Dry Tortugas - Looking for the latest information

[DanBMW]

We have a planned trip next week on the Gulfstream and are curious about the present conditions from anyone who has been there recently. I called the bost several weeks ago and they said to just chek back later...... Pretty sure the latest trip went out last Thursday and from the web site:

Dry Tortugas National Park - Oil Spill Response (U.S. National Park Service)

the park appears to still be open.

The web site to the boat charter is not coming up and maybe it's just an internet fluk.

www.gulfstreameagle.com

Anyone just there? Water temp conditions? Fish life?

Seems like I also read that charters to THE Flower Gardens have been canceled because the boat can make more money waking the oil slicks!

 

[DanBMW]

This link works better..... guess this is either in the wrong section or no one has present conditions....

Dry Tortugas Diving liveaboard, The Ultimate Getaway. Dive the Dry Tortugas or customize a trip out of Ft. Myers Florida.

 

[mike_s]

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We have a planned trip next week on the Gulfstream [snip]

The web site to the boat charter is not coming up and maybe it's just an internet fluk.

www.gulfstreameagle.com

I hope you haven't paid them yet... if it's the Gulfstream Eagle.

Gulf Stream Eagle went out of business. The boat was sold off.

They didn't have a permit to do charters to the Tortugas park anyway... (only 4 permits a year are issued and to my knowledge, they've never had one).


Hopefully your trip is on the Ultimate Getaway as the 2nd link you posted.

Anyone just there? Water temp conditions? Fish life?

Email Frank at the Spree. He's on a trip to the Tortugas right now doing fish counts. his user ID on SB is [user]wookie[/user], but he wont' be check it much while on the boat. but he does check spree@spreeexpeditions.com I think.


Also call Rick at Ultimate Getaway... he's got trips scheduled the past two weeks. he'll know the conditions.

 

[DanBMW]

We did the Ultimate Getaway last weekend. Below is a short report I posted to a friend.

The surface water temp was in the low to mid 80's, but dropped down to the low 70's and even 68 at the L Tower on the way back.

We did a SCUBA live aboard trip to The Dry Tortugas (where Dr. Mud was imprisoned after he patched up John Wilkes Booth) area last weekend and had a great time. We wanted to make sure that if the oil spill destroys it, we had the opportunity to see it one last time.

The reefs looked good, but there were not a lot of fish compared to West Palm Beach. On the ride back to Ft. Myers, where we started the trip, we made two very early morning dives, one on a wreck and the other on a radio tower about 50 miles from land. Several divers found glass bottle on the wreck. The radio tower, L-Tower, a man made structure, was loaded with fish! There were at least a dozen Goliath Groupers from juveniles to 450+ pounds, a huge Nurse shark, schools of barracuda, Jacks and tons of other fish.

A great diving trip except for the lack of fish in the natural habitats. Maybe the fish have already fled the oil invasion! The only thing missing was the BMW, but it waited patently in the garage, hooked up to a charger, covered in bugs from the last trip and to ride....