Dive Florida - Reefs, Fish, Blue/Green Water - AND LOBSTER

Dive Trip Report to: Peck's Lake - Last dive of the season!
Purpose: To Dive FOR LOBSTER, 29-March-2002

Dive Reports:

With heavy seas (3 - 5 ft), a strong SE wind (10 - 15 knots), and some engine problems, we decided to dive in Peck's Lake. It was a great dive, lot's of Lobster for the end of the season dive: BUGS . And as a show of cheer, the two biggest of this last bug dive of the season:

Dive #1: . My Dive #388
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-&-I
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 10 feet at most!
Seas: 3 to 5 feet, winds strong out of the SE
Water Temp: 76
Skies: Sunny, clear blue skies!
Air Temp: 80
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 22 feet for 48 min
Air consumption: Me: (120 cu ft) - 3300 lbs to 1700 lbs, 37% NITROX, PO2 0.61 (Lke we really needed NITROX for this dive)!!
Current: Weak to Medium, with a medium to strong surge
Description: Well the winds were predicted to be 10 plus knots from the SE with 2 to 4 foot seas. That usually means a rough time later in the day. On the way out of Stuart Inlet, the motor started missing. Two miles SE of the Inlet, we ran out of engine oil. Capt Bob was aware of this, he was going to fill the tank between dives. Well, he filled the tanks, but we kept getting a low oil light and the engine would quit above 1200 RPM! After some time playing around, we decided to dive Pecks Lake a mile to our West. The seas were a building - getting rough! We did the Golden Arches for the first dive. Several bugs were caught. We sway most of the reef line around this rock. These reefs have great releaf - 10 to 20 feet. But, the bugs really hide inside the cracks - way back in!

Dive #2: . My Dive #389
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-&-I
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 10 feet at most.
Seas: 2 - 4 feet and a building with a strong surge underwater
Water Temp: 75 on the bottom (it's a great temp for the winter months)!
Skies: Sunny, Clear Blue Skies.
Air Temp: 80's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 25 feet for 40 min
Air consumption: Me: (120 cu ft) 1700 lbs (from the last dive) to 400 lbs, 38% NITROX
Current: medium current with a strong surge
Description: We drifted the anchor to the north. Several bugs were caught, it fact, there were more bugs then I've ever seen at Peck's Lake. One time when Capt Bob dropped the anchor, the rock he dropped it on had a 4 pound plus bug and a smaller on underneeth. It took some to get the bugs out, but Capt Bob was to the rescue.

Dive #3: . My Dive #390
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-&-I
B. Conditions:
Visibility: still not more than 10 feet
Seas: getting stronger, stronger surge, stronger current.
Water Temp: Still 75
Skies: Still Sunny, Clear Blue Skies
Air Temp: 80's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 24 feet for 23 min
Air consumption: Me: (120 cu ft) - 3300 lbs to ??,
Current: Stronger current and surge
Description: We condinued with the drift, found a few more bugs. With the thril of diving quickly going away from the poor vis and strong surge and engine problems, we headed back!

Last Updated: 10-July-2002

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