2007 DIVE & TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS
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Dive Log
Dec -Did a couple of dives with Splashdown over in Boynton Beach to make it 150 for the year. Great weather for it - did try and catch lobster on the 2nd dive but only saw a couple of small ones.
Nov -Ventured into the gulf a couple of times - once spearfishing and once Sharks teething. Did a cavern class with Johnny Richards (http://cavediving.com/) over Thanksgiving weekend up in Ginnie Springs (http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com/) - the first step in the cold dark world of cave diving.
Oct - Bonaire for the coral spawn - we did see some sponges so their thing but not any corals. It was a good trip with several Eagle Rays, Sea Horse. Frogfish and loads of squid.
Sept - Some spearfishing in the gulf netted hogfish, snappers and shovel nose lobsters - very tasty.
Aug - The end of the month was my trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. 3 days of diving with Jacks Diving Locker and 2 days with Wanna-Dive-Kona. Excellent diving in warm water - so many fishy things I'd never seen before and the Manta Rays were out in force (I did the Manta night dive twice !). Also did an interesting Blackwater dive - just hanging tethered to the boat at 40ft in the open ocean at night, just seeing what would come along. The days either side of the diving I did some interesting topside activities - visiting volcanoes and waterfalls one day, and kona coffee and black sand beaches the other. Early August spearfishing got canceled but I went down to help with an OW class instead in Marathon. Another windy weekend in the Keys blew out a few more dives but did find a "meg" in Venice.
July - July 4th was spent in the Gulf doing a little spearfishing then there was Scubaboards Invasion of the Keys which included an awesome night dive on the Eagle. I then had another long weekend away, this time to the Dry Tortugas on the Ultimate Getaway.
June - A short trip to Nassau enabled me to get in a few dives with Stuart Cove's - did find an octopus and a load of Lionfish [a pride? :) ] and then a weekend in the Keys to help with an OW course and a big scubabord fossil hunt and beach BBQ in Venice to round things off nicely..
May - Sunshine and calm seas for the Sink-O de Mayo weekend in the Keys with a group of Scubaboard folks- diving the Eagle, Duane and Spiegel. Blown out from spearfishing but went up to Venice instead.
Apr - A couple of sharks tooth dives in Venice netted 3 full (small) megs and a handful of partial ones, also spotted a neon sea goddess for the first time (a little nudibranch) - needless to say I didn't have my camera with me ! Weekend in the Keys with CHUM (www.chumclub.org) was fun - wrecks in great sunny conditions.
Mar - BONAIRE - the Shore Diving Capital of the World - you simply pick up a couple of tanks, drive to the dive sites (marked by yellow rocks on the side of the road), dive, find another side then dive again! When you've used your tanks, you just drop them off and pick up a couple more ! We stayed at Golden Reef Inn which was cheap but good - we had a BBQ a couple of nights and drank cold beers on the porch. Lots of diving and eating ! Highlights included squid, octopus, seahorses, eagle rays and loads of eels of various types (and Pasa Bon Pizza). Coral was amazing as well.
Feb - ....Juptier Lemon sharks cancelled due to wind but did a cool dive under the Blue Heron Bridge instead (see photos in the gallery). Managed a day in the Keys inbetween winds to do some wrecks as well.
Jan - a chilly bad viz New Years day dive in Venice netted a few small sharks teeth. Spearfishing trip to Marathon cancelled due to wind, although did manage another cold Venice dive (an excellent Meg and a Mako tooth along with lots of small ones). An excellent day at the end of the month diving the Eagle, Duane and a reef full of nurse sharks, but unfortunately the next days planned dives on the Speigel Grove were all blown out - went to the Everglades to see Alligators instead !
Total dives so far this year: 150
Tentative Plans
Dec - perhpas one last dive in before the new year
Further cave training or not ? we'll have to see.....