SeaYoda
Contributor
Nice day for a saltwater dive! The dredges were way up near the bridge as Gulf-Gulper and I headed to the water.
This is the time of year that the walk to the water is at its worst. You still have to wear a wet suit because of the water temperatures but the air temperatures and sun cook you as you walk across the sand. To top it off, the walk to the water is longer due to the new sand placed by the dredging. We went straight to the water instead of walking along the beach to the finger jetty. The water felt great after even that "short" of a walk in the sun. There is no gradual decline in sand along the new beach - you are at 2' for about a yard or two and then a steep drop-off. We floated on our backs along the beach until we reached the finger jetty. There is a slight ledge in the corner between the jetty and the beach. After resting from the swim over, we began the dive.
The sand has washed out a little on the North side of the jetty since my last dive. The big iron box is now exposed again and the rocks appear out of the sand in that area. The sand is still pretty packed between the rocks near the point. Not many fish out yet - saw Belted Sandfish, young Sandperch, rare small Stone Crabs, a few anemone, and one Southern Stingray. The topography has changed around the anchor area - I'll need a good viz day to get my bearings again. The trough area looks more cleaned out. Where the "road" was, there is a wall of that same black rock. It doesn't look like flat asphalt so I don't know if what I thought was chunks of roadway were just flat versions of this rock or if this wall is made of piles of asphalt. The rocks near the anchor seem more piled up in a ridge like formation. I didn't see the bike anywhere. Viz was 15'-20' with a lot of particles and some seaweed. Water temperature was 63 degrees at 55'. The deepest I got today was 58'. The currents were very strange, unpredictable, and at times pretty strong. They went from nothing to flowing out to flowing in - almost seemed like a whirlpool. We ended the dive at 45 minutes - I had sucked my air down pretty good fighting the currents to get pictures and chasing after the Stingray.
After the dive we went back to ScubaTech for air fills and to give them a report for their snorkel operation plans. We told them it looked pretty dangerous for snorkelers at the finger jetty. Steve said that several operators had asked the Mayor about removing the sand on the North side of the jetty. The Mayor said that the dredging was a Corps of Engineers operation and to change their plans would take an act of congress. The plans are to leave the sand where it is around the jetty. Carla says the sand that is piled up (on land) near the jetties is a holding area until permission from the EPA is gained to use it for beach re-nourishment - ?I thought they already had that?.
Here are some pictures:
This is the time of year that the walk to the water is at its worst. You still have to wear a wet suit because of the water temperatures but the air temperatures and sun cook you as you walk across the sand. To top it off, the walk to the water is longer due to the new sand placed by the dredging. We went straight to the water instead of walking along the beach to the finger jetty. The water felt great after even that "short" of a walk in the sun. There is no gradual decline in sand along the new beach - you are at 2' for about a yard or two and then a steep drop-off. We floated on our backs along the beach until we reached the finger jetty. There is a slight ledge in the corner between the jetty and the beach. After resting from the swim over, we began the dive.
The sand has washed out a little on the North side of the jetty since my last dive. The big iron box is now exposed again and the rocks appear out of the sand in that area. The sand is still pretty packed between the rocks near the point. Not many fish out yet - saw Belted Sandfish, young Sandperch, rare small Stone Crabs, a few anemone, and one Southern Stingray. The topography has changed around the anchor area - I'll need a good viz day to get my bearings again. The trough area looks more cleaned out. Where the "road" was, there is a wall of that same black rock. It doesn't look like flat asphalt so I don't know if what I thought was chunks of roadway were just flat versions of this rock or if this wall is made of piles of asphalt. The rocks near the anchor seem more piled up in a ridge like formation. I didn't see the bike anywhere. Viz was 15'-20' with a lot of particles and some seaweed. Water temperature was 63 degrees at 55'. The deepest I got today was 58'. The currents were very strange, unpredictable, and at times pretty strong. They went from nothing to flowing out to flowing in - almost seemed like a whirlpool. We ended the dive at 45 minutes - I had sucked my air down pretty good fighting the currents to get pictures and chasing after the Stingray.
After the dive we went back to ScubaTech for air fills and to give them a report for their snorkel operation plans. We told them it looked pretty dangerous for snorkelers at the finger jetty. Steve said that several operators had asked the Mayor about removing the sand on the North side of the jetty. The Mayor said that the dredging was a Corps of Engineers operation and to change their plans would take an act of congress. The plans are to leave the sand where it is around the jetty. Carla says the sand that is piled up (on land) near the jetties is a holding area until permission from the EPA is gained to use it for beach re-nourishment - ?I thought they already had that?.
Here are some pictures:
