Akyla
Contributor
We got out on Tuesday 6-8 and made a run to the Proteus and Dixie Arrow.
Sea conditions were excellent with a 5-10kt breeze from the SE and just a 1 to 2 ft wave. The water conditions at the Proteus were pretty good with the surface temps at 77. Little to no surface current and clear blue down to 65 feet then the viz and temp fell off until at the bottom it was 72 and the viz down to 40, maybe 50. A good bit below normal, but still plenty to see all the fish and the sharks as they parade past.
Anchored right at the very stern with the line passing the steering quadrant on its way to the bottom. Most all the divers stayed nearby with one group making it to the boiler area amidships, where they reported a large shoal of sharks hanging in the current above the boilers. When I went down to get the anchor, there were plenty of groupers and sharks hanging out under the stern where the anchor was. On the drift off, there were many more out in the sand off the wreck as well.
We then hit the Dixie Arrow on the way in and there the surface current was a respectable 1/2 kt making using the granny line a must. On the bottom the current was lighter, but the viz and water changed remarkably. The bottom 30 ft had only about 30 ft of vis and was 70. There were also hundreds of jellyfish going past, each carrying up to a dozen or so little white fish swimming safely in the tenacles. Not so for us as a brush with some of them left you a bit tingling. After the dive one of the divers said they felt a bit like Nemo dodging the jellies - he just wasn't orange. Other than the jellyfish swarm there were lots of fish, some rays and a few of the sharks to see. Pretty good second dive.
Good start for our June. Looks like the water is finally warming and clearing up from the slow start of this spring.
Sea conditions were excellent with a 5-10kt breeze from the SE and just a 1 to 2 ft wave. The water conditions at the Proteus were pretty good with the surface temps at 77. Little to no surface current and clear blue down to 65 feet then the viz and temp fell off until at the bottom it was 72 and the viz down to 40, maybe 50. A good bit below normal, but still plenty to see all the fish and the sharks as they parade past.
Anchored right at the very stern with the line passing the steering quadrant on its way to the bottom. Most all the divers stayed nearby with one group making it to the boiler area amidships, where they reported a large shoal of sharks hanging in the current above the boilers. When I went down to get the anchor, there were plenty of groupers and sharks hanging out under the stern where the anchor was. On the drift off, there were many more out in the sand off the wreck as well.
We then hit the Dixie Arrow on the way in and there the surface current was a respectable 1/2 kt making using the granny line a must. On the bottom the current was lighter, but the viz and water changed remarkably. The bottom 30 ft had only about 30 ft of vis and was 70. There were also hundreds of jellyfish going past, each carrying up to a dozen or so little white fish swimming safely in the tenacles. Not so for us as a brush with some of them left you a bit tingling. After the dive one of the divers said they felt a bit like Nemo dodging the jellies - he just wasn't orange. Other than the jellyfish swarm there were lots of fish, some rays and a few of the sharks to see. Pretty good second dive.
Good start for our June. Looks like the water is finally warming and clearing up from the slow start of this spring.
