here's the full scoop if any of you want to read it:
After having just purchased a new set of gear from Dive Sports in Decatur, AL, where I BTW got a great deal, I was itching to get wet and try out the gear. Phil, owner of Dive Sports, mentioned that he had a group going to Panama City, FL for 2 days of diving on February 10th and 11th. I was a little reluctant due to the water temp, but decided to go for it anyway. I wouldnt be disappointed. I watched the weather like a hawk all week and the prediction changed almost every day. The latest forecast was for 4 to 6 foot seas on Saturday and cloudy, 2 to 3 on Sunday and sunny, with a water temp of 59 degrees. So the diving was questionable for our planned offshore trip to Stage 1 on Saturday.
I had yet to get my new gear, which consists of an Apeks TX50/TX40 octo, Zeagle Ranger, a Liquid Fit 3mm Platinum full/shorty combo with 6mm hood and a Cobra computer, wet. So the wife and I headed out on the 7 1/2 hour drive Friday morning in hopes of getting to Panama City in time for me to make a test dive our hotel pool. We arrived in Panama City around 3:30 and stopped by Hydrospace Dive Center to rent a tank and some weights for my pool dive. I got my weight down pat and checked out all the new gear and we then headed for the Mariner to chow down on some fresh seafood. The food was great, the crowd small. They have a seafood buffet that was reduced in price, I guess due to the off-season, and was exceptional. BTW, the drinks were half price as well!! So after getting our bellies full, we headed back to our room and turned in for the night.
We were scheduled to go out with Hydrospace at 11:00 for a 6-hour offshore trip Saturday morning. I got to Hydrospace around 10:15 and the rest of our group got there a few minutes later. Our group consisted of Phil Ellis, his son Brad, another Brad from Birmingham, Josh, Chad and myself. Joshs wife also tagged along for the ride but didnt dive. Phil had also brought me a new set of Atomic Splitfins to try out and some new soft weights. He promised that he was providing the fins, and weights for that matter, with no strings attached. But warned that I shouldnt dive the Atomics unless I was prepared to buy them, he claimed they were a must have. He would be correct. We were going out on the Reef Diver and our captain was Shannon Brown and the first mate was Barry.
Now for the diving. Due to high seas offshore we decided to dive Fountain Blue instead of our planned Stage 1. Fountain Blue is one of the spans of the old Hathaway Bridge and lies in 75-80fsw. Chad and I were the only nuts diving wet, or so we thought, so we buddied. We arrived at the site and the seas werent too bad at 1 to 2 ft. Barry, the first mate, went down and tied off on the bridge span. He came back reporting a slight surface current, 60 to 75 foot vis, and a 59-degree water temp. He had undoubtedly bumped his head on something the night before cause he was diving in a shorty! He was purple and blue when he boarded the boat, poor sole. LOL!! We hit the water and it was quite a shock. But I remained comfortably warm throughout the dive in my 3mm Liquid Fits. Never once did I feel any cold water inside the suits. I had a lot of trouble with my mask flooding on this dive, so I didnt really see much of the site. I guess the hood was interfering in some way or something cause I had to clear it every few breaths. I also couldnt get the feel of my new gear due to this. So I just followed Chad and we saw few freshly shed lobster molts, a lot of baitfish, a grouper and several Amber Jacks. As well as other fish that Ive yet to place a name on, gotta study up on that. The profile was 77ft for 32 minutes with an average depth of 60.
We decided that since the vis was so good we should checkout the Black Bart for our second dive. Everyone, except Chad and I, was spear fishing, so the Bart was a promising site for that. We tied up on the Bart and we were again all by ourselves on the wreck. The seas were at again around 2ft here. The vis on the Bart wasnt as good as our last site, but it was still around 60. The last time I dove this wreck the vis was more like 25, so for the first time I could actually see the wreck, as it should be. Chad and I noticed a rather large Amber Jack that was held up in the wheelhouse of the wreck. Dont know how the other guys missed him, since we were tied up on the wheelhouse. Since Chad and I were the last down this time, the other guys had moved off and were exploring the wreck, so it looked as if this Amber Jack would live another day. Chad and I moved off and I almost immediately found a small Octopus inside one of the little holes on top of the deck. We observed him for a while and moved on. Chad collected a few vacant shells and I picked up a fish lure. We again saw large quantities of baitfish and several smaller Amber Jack, and some more of those unidentified fishes. I switched back to my old mask on this dive and remedied the flood problems as a result. I also spent part of the dive checking out those Atomics. They are nice. Fining is almost effortless and you can really move if you want. I was also delightfully surprised that the Apeks TX50 breathed dry in any position I cared put it in. So I spent a good part of the dive upside down and turtle, enjoying the dry air. It also breathes extremely well, and excellent reg. Air was getting short so Chad and I headed back toward the wheelhouse and anchor line. Upon reaching the wheelhouse we saw that the large Amber Jack was still there. Brad and Josh were also approaching with Brad having 1 Amber Jack on his stringer. We got their attention and pointed out the large Amber Jack in the wheelhouse. Brad decided to let Josh take him since he already had 1. So here comes Josh to one of the side windows trying to get a shot. When hed move the Amber Jack would move. It was hilarious watching him and the AJ move back and forth. He got so close to the AJ that he could almost have touched him with the spear gun, but he never took the shot. Finally the AJ decided it was time to leave the area and he went out the window between us. They didnt pursue him cause we were all running very low on air and headed up. After getting back on the boat Josh caught hell over letting the AJ get away. The profile was 74fsw for 36 minutes with an average depth of 51fsw and again 59 degrees.
We pulled anchor and headed for shore. After we got all our gear loaded everyone agreed to meet at Montego Bay for dinner at 6:00. After I got back to the room my wife informed me that her plans didnt include the Montego Bay. She wanted to go to Hamiltons instead, since we had never been there I agreed. Sorry guys. The food was great here as well and they lived up to their reputation. The Key Lime pie was out of this world.
Sunday greeted us with sunshine and rising air temps. It was to be a beautiful day for diving. After arriving at Hydrospace we were informed by Shannon, our captain again today, that we were being joined by 2 other divers (a man and his wife) today. John, another diver from Phils group that couldnt make it for Saturdays dive, would also join us today. After asking Shannon if we could do an offshore site today, he told us that if we could talk the 2 additional divers into it, it was fine with him. So Phil, being the sport that he is, offered to pay their additional share for going offshore. They accepted of course and we decided to head for a newer wreck named Akokee (I think thats how you spell it). It sits upright in about 105fsw. Not sure about the history on it since I didnt write it down as our first mate, Jeff, was going over it and its slipped my mind already. Phil told me to set up on nitrox for this one, so I accepted, excitedly, in anticipation of the extra bottom time on the deeper site. Stupid me had dove the Cobra in air mode the day before so it wouldnt let me switch to nitrox mode. Thats my only complaint on the Cobra, but that isnt a problem, if you just keep it in Nitrox mode all the time and set it to 21% when diving air. Oh well, you live and learn. This proved to be the best dive of the trip. We had 100+ vis! Thats right 100+ in Panama City, FL. John buddied with Chad and I for this dive. We had zero problems with the 3-man team and everyone stayed together easily. I did manage to give Chad the slip one time though while circling one of the stacks on the deck. I could tell he was looking for me, so I put the Atomics in overdrive and caught back up to him as he was circling the stack looking for me. The wreck is absolutely loaded with life and is a must do if youre ever in PC. We again saw numerous Amber Jack, but most of them were small. The other guys did manage to bag a few nice ones though. I also located a nice sized lobster under the ship about midway of the starboard side. He didnt hang around long though. The holds of this ship were absolutely loaded with small baitfish. Thousands upon thousands of them. We didnt penetrate it but it is penetrateable. The profile was 101fsw for 30 minutes with the average depth being at 72fsw. I cut it close on NDL on this dive according to the Cobra, due to having to dive it in air mode. I also sounded off the ascent rate indicator as we were ascending. But I did it deliberately just see how fast was too fast for it. I really dont see it being a problem for me, but it is a tad sensitive.
For our final dive we decided to head to the USS Strength. This would be my first dive on the Strength, I had always wanted to do it, just never had. Its in 2 pieces with 1 sitting upright and the other lying on its side. So the whole ship is opened up for penetration if you dare, I did not. I again buddied with Chad and John for this dive. The visibility wasnt as good here but it was a respectful 45-50. That was partly due to our efforts at digging up some shells and such. Chad and John managed to find some nice ones but I didnt bother bringing any up. This wreck also had a lot of life and we managed to see 3 Dolphins on the surface before descending on it, but they were long gone by the time we got down. Pity, I would have loved to have swam with them in their natural environment. There weren't any sizeable AJs here so the spearfisherman came up empty on this one. I again had some problems with my mask flooding, so I must have had something under the seal again. But it wasnt as bad as the first dive and as long as it stays out of my eyes it doesnt bother me and I rarely clear it until it does. The profile here was 79fsw for 34 minutes with an average depth of 55fsw and the water temp was again at 59 degrees.
This was a great weekend in PC and I look forward to my next trip. Hydrospace provided us with an excellent crew in Shannon, Jeff and Barry, and an excellent weekend of diving. I ended up buying the Atomics and the weights from Phil since he was kind enough to offer them to me at great price. Kudos to Phil and Brad of Dive Sports, Decatur, AL for arranging this great trip. If youre ever in Decatur stop by and see him, hes one shop owner that appreciates his customers and aims to please. I look forward to my next trip with him and the other divers one this trip. Id also like to add that my 3mm Liquid Fits kept me quite warm on all the dives and I never once got cold, except for my hands, on any of the dives. I cant say the same for when I got on the surface though. I got out of the suits after each dive and put on dry clothes to stay warm.
