Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

[PBcatfish]

FYI

No-swimming advisory lifted for Phil Foster Park and Sandoway Beach

A no-swimming advisory has been lifted for Phil Foster Park and Sandoway in Delray Beach.

www.wptv.com

Thank you for that report.

I am curious if the samples were taken during incoming or outgoing tide. The water quality there varies quite a bit. I did some emergency diving on a grounded boat just north of there about 6 months ago & ended up with an eye infection. That was during outgoing tide. I also did some emergency diving on a boat a mile south of there about a year ago, during outgoing tide & my entire body itched badly for several hours.

The outgoing water in that area is pretty much always visibly murky. It contains a lot of runoff from places like the cane fields out west. There is also effluent from live aboard boats in the area. I was on board a large yacht the other day when the owner called to get a pump out at a local marina & was told that the facilities were unavailable. I'm guessing that in that kind of environment, a lot of boats are going to use the only option they have available when their holding tanks get full.

Since Phil Foster is right by Lake Worth Inlet, the incoming tide washes clean sea water through the area & provides a very different set of conditions.

There are many reasons why most people only dive that spot around high tide. Improved visibility is the one most often discussed, but it is just one of the reasons why high tide is the best time.

Similarly, incoming tide is normally the best time to hit the Singer Island beaches that are just north of the inlet. During outgoing tide, they get the wash out from the inlet, as the prevailing north currents do their dirty work. You can often see a stark color difference a few hundred yards off the beach on outgoing tide.

Edit,
I now notice that the bad samples were taken 2/1/22. On that day, neither high tide at BHB was during daylight hours. I'm going to guess that the sample was probably taken at a time that was not near high tide.

 

[Pipehorse]

Left my house at 0805 to dive at BHB this morning. FEC had a two mile long freight train stretching from MLK Boulevard to Lake Park Road. Drove all the way north to Northlake Blvd before turning east again to get around the damn thing. Arrived at the park 0835 for an 11:19 high tide. There was plenty of parking, so I left to drop off empty tanks at Pura Vida and came back. At 0925 when I went out to snorkel the trail there was still plenty of parking. When I came back from snorkeling at 1015, the parking lot was pretty much filled.

Entered the water on the west for diving at 1025, visibility was 30ft, and sea temp was 75f. Did a REEF fish count 67 species in 65 minutes. Found a pair of seahorses, a Chain Pipefish, a few Shortfin Pipefish, and an anemone I have not identified yet. Respectively, Juvenile Scrawled Cowfish wide angel, seahorse pair, seahorse pair 2, Sharptail Eel wide angle, Atlantic Spadefish wide angle, and unidentified anenome.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Nice.
Wanted to get up there to dive today.. thanks for the report..

 

[Pipehorse]

Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived in the park at 1000 for a 1201 high tide. There was plenty of parking available. When I entered the water on the west side at 1029, there was still parking available. The shoreside check of visibility was very deceiving, the water looked to have great visibility from the surface, in the water on scuba it was 25ft at best due to haziness. Sea temp remains at 75f. Did a REEF fish count, 71 species in 67 minutes.

By far the highlight of the day was an interesting interaction of a Sharptail Eel and Mantis Shrimp. I was out in the sand and algae just south of the main span on the westside. I observed a Sharptail Eel moving along poking its head into the sand to see what it could find, unusual because generally they are observed in the more gravely substrate closer to the bridge pilings. The Sharptail Eel found a Mantis Shrimp Burrow and disappeared into it almost instantly, at the same time a Mantis Shrimp ejected itself approximately 18 inches above the burrow and landed in the sand nearby. The Mantis Shrimp then crawled around for about a minute and checked to see if the Sharptail Eel was still in the burrow, the attached video shows the the result. The same thing happened about four times, until the Sharptail Eel eventually vacated the burrow, and went about its search for more suitable prey. The Manits Shrimp did eventually make it back to the burrow and quickly retreated to same.

Yesterday I posted an image of an unidentified anemone, I posted same on Inaturalist.org, there is an identification as Bunodosoma granuliferum, no common name available, Respectively, Mantis Shrimp video, Channel Flounder, Lined Seahorse, Mantis Shrimp, Plumed Scorpionfish, and Southern Puffer.

 

[Searcaigh]

The Mantis Shrimp then crawled around for about a minute and checked to see if the Sharptail Eel was still in the burrow, the attached video shows the the result.

How large is the mantis shrimp?

 

[Pipehorse]

How large is the mantis shrimp?

It was about 10 inches long.

 

[Searcaigh]

It was about 10 inches long

Like the ones in SE Asia then ...... edible, not that I've eaten one though but seen them in Filipino and Indonesian markets.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

It was about 10 inches long.

Dang! That's good sized!

 

[Jaan]

Today you could hardly see 5 ft at the BHB ... yellow/brownish/greenish tint. Leave the content to your imagination
We're doing an extra rinse and used our alcohol wipes ... yuk.

 

[Pipehorse]

Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived at 1120 for 1247 high tide. The above water visibility test just barely met the parameters of doing a dive, i.e. standing on the west side standing on the seawall or western most land based bridge piling can I see the bottom. Visibility in the water 10>vis>5. I did not have the same impression of yellow brownish yuk as @Jaan, but more of greenish/whitish haze. Sea temp remains at 75f. Did a REEF fish 59 species in 65 minutes.

Near the end of the dive I observed a pair of Lancer Dragonets. All kinds of pushing, shoving, lip biting, and dorsal fin displays, I guess in an attempt to impress a nearby female. I stayed in the same spot watching them for fifteen minutes it was quite entertaining. Respectively, Lancer Dragonet video, Bunodosoma granuliferum, Barbfish, expertly camoflauged Spotted Scorpion, Lancer Dragonet 1, Lancer Dragonet 2.