Diving with Stuart Cove

[Green Frog]

After a four year layoff, I finally got back to Nassau a week ago. I dove with Start Cove Sunday afternoon, all day Monday, and Tuesday morning. Stuart has moved to a new base of operations at Coral Harbor (fairly near the airport) and is still building, but the diving activities seem to be going full tilt. I had good, competent captains and dive staff for all three days and feel like I got good value for my time and money invested. I hope to get back next year and do it again!



PS Between dives I met Stuart and laughingly told him that after being a customer for over 20 years, this was the first time we’d met face to face. We both had a laugh and he assured me that he was indeed real!

 

[Green Frog]

I finally got some of the pix from my SeaLife Micro 3 downladed and properly cropped. I posted a discussion on the SeaLife page of UW Photography here, but that’s not getting much traffic, so I thought I’d post a few here. First I’ll show a funny picture of DM Fanny casually watching her charges, then one of the many shark pictures I got. Next comes one of the angelfish that were very numerous (mostly Grey Angels and French Angels like this one hanging out at one of the wrecks). Finally, a colorful parrotfish whose species I can’t quite identify. (Rainbow?) After a four year layoff from diving and having to switch from old Nikonos film cameras to this little digital and natural light, I’m not too unhappy with the results. Hope you’ll enjoy them!

 

[drl]

Queen parrotfish, I think

 

[Green Frog]

drl, I was torn between calling it Queen or Rainbow. I’ve got to drag out my old copy of Paul Humann’s Reef Identification, Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas and spend some quality time with it. I have both the 1st and 2nd editions, bought when I was spending a lot of time in the Bahamas, but it’s been a long time and I’ve forgotten a lot!

 

[Green Frog]

You made me want to get out the book and check. I’m still going with Rainbow Parrotfish in late initial phase... it lacks the distinctive facial markings and the high, well marked dorsal fin the Queen should have. What makes it confusing is it’s begun to take on some of the coloration of the terminal phase, but not all of them. A Queen at that age/phase should still have the dull brown with white horizontal band appearance. I could be wrong, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!