I didn’t want my birthday to pass without a dive and all my friends were either working or off somewhere so I decided to leave for Panama City a day early and stop by Vortex late in the afternoon. I got there around five and the crowd had generally dwindled.
Talked for a while with DJ Johnny Mac, his beautiful daughter, Shane and Eddie. Johnny Mac is interested in pulling out some vintage dive gear. That always catches my ear and we had a long conversation. I have five double hose regulators and two of them restored and working well. The other three are in the process. I ordered a Phoenix Nozzle as a sort of birthday present to myself and plan on modernizing a DA Aquamaster as soon as it comes in. JM and I would like to get a branch of the Vintage Divers Association going at Vortex.
Getting dressed in the late afternoon proved a sweaty process but made the water feel extremely enticing. I used a steel 71,2 cubic foot tank and found the buoyancy characteristics to be a dream.
In perfect trim I went straight for the cave and searched for fossils along the bottom. The flow is pretty good for vortex and most everything to be found is covered with sand.
I came back and found the basin to be clearing nicely. There was already about 50 foot visibility and I realized that first ones in Saturday morning would have a great dive.
A few years ago the managers offered children a bounty for turtles. They would catch the little critters and turn them loose in Otter Creek. The turtles seem to have a taste for young fish and if left to multiply they are mostly like rabbits in a small confine. As a result there haven’t been a lot of turtles but they seem to be making a comeback. I saw one under Doc’s pier.
I looked until I had seen everything and then made it to the exit. Had fun slipping up and pinching he toes of a swimmer standing on the pier.
The afternoon was still hot but bearable as I got my tank filled and headed south, I made the sort of mistake of passing up Sally’s and deciding to have my birthday dinner at Boondocks. Got there and the place was packed. I got a seat almost immediately by telling them I would sit at the bar. Fried grouper, cheese grits, and cole slaw with a large glass of tea was well worth the wait.
Checked into the hotel and had no trouble falling asleep last night. Thinking right now about heading over to the jetties and getting one in before the boats this afternoon
.
Decisions, decisions – life is good!
Talked for a while with DJ Johnny Mac, his beautiful daughter, Shane and Eddie. Johnny Mac is interested in pulling out some vintage dive gear. That always catches my ear and we had a long conversation. I have five double hose regulators and two of them restored and working well. The other three are in the process. I ordered a Phoenix Nozzle as a sort of birthday present to myself and plan on modernizing a DA Aquamaster as soon as it comes in. JM and I would like to get a branch of the Vintage Divers Association going at Vortex.
Getting dressed in the late afternoon proved a sweaty process but made the water feel extremely enticing. I used a steel 71,2 cubic foot tank and found the buoyancy characteristics to be a dream.
In perfect trim I went straight for the cave and searched for fossils along the bottom. The flow is pretty good for vortex and most everything to be found is covered with sand.
I came back and found the basin to be clearing nicely. There was already about 50 foot visibility and I realized that first ones in Saturday morning would have a great dive.
A few years ago the managers offered children a bounty for turtles. They would catch the little critters and turn them loose in Otter Creek. The turtles seem to have a taste for young fish and if left to multiply they are mostly like rabbits in a small confine. As a result there haven’t been a lot of turtles but they seem to be making a comeback. I saw one under Doc’s pier.
I looked until I had seen everything and then made it to the exit. Had fun slipping up and pinching he toes of a swimmer standing on the pier.
The afternoon was still hot but bearable as I got my tank filled and headed south, I made the sort of mistake of passing up Sally’s and deciding to have my birthday dinner at Boondocks. Got there and the place was packed. I got a seat almost immediately by telling them I would sit at the bar. Fried grouper, cheese grits, and cole slaw with a large glass of tea was well worth the wait.
Checked into the hotel and had no trouble falling asleep last night. Thinking right now about heading over to the jetties and getting one in before the boats this afternoon
.
Decisions, decisions – life is good!
