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April arrived after a long winter of anticipation and we weren’t
disappointed. Gary and I began the season with one of our favorite dive
locations – the Gulf of Mexico. There was a lot of searching and
decisions on the best place to go to get the best visibility but we
finally hit the water somewhere in the West Ledge area. Surprisingly the
water temperature on the bottom at 60 feet was a cozy 77 degrees.
Visibility was between 25-30 feet and the sea life on the ledge was just
an added bonus.
We ended up only making one dive because at the second dive site we
ended up in a current and I just was too tuckered out to swim to the
marker. I guess it is my age creeping up on me but given the decision to
get back on the boat, pull off my 5 ml wetsuit and relax in the sun or
to jump back in the fight the current, I thought it was a no brainer to
stay on the boat. The rest of the group enjoyed a few dives and were
kind enough to share their catch when we got back to the dock. I love
diving with Captain Rich. He takes us to the best spots, treats us like
royalty and cleans the fish when we return to the dock. All I have to do
to earn my keep is wash down the boat and Gary hauls the gear back to
the car and does the rinsing, putting away and maintenance. I live like
a Queen!
A few years ago I reported that I had been stalked and finally bitten on
the ear by an aggressive trigger fish, aptly named Ivan. We recently
learned that Trigger Fish can be very aggressive when they are
protecting their nest so I may have misjudged my little predator.
Regardless of that fact, one of our expert spearfishermen snagged a
trigger fish, and I’m convinced it was Ivan although it was almost an
ocean away, and we got to have a meal of some of the best fish we have
ever had.
At the end of April we headed to Key Largo and spent 3 days with our
friends Darrel & Ann Stadler who run Island Ventures (www.islandventure.com)
in Key Largo. Our captain Jim and Divemaster Wayne were the best. We
have to admit that the conditions were “sporty” and we did fight surge
and waves all weekend but it didn’t put a damper on our enjoyment. We
managed 6 dives at sites like North North Dry Rocks, Mike’s Wreck,
Snappers Ledge, Pickles, Horseshoe & finally the Elbow. The surge was
painful in terms of photography and our Horseshoe dive was the worst
visibility we have ever seen in the Keys. We did end up aborting the
dive after about 10 minutes but at least 3 divers from points North did
stay in for the entire dive.
North North Dry Rocks is a super dive in great conditions and still a
great dive in less than desirable times. One treasure I found was a
beautiful Bristle Worm hanging on to a chunk of wreckage and it managed
to hang on long enough to get some very nice photos. We found that on
Mike’s Wreck we could just hang low under the wreck structure and get
some relief from the surge. Snapper’s Ledge has to be one of the most
amazing spots in the Keys. When you enter the water you are greeted with
some of the biggest fish balls of snapper that has ever been seen
anywhere. We had a brief visit from a very small nurse shark, although
we have encountered larger ones on this site. One popular brain coral is
home to a myriad of tiny creatures and is a popular feeding station
where you can view many fish being cleaned. On this day we also
discovered a rather large Green Moray with a couple of Banded Coral
shrimp working on his dental hygiene.
When you visit Pickles you can head off in one direction to view the
barrels that are famous on this site but we headed in the opposite
direction looking for sand channels and a little relief from the surge.
We weren’t disappointed and managed to find some very fine creatures to
capture on our digital cameras. The Horseshoe was the only dive that we
decided we couldn’t see enough to warrant staying in the water and we
felt lucky to be back in clear air when we reached the boat. On a good
day this is one of the most spectacular Keys dive sites and for
navigationally challenged people like me it is the easiest to navigate.
Our captain called around, looking for better visibility and conditions
but no one was reporting anything worth visiting. We ended up on the
Elbow and although many thought the cameras should stay on the boat,
those of us who took our cameras in were pleasantly surprised. It was
tough for video because playing it back would make most people seasick
but my buddy (who normally does video) acted as my spotter and strobe
aimer and I got some of the best shots of the weekend so I’m not
complaining. I do admit that I took the geriatric route and handed up my
weight belt and tank to Wayne so I could get back on the boat with just
my body to haul up the ladder.
So … basically the POOL IS OPEN. We have lots of summer to look forward
to and are really anticipating warm water and calm seas. Bring it on.
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