Dive Trip Report to:
Stuart - Loran Towers
Purpose:
To Dive FOR LOBSTER!
Dive #1:
. My Dive #4673
A. Dive Boat / Location:
It's-U-&-I / Loran Towers [ 1/2 way between Stuart and Jupiter Inlets, 5 miles
out in 80
ft of water ] - the area is called Lo-Den.
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
30 feet plus! Good enough to catch bugs and get lost from the anchor line.
Seas:
Two to Four!
Water Temp:
78 deg!
Skies:
Overhead clouds, heavy clouds towards shore - no rain!
Air Temp:
80
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer 79 ft for 40 min, 36% NITROX
Air consumption:
Me: (120 cu ft), 3700 lbs to 1000 lbs, PO2 ?
Current:
Zilch!
Description:
Well as this was my first dive in a few months and I had some head congestion I
wasn't sure how it would go. On the flip over the side, my mask strap came off,
but I held onto the mask. My flashlight, which I thought I had clipped on -
wasn't clipped and my dive partner saw it and rescued it. On the way down, I
had problems clearing around 20 ft and around 50 ft - I've never had clearing
problems before!! Around 50 ft, I was
loosing my sense of balance and could not find out which way was up or down or
how I was moving til my ear popped - didn't break the ear drum! Finally on the
bottom, my partner and I split [ my real partner is a 19 cu ft poney on my back
]. Bugs were easy to find - just moving a few feet and there was a big bolder
with a dozen bugs hanging out the bottom. By the time I got the first one, the
silt had kicked up so much, you could not see the bottom - or the bugs. Got a
few that were just under size and few way over size. While kicking towards a
new area, I spied a MONSTER!! Had to be a 5 pounder [ gets bigger every time I
tell the story ]. It was between two rocks so was hard to get to. I tried to
get my tickle stick behind the bug and tap it out. Every time the stick came
close to the bug, it moved back some. Finally with the antenna only sticking
out and not being able to get the stick behind the bug - I tempted to grab the
antenna. If it were a small hole, the bug would have been caught!
Unfortunately, it was a big under-the rock area the bug was gone. There were
several others down there also, but the silt was kicked up and no vis.
The entire bottom was barren rock - no colors, no colored fish, no sponges or corals or grasses! The Her-A-Canes had blasted these 80 ft reefs to bare rock!
Dive #2 & 3: Due to a severe earache, I was unable to complete the rest of the dives. The last dive, so I heard and saw the results of, had more bugs then the first!!
Pics: Bugs et al
Last Updated: 30-Nov-2004