Saturday / Sunday May June 6, Dive Rampage in West Palm Beach

Dive Trip Report to : West Palm Beach

Dive #1: , My Dive # 123
A. Dive Location: Double Ledges
B. Conditions:
Visability: 30' (not the greatest)
Seas: Calm
Water Temp:
Skies: Clear and visability unlimited
Air Temp : 91 deg f
C. Dive Information: My air consumption: 3200 - 1200 lbs, 120 cu ft. 81' Cochran Dive Computer (UGH), 87' New Genesis Resource Nitrox. There was a very strong current. We lost the dive master in seconds and went back to the boat. Four divers went togther, I took a bouy. The current really was moving us fast (est 2 knots). There was one little tutle, lots of colors.

Dive #2: , My Dive # 124
A. Dive Location: Long Drift Dive of the Breakers
B. Conditions:
Visability: 30'
Seas: 1'
Water Temp: warm
Skies: CBS
Air Temp : 90's
C. Dive Information: My air consumption: 3500 - 800 lbs, 80 cu ft. 62' for 32 min We saw at least 10 turtles and one bug!

Dive #3: , My Dive # 125
A. Dive Location: Mitzpa Corrador
B. Conditions: Twiilight / NIght Dive
Visability: 70'
Seas: 1'
Water Temp: warm
Skies: high clouds
Air Temp : warm
C. Dive Information: 83' for 30 minutes (156 min up time from last dive). This was a very very fast drift dive. Capt Tim, co-capt of the Rampage and divemaster for this dive saved the dive for us. We had stopped at 60' to ear-clear and the strong current was sweeping us past the Mitzpa! Tim hooked the dive bouy hook on the ship and allowed us to grab onto and hold on at 60' for a few minutes. We then were able to pull ourselves down to the wreck. We spend several minutes on the wreck and then started the drift.

Mizpah - 185' Greek luxury liner n 90' of water, sunk in 1968
PT 1174, 165' patrol craft
Rock PIle - Yea, a pile of rocks
Amarilys - 300 yards NE of the Mizpah, a 441' freighter

My flashlight cought on some fishing line at the rock pile - it really stopped my drift. I cut the line with my new pair of Sea Snips - These thing are really great. They can cut a penny in half! There much better than a knife for cutting!!!
The current was so strong, that when we arrived at the Amarilys, we had almost 4 minutes of bottom time left. Usually on a drift dive you don't even make it to the Amarilys before you run out of bottom time. The Amarilys has lots of round gun-turret like items and they have lots of fish.
Lots of fish, One really big Grouper (150 lbs). Several Tutles!

Last Updated: 10-July-2002

The Irishman Software's, West Melbourne, Florida
Irishman@SpryNet.Com - http://www.IrishmanSoftware.com/