Shane and I did our second dive Saturday near a large bright yellow sign onshore with bold black letters that proclaimed
Free Crab Pots Due West of This Sign
Well actually the sign said
Caution: Pipeline due West for 1000 Yards but the meaning is the same.
The 4 diameter pipeline comes out of the sandy slope at about 30 fsw and eventually dives back under at 75 fsw. It is made of wooden staves that are held together with iron hoops. It has been fifteen years since I had been diving there and the pipelines condition has deteriorated. High pressure liquid of a dark and cloudy nature is jetting out from cracks with enough force to have excavated quite an area around the pipe supposedly this pipe had been abandoned long ago and is no longer in use well somebody is using it big time and the fish are liking whatever they are pumping out . pheeeeeewwwww.
The pipeline is draped with Ghost Pots. Ghost Pots are abandoned crab gear that continues to catch & kill crab.
Some of the pots were obviously very old but some were brand new including one commercial pot worth $100. Line was draped all over the place as well having been cut when it was obvious the pot was not coming back up.
One pot was full of live crab - which we released Shane and I were not into eating crab because we already had our teeth set for post-dive Chinese food.
We hooked some of the best pots together and sent a pot line up with a lift bag.
Later onboard the boat, Ken (our ndbd) & I were working hard at pulling the load of pots up without success. Shane was kind enough to remind me that Uncle Pug (the boat) has a hydraulic puller I knew that it's my boat... I was just testing Ken.
Up they came gloriously festooned with seaweed, algae and rotting bait errrkkkkkhhhhhhppppffttttgggaaakkkkkk we couldnt smell it underwater but once we got them on deck I thought Shane was going to barf.
Back at the port with high pressure freshwater they cleaned up just fine and should more than pay for the days dives and the Chinese food.
Free Crab Pots Due West of This Sign
Well actually the sign said
Caution: Pipeline due West for 1000 Yards but the meaning is the same.
The 4 diameter pipeline comes out of the sandy slope at about 30 fsw and eventually dives back under at 75 fsw. It is made of wooden staves that are held together with iron hoops. It has been fifteen years since I had been diving there and the pipelines condition has deteriorated. High pressure liquid of a dark and cloudy nature is jetting out from cracks with enough force to have excavated quite an area around the pipe supposedly this pipe had been abandoned long ago and is no longer in use well somebody is using it big time and the fish are liking whatever they are pumping out . pheeeeeewwwww.
The pipeline is draped with Ghost Pots. Ghost Pots are abandoned crab gear that continues to catch & kill crab.
Some of the pots were obviously very old but some were brand new including one commercial pot worth $100. Line was draped all over the place as well having been cut when it was obvious the pot was not coming back up.
One pot was full of live crab - which we released Shane and I were not into eating crab because we already had our teeth set for post-dive Chinese food.
We hooked some of the best pots together and sent a pot line up with a lift bag.
Later onboard the boat, Ken (our ndbd) & I were working hard at pulling the load of pots up without success. Shane was kind enough to remind me that Uncle Pug (the boat) has a hydraulic puller I knew that it's my boat... I was just testing Ken.
Up they came gloriously festooned with seaweed, algae and rotting bait errrkkkkkhhhhhhppppffttttgggaaakkkkkk we couldnt smell it underwater but once we got them on deck I thought Shane was going to barf.
Back at the port with high pressure freshwater they cleaned up just fine and should more than pay for the days dives and the Chinese food.
