OP
Hetland
Contributor
Perdido Pass West Jetty
Dive Date,Time: 11/07/2009, 11:09 PM
Elapsed Dive Time: 63 Minutes
Max. Depth: 31.0 FT
Average Depth: 20.54 FT
Min. Temperature: 70 F (felt more like 65)
Jason and I met at about 10:15 and scouted the area. The water looked passable, and it didn't look like surf or currents would be much of an issue, so we suited up and splashed. Viz varied from 5 to 10 feet, with 7-8 being the average. I found it very difficult to take photos as I was wearing more suit and weight than usual, and I'm just not used to it. Dragging a flag on a fat reel doesn't help either. Overall, I was disappointed in a lack of critters. We did see a few damsels, gags, grunts, mangroves, red snapper, frogfish, scorpion fish, stone crabs, hermits, mollusks, and alas, no octopuses. I did get the sense that the area is usually more lived-in. perhaps the recent dredging has scoured the area, and we'll have more to see as time passes. That minor complaint aside, we did happen upon a moray eel
My photos don't do him justice, so hopefully Jason got some good shots. The eel's coloring was that of a green moray, but the terminal end of his tail looked like a manytooth conger, and his iris was gold, not brown, so I can't give him a good id (maybe a purplemouth?). Either way, he was my first saltwater eel, so the sighting really made the dive for me.
Next, we tried the bridge piers on the East side of Perdido Bridge. We got about 14 feet down, and Jason was swept in one direction, and I was swept in another. After a minute we surfaced, and got to a relatively safe spot in the shallows. After a minute of debate, we decided to call the dive.
Despite the cold (it felt cold, even if it wasn't) and the poor viz, it was good to get out and breathe compressed air for an hour while feeling the comforting embrace of an extra atmosphere of saltwater. I was bummed that Jason had the long @$$ drive for only one dive, but it was a long dive, and it beats the hell out of the alternative (not diving).
Dive Date,Time: 11/07/2009, 11:09 PM
Elapsed Dive Time: 63 Minutes
Max. Depth: 31.0 FT
Average Depth: 20.54 FT
Min. Temperature: 70 F (felt more like 65)
Jason and I met at about 10:15 and scouted the area. The water looked passable, and it didn't look like surf or currents would be much of an issue, so we suited up and splashed. Viz varied from 5 to 10 feet, with 7-8 being the average. I found it very difficult to take photos as I was wearing more suit and weight than usual, and I'm just not used to it. Dragging a flag on a fat reel doesn't help either. Overall, I was disappointed in a lack of critters. We did see a few damsels, gags, grunts, mangroves, red snapper, frogfish, scorpion fish, stone crabs, hermits, mollusks, and alas, no octopuses. I did get the sense that the area is usually more lived-in. perhaps the recent dredging has scoured the area, and we'll have more to see as time passes. That minor complaint aside, we did happen upon a moray eel
My photos don't do him justice, so hopefully Jason got some good shots. The eel's coloring was that of a green moray, but the terminal end of his tail looked like a manytooth conger, and his iris was gold, not brown, so I can't give him a good id (maybe a purplemouth?). Either way, he was my first saltwater eel, so the sighting really made the dive for me.Next, we tried the bridge piers on the East side of Perdido Bridge. We got about 14 feet down, and Jason was swept in one direction, and I was swept in another. After a minute we surfaced, and got to a relatively safe spot in the shallows. After a minute of debate, we decided to call the dive.
Despite the cold (it felt cold, even if it wasn't) and the poor viz, it was good to get out and breathe compressed air for an hour while feeling the comforting embrace of an extra atmosphere of saltwater. I was bummed that Jason had the long @$$ drive for only one dive, but it was a long dive, and it beats the hell out of the alternative (not diving).
