FL vacation

[AfterDark]

We got back from our Florida vacation Sunday.
Our 2003 Subaru Outback sedan powered by an H6 3.0L got us there, got us
around there and back for a total of 4000 miles without a hitch.

We made 3 snorkel dives, two with the manatees in Crystal River and one drift
dive down the Rainbow River. Our new friend ccm357mag arranged the 1st and
2sec dives for us with Adventure Diving of Crystal River
adventuredive@hotmail.com. Anyone that wants to dive in the Crystal River
area can't go wrong chartering with Adventure Diving. The owner Carl is a
very friendly,helpful and knowledgeable individual. The prices were reasonable
and were only out done by the top notch service.
The weather was unseasonably cool with air temps in the low 60's sunny and
windy. On the 1st dive ccm357mag arranged for us to have exclusive use of a
pontoon boat for the day. We dived two locations the last one, the Three
Sisters springs had the most manatees, as in hundreds, many gathered together
at the mouth of the springs where the flow discharges into the river. The
springs waters are warm and they all want a little heat from it.

Ccm357mag is a excellent boat handler! The day was very windy which makes a
pontoon boat even more difficult to handle. The river near the springs was very
narrow with a crowd of manatees, snorkelers, and boats both anchored and
moving. Ccm357mag handled it all flawlessly. Better than I could have done
for sure!
He told us about Rainbow River a drift dive with a moderately strong current
and clear water,unlimited vis! My wife and I snorkeled the river with a solo
diver from MI. Mrs. AfterDark doesn't scuba but loves to snorkel floating on
the surface buoyed by a wet suit. We didn't see a lot of activity again the
weather was probably a factor there. We enjoy ourselves immensely and I look
forward to going back after my shoulder is healed and ready for action so I
can dive the river during the day and after dark.


The cameras motor fried after shooting 1 roll while the film was rewinding.
Carl had 35mm camera's and housings at Adventure Diving so I was able to shoot
2 more rolls during the second day. My wife used a digital camera in a waterproof housing.

Ccm357mag kept the SB tradition of hospitality alive and well. I'm looking
forward to his vacation here in RI so we can do some scuba diving.

Here's some hack pictures we took.

 

[JohnniG]

Great pics

 

[AfterDark]

Great pics

Thanks your very kind. Did you see the pics in the snorkeling photos post? Wow! Those are great pics!

 

[Dave C]

Nice shots. I think your striped fish is a sheepshead. They can tolerate both fresh and saltwater, although they are normally a saltwater fish.

 

[AfterDark]

Nice shots. I think your striped fish is a sheepshead. They can tolerate both fresh and saltwater, although they are normally a saltwater fish.

Thanks for the fish ID. Apparently it's the calcium in the rivers water that allows salt water fish to winter in the fresh water. The calcium gives the fresh water the same specif gravity as salt water. That's the way it was explained to us anyway.

Here's a few more pics. The 1st are fish under a manatee eating the algae off their skin.
The second is Mrs. AfterDark and a manatee. The 3rd pic was taken just before we left.
The morning we left the river crested it's banks and flooded the road in front of my driveway. It happens a couple a times per year. Our house is 20+ feet above the river so it hasn't ever reached the house, yet.