Hi mntlblok.
Sorry that Ive been slow to reply, but havent visited the site for a few days. Since my last posting I noticed that youve paid another visit to BHB, so presume that my response is no longer urgent. Wish that I knew that you were in town. Would have kept my eyes open for a yellow snorkel. However, as long as Ive composed my thoughts, I might as well spend a bit of bandwidth and share them by answering your query:
On the day under discussion, August 4th, I went on a hunt for the same Skeleton Shrimp that djtimmy77 had posted a photograph of on July 28th. (Post #8297.) Splashed two hours before high tide and the current was about as brisk as Ive encountered at The Bridge. This, coupled with less than stellar visibility, made the search for tiny, translucent creatures quite demanding, and much like a Labrador Retriever looses all other sources of stimulation when encountering a squirrel, I found myself hopelessly enchanted by a shoal of squid, and spent over an hour making images of the extraordinary cephalopods.
Got engine trouble on my boat, so rather than sit ashore cursing and giving a large pile of bank notes to my mechanic, I made the trip up again yesterday and had a stellar time. Splashing again about two hours before the turn, I found the current was much milder, and visibility was still a bit cloudy, but not bad at all. Within minutes of entering I saw a trio of Spotted Eagle Rays. No joy on the Skeleton Shrimp search, but did find and photograph a pair of froggies, (one Striated and the other a Longlure,) the Yellowhead Jawfish that you just mentioned in post #8322, a Stargazer, a trio of Polka Dot Batfish, a Short Nosed Batfish, and a whole slew of other delightful creatures. I managed to limit my visit with the shoal of squid to about 20 minutes/36 exposures. They are a particular favorite, (or weakness,) of mine. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Florida.
