinner of what we refer to as ‘crazy dream burgers’. They are called that because people are known to have crazy dreams after eating them. I sure did.

SLSU032413A – Tuesday March 26th, 2013

A Key West Day

 

We woke to a rather blustery day. The winds were up and it was a bit cool. Too cool for the Florida Keys. With the wind blowing the way it was we knew that diving would be out so the crew made the decision to have their mid-week break and go to Key West for the day. We had a nice cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs then everyone got dressed for a day on the town and off we went.

Key West is a nice little town, full of interesting people and things but it is little. Once you’ve walked across it once or twice you realize how small the Old Town section really is. The crew spent the day poking in and out of t-shirt shops, going to museums and soaking up the ‘local color’. We all met for dinner at Jack Flats where the food was good but they just couldn’t get Mike’s order right.

After dinner we headed to the Sunset Festival at Mallory Square. It’s a collection of street performers that gather on the waterfront to entertain the crowds and beg for money. There are acrobats, jugglers, singers, statues and the famous Cat Man. The crew went directly to the Cat Man to catch his rather unique show. You can see acrobats anywhere but you can  only see the Cat Man and his trained cats in Key West. After the show the crew met with the Cat Man to take pictures and get autographs.  Wait until you see the pictures of this character.

By the time we were done with the Cat Man it was quite cool and everyone had seen enough so we headed back to the boat.

I don’t know about everyone else but I went out as soon as my head hit the pillow.