NAS Jax Scuba Divers - Dive Reports

Pumpkin Carving at Lake X, October 2011

2011-11-05T11:21:00.027-04:00

On Saturday, October 29th 2011, the NAS JAX Scuba Club held its underwater pumpkin carving and picnic out at the semi-secret Lake X dive site. The water and air temperatures that afternoon were roughly the same, in the 72-74 degree range, which was pleasant for the picnic and not too harsh for the diving. Underwater visibility was only around three feet if you DIDN'T stir up any muck from the bottom, but sitting on the bottom carving a pumpkin resulted in some pretty murky viewing conditions.

Eight divers competed in the underwater pumpkin carving contest, wrestling with buoyant pumpkins at the bottom of the lake. (Click on each of the pictures to see full-sized versions of them.)

First prize was won by Monster's Puking Pumpkin (Motto: No Guts, No Glory) which was dedicated to all those long dive boat rides in rough seas sucking diesel fumes and ending with a fish-feeding event. The judges obviously felt he captured the spirit of a good dive vacation.

Second prize went to Mike's Pirate Pumpkin with the dive knife in its mouth. (Motto: Yaaarrr! Ow!) Some of the other divers noted that Janis did most of his decorating for him after he got out of the water, but the judges didn't seem to mind.

Third prize went to Annette's Underwater Wildlife Pumpkin, which featured a shark, sea turtle, starfish, and various corals and seaweed. Annette was probably the most talented artist of the pumpkin carving prize winners. Monster pointed out that if the shark had been puking, she probably would have won first prize. The artist did not agree, so there you are: third prize.

In the other pictures you can see the judging table with all the entrants lined up.

After the judging, the participating and non-participating divers and their families enjoyed a terrific picnic potluck lunch. Not shown in this group photo are Annette (the photographer) and Monster, who was out cleaning off the mess left by his pumpkin on the judging table.

Happy Halloween!

- = M O N S T E R = -

Pumpkin Carving at Emerald Lake - 10/29/11

2011-10-30T17:35:00.004-04:00

Well fellow Dive Club members, Vera and J.J. braved the cold waters at Lake X, just a little
under 72 degrees. Their were a total of 8 club members diving and carving. Underwater
visibility was maybe 1 ft before messing with the bottom. Didn't take any underwater
pic's but here are two of the pumpkins and our entry. We weren't in the top three but
its the fun of doing that counts. We all had a good time whether carving or bubble
watching. See everyone at the next Club meeting. J. J. and Vera

Thomas diving again on 14 Sep 2011

2011-09-22T20:46:00.002-04:00

We headed out on Wednesday, thinking we would have the Peacock all to ourselves; wrong a group from Tennessee we doing re-breather training. They got in before us and we didn't see them until we were exiting and doing our safety stop. We did our first dive down to the Pot Hole tunnel looking for arrow heads or anything that we might find - didn't find anything. Finished the dive and got out and took a quick surface break and changed tanks. The second dive we headed down the Popcorn tunnel and got back to the lips area (that's what I call it) and returned to the entrance but looking in all the little holes for stuff. Didn't find anything but it was a good dive. I didn't get cold until we were doing safety stop but that's okay it's the end of the dive.

Thomas' go diving on 29 Aug 2011

2011-09-22T20:41:00.002-04:00

We made another Monday dive and went to Peacock Springs at Peacock State Park. We thought we would have the place to ourselves again but there were a couple of vehicles in the parking lot- divers doing some long penetrations. We got in and headed down to the tunnel that goes to Pot Hole. We made the run and turned around at Pot Hole and took our time returning. Stopped along the way for Vera to take some cave photos. Got back up to the entrance and thought about going down to Popcorn tunnel but J. J. started getting cold - I guess my 5mm just didn't make it that day. After loosing about 50lbs I don't have the retention of body heat as I had in the past. We exited the spring but still didn't see any other divers only their vehicles. Nice day and a great dive.

J.J./Vera Diving at Orange Grove-8 Aug 2011

2011-09-22T20:37:00.003-04:00

We went to Orange Grove at Peacock Springs State Park over by Mayo Florida. We went on a Monday and we had the whole springs to ourselves. We did the lower level and got to a depth of 101 feet. Found a opening that we could go deeper but we ran out of line on the reel we were using, we hadn't planned on going down any passage ways so the reel we had didn't have more than about 100 feet of line. On the way back to surface during out safety stop I found a quarter left by someone swimming in the springs. Did only one dive but it was a lone one and deep.

Venice Shark Tooth Diving

2011-06-24T08:42:00.003-04:00

Having gotten the two younger ones off to two weeks at camp Alisa and I decided to head south for a little vacation; and what's a vacation without some diving? So I contacted Megladon Charters and booked a trip with them. I went out with them yesterday and was able to do two "typical" shark tooth dives.

The Hammerhead before we sailed yesterday.

We had ten passengers including myself. Most were return customers, though there were a couple of first timers. Knowing that Megladon had a history of putting out solo divers I thought I would carry a small pony bottle as a "buddy". I never had to use it on either dive though (in the first dive) I did learn that I had to move some weights around in the Zeagle BC to compensate for the added weight on the left side and keep me from rolling. It wasn't enough to worry about on the first dive so I just waited till I surfaced and took care of it during the surface interval.

Visibility was typical at 3 - 5 feet and I was able to find a nice sharks tooth about 60 minutes into the first dive. The second dive was done a little further South of the first location, and again I found one tooth. The second dive though I did see a lot of marine life... stone crab, an eel, a rock fish, flounder and a sea turtle (my first).

The one on the top is the one I found 60 minutes into the first dive. The "partial" Megladon tooth and the othee one at the bottom I found on the second dive.

I might not have come up with a treasure trove of shark's teeth but I was able to get some bottom time, saw some cool marine life and everyone headed out on the correct heading... and made it back to the boat safely. All in all a good Thursday of diving. The rest of the day was spent with Alisa and one of her HS friends on Siesta Beach (rated the #1 beach in the US). What a day... life is good.

Offshore Jax - 14JAN11

2011-01-22T12:50:00.007-05:00

Hi all,

I went out diving with Rob C. last weekend and we had a great time. The vis was great (for NE FL) but the water was a little chilly. My computer said it was 49 and Rob's had it at 51 degrees on the bottom. The vis was 30-35 ft, which is the best I have seen it in Jax. I ended up getting 4 lobster, one of which was my new personal best weighing in at just over 8lbs. We had a great day out on the Atlantic and loaded up the cooler with sheepshead, flounder, seabass, and lobster. Not too shabby!

Cheers,

Patrick

Venice - Labor Day

2010-09-05T21:12:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a difference since the last time we were there. Martha hadn't been diving in over a year and this wasn't what she'd expected. The vis was maybe 1-2ft. at the bottom vertically and 2-3 horizontally on Saturday. The bottom was covered in heavy silt. A beautiful day, flat seas but nothing to move the particulates or the silt. Connie and Deb found a 2 plus inch tooth and I believe Martha's mako was just short of the 2 inch mark.

Grumpy, I mean Marshall did his best to make it to the bottom but his ears wouldn't cooperate so he sat out both dives on the boat, we all felt for him.

Sunday was worse and better as the first dive has vis at inches both horizontally and vertically. The second dive was pretty normal for what we're use to with about 3ft plus horizontally, so I kept an eye on Marshall who actually made it down for both dives and about 2-3 ft vertically so you could see some things on the bottom, Martha spent the day with the girls and her mother at the pool. Each group ended up finding shell beds and finding small teeth which was better than NO teeth. Once again Connie a nurse diving with us found the big one, only 2 plus inches. Counting out all my little ones I ended up with 75 teeth from almost microscopic to just over and inch in size. It wasn't great but we all would do it again and again and again but the area needs a storm to blow through.

Doc Smyk

Not a dive report, but I had to share...

2010-08-15T19:30:00.005-04:00

My wife surprised me with a pretty cool birthday cake that I thought all of you would appreciate.

Oh, and those are sharks teeth on the side too.

Thanks babe, you're the best!

Venice Report - 10JUL10

2010-07-10T22:09:00.012-04:00

My wife and I came down to Venice, FL yesterday (09JUL10) to check out the shark tooth hunting. We got down early enough for me to do a beach dive near the pier before the sun went down. I swam out and dropped down in 18' of water and was greeted with about a foot of vis. About an hour later I found what would be my greatest discovery of the dive... my dive light which I had lost about 15 minutes prior. Somehow it managed to swivel off of the key chain (never use them... even if they come with the equipment) that secured it to my coil leash. Did I mention it is a brand new UK! I did manage to find a few small teeth (really small), but nothing that I couldn't have found on the beach.

Saturday morning (today) I caught a ride out to the Boneyard on the Aristakat charter boat (awesome boat and Capt). The seas were flat and the vis was perfect (10-15'). I dropped down and started searching. After an hour and ten minutes of wondering if I would ever find a Meg tooth, I found my first! (smaller tooth in pic) I snatched it up and studied it for a good 5 minutes in disbelief. As far as I was concerned, the Venice trip was a success at that point. The tooth was in great shape and even had the serrations on the edges. I can't wait to see how well it cleans up.

The second dive on the Aristakat was in the same area as the first because everyone was pleased with the spot. There were several teeth found on the first dive. After dropping down, I poked around for about 45 minutes and found, what used to be, a really nice Meg tooth. I found another about the same size maybe 10 minutes later. Both were pretty warn (as you can see in the pic), but still the target of my search... so in the bag they went. A few minutes after that I found a nice tooth just sitting on the top. It was sticking out like a sore thumb because of how white it was. I couldn't believe it.

So, I returned to the boat with one really nice tooth and two... we'll call them partials. Capt. Jamie told me that the white stuff was actually good because it protects and preserves the actual tooth. He told me that it could be removed very easily with some vinegar and water. Can't wait to see how that one turns out also.

What a great trip this has been. I wish I had taken some pics while aboard the Aristakat, but I didn't bring the camera. Here is their site if anyone is interested: http://www.aristakatcharters.yolasite.com/

Funny, 4 of the other 5 divers on the boat were from Jacksonville, and possible future members of the club. Oh year, the charter was only $50. It is a bare-bones charter, meaning equipment not provided.

Lion Fish

2009-11-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

Just got back fom Bonaire and the trip was great. The Lion Fish have made it to Bonaire. One was found and taghed on one of our dives and 3 total were found on the same day. This brings the total for Bonaire to 21 so far. They are all in the juvy stage, about 3 to 5 inches in length. As my Mother used to say "If you see one roach, it's not there on vacation", you can say the same thing about Lion Fish. We will update at the next meeting. Marshall

Club Picnic & Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-26T09:52:00.005-04:00

On Saturday October 24th the NAS JAX Scuba Divers got together for a club picnic and pumpkin carving contest. Fun was had by all! First place with the ghostly carving Rafel Diaz, 2nd Mitch Maxson's witch, 3rd Justin's scuba diver pumpkin . The group enjoyed watching the struggle to submerge the pumpkins , plus good food and warm weather.

Diving the Keys - 4-5 April 2009

2009-04-09T12:31:00.005-04:00

Five club members made the trip to Key Largo this past weekend and dove with Capt Slate's Atlantis Dive Center. We did shallow reefs on both days which included Elbow Reef and City of Washington Wreck. The divers were Art LaRue, Billy Schofield, Marshall Gross, Vera Thomas and me J. J. The water visibility was good, running about 30 feet and water temp was great, a very comfortable 77 degrees plus there was no waves a very flat ocean. Both days we were on boats that had new divers finishing up their basic course. That was interesting to watch and listen to the new divers. Underwater we had a great time. Saw lots of lobsters and they were not the small type but the big put them in a pot kind. The reefs and wreck had their share of angle fish, sergeant majors, yellow tails, and many more. The occasional barracuda patrol through to see if we were being careful on his reef. On Sunday, we five were first off the boat and almost landed on top of a 12 foot nurse shark. We had the nurse all to ourselves for a couple of minutes but she was late for the Capt Slate's feeding on the City of Washington. The new divers (students) really had a good time touching the nurse (from the dorsal fin back) and watching the large grouper cruise through for his taste of the hand-outs. The five of us really enjoyed getting back to the Keys for diving and from what I hear there may be another trip to the Keys schedule in August. Remember if we have 10 or more divers on board we control the boat for diving locations.

22 March Dive at Troy Springs State Park

2009-03-23T08:23:00.002-04:00

Well club members we didn't have a very good showing for our first try at spring diving. Monster and Annette Molyneux were the only club members to meet up with J. J. and Vera at VyStar. We got to the spring about 1015 am and were met by Marshall Gross. Along with Marshall in the parking lot was a 60 passenger bus from a college up in Georgia. The good thing was that they were finishing up their dive and leaving. Within minutes of their departure two pickup trucks towing trailers arrived from Georgia with their 20 students. To say the spring was a little crowded was an understatement. We all (Jax Dive Club) got suited up and down to the water. The visibility was still good (over 70 ft) and we had a very enjoyable 1st dive. J. J. and Vera went back in for a 2nd dive with their student and the spring was a visibility disaster. Went out to the remains of the steamboat Madison and saw a lot of mullet. We ate lunch after the 2nd dive and enjoyed the company and surroundings. Hope we get a better turn out next month.

Diving at Troy Springs State Park - Mar 6, 2009

2009-03-09T06:26:00.002-04:00

Marshall, Vera and J. J. went over to Troy Springs on Friday, 6 Mar. We arrived about 1100am and we were all by ourselves in the parking lot. We got suited up - the dry suiters were all warm and grinning from ear to ear as I, J. J., worked my way into my wet suit. The water level is up about 3 feet so getting into the spring is very easy going down the steps and into the water. The next time you club members see Marshall ask him about zipping your fly before going diving. The visibility was wonderful - 80 feet straight to the bottom. Saw some very large soft shell turtles in the hole but not many fish. J. J. got hungry so we ended the dive and went up to the truck for a snack. Got back into the water but this time only Vera and J. J. We swam out to the floats that block the entrance into the spring and there we saw the biggest alligator gar that I have seen at Troy. The number of gar was something in the number of 30 plus. From the picture you can see the number and size. We continued to see large turtles - size of metal trash can lids. We had two great dives and enjoyed our time out in country. Hope you club divers can join us on Sunday, 22 Mar at Troy Springs.

Guess Who Went Diving Today?

2009-02-09T19:39:00.002-05:00

Well dive club members - the oldest Club member, Marshall Gross, went diving at the Blue Hole at Ichetucknee State Park. We departed the Lake Asbury area at 9am and arrived about 1015am. Marshall handled the 1/4 mile walk in fine style - helped push the cart that Vera was pulling. Got to the Blue Hole and almost got in before another team of divers but J.J. took a longer time than usual to adjust to the 70 degree water. Both Vera and Marshall were in their very warm DUI dry suits while J.J. had rubber to fight off the water temperature. Made a gentle descent and got into the cavern about 1145. Made a nice 60 minute dive but didn't find any great treasures. Marshall tried out a new pair of fins - not sure what the final outcome will be - there could be a one time used set of fins for sale at the next club meeting. We all thoroughly enjoyed the time underwater and for a short period all of our combined pains and problems were taken away. It's getting close to the warmer dive season and I hope to see more reports in the future. J.J.

Dive the Blue Hole at Ich State Park - Jan 28, 2009

2009-01-30T16:54:00.003-05:00

Well after being under the weather for over two months and the very cold weather this past month a dive was going to be made. We took the lazy man and woman approach and got up at a retired human time and left the house about 945 am. We got to the Ich State Park around 1100 am by the time we unpacked and walked the 1/4 mile to the spring and got dressed we were in the water by 100 pm. Vera said the water was very comfortable at 70 degrees - I said it was damn cold (especially with a wet suit). It took me about 2 minutes to get semi-comfortable. Dropped down through the opening in the ceiling and tied off outside the cave and went in for our first dive of 2009. Looked all over the bottom for some type of treasure but didn't find anything. Saw a couple of good size catfish. After an hour we made our ascent and I was happy to get into the sun's beams.
Oh, we did have a surface watcher - a 6 ft brown water snake - he was smart he didn't go in the water. We have talked with the old guy Marshall and we may be making another trip to the Blue Hole in a week or two (if it warms up (at least 70 degrees) and the sun is out). Vera will see you all at the meeting on Wednesday, 4 February. J. J. and Vera Thomas

NASJAX Scuba Divers at DOG Day

2008-11-12T13:26:00.009-05:00

On November 8th and 9th club members journeyed down to Manatee Springs State Park to try diving in DUI Dry Suits. Members in attendance on either Sat or Sun were John and Debbie DeRemer, Ed Fite, Margie Johnson, Kathy and Mitch Maxson, H. F. and Annette Molyneux, Janet Molyneaux and Rick Reckert. Three other club members were there on Saturday and that was Marshall Gross, Vera Thomas, and J. J. Thomas; who were assisting divers in trying DUI dry suits. From all reports that I have received, everyone had a good time and some were really interested in becoming dry suit divers. Others enjoyed the experience but for the time will stay with their trusty wet suit. The diving conditions were perfect for dry suit diving; the air temp was comfortable with the wind giving a nice cooling effect on divers before and after their dive. Lunch was provided and was served from 11 am to 2 pm. I'll leave the individual tales to be told at the Christmas party. The photos were taken on Saturday and show some happy faces. Regards, J. J. and Vera

Vera and J.J. Fun Dive

2008-07-21T21:34:00.003-04:00

We finally had a free day to go and do a dive just for us. Didn't have any one along and no one to look after. We headed for Peacock Springs State Park to do some serious cave diving. We arrive and there was only one car in the parking lot. We got suited up and hit the water. The water is so low it is dark and reddish down to about 17 feet and a nice 84 degrees. Once you enter the cave that all changes - clear water (60+ feet vis) and 70 degrees. We headed down the permanent line to the lower tunnel. Just past the sign we went around the corner and tied off our reel and went right down a new tunnel. We have only done this one once before. Went back about 150 feet and found the vertical shaft that drops down to 80 feet from 60 feet. At that point we saw an albino shrimp and continued on, now going to our left down a tunnel we have not been in before. We saw the remains of a turtle (shell only) must have been a good 3 feet across when it was alive. Continued on until we ran out of line on our reel. Head back without any problems, did a deco on 51 mix at 40 feet for a minute then on to 20 feet for 5 minutes. It was a great dive and we really enjoy ourselves. J. J. and Vera Thomas

Dive-In For Earth Day, Post 3

2008-04-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

Dive-In For Earth Day, Post 2

2008-04-22T17:40:00.000-04:00

Dive-In For Earth Day, Post 1

2008-04-22T17:37:00.000-04:00

Blue Hole - Last Dive of 2007

2008-01-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

Well, fellow divers on 31 Dec 07 Vera and I walked the 1/4 mile to Blue Hole at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. We were the only divers that day. We pulled our cart with gear loaded and once at the Blue Hole we suited up and geared up. The water was a very warm 70 degrees with the air temperature running about 68 degrees. The flow out of the hole was really easy and descent was without any effort. Got down to the main cave entrance, tied off and entered the cave. Vera was trying out her new flash attachment with the underwater camera. Pictures turned out okay but some were either over done or under done - still on a learning curve with this particular flash and camera combination. While Vera was off photographing the walls and other objects, I was looking around in the other direction. An guess what I came across, the biggest crayfish that I have ever seen underwater or above. When I first spotted it I almost spit out my mouth piece saying lobster - it can't be a lobster was the next words out of my mouth. After I got Vera's attention across the room, she start coming over. She said she could see the crayfish from where she was and also thought first - lobster. We had a great dive to finish off the year and hope to get in the water before Jan 08 is over.

Enjoy the pictures J. J. and Vera.

Cave Diving with Marshall

2007-09-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

Well, NASJAX divers we went cave diving yesterday, Wednesday, 26 Sep. When I said we that was the "Old Man" Marshall Gross, Vera Thomas and me (J.J.). We arrived at Peacock Springs State Park at a reasonable time for retired folks - 1130am. Our plan was to explore a new spot in the Peacock system that none of us have ever been to. The spot is call the "Well" because as you are going along on the cave floor (60 ft or so) the floor drops down through a vertical hole to 80 ft. The hole is approximately 5 ft wide so there isn't a problem of getting down through it. The Well is off the main tunnel and it's safety line; so we had to use a jump line from the main line to go off exploring. About 50 ft off the main tunnel we came across a second safety line that would lead us to the Well. We tied off our jump line and then followed the safety line for approximately 40 ft and there the Well was. Marshall and I stayed at the top and Vera went down to the bottom to check on the continuing line and where it lead off to in the bottom tunnels. Vera returned to the top and we were ready to turn around because we had reached our 1/3 turn around pressure in our tanks. We headed out and got to the sign that has the grim reaper on it and stopped to look for gar scales but didn't find any. We started up and made a 1 minute stop at 30 ft (Marshall and J.J.) and 40 ft (Vera). We all made a safety stop at 18 ft for 5 minutes and played with the blue gills that came around. This was an excellent dive and we will be going back to explore more of the Well. This is submitted by Marshall, Vera, and J.J.

Diving off Boynton Florida

2007-09-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

This past weekend 15/16 September Vera and J.J. plus fellow divers Marshall Gross, Chris Rule and Ginny Winters went diving down at Boynton. We went out on the six pack charter called Manta. The web site for this charter operation is www.sixpackdivers.com. Both days were great, clear skies, waves less than a foot and current running about a 1/2 knot. On the 15th the group saw 5 squids, lots of angels (in pairs), trigger fish, sargent majors, butterfly, and a couple of eels. No lobsters were seen which disappointed a sixth diver on the boat. On the 16th we were dropped on a reef and as I descended to the bottom I almost landed on a coral ledge that contained a 6 ft nurse shark. I got everyones attention (you can yell in the regulator) and we all enjoyed looking at him or her before she took off. I was carrying the ball on this dive and so I let everyone else get a little ahead of me and then another nurse shark went swimmng between me and the group; I guess it could have been the first nurse shark but the story sounds better that it was a second. Later on we saw another grouping of squids; the word down there is that squids are all over the reef and that is nice to see. Found a good size moray eel hiding in the coral plus a spotted cousin later in the dive. The reefs are in great shape with big sponges everwhere. The little tropical fishes were out and protecting there areas and eggs. The boat was right on the spot when we surfaced and backed up to us and we had a ladder to exit the water (I hate belly boards). Everyone really enjoyed the two days of diving and we for sure are looking forward to returning sometime soon.

Another Day of Diving at Manatee Springs State Park

2007-08-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

We took the dive student to Manatee Springs for his final two dives. Another early departure and arrived at the ranger station at 9:30am. The new diver and his dad thought the "duck weed" was neat. He really enjoyed how the light came down through the holes that opened up from our exhaust bubbles. I handed him some Coprolite - when I told him what it was during the SIT time, he was not impressed. Dad thought it was funny.
Had a nice lunch and the student worked out his dive tables and found that we could go back in the water and be safe at 30 feet. The second dive was a good one - showed the student and his dad a small fresh water flounder. Well another young diver has entered the world and is ready to take on the Keys - Dad promised to take him to Key Largo in the near future. Not many divers at Manatee, even in the afternoon.

Troy Springs State Park on a Hot Saturday Morning

2007-08-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

NASJAX divers were present at Troy Springs this morning. A group departed VyStar Credit Union in Middleburg at 7am. There was Doc, Marshall, Vera, J.J. and two students. We arrived at the spring at 8:45am and there was not one diver there. The only other people were some local kids swimming in the nice warm 70 degree water. We got in and found crystal clear water; from the surface you could see down 70 feet to the bottom. It was beautiful and refreshing since the outside temperature was 90 degrees. Didn't find any great items - no sharks teeth, no arrow heads or any elephant teeth. Finished the first dive and we waited about 40 minutes before going back in and by the time we were getting our heads under the water guess what showed up? A dive class of at least 10 divers plus some additional dive teams just there for a dive. When we finished and got out; the herd was heading down the trail to get in the water. We were finished and packed up and heading home by 12:15pm. Go early and beat the crowd. Sorry we didn't have more NASJAX divers, you missed a nice spring dive in hot August.

Photo of Paradise Spring Dive

2007-08-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

The second photo is the shrimp, he is in the center on top of the rock, looks white in front with back looking black. The shots aren't in order but two shows the trail going down to the cavern entrance and then the platform plus the actual water entrance into the spring. Once inside the rooms are big enough to drive a Greyhound bus through.

Diving at Paradise Spring

2007-08-10T20:49:00.000-04:00

Once again Vera and I found time on our hands and so headed South to Paradise Spring which is located just South of Ocala. Departed around 9:30am (a gentleman's time for diving) and arrived approx 11:50. Signed in with the owner's wife and started getting ready with an water entry at 12:47 (don't you just love computers). Our plan was to make a dive to 110 foot and see if we could get the computers to go into DECO. We made our descent and the water was crystal clear with a number of small fish moving around as we got to the bottom (100 foot). We look around a few minutes and then moved over to the left side of the cavern and went down a medium size opening that bottoms out at 110 foot. From that point, one can run a line down a tunnel to explore the cave. We came out of the side area and we were still in NO DECO numbers on the computer so we just looked around in the corners on the South and West side. We found a transparent shrimp and Vera took some shots and as soon as she downloads them I'll get them to the blog. We finally figured out that we were not getting deep enough for the time needed to go into DECO so we started up. We did a 1 min stop at 55 feet and then a good 5 min stop at 18 feet. We really enjoyed ourselves and maybe we will take Advance students back and any Club members that might want a tune-up deep dive.

Boynton

2007-08-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

Marshall and I went to Boynton Beach to dive with Starfish Charters this past Tuesday and Wednesday through a deal with Holiday Inn Express, Boynton Beach. After about a 4.5 hour drive down the hotel screwed up the Wednesday dive so we arranged a dive with Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures. The boat was a combination of new divers, lobster hunters and few well-seasoned divers like ourselves. We dove Breakers and Bath & Tennis, usual West Palm fare except that the Dive Masters were more interested in their own hunting of lobsters than they were the divers. The only time anyone saw them was before and after the dives unless you were hunting with them. And a tip, here's a tip, at least acknowledge there are divers in the water if you want one.
Jim, you need to train your people better.

Starfish Charters, on the following day, was a complete 180 from Abernathy a small boat of a max of 16 and though they broke you up into small groups of three or so and you carried your own float ball, the attention to detail and customer service were excellent. They often asked more than once if they could be of service and the diving was excellent. It was like a cross between diving with Steve Thacker in Venice and Doug in West Palm as you had a float to carry and the boat came to you but there was no time limit and the Captain allowed you to make your decisions about the dive. We'd never dived with them in the past but we assured Captain Craig that it wasn't going to be the last especially when combined in a package with the Holiday Inn Express, we were duly impressed. We were still within proximity to West Palm and the dive shops like Diver's Direct and Force E but now diving with an operator that was smaller and more customer oriented and staying in a hotel that wasn't out of line in price and high on customer service.

Doc Smyk

Cave Diving at Peacock State Park

2007-08-07T21:56:00.000-04:00




Vera and J.J. went on a fun dive Monday, 6 August. No students so we headed for Peacock Springs State Park to do a cave dive. We took the new digital camera to see if we could get some cave diving shots. We left home at a very reasonable time - 9:30 am and arrive at 11:30 am. Got in the water about 1:00pm and there were no other divers in the area. The Peacock spring is not flowing much so the water from the surface down to approx 14 ft was very dark and warm - 84 degrees but after 14 ft one gets into the clear spring water and it is a nice 71 degrees. The pictures show some of the sites down in the tunnel heading towards Pot Hoe. We had a great dive of 55 minutes and we came out refreshed and ready for more students.

Manatee Springs State Park Diving

2007-07-26T19:06:00.000-04:00




The Thomas' and a new diver "to be" went to Manatee Springs State Park on Wednesday, 25 July. The new diver was completing her last dives prior to receiving her C-card. The first dive was in "lovely" Catfish Sink which was completely covered with duck weed. As we entered the 71 degree water two of us let out "Oh God this is cold" while the Vera in her Dry Suit stated "Oh, this is very nice". I hate dry suit divers - only for a little while until I adjust to the the water temp. We had the sink to ourselves until we exited and another group of divers got in after we had cleared most of the duck week from the center of the sink. After lunch we headed over to the spring and enjoyed a dive while trying not to step on the swimmers as we got in and out of the water. After cleaning up and putting out gear away we had the usual graduation ceremony with pictures of the new diver receiving her C-card. After that we head home with a two hour drive ahead of us but it was a good day to go diving.

Diving Weeki Wachee Springs w/o Mermaids

2007-06-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 23 June. Vera and I drove over to the Weeki Wachee Springs Water Park which is approx a 2 hour drive. When we got there we called the contact person, Chris, and he directed us to the side gate (no charge to get in or parking). We loaded our gear on our green cart and entered the park. They have a special covered area for divers to set up tanks and get suited up. There are about 8 picnic tables to put your gear on and even have a snack if one wants to. We got in the water after the last show (you can't dive during a show) and started checking out the underwater scene. Oh, they have a few rules: don't go below 30 ft, don't touch the bottom (it stirs up easy), don't touch the Mermaid's air hoses, and don't feed the turtles. In most places on the bottom you would be above 30 feet unless you go down into the cave (big no no). The turtles are part of the Mermaid show and the Mermaids eat bananas under water and give the left overs to the turtles so they are already eating left overs. The spring is suffering from the lack of rain and has dropped about a 3 or 4 feet. We did a 40 minute dive and saw all that there is to see and that will be our one trip to Weeki Wachee. Been there, done that, and never want to do it again. Will try and get some pic on the club's web site soon.
J. J. and Vera Thomas

100 & 101

2007-06-16T20:19:00.000-04:00

I woke up the family at 5:30 to head down to Devil’s Den. We had to take two cars and Alisa allowed my daughter to drive her’s, but at that early in the morning, she (Sada) didn’t feel confident enough to drive all the way there, so Sada & Alisa switched places. After some difficulty with the GPS devices, we arrived there just as they were opening.

After signing the release waivers and unloading our gear we headed in to get our dive brief. This would be my daughter’s first dive as a certified diver, which is something she has wanted for a very long time. We all headed down into the den at about 9:00 a.m. since Alisa and other two children were planning on snorkeling. We went down at 9:06, and swam around at the bottom in accordance with the dive briefing. According to my daughter, “There was fish that were half the size of the windshield.” We surfaced at 9:56 and after some 'SIT time' we had lunch and looked around some.

We went back down at 12:09 and swam around again. This time, I let Sada lead the dive, which she thought was pretty cool. We surfaced at 12:57 when she indicated she was getting chilled. After that I started to load up while Sada went over to the catfish pond where my youngest daughter had lost one of her fins while snorkeling. Sada finally found her sister’s fin but not before she temporarily misplaced one of her own in the silt-covered bottom. After she located that, we loaded up and prepared to head home. One of the things that impressed me the most was that Sada told me that she was not comfortable with one of the spots in the den. I respected that and later told her thanks for letting me know.

On the way home time my daughter took the wheel of the other car and drove all the way home. Whether Alisa, who was in the passenger seat will ever be the same again is debatable but she say’s that she did well. What a great way to spend Father’s Day weekend, and the 100th dive.

R/ Bill

Saturday Dive

2007-06-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

I needed to get wet so Mitch and I went over to Troy Springs Saturday morning. It had been some time since either of us had been there and the conditions were perfect. Though the water level was down, we found many small holes to explore and the cave is now so small you’d have to remove your gear to get through the entrance at 71 feet.

After a forty minute dive there is nothing more beautiful than to hang mid-water and just view the beauty and quiet that only nature can provide. To see the early morning sun illuminating the walls and bottom of the spring is a sight well worth the dive.

The run was fast as the water was down and for the first time I found caverns below the rocky run. We've crawled over the holes and slid on the algae on top but I had never seen the alcoves filled with small catfish below.

Out into the river there was a noticeable temperature change as the cold of the spring merged with the warmth of the river and you could almost wall across as the river was that low. It was a bit murky and even in the middle it wasn't moving very fast.

At last we packed up and headed out after meeting a family from Jax who are fairly recent NAUI Divers and interested in joining the club, but we'll see. What a wonderful morning and incredible dive. Great way to spend the morning.

Doc Smyk