Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III
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Went to the bridge Monday thru today for diving. Just when I thought it was safe to put my 5mil wetsuit away, sea temp returned to 78f on Monday. Remained 78f on Tuesday. Went up to 79f on Wednesday, and today was back at 81f. Vis on Monday and Tuesday was very hazy 25 ft, on Wednesday hazy 20ft. Today vis was much better at 40ft with far less haze. The park has been uncrowded the whole week, I guess because the tide has been fairly early, I expect it will be more crowded tomorrow, for a 0924 high tide. And of course all of Memorial Day Weekend it will be a zoo for sure.
For a change of pace, I went to using the iphone 12 in the sealife sport diving housing, instead of the LX10 in the nauticam housing. LX10 does video, but it is easier shot video with the iphone. I wanted to do more video than images this week. Did REEF surveys each day on scuba, and then on snorkel. Observed three Sea Spiders this morning. I am starting to think they are not particularly rare. Once eye focus has been trained for certain characteristics, those characteristics stick out like a sore thumb. The Magnificent Sea Urchin from last week is still around. I have not observed many long arm octopus, but common octopus seem to be all over the place. And the variegated sea urchin population explosion goes on unabated. In some places there is more sea urchin cover than bottom! I love this shoot of the Rainbow Parrots with a Gray Angelfish, Hogfish, and Yellowtail Parrotfish. Rainbow Parrots are usually standoffish, and don't normally approach this close. The other images respectively, Blue Throat Pikeblenny, Twospot Cardinalfish, Octopus, and Octopus.
For a change of pace, I went to using the iphone 12 in the sealife sport diving housing, instead of the LX10 in the nauticam housing. LX10 does video, but it is easier shot video with the iphone. I wanted to do more video than images this week. Did REEF surveys each day on scuba, and then on snorkel. Observed three Sea Spiders this morning. I am starting to think they are not particularly rare. Once eye focus has been trained for certain characteristics, those characteristics stick out like a sore thumb. The Magnificent Sea Urchin from last week is still around. I have not observed many long arm octopus, but common octopus seem to be all over the place. And the variegated sea urchin population explosion goes on unabated. In some places there is more sea urchin cover than bottom! I love this shoot of the Rainbow Parrots with a Gray Angelfish, Hogfish, and Yellowtail Parrotfish. Rainbow Parrots are usually standoffish, and don't normally approach this close. The other images respectively, Blue Throat Pikeblenny, Twospot Cardinalfish, Octopus, and Octopus.
Catito
Contributor
Love the Giant Hermit Crab story.
I went east on Wednesday. Glad I had my 3mm with me.
Those urchins are all over the place. I wonder if their appearance is cyclical. Some years there seems to be plethora of them, other years not so much. Same with seaweed blennies and sharpnose puffers.
The sea spiders? Saw 2 on Wednesday. Wonder if they have a cycle too?
Green Frog
Contributor
The more you guys talk about those sea spiders, the stronger my belief that when I took that Invert Zoo course (as an undergrad 50+ years ago) we were told that pycnogonids were pretty much limited to benthic regions. I'm wondering whether they've changed their habits a lot or whether folks just weren't looking for them in shallow water. Regardless, we were definitely told they were rare, so that seems to be changing.
Another great Mystery of the Seas!
Another great Mystery of the Seas!
Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived at 0624 for a 0921 high tide. I know that seems excessively early. However, the earlier I leave my house, the less traffic to contend with. Besides we are getting towards the longest sunlight day of the year, and it was warm in the morning, no reason not to be out and about nice and early. Taking advantage of early arrival I snorkeled the trail and did a REEF survey prior to the dive. Observed a large Nurse Shark, a common species on Florida reefs but only occasionally seen at BHB.
Finished snorkeling, put on my scuba, and walked east to enter the water near the cement staircase at about 0725. The east entrance allows an easy drift with the current west along the snorkel trail. About 45 minutes into the dive near the western part of the snorkel I started encountering other divers swimming east. I am always amazed at the amount of divers who do the snorkel trail heading east swimming against the current. Granted the current is more mild out on the snorkel trail than close to shore, but still why swim against a current when you don't have to?
Continued on a westward drift along the edge of the boat channel towards the area I refer to as the slope. I can spend 90 minutes to an entire dive in just this area, and often do. Today I was there for about an hour and happened upon a pipefish. Always a nice find especially this one because to me it look liked a Pugnose Pipefish, which are rarely observed.
How rarely observed? It appears in the REEF database 7 times out of 193,000 surveys (4 times by me at the BHB). A little research on the pipefish revealed that it was not a Pugnose Pipefish, but rather an Insular Pipefish, another rarely observed fish. How rarely observed? So rare that there are zero observations recorded in the REEF database. That tiny white dots on the side, the tiny spine on its back, and along it side, and the short snout are the characteristics that define the Insular Pipefish. Pugnose Pipefish has a similar snout but is absent the spines and dots on the side.
After photographing the Insular Pipefish I moved slightly north into an algae patch where I observed a Fringed Filefish.
I wondered further north in between the last land bridge piling and first water bridge pilings, I call this area the ditch. It was about 0930 by this time and the tide was just starting to turn. I had plans to finish the dive and snorkel the trail for another REEF survey. BHB had other plans for me. Just prior to exiting the water I came a Giant Hermit Crab, stranded in debris without a home/shell. Further inspection revealed the poor thing was missing both its giant claws, but seemed healthy otherwise. I can only speculate how she came to be without a shell. My guess is she lost one claw in a fight, made her vulnerable lost another claw in a fight, and then could not protect whatever shell she had from another Giant Hermit looking to level up its living conditions.
Some might recall that back in 2022 I found another Giant Hermit Crab in similar dire straits. I went and bought a shell at the shell store on A1A just south of Blue Heron Boulevard. In that case the Hermit Crab occupied the shell and I confirmed that three days later. Anyway, today I thought well this is so damn sad what can I do to help? So instead of snorkeling the trail, I exited the water, threw my scuba in the back of the truck, got the wetsuit off and drove to the shell store. I got to the store and it was closed. But as I was about to leave, the owner pulled in (they open at 1000am). I bought what I thought would be suitable shells and marked both of them.
I put my wetsuit back on and then scuba. The tide had turned for an hour by now, but the trick here is to stay next to the seawall, where there is not current and cut in up current of where you need to be. I relocated the Hermit Crab and left the shells close by.
I was not to concerned with anybody collecting the shells, the tide had turned and the next high tide is not until 10:07 Pm tonight. So unlikely anybody would be visiting the area until tomorrow morning. Hopefully the Giant Hermit Crab can make the best of it, even though it is still vulnerable without the big claws. Also they use those big claws for stability with big shells. One of the shells is a lighter thinner shell. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. BOLO for a Giant Hermit Crab with writing on the shell, if you do BHB this weekend.
Finished snorkeling, put on my scuba, and walked east to enter the water near the cement staircase at about 0725. The east entrance allows an easy drift with the current west along the snorkel trail. About 45 minutes into the dive near the western part of the snorkel I started encountering other divers swimming east. I am always amazed at the amount of divers who do the snorkel trail heading east swimming against the current. Granted the current is more mild out on the snorkel trail than close to shore, but still why swim against a current when you don't have to?
Continued on a westward drift along the edge of the boat channel towards the area I refer to as the slope. I can spend 90 minutes to an entire dive in just this area, and often do. Today I was there for about an hour and happened upon a pipefish. Always a nice find especially this one because to me it look liked a Pugnose Pipefish, which are rarely observed.
How rarely observed? It appears in the REEF database 7 times out of 193,000 surveys (4 times by me at the BHB). A little research on the pipefish revealed that it was not a Pugnose Pipefish, but rather an Insular Pipefish, another rarely observed fish. How rarely observed? So rare that there are zero observations recorded in the REEF database. That tiny white dots on the side, the tiny spine on its back, and along it side, and the short snout are the characteristics that define the Insular Pipefish. Pugnose Pipefish has a similar snout but is absent the spines and dots on the side.
After photographing the Insular Pipefish I moved slightly north into an algae patch where I observed a Fringed Filefish.
I wondered further north in between the last land bridge piling and first water bridge pilings, I call this area the ditch. It was about 0930 by this time and the tide was just starting to turn. I had plans to finish the dive and snorkel the trail for another REEF survey. BHB had other plans for me. Just prior to exiting the water I came a Giant Hermit Crab, stranded in debris without a home/shell. Further inspection revealed the poor thing was missing both its giant claws, but seemed healthy otherwise. I can only speculate how she came to be without a shell. My guess is she lost one claw in a fight, made her vulnerable lost another claw in a fight, and then could not protect whatever shell she had from another Giant Hermit looking to level up its living conditions.
Some might recall that back in 2022 I found another Giant Hermit Crab in similar dire straits. I went and bought a shell at the shell store on A1A just south of Blue Heron Boulevard. In that case the Hermit Crab occupied the shell and I confirmed that three days later. Anyway, today I thought well this is so damn sad what can I do to help? So instead of snorkeling the trail, I exited the water, threw my scuba in the back of the truck, got the wetsuit off and drove to the shell store. I got to the store and it was closed. But as I was about to leave, the owner pulled in (they open at 1000am). I bought what I thought would be suitable shells and marked both of them.
I put my wetsuit back on and then scuba. The tide had turned for an hour by now, but the trick here is to stay next to the seawall, where there is not current and cut in up current of where you need to be. I relocated the Hermit Crab and left the shells close by.
I was not to concerned with anybody collecting the shells, the tide had turned and the next high tide is not until 10:07 Pm tonight. So unlikely anybody would be visiting the area until tomorrow morning. Hopefully the Giant Hermit Crab can make the best of it, even though it is still vulnerable without the big claws. Also they use those big claws for stability with big shells. One of the shells is a lighter thinner shell. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. BOLO for a Giant Hermit Crab with writing on the shell, if you do BHB this weekend.
Johnoly
Contributor
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I looked for your truck at 7:45 but must have missed it. By 8:30am every boat and car parking spot was almost taken. We had to park the trailer way back by the lifeguards jetski parking. With excellent weather, it's gonna be a mess at BHB Sat>Mon. Nice job on the shells !!
Sharing as an FYI. I typically dive this route. One reason … exercise. I don’t dive JUST for the critters. I also love the exercise we get finning & maneuvering underwater. Given that this route involves finning against a manageable current, it offers a nice leg & core workout without blowing up your sac.
Saturday the water a mile south of the bridge was comfortably warm with very good vis. ...and the jellyfish aren't here yet. This is one of my favorite times of the year to dive. Sorry I didn't get actual numbers for the temp & vis. LKWF is currently reporting 84.8F NDBC - Station LKWF1 Recent Data. I would estimate vis at 40-something feet, but I didn't sight any references, so that is a very off the cuff number. Water temperatures that high tell me that it's time to check my hurricane supplies.
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