MEMORIAL DAY

Saturday I didn't get out of bed until 8 AM. I was getting ready for the drive to Hobe Sound to look at a boat, and the phone rang. I knew that I shouldn't answer it, and yet I did. My buddy Steve wanted to go diving, and it didn't take much begging. I had my gear loaded and in the car in five minutes.

My first dive was at 2 PM. The water depth was 81' and I was breathing nitrox. The bottom structure was a bunch of old concrete culverts with a small barge wedged in the middle. This artificial reef was made in 1992. I was greeted at 20' by an amberjack that followed me to the bottom. The vis was 50+ and the current was minimal. There were plenty of fish to shoot, but I was trophy hunting and enjoyed the dive for all the beauty that surrounded me. When I saw the flounder, my stomach decided to pull the trigger and I bagged a fat 5LB flounder and two more just like it. Once you have eaten an offshore flounder, you never pass one up again. The culverts were laying all different directions and the reef fish were in them, under them and over them. It was 73F and a great dive.

Dive two was on a small chunk of metal about 6' tall and covered with growth. It appeared to be a large swivel base from a crane. I would like to think it was a gun turret from a war ship, but I really don’t know. There was a light colored growth that covered 75% of the object and I haven’t identified it yet. There were small snapper, butterfly fish, spadefish, and other assorted reef fish. There were flounder around the base. I can’t wait to go back and take photos.

Dive three was really cool. It was an airplane propeller and engine. The engine was a pancake style, with the cylinder jugs attached. I don’t know if there was an airplane attached. If there was, it was buried in the mud. I found a small armature lying in the sand near the center of the prop. The bladed were intact, and showing signs of deterioration. I could see the teeth on the flywheel behind the cylinders. It was alive with marine life, but no trophies. I made a compass heading off the engine looking for something that I saw on the depth finder. As I swam away, there were starfish everywhere, some were over 24 inches diameter. I came across a line of fighting conch about fifteen yards wide and as long as I could see in both directions. They were on the move, and there were thousands of them. I brought home a starfish for the tank, it was a beaded sea star (astropecten articulatus).

My last dive ended at 7:45 PM and we headed back to the inlet. It was a beautiful day of diving, and even though I didn’t get a trophy, I still had a perfect day. When I arrived home, I put the starfish in my tank. I already had another starfish, an orange-ridged sea star (echinaster spinulosus) and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the orange one moving at a high rate of speed towards the new one. The battle was on, and this morning I found the Beaded sea star was not the winner. I was impressed and amazed.

I don’t know how to top a day like Saturday, but we decided to try Sunday. We arrived at the dive site 20 miles from the inlet at 9 AM. I was in the water at 9:08. It was a calm morning, and I could see the bottom as soon as I rolled over to descend. This spot was in 60’ and with the low sun angle, it had an eerie look to it. When I looked below to see my landing spot, I could see the outline of a large stingray nearly 10’ wide and a tail close to the same size. I was descending rather fast and added some air to my bc. Then I noticed what appeared to be a bull shark right behind the ray. I altered my angle of descent to land right next to the shark when I finally realized that it was a cobia. I stretched out with gun ready, the adrenalin was rushing. When I saw the cobia start to look up, I let her have it right between the eyes- graveyard dead. Due to the clean water, I paid attention to the green cloud of blood. As I collected my trophy, I couldn’t help but want to get away from the blood cloud. I decided to take the brute to the surface, and then head back down for the hunt. I wasn’t sure how big she was until I watched Steve try and get her out of the water. He said that as soon as he got her into the boat, she pooped all over him from hip to toe. That is poetic justice, first I poop on him by taking the first dive (and what would have surely been his cobia), then the fish did too. Back to the hunt, I found flounder everywhere. I collected a few for the table, and just looked around for the last half of the dive. It was beautiful. The cobia weighed in at 51 LBS and with the estimated two pounds of poop, I set the official weight at 53 LBS.

My next two dives were north another 8 miles, on some chunks of metal out in the middle of nowhere. They usually hold big red snapper, but with shell casings laying in the sand I can only assume that the commercial guys beat me to it. It’s nice to know someone in China will be eating fish. There were some snapper, but not of size. It was still clean water, and I saw a massive school of squid.

I headed towards the inlet and decided to try one more spot. It was beautiful, and it is a secret so I can’t tell you anymore about it.

My first dive was in 92’ at the Pinch one of the Seahunters clubs favorite locations. As I entered the water I was impressed with the clarity of the water but that was soon gone as I hit 70’ and the vis went to 5’ and the temperature dropped from 78 to 66. Luckily I hit the bottom right on the south tip, but I was unable to hunt with a 6 foot gun and 5 foot vis. I started to root around looking for slippers or something to put in the fish tank. I did find a big file clam and he is happily living in our fish tank, I got a very good picture him on the picture page from Saturday.

Dive 2 was at PI-site on one of the wrecks. This time as I hit the water I could see the wreck below. As I got to the smoke stack of the wreck I stopped and waited for my dive buddy, as I looked up waiting for him A school of Bonita swam up to me then circled me a couple of times then ambushed a school of cigar minnows. After watching the cigar minnow massacre I swam down to the deck surrounded by scales fluttering through the water. I spent the rest of the dive swimming around and thru the wreck in amazement of how many fish there were.

Dive 3 was another PI-site on a wreck. This was a beautiful wreck but void of most fish it had a few hundred grunts but that was it. I soon followed a school of amberjack I saw off in the distance hopping they would lead me to something of interest out away from the wreck. After stalking them for a few hundred feet I came across a giant patch of shells on the bottom and the jacks stopped swimming and started feeding in the patch of shells like a school of redfish working grass flats. I kept swimming out into the sand and came across big holes about 10’ across and 3-4’ deep in the sand I had about 50’ vis and could see about 100 of these holes the were no fish around. It looked like a bombing range on the bottom of the sea. I believe some sort of fish was out the digging up the bottom looking for food or something.

Dive 4 was on a small piece of metal about 8’x 8’x 8’ for such a small object it was covered with grouper, red snapper, mangos, 100's of spade fish, grunts, tomtates, vermilion snappers, cudas, big porgies, and a massive school of cigar minnows.

We left the inlet a little later than usual to miss the tournament traffic. The west wind grew stronger all the way out.

First dive was on one of Andy's favorite spots. Andy and Thomas were the first dive group. They both hit the bottom and then went different ways. I just watched all the boats go by on their way to find the tournament winning fish.

Thomas was the first to surface. He said he hit a bad thermocline of 65 degrees at 70'. Vis went from perfect to 5' to 10'. He was excited to see ledges filled with lobster. Large Sheepsheads and a couple of Loggerhead sea turtles. Andy wasn't to far behind. He found a unique File Clam for the fish tank, and some Mangos for the grill. In the live well the clam opened, and I could see why he was excited about his catch.

I did my first dive on some new ground. The spot had great vis 60'+. Two large Nurse Sharks were sleeping in culverts. I also spotted a large turtle sleeping on the bottom. I watched Bonita slice thru huge schools of Cigar Minnows near the surface.

Andy and Thomas did their second dive on the Rio. Vis was even better...100', Andy said. Andy had never seen the wreck with good vis, and was thrilled to see the Rio. Thomas perfected his aim, and claimed a couple of nice Yellowtails for dinner.

I found a wreck close to the ship, but far from any #'s. After both divers were on board I went down to check it out. It was a large tug. I had several large Grouper come off of the bottom to meet me in 40' of water, and let me chase them to the bottom staying out of range. I played cat and mouse with one, and managed to talk him into coming home for dinner. The tug was a great dive, and on my list to do again; I never made it to the bridge to explore.

We headed North to meet up with the Captain. Andy and Steve dove a wreck in 80' with top to bottom vis. Andy managed to find another collectable for the fish tank.

Thank You for the report Tony, and thanks for all the neat underwater pictures.

Moose,

Thanks for the story. Sounds like they were great dives with great vis.

I guess the 27' hardtop can wait. You've got to have your priorities.

Here's my weekend report:

The vis was pretty good, I could see out my family room window to the fence
about 80 feet away. The water temp was a cool 72 degrees out of the hose
from the well. Didn't see any snappers that day, turtles that is, cause we
don't have a pond, but I did see a crawdad in the creek. I tickled him out
from the cave he was in ( an old Miller Lite can), and grabbed him with
both hands. I held him up really close to my face and he looked huge, I'd
say he would go about ten pounds. Then he tried to claw me in the eye.
Spunky crawdad, I'd say. Good thing I was wearing these, safety glasses. I
instantly lowered him from my face and all of a sudden he looked to be
about one ounce. Bummed that he was no trophy, I returned him to his cave.
So ended another day of backyard diving. Y'all come back now, Ya hear.

John

Thank You John for the wonderful story. I enjoy your responses to the newsletters due to the obvious moose like style of writing and remembering. Are you ever going to be allowed to dive again?