Seth Patterson
Registered
I haven't posted here in a while so I thought I'd share some pictures from a dive trip I took a few weeks ago (8-12-14).
Departing from Port Isabel, Texas, we were greeted by silky smooth seas (1-3ft) as we entered the Gulf through the Brazos Santiago Pass. From here, the Port Mansfield Liberty Ships Reef site is approximately 23 nautical miles north and 9 nm off the coast of South Padre Island.
Established in the 1970s by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Artificial Reef Program, the site consists of three 440 foot, 1940s era ships and four decommissioned oil platform jackets that were cut into pieces and placed in nine different locations. The depth here ranges from 90 to 105 feet. The liberty ships offer 10-20 foot of relief from the bottom while the jackets stretch upwards of 60 feet.
The purpose of our dive was to deploy some scientific instruments for research being conducted by the University of Texas at Brownsville. Upon arrival at one of these oil platform jackets I was tasked with tying off the boat and recovering a data logger that we would be redeploying after downloading the data.
There was a very noticeable thermocline dropping below 35 feet in which the temperature fell from 82°F to a 71°F. The top of the structure sits at a depth of 60 fsw, falling to the bottom at around 104 fsw. Visibility was good for this site, ranging from 40-50ft horizontal with a marked nepheloid layer hovering around 80ft.
After mooring the boat and recovering the instrument, I returned to the surface so that we could download the data before redeployment. My next dive was to play paparazzi and photograph one of the professors working in the field. I shadowed his movements and documented him redeploying the data logger and surveying the artificial reef site. Most of the larger fish seemed to be hanging out below the nepheloid layer, only sporadically poking out to see what was going on above. Plenty of juvenile and adult reef fish were found flitting about the structure.
After completing our work there, we untied and headed to an unmarked site where an unusual rocky outcropping raises up from the otherwise barren sand and silt blanketed sea floor. Here we anchored nearby in the sand and dove this natural reef. Water temperature was similar, with a thermocline beginning at 35 feet and temperatures falling from 82°F to a 71°F. These rocky outcroppings provide little more than 3-4 foot of vertical relief on average with a maximum depth of approximately 70 fsw. Visibility fell off quickly as we descended and was little more than a hazy 6-8 feet at the bottom. Our dive here was principally to survey and document the biodiversity of these natural reefs, so we clipped our reels onto our down line and roved the area recording our sightings. While conditions are typically very poor at such sites, they do support a remarkable amount and variety of marine life.
My final dive of the day was helping to untether a weather buoy which we were tasked to haul back into port. A short, though complicated dive.
All in all, a great day of diving the Gulf! I just wish I could get out there more often...
Departing from Port Isabel, Texas, we were greeted by silky smooth seas (1-3ft) as we entered the Gulf through the Brazos Santiago Pass. From here, the Port Mansfield Liberty Ships Reef site is approximately 23 nautical miles north and 9 nm off the coast of South Padre Island.
Established in the 1970s by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Artificial Reef Program, the site consists of three 440 foot, 1940s era ships and four decommissioned oil platform jackets that were cut into pieces and placed in nine different locations. The depth here ranges from 90 to 105 feet. The liberty ships offer 10-20 foot of relief from the bottom while the jackets stretch upwards of 60 feet.
The purpose of our dive was to deploy some scientific instruments for research being conducted by the University of Texas at Brownsville. Upon arrival at one of these oil platform jackets I was tasked with tying off the boat and recovering a data logger that we would be redeploying after downloading the data.
There was a very noticeable thermocline dropping below 35 feet in which the temperature fell from 82°F to a 71°F. The top of the structure sits at a depth of 60 fsw, falling to the bottom at around 104 fsw. Visibility was good for this site, ranging from 40-50ft horizontal with a marked nepheloid layer hovering around 80ft.
After mooring the boat and recovering the instrument, I returned to the surface so that we could download the data before redeployment. My next dive was to play paparazzi and photograph one of the professors working in the field. I shadowed his movements and documented him redeploying the data logger and surveying the artificial reef site. Most of the larger fish seemed to be hanging out below the nepheloid layer, only sporadically poking out to see what was going on above. Plenty of juvenile and adult reef fish were found flitting about the structure.
After completing our work there, we untied and headed to an unmarked site where an unusual rocky outcropping raises up from the otherwise barren sand and silt blanketed sea floor. Here we anchored nearby in the sand and dove this natural reef. Water temperature was similar, with a thermocline beginning at 35 feet and temperatures falling from 82°F to a 71°F. These rocky outcroppings provide little more than 3-4 foot of vertical relief on average with a maximum depth of approximately 70 fsw. Visibility fell off quickly as we descended and was little more than a hazy 6-8 feet at the bottom. Our dive here was principally to survey and document the biodiversity of these natural reefs, so we clipped our reels onto our down line and roved the area recording our sightings. While conditions are typically very poor at such sites, they do support a remarkable amount and variety of marine life.
My final dive of the day was helping to untether a weather buoy which we were tasked to haul back into port. A short, though complicated dive.
All in all, a great day of diving the Gulf! I just wish I could get out there more often...
