Saturday, 14 of us from the Tallahasse Scuba Club met up at Dive Locker in Panama City to get a couple of dives in. We were put on the Fintastic and got the whole boat to ourselves. Joe was our trusty divemaster. Waves were about 2-4ft on the way out, and we headed for the Black Bart. This was the first ocean dive for some of the divers, and for the rest, the first dive since last summer or in a few years. The chop was enough to get half the boat seasick (not me), which made for an entertaining ride out. Once we arrived however, everyone was excited to hop in and check out the wreck. Jumping in, we found the waters cool at 72f, which wasnt too bad. We headed down to find 15ft visibility on the bottom. Regardless of the complaints about all the boats going to this dive, I always find something new to see. This time I swam into several parts of the hold that I had never been, and so had a new experience. The usual tropical and game fish were in abundance, and I even came across a unique to me crab. Kind of like a stone crab, but with a triangular head. Unfortunately, my buddies camera batteries were dead. After 30mins or so, we headed up.
Second dive was on Bridgespan 14, and as usual there were all kinds of life. I started the dive by searching under the bridge and saw several large toadfish. With my nose in the sand, I almost ran into a huge Batfish that blended right in. He didnt even move. We circled the span and then played on the top structure as schools of amberjack swam by, Queen Angelfish and Damsels played in the structure and yellow striped snapper chewed on the coral. After another 30 mins dives, we headed back up the line and back to shore. It was nice to get back in the ocean, and as usual it made for a tiring day.
Plenty of others had cameras, so pics will be coming soon.
Second dive was on Bridgespan 14, and as usual there were all kinds of life. I started the dive by searching under the bridge and saw several large toadfish. With my nose in the sand, I almost ran into a huge Batfish that blended right in. He didnt even move. We circled the span and then played on the top structure as schools of amberjack swam by, Queen Angelfish and Damsels played in the structure and yellow striped snapper chewed on the coral. After another 30 mins dives, we headed back up the line and back to shore. It was nice to get back in the ocean, and as usual it made for a tiring day.
Plenty of others had cameras, so pics will be coming soon.
