OK, I should have done this yesterday, but...
Had a nice gathering for a midnight dive on New Year's Eve. Booked a dozen slots, but had a couple of no-shows, and at the last minute my wife Jo was called out to work. Moo & Wisgal, Dennis & Donna, Den, Matt & Ana, and WWW gathered at the house for meatballs & sausage & peppers & onions & heartburn, then met at the dock to dive with Capt Tony of Sunstar Aquatics in Deerfield Beach, FL (www.thediversity.com).
Nice trip, quiet seas, minimal current, and excellent viz. A few fireworks were shot off from various sites up & down the coast. Walter was so kind (or too cheap to pay full price - I won't speculate which) as to jump the wreck and tie up at approximately 20 minutes before midnight. He surfaced, gave a conditions report, plunged back down, and the next time I saw him he was signing Happy New Year at midnight to me as we rounded the bow of the wreck in the sand.
Did I mention that we dove the wreck of the Ancient Mariner? The Mariner is a 165' former Coast Guard Cutter (AKA, the Nemisis) who had a full history chasing subs in WWII. That was before being retired to become a floating restaraunt and a lovely site for hepatitis or some such, which finally resulted in her condemnation and sinking. Its a very cool wreck in mid-depth water, lots of open areas to explore, and is generally full of glassy sweepers, cruising jacks, and other stuff. Walter took folks to the Mariner during the first Wreckmania and it remains a very cool site!
Nice dive. More viz than the lights could penetrate. Great conditions. Competent divers. Predictable buddies. Water temps of 72-74, and air temps in the mid 60s. LOTS of sparklies produced when finning and while stirring things up during very slow ascents and hangs. Very large southern ray snoozing in the sand, larger than extended arm spans, and minimally interested in leaving his spot just because a few divers were around. Den spotted a nice grouper which made her hungry for a midnight snack. Cool crabs in several places along the deck. Only one flooded light to my knowledge, and in a rare circumstance, it wasn't one of mine! The profile: 69' for 48 minutes on 36% EAN.
We sipped a bit of champagne as we chugged back to the dock, vowing to keep the bubbles in the glasses, not the tissues. A wonderful way to enter a new year.
Hope everyone has as good a dive year in '04 as we had on New Years.
Had a nice gathering for a midnight dive on New Year's Eve. Booked a dozen slots, but had a couple of no-shows, and at the last minute my wife Jo was called out to work. Moo & Wisgal, Dennis & Donna, Den, Matt & Ana, and WWW gathered at the house for meatballs & sausage & peppers & onions & heartburn, then met at the dock to dive with Capt Tony of Sunstar Aquatics in Deerfield Beach, FL (www.thediversity.com).
Nice trip, quiet seas, minimal current, and excellent viz. A few fireworks were shot off from various sites up & down the coast. Walter was so kind (or too cheap to pay full price - I won't speculate which) as to jump the wreck and tie up at approximately 20 minutes before midnight. He surfaced, gave a conditions report, plunged back down, and the next time I saw him he was signing Happy New Year at midnight to me as we rounded the bow of the wreck in the sand.
Did I mention that we dove the wreck of the Ancient Mariner? The Mariner is a 165' former Coast Guard Cutter (AKA, the Nemisis) who had a full history chasing subs in WWII. That was before being retired to become a floating restaraunt and a lovely site for hepatitis or some such, which finally resulted in her condemnation and sinking. Its a very cool wreck in mid-depth water, lots of open areas to explore, and is generally full of glassy sweepers, cruising jacks, and other stuff. Walter took folks to the Mariner during the first Wreckmania and it remains a very cool site!
Nice dive. More viz than the lights could penetrate. Great conditions. Competent divers. Predictable buddies. Water temps of 72-74, and air temps in the mid 60s. LOTS of sparklies produced when finning and while stirring things up during very slow ascents and hangs. Very large southern ray snoozing in the sand, larger than extended arm spans, and minimally interested in leaving his spot just because a few divers were around. Den spotted a nice grouper which made her hungry for a midnight snack. Cool crabs in several places along the deck. Only one flooded light to my knowledge, and in a rare circumstance, it wasn't one of mine! The profile: 69' for 48 minutes on 36% EAN.
We sipped a bit of champagne as we chugged back to the dock, vowing to keep the bubbles in the glasses, not the tissues. A wonderful way to enter a new year.
Hope everyone has as good a dive year in '04 as we had on New Years.
But the schools of fish I saw as I was ascending were pretty cool! Don't ask me the species though, I didn't have my book with me (I'm still learning) lol Each time I shut my light off after checking my gauges, I saw a school swim by, hmmmm wonder if it was the same school circling me?? 
)
