L Street - Night Dive 10/10/14

[agilis]

Clamming is prohibited in any area adjacent to a marina. Clamming is also prohibited in areas that are too polluted, with high coliform counts, etc. These are identified on charts that are constantly updated. Parts of Shark river basin are regularly closed. A resident recreational clamming/shellfish permit is $10. Local mussels are quite good, but inshore they are very sandy.

 

[lowviz]

...//... Local mussels are quite good, but inshore they are very sandy.

The purple ones are completely awesome, brown ones not so much. I like to select a few of the best sized ones from high up above the sand on wreck dives and try to talk the crew/cap't into "dragging" them. (always good for a better tip) Take the mussels home in a cooler on ice covered by newspaper, don't take the cooler onto the boat. Throw away any open ones when you get home. Buy the cheapest bottle of white wine you can find cut with water if you wish, a bit of real butter, and minced fresh garlic to taste. Heat the "sauce" to boiling and throw the mussels in, stirring constantly until all are opened. Don't overcook. Throw out any that didn't open. Enjoy.

Mussels are a real pain to scrub clean. The solution is to hang your bag of mussels in the prop wash for about 5-10 min (Crew does this for you!) and let them rattle around and scrub themselves shiny.

Below is a pic of the late Captain Zero's idea of dragging them. Looks like about 15kt. He wouldn't turn around, but I could still see the grin.

 

[whitefang21]

The local mussels are so good, I do not look forward to rinsing my dive gear after the Dive because there is so much to clean. After rinsing the BC three times still salty :blinking:, what i do look forward to is cooking the mussels, completely worth it. The smell of the wine and the garlic or even tasting the brew before throwing the mussels in (Spectacular).

Adding on to Lowviz - I Try to Cook them the same day ,

 

[agilis]

The local mussels are so good, I do not look forward to rinsing my dive gear after the Dive because there is so much to clean. After rinsing the BC three times still salty :blinking:, what i do look forward to is cooking the mussels, completely worth it. The smell of the wine and the garlic or even tasting the brew before throwing the mussels in (Spectacular).

Adding on to Lowviz - I Try to Cook them the same day ,

I completely agree. Mussels fresh from the sea are spectacularly delicious, well worth the time spent cleaning even if you collected them inshore without the convenience of a return trip by boat.

When I was a young guy and my extended family were all still around, I'd suspend mussels in a mesh bag from my aunt's dock in Bayhead, very close to the Point Pleasant Canal. Alas, I am almost the last of the clan, and no longer have all those options I enjoyed and thought would last forever when I was a kid. Still, you hold onto what you can.

The brown mussels lowviz mentions are considered inedible. They are Modiolus modiolus, usually called Horse Mussels. The wonderful blue ones are Mytilus edulis. All mussels are ecologically invaluable. A dense mussel bed filters and purifies the water with amazing efficiency.

 

[whitefang21]

its time to get to know each other lets go diving:nailbiter::sanctum:

 

[whitefang21]

Agilis , lowviz and basking when we hitting the water:cyborg:

 

[lowviz]

If you don't get any takers for a day dive, we could meet up sometime on the other side of Thanksgiving for a real night dive. Look for when the full(ish) moon, tides, and weather all line up. I'll start watching too just in case...

I suggest L-Street or maybe the RR Bridge. SRI can wait until I'm in full winter mode, little room for error on that one.

 

[agilis]

I've become a warm water diver in my dotage. I'd love to meet and dive with you all, but not for a while. Meanwhile, keep me updated. I used to get some nice lobsters in early winter. thanks for the invitation.

 

[lowviz]

Well, you could always publicly share a few of your tips for the local "when what and where's" in winter diving if you want to stay actively involved in our escapades.

You are the one with the endless experience here. Speaking of lobsters, I assume you mean the rocks along the Shark River inlet. BTW, is there still a big hole under that cement road deck slab under the bridge at the inlet?

I really like that more locals are starting to dive this area again. Let us know where the winter goods are. All you will do is attract more fellow divers and help feed the dive shops. -keeping it alive.

Thx.

 

[whitefang21]

Well, you could always publicly share a few of your tips for the local "when what and where's" in winter diving if you want to stay actively involved in our escapades.

You are the one with the endless experience here. Speaking of lobsters, I assume you mean the rocks along the Shark River inlet. BTW, is there still a big hole under that cement road deck slab under the bridge at the inlet?

I really like that more locals are starting to dive this area again. Let us know where the winter goods are. All you will do is attract more fellow divers and help feed the dive shops. -keeping it alive.

Thx.

Agilis pass on the knowledge. I can only imagine the fun you had