Hetland
Contributor
ReCharge, MrXRay, Grouper321 and myself had had about enough of the cold water temps and crappy viz around Pensacola, so when I saw that the wind was forecast for <10kts I started working on a dive plan. We knew we had to get offshore for the warmer temps, and we were pretty sure the viz would be terrible close in as well, so we decided to dive the Chevron Jacket a few miles North of the Oriskany.
The ride out was a tad bumpy, but not worth further complaint. Grouper did a good job getting us out. Once onsite we saw the slightest hint of blue in the water, but it was mostly green and slime-filled. It took us several tries to hook into the jacket, and we had some fisherfolk next to us that had almost as much difficulty hooking in (they had a wreck hook, so they had it a little easier than us).
We splashed into the 61° water (64° @ 105ft) and shivered our way down to the rig. I had just purchased a hooded-vest to go with my 5mm jumpsuit, and I can say without reserve that I am now a believer. It made a big difference in my comfort, and I stayed mostly warm for the dives (the safety stops were chilly though). Viz was under 10ft until you hit 70 or 80ft, and then it opened to somewhere between 30 and 40. The limiting factor on viz was not particulate, but available light. The water above us was so murky that very little sunlight made it through. It was almost a dusk dive.
At the top of the platform we were hooked in to (about 100ft) we found thousands and thousands of red snapper. We were literally pushing them away with the sides of our guns. I was hoping to shoot a fat mangrove, but every time I was able to pick one out of the acres of reds and make a positive ID, they would swim from safe shooting distance. Barry shot a nice AJ, and I shot some video. It's been about 1 1/2 months since my last dive, so it was great to get wet again.
We made our ascent after about 30 minutes, and took an hour for our SI. We were entertained by out fisher-friends catching AJ's and Reds nearby (the reds were released). They were a good group of folks and we traded a few laughs with them.
I was short-timing on my second dive because I just had an AL80, so I rushed down and popped an AJ as fast as I could without wasting the entire dive looking for a diamond in the rough. I saw XRay and Recharge had hooked into a few fish as well. XRay shot another really nice AJ, and ReCharge hit an Almaco Jack. XRay had an issue with his shaft line, but held onto his spear. Luckily Grouper321 was on the ball, and was able to recover his gun as soon as it hit the surface.
The ride back in was even better than the ride out. It was a little cooler, but we made good time because the wind was at our backs, and the seas were less then 2ft.
After we hit the ramp we decided to debrief at the Fuji Steak/Sushi joint. I ate sushi until I was almost sick, and we all warmed ourselves up with some miso soup. Not a bad way to start the 2010 spearfishing season.
This is the thanks I get for planning such a great trip
XRay's AJ's
Biggest catch of the day
ReCharge and his Almaco Jack
Your humble reporter and his AJ
The ride out was a tad bumpy, but not worth further complaint. Grouper did a good job getting us out. Once onsite we saw the slightest hint of blue in the water, but it was mostly green and slime-filled. It took us several tries to hook into the jacket, and we had some fisherfolk next to us that had almost as much difficulty hooking in (they had a wreck hook, so they had it a little easier than us).
We splashed into the 61° water (64° @ 105ft) and shivered our way down to the rig. I had just purchased a hooded-vest to go with my 5mm jumpsuit, and I can say without reserve that I am now a believer. It made a big difference in my comfort, and I stayed mostly warm for the dives (the safety stops were chilly though). Viz was under 10ft until you hit 70 or 80ft, and then it opened to somewhere between 30 and 40. The limiting factor on viz was not particulate, but available light. The water above us was so murky that very little sunlight made it through. It was almost a dusk dive.
At the top of the platform we were hooked in to (about 100ft) we found thousands and thousands of red snapper. We were literally pushing them away with the sides of our guns. I was hoping to shoot a fat mangrove, but every time I was able to pick one out of the acres of reds and make a positive ID, they would swim from safe shooting distance. Barry shot a nice AJ, and I shot some video. It's been about 1 1/2 months since my last dive, so it was great to get wet again.
We made our ascent after about 30 minutes, and took an hour for our SI. We were entertained by out fisher-friends catching AJ's and Reds nearby (the reds were released). They were a good group of folks and we traded a few laughs with them.
I was short-timing on my second dive because I just had an AL80, so I rushed down and popped an AJ as fast as I could without wasting the entire dive looking for a diamond in the rough. I saw XRay and Recharge had hooked into a few fish as well. XRay shot another really nice AJ, and ReCharge hit an Almaco Jack. XRay had an issue with his shaft line, but held onto his spear. Luckily Grouper321 was on the ball, and was able to recover his gun as soon as it hit the surface.
The ride back in was even better than the ride out. It was a little cooler, but we made good time because the wind was at our backs, and the seas were less then 2ft.
After we hit the ramp we decided to debrief at the Fuji Steak/Sushi joint. I ate sushi until I was almost sick, and we all warmed ourselves up with some miso soup. Not a bad way to start the 2010 spearfishing season.
This is the thanks I get for planning such a great trip
XRay's AJ's
Biggest catch of the day
ReCharge and his Almaco Jack
Your humble reporter and his AJ
[vimeo]9612683[/vimeo]
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