Front Beach Night dive 7/26

[reefseal]

Fencingfish, Orion612004 and dove Front Beach last night for full moon night dive. We attempted to do OGB but it seemed choppy and would likely be surgey.

It was my first dive there so Fencingfish lead the dive. We followed rocks towards the right side of Back beach and back. Water was very warm throughout the dive 66 degrees at max depth of 24 fsw and vis was great. 20 fsw? We entered after sun set at 8:26 and had a 62 min bt.

I saw my first squid of season, one of which we watched change colors, Also saw horse shoe crab which I can't remember seeing in Cape Ann before and, lots of flounder. WWe spotted one lobzilla in one of the rocks which was definitely a keeper. Lots of baby fish. Tiny flounder, sea raven/sculpin/the kind I can never tell the difference between..

Was cool heading back in on our backs looking at full moon and stars

It was worth the late night drive back to NH.

 

[fencingfish]

This might have been one of my top dives of the year so far. As tide was low and Orion612004 and I did Halibut and Folly on Saturday complete with surface swims, dorkeling, and hiking, I was all for an easy site. OGB looked choppy so I voted Front Beach. As we're suiting up I kept thinking how reefseal would HATE me after this dive (easy, shallow, sand, surgey seaweed - an hour of this and he'll be bored to tears!), but it turned out to be a phenomenal dive! TONS of life last night. Vis was great so we didn't have to be on top of each other, we could spread out and each do our own exploring. I took us straight out at Front Beach, then we turned left and went over to the right side of Back Beach, turned again so we were heading out from Back Beach, then angled us back in over to Front Beach. Navigation was spot on!

We also saw a scup/porgy sleeping in about 18fsw, a fish that I have never seen around cape ann - very exciting. We watched a spotted hake bury itself in the sand, and easily spent 5 minutes watching the squid pulse and change colors in front of our lights. We burned up an hour of bottom time easily, it was a beautiful night to float quietly and slowly and watch the critters.

 

[DavidInNH]

Wow! I'm surprised that with all of his dives, our buddy had never done Front Beach! It sometimes seems TOO easy to do but is a nice dive (and you can't beat the entry).

 

[reefseal]

Any site on a full moon is a great site for night dive. Can't wait to turn my kids onto a night dive there.