Guba
Contributor
We had a couple of good dives inside Hell's Gate, with my brother "captaining" his boat for us. I know, I know...that's not the best place for vis, but the wind was kicking up at other favorite sites, and the cove inside the Gate was smooth. Besides, my dive buddy really enjoys "treasure hunting" at the party sites.
First dive was on the west side just across from the island. Vis was 3-5 feet, but it got dark at about 30 feet (and we were only carrying backup lights). Our goal was to check out the slope of the wall, anyway, but it was remarkably clean. I think there must have been a massive cleanup there. We had fun, though, and saw several fish, one of which was a big catfish nestled under a ledge. He sure wasn't happy to see us!
On our surface interval, we hit Scuba Point, which is still open on the weekends for air fills, etc. Most folks know it's up for sale, but the owner assured me they weren't closing...just moving "up the road a bit", so air will still be available no matter what. We had a snack lunch aboard the boat and made preps for our second dive.
This one was just inside the gate on the south side. The water is shallow there, but it's a favorite "parking spot" for boaters, so the chances of "treasure" are a bit higher. Vis was about 3 feet at best. One thing we found almost immediately was a six foot piece of cable. That was a blessing, though, for my buddy held one end and I held the other as we cruised over the bottom in a heads-down position. We'd never have been able to stay together if not for the leash. Gotta remember that for next time. Our finds for the day included a string of "mardi gras" beads, two pair of sunglasses, an assortment of footwear, and...surprise...two anchors. It's always amusing to find those there...they're almost always still attached to their ropes. I suppose the wealth of beer cans on the bottom partially explains how that happens: "Hey, uh, I'll just throw out this here anchor and...hey! Wasn't that thing supposed to be tied to the boat? (hic)."
We shot markers (take a look at my gallery for a pic of our really inexpensive, home-made markers) and finished up another hour long dive, then picked up our new anchors to add to the collection (those were the fourth and fifth anchors we've raised in that cove). The funny part was that while we were down, a couple of boats had entered the cove. One was filled with about six 20-somethings sunbathing, and they settled just outside the limits of our dive flag. They were watching the water just as our first marker popped up. "Hey, what's that thing?" My brother, the boat captain, didn't miss a beat..."That's a marker from my divers. I guess they found the body."
Almost a runaway. He was quick to tell them he was joking, though.
All in all, a good day of diving, especially for tried-and-true swampers. This is just more evidence that we don't need sterling visibility to have a good time.
First dive was on the west side just across from the island. Vis was 3-5 feet, but it got dark at about 30 feet (and we were only carrying backup lights). Our goal was to check out the slope of the wall, anyway, but it was remarkably clean. I think there must have been a massive cleanup there. We had fun, though, and saw several fish, one of which was a big catfish nestled under a ledge. He sure wasn't happy to see us!
On our surface interval, we hit Scuba Point, which is still open on the weekends for air fills, etc. Most folks know it's up for sale, but the owner assured me they weren't closing...just moving "up the road a bit", so air will still be available no matter what. We had a snack lunch aboard the boat and made preps for our second dive.
This one was just inside the gate on the south side. The water is shallow there, but it's a favorite "parking spot" for boaters, so the chances of "treasure" are a bit higher. Vis was about 3 feet at best. One thing we found almost immediately was a six foot piece of cable. That was a blessing, though, for my buddy held one end and I held the other as we cruised over the bottom in a heads-down position. We'd never have been able to stay together if not for the leash. Gotta remember that for next time. Our finds for the day included a string of "mardi gras" beads, two pair of sunglasses, an assortment of footwear, and...surprise...two anchors. It's always amusing to find those there...they're almost always still attached to their ropes. I suppose the wealth of beer cans on the bottom partially explains how that happens: "Hey, uh, I'll just throw out this here anchor and...hey! Wasn't that thing supposed to be tied to the boat? (hic)."
We shot markers (take a look at my gallery for a pic of our really inexpensive, home-made markers) and finished up another hour long dive, then picked up our new anchors to add to the collection (those were the fourth and fifth anchors we've raised in that cove). The funny part was that while we were down, a couple of boats had entered the cove. One was filled with about six 20-somethings sunbathing, and they settled just outside the limits of our dive flag. They were watching the water just as our first marker popped up. "Hey, what's that thing?" My brother, the boat captain, didn't miss a beat..."That's a marker from my divers. I guess they found the body."
Almost a runaway. He was quick to tell them he was joking, though.
All in all, a good day of diving, especially for tried-and-true swampers. This is just more evidence that we don't need sterling visibility to have a good time.
