going to the flower gardens but NO DIVING!!

[archman]

Tomorrow I'm off for a 5-day jaunt to the Flower Gardens aboard the Spree. Unfortunately we're not going to be diving, but staring at TV screens as some upstart robot piddles around. Fortunately the thing has an arm to collect some junk for our lab, 'else I'd probably go nuts. Maybe if I'm nice they'll let me snorkel, ha!

My first trip to the Banks, and NO DIVING. I must be eligible for some sort of Swamp Divers sympathy award (hint hint).

 

[Moostang]

Geeze what a tease!!!!

*Moo mournes for you*

 

[TwoBitTxn]

You have my sympathies. Have a good trip.

Ask about the petition and see if you can help (please).

TwoBit

 

[Dee]

If you're gonna be stuck topside, hope the seas are calm!

 

[scubafanatic]

...well archman, if you're clever, perhaps you can arrange it so that the robot experiences 'technical difficulties' ....if you know what I mean, requiring, of course, a scuba diver 'rescue' of some very expensive gear?

Karl

P.S. ...I'm positive, of course, that since there's absolutely no diving planned, the weather out there will be perfect....the best weather in living memory....

 

[ZenSquirrel]

I suggest that you arrange some "man overboard" situations for yourself. It make look a little fishy if you "happen" to fall in with all your scuba gear and it takes you 40 minutes to surface, but hey, that can all be handled after the dive.

 

[GeekDiver]

Can't belive that you won't have some down time in which you can get a dive or two in.

 

[archman]

Seas were too rough for diving; in fact the Fling never left Freeport with her research divers. We were the only boat at the West Bank on Wednesday.
The trusty robot sub came with an ace pilot from Wilmington, North Carolina. Saw craploads of marbled and yellowmouth groupers, sunshinefish and purple reef fish in the 200-400 foot range, and even a funny yellow eel with gold spots resembling a sea snake (forgot it's name; sharptailed eel or something). Black corals all over creation.
Here are a few pics, one of the little robot, another of the "control center" rigged in the Spree's salon, and the third was a recovered specimen of Siphonogorgia caribaea. This thing's apparently quite rare and until last year wasn't even known to occur in the Gulf of Mexico! Ain't it pretty!

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Thanks for the cool pics. Who was the Captain? A friend of my husbands captains the spree on occasion when he's not being a fireman.

 

[archman]

Thanks for the cool pics. Who was the Captain? A friend of my husbands captains the spree on occasion when he's not being a fireman.

We had THREE captains, 'cuz the boat had to be precisely maintained a certain distance from the sub when it was operating. Very tiring. We also motored to three different areas, the West Bank, McGrail Bank 60 miles to the east, and some place called ClayPile.

Frank was "head captain", then there was another older guy with real short hair whose name I keep forgetting, and Melanie was third captain. We must've burned up a crapload of gas last week.