Trip Report Chesapeake Bay Oyster Dive 01/08/22

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rob.mwpropane

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Good day all... everyone seems to be nice enough to enlighten me with their trip reports around the world so I try to give back when I can.

We left out of Annapolis with "Gone Fishin' Charters" and Captain Ray.
(sorry, it's a FB link; Gone Fishin' Charters)

Arrived at the dock at 6:30ish or so. Left at sunrise around 7:15. Then it's about a 25-30 min boat ride out the the oyster beds. This is my 2nd time going. It's a different kind of diving. I can't stress enough that no matter how I explain this everyone thinks it's just nuts, but I promise it's a good time. It was 17f when we arrived at dock, but it did warm up to 25f or so. Water was nice and warm (compared to the outside temp😄😄) @ 41f.

The boat is completely closed in (as you can see). Plenty of room. Very warm on board. The captain likes it almost too warm, so he has 2 heaters running. Gearing up I actually got too hot and had to stand at the back for a little bit to cool down. And I'll be the 1st to admit I'm a wimp with the cold. During both of my oyster trips I was the only one diving dry... the others were wearing 7mm🥶....damn polar bears.

You buddy up (or solo if you've done it before) and each buddy grabs the side of a milk crate (milk crates must be a regional thing, lol). Then you dive. You drop down about 15'-20' and the milk crate hitting the bottom is about the only way to know you're close. Viz is about 3', but was 4'-5' last time I did it. I've been told it can get as bad as 6". You keep one hand on the crate at all times and search for oysters. After a bit you get into a rhythm with your partner... lift, move, drop, search, repeat. Even when I read this out loud it's sounds stupid.... but it's soooo much fun. The moving around, fighting into the current, and having a goal under water makes time fly and kept me pretty toasty. I didn't feel cold at all and to date 41f is one of my coldest dives. Getting back on the boat I was actually warm enough to do a 3rd dive, but by then it was time to go.

Total dive time was 69 min @ a max depth of 18' (last time I hit 22'). 1 HP 100, but bringing 2 is suggested. My 1st oyster dive I needed 2, this time I just stuck with one tank and about sucked the life out of her by the end.

Same ~ 25 min ride back, just like any other boat.. get gear put away.. eat some oysters if you want. Once back at the pier we unload all our gear while the mate cleans the boat (takes him ~ 10 min) then they fire up the grill which is about 15' from the boat on the pier. We sit there and eat oysters until you're content.. I think all said and done we spend about an hr back at the pier. Adult beverages are shared but if you plan to drink they ask you bring some to share. Some food is provided on the boat... this time was Maryland crab soup and chicken wings... all was amazing.

This time I took my wife and all our kids (except one, he had previous commitments). So of the 5 of us 2 stayed on the boat, 1 tried diving and said it was too cold (he really didn't give it a chance but I stick by the rule of "you can end a dive at any time for any reason"... I never want diving to be something they don't feel is a choice) and 2 of us actually went diving. There was a 3rd diver in the water with us. Last time I did it we had 6 divers in the water.

Really great time. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but I can see us doing this 3 or 4 times a year. The bonus is coming home with tons of oysters to share with my grandparents and some other family members that don't get out much anymore.

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Sounds like a good time, it's awesome your family dives with you. My kids are still too young (and my wife isn't interested at all) so I am envious. I've heard that while these dives may not sound fun they are an awesome experience. I'd consider joining you sometime on one of these days where there's nothing planned but I believe you have to be a MD resident to actually harvest the oysters correct?
 
Side note too - in the South-Eastern States regional forum there is a Mid-Atlantic sub-forum for the whole DelMarVa region.
 
Sounds like a good time, it's awesome your family dives with you. My kids are still too young (and my wife isn't interested at all) so I am envious. I've heard that while these dives may not sound fun they are an awesome experience. I'd consider joining you sometime on one of these days where there's nothing planned but I believe you have to be a MD resident to actually harvest the oysters correct?
First off.... my wife is cert... doesn't really mean she dives. Not as much as I would like anyway. I can get her to go maybe 4-5 times a year..... but there's a long checklist of stuff that has to happen for her to go. I think the Blue Heron Bridge is her favorite, and even at that the last time we went she did zero diving... it was just me and the kids. Doesn't matter... the boys certainly make up for it. I have the best times with them.

Checklist goes something like...
1. Is it cold?
2. Is it dark?
3. Is it deep?
4. Can something eat me?
5. Will the boat rock?

If the answer is yes to any of these she's pretty much out:)

The dives are awesome, even if someone just did it once it would still be something different. I really enjoy low viz, cold whatever.. so I might be biased.

The correct answer is you have to be a MD resident with ID and can only dive from the hrs of 8am until 12pm in Sat and no more than 100 oysters / person. The reality is that it's a private yacht club, no one counts, no one checks, and there's absolutely no law that says I can't give you some of mine at the car. You can dive and collect all day long (until 12pm), by law there should only be "# of MD residents x 100 oysters" on the boat coming back. The reality is I don't think we could hit that mark anyway. The captain doesn't dive, neither does the mate... so right there is 200 oysters that aren't claimed.

edit: I'm not a lawyer, representative, etc... so if anyone gets incarcerated based off of my limited knowledge of diving for oysters TWICE... it's your fault.

Side note too - in the South-Eastern States regional forum there is a Mid-Atlantic sub-forum for the whole DelMarVa region.
How can I get mods to move? It's cold af here right now... I would have never considered MD "South" anything, lol.
 
How can I get mods to move? It's cold af here right now... I would have never considered MD "South" anything, lol.

:cheers: I'll have to check it out one of these days, for sure.

Not sure how to move the thread, there may be some MD residents lurking in that subforum that would find this interesting, not sure who mod is for this subforum? I guess they differentiate north from south with the Mason-Dixon line, but I feel you, even as a Northern VA resident I have a hard time considering this the south.
 
@Lorenzoid could you please move this to the "Mid-Atlantic sub-forum for the whole DelMarVa region"... I'm sorry, I posted this in the wrong section.
 
@Lorenzoid could you please move this to the "Mid-Atlantic sub-forum for the whole DelMarVa region"... I'm sorry, I posted this in the wrong section.
Done. I guess you picked me because you saw I was online, but in the future you could just as well have reported your own thread, and any mod who saw it first could move it. Nevertheless, I really like oysters, and this was a fun read that I wouldn't have otherwise seen.

Gimme oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine. - J. Buffett
 
To clarify, you dont have to dive to eat oysters or take them home or just ride on the boat.

It does cost more to dive / take home.
 
Glad you had fun! The milk crate is a Dave thing basically, not so much regional. I have to admit, or works pretty well. Generally it's BYO goodie bag to collect, but Dave usually has some extra crates rigged with a handle and lift-bag.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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