TRYSLER GROUNDS charter on Sunday, July 6 at 7am

[Hetland]

Two-tank trip to the TRYSLER GROUNDS with Gary's Gulf Divers on Sunday, July 6 at 7am. Cost is $125/pp.

This is a longish travel time 20+ miles to a deeper site (115-125fsw) but it's also a chance to dive stuff that sees very, very few divers.

It's natural limestone reef. Spiny are out of season, but shovelnose lobster and lionfish are probable.

This trip is for experienced divers with a nitrox cert.. You need to be competent and comfortable with gas choice and management at these depths before signing up.

We need one more diver to run, and it would be nice to have two so the captain can make a few bucks. Please call Gary at (251) 747-6563 if interested.

 

[algulfdiver]

Here's what You missed.
Flat seas and 60 - 70 foot of vis.
shooting lionfish on the Trysler Grounds 7 6 14 - YouTube

 

[Hetland]

13 shovelnose lobster. We could have easily doubled our take, but we left many egg-bearing lobsters behind. We also speared (I'm guessing) 50+ lionfish, most of which were filet-size. Those went to the grill, the smaller ones went to researchers for study.

The Trysler Grounds is a very large area about 24 miles South of Orange Beach, Alabama where natural limestone reefs poke through the sandy bottom. These limestone outcroppings range in size from single boulders, to very large ledges and cliffs, some with small caves and swim-throughs. Tropical storms and hurricanes often cover, and uncover specific areas with sand.

On the way out, we found seas to be almost completely flat. There wasn't much wind, but the humidity seemed tolerable. It's hard to remember a more perfect day for a long run to some choice diving spots.
Onsite, we found a moderate surface current down to about 25ft, and reduced visibility; perhaps 15ft.

Captain Gary put us on several great dive spots. Below the surface layer, we found sheer cliff-like ledges, and meandering veins of undercut table-top rock. These were beautiful dives, with 40-60ft of visibility, and a cool, 68° bottom temp that was perfect for cooling off on a sunny Summer day. Depth kept our dives short, so I never got chilled.

In addition to the usual denizens of the deep, we found an abundance of eels, and one diver saw a manta ray.

Most importantly, we found good lionfish and shovelnose lobster hunting. We boated 13 lobsters, and a pile of lionfish. We probably encountered another dozen shovelnose with eggs present, that we left behind on the reefs.

Thanks to Capt. Gary, and the GCDS for a great day on the water. I really can't wait to get back out to the Trysler Grounds again soon. http://www.gulfdiver.net/

Later that night, I did some experimentation in the kitchen: Pepper-jelly glazed lionfish with grilled candied jalapeno.