This
was our first trip to Duck Key. Some of the group
arrived on Friday and did a couple of dives in the
afternoon with
Tildens Scuba Center, based at the Hawk's Cay Marina
& Resort. Other members of the group stopped in Key
Largo for an afternoon with Darrell & Ann at
Island Ventures.
The
Saturday dives included Lloyds Ledge (a deeper reef that they hoped
would promise some good visibility) and a more shallow ledge called Lost
& Found. Lloyds was a huge disappointment where the visibility was bad
and the entire ledge is covered in heavy silt. There weren't many things
to see and very few fish on the ledge. Lost & Found was a much better
choice. It is a finger reef with lots of overhangs and sandy patches and
it was loaded with sea life. The weather was quite nice on
Saturday and the water has warmed up to a toasty 85 degrees.
Photo
by Gary Wood
Sunday
morning arrived on the heels of a heavy overnight
downpour and it was still drizzling when the boat was
loaded. The seas were running around 2-4 and the sky
stayed dark most of the day. The first dive was on
Porkfish reef. This turned out to be a really nice reef
and it was loaded with everything you wanted to see
including a huge green moray with some kind of injury on
it's face, a few curious nurse sharks and lots of teensy
banded shrimp. Visibility was very good even with the
cloudy skies overhead. The current was challenging but
we all made it back on the boat in one piece. Photo
by Cherri Wood
The
second dive was back at Lost & Found with just a little
more current and a little less visibility but still an
excellent dive. The spearfishermen were able to supply a
little food for their dinner tables although Mike Bush
donated one spear gun to the Keepers of the Reef.
Photo by Cherri Wood
All
3 dive sites were LOADED with lobster and none of them
small. They just waved and laughed at us.
Who's going
to be laughing after Mini Season?
The boat was a little crowded with 23 divers and much
better on the second day with only 19 divers. Tilden's
did a good job getting us off and on the boat and ran a
professional operation. There were complaints about the
Friday dive since it was not a club charter and the boat
was crowded with people including divers, snuba divers
and snorkelers.
Thanks to Kim Didier for setting up the dive and keeping
us organized.