Blue Heron Bridge Trolls

[mntlblok]

Dive plan

Kevin
Not sure what my schedule will be like this week, been working the "night shift" on the helicopter and I spend most of my next day recovering.

If we do roll, my spotter will be with me and I joke she is better at showing other divers great finds than her buddy.
It is hard to refute "you were nowhere around" when she has the flag
John

Heli dern copter??!! Dang! This motel has wifi only in the lobby - but there's public clay courts right across the street. 912 398 4875
Just now seeing yer post and the others. Didn't get out of Daddy Disneyland on the way down until very late Monday night.

I *thought* I might have seen a tiny fish next to one of those flattened comb jellies. Getting the camera to focus on them things is a pain - especially with seawater sloshing around inside one's mask. Probably ought to look into fixing that problem, although it just not be fixable on such an old face. . . Also seems to be one little "light" inside many of them - in addition to the occasional rows of tiny flashing, colored lights. 13 big ole, non-shy garden eels just northeast of that parallel slope. My 60mm didn't want to capture all 13 in one shot. 12 yellow, one brown. Well, a few may have been a "mixture". After being overrun with pikeblennies and sailfin blennies last trip down, saw none of either yesterday. Also, seems most of the caulerpa is gone from much of my favorite areas. Got the sense that everything in that area had been somehow wiped out. :depressed: One of the few bright spots in the dive was finding a little 4 inch juvie grouper - probably a red. AAMOF, is was so depressing down there yesterday that I'm considering other options today. It ain't like I'm gonna happen across froggies on my own at the bridge. I'll go fiddle with some more pitchers, watch some Wimbledon, and figger out a plan.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

*blush* thanks guys!

 

[MB]

Silly Jenny. That's a just a silicone implant! After all, Palm Beach is the center of the plastic surgery universe!
:doctor:

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

MntlBlk, those eels are sweet. I saw them the other day, and there seems to be a garden eel convention going on or something!
Yes, that area doesn't seem to hold the magic like it did a few months ago. My thought is that it is a seasonal thing. The headshield slugs that were everywhere a couple weeks ago are gone. The octos are almost gone. (only saw 3 on the last dive), everything moved on..

---------- Post added July 2nd, 2014 at 08:38 AM ----------

Silly Jenny. That's a just a silicone implant! After all, Palm Beach is the center of the plastic surgery universe!
:doctor:

LOL.. it almost looks like one..

 

[iluvtheocean]

Yup, hire Jenny... but take enough gas for a 3-hour dive!

i agree -- not sure how many tanks that would be for most people... for Jenny though? just 1 HP80 or for a 3hr tour --- maybe a hp100

 

[jet126]

Kevin - I was up there yesterday. Looked but did not see you in the p-lot nor underwater ... unless it was you with the dive flag handle covered in tin foil. (what is that about?)

Just a couple from the dive:

 

[mntlblok]

Kevin - I was up there yesterday. Looked but did not see you in the p-lot nor underwater ... unless it was you with the dive flag handle covered in tin foil. (what is that about?)

Just a couple from the dive:

View attachment 187928 View attachment 187929

I *thought* that looked like you, but also had reason to suspect that you wuz off in New York City, spreadin news or something. I suppose my special, on-sale, shiny duct tape could be confused with tin or aluminum foil. Could let you borrow some if you'd like. Holds my weight on the handle. Was that you that I pointed out the little, half-buried barbfish to? Glad I wasn't around when you happend across miss Eunice.

The viz was wonderful today. Made the snorkel trail rocks look like a little wonderland. Was late getting in as I tried out Coral Cove. The seas were pretty flat on the web cams, but when I got there the lifeguard told me the waves had been up overnight and the sand was stirred up. Looked clear out a bit further, but the waves were sorta starting to pick up. Started in to test it out on snorkel. The reef really *is* right up to the beach. Couldn't see the bottom in three feet of water and was tripping all over the uneven "coral". Had my camera, fins, and dive flag. Coulda gotten ugly. Gave up when I got out over my head and the viz hadn't cleared any.

Didn't find anything of particular interest today. Current wasn't bad, even a couple of hours after high tide. Found a spot near the east bridge with sargassum floating by on the surface. Lots of stuff *looked* like it might be something, but ended up being something that looked like it might have been "flushed" prior to making its way to the lagoon. Now my puter won't recognize my camera card. Oh well, nothing much worth seeing on it, anyway. . .

Interesting that only certain searobins do their "wings" that way. Do you know what brand that one is??

Got to hit some tennis balls with "Aruba" tonight. Think he might have gotten to see some things he doesn't normally come across. Fun guy.

 

[blauvelt]

There is a better way to enter Coral Cove without tripping on the rocks. When you cross the bridge and pass the condo you will see areas to park on the right side of the road. There are 2 sets of stairs and you want to take the first set down. From there walk south a 100 feet or so to a sandy spot. I was there last Saturday, the water was calm but filled with particles.

 

[djtimmy77]

Was late getting in as I tried out Coral Cove. The seas were pretty flat on the web cams, but when I got there the lifeguard told me the waves had been up overnight and the sand was stirred up. Looked clear out a bit further, but the waves were sorta starting to pick up. Started in to test it out on snorkel. The reef really *is* right up to the beach. Couldn't see the bottom in three feet of water and was tripping all over the uneven "coral". Had my camera, fins, and dive flag. Coulda gotten ugly. Gave up when I got out over my head and the viz hadn't cleared any.

Shoot me a note next time you are considering coral cove. The ground swell from the tropical storm is responsible for the poor vis (and would have made photography very difficult due to surge) I would have advised to make a pass at it....

In addition to the spot that Blauvelt suggested, there is also a sandy spot at the south end of the guarded area that you can see when the water is clear. This lets you swim into the (tiny bit of) current and then leisurely float back.

 

[Biminitwist]

Everything there is very seasonal, including behaviors. I see a lot of mating activity in fish I don't normally see it in lately.
Those garden eels are great.
I wasted a lot of time trying to get two twined together coming out of the same hole, but they ducked in and only one came back out no matter how long I waited.
It really seems like luck is such a big part, with terrible vis we found several cool things, one new to us and the next day not much.
I am considering Sat for a 145 pm entry but hate the crowds so will play it by ear. When are you headed back?
These Green Razorfish males have been very active guarding their turf and rushing up to spawn with their harem around dusk.
Good Luck.
John