Snowbirding Venice Beaches February and March 2020

[oldflounder]

I will be staying North Port for a couple months this winter and am interested in any dive events happening that I might join in. Will be doing shore diving mostly but interested in boats also. Suggestions welcome.

 

[oldflounder]

By the way...I lost a fin at Caspersen last year and would appreciate it, if you find it, you contact me so that I can retrieve it when I come down. I lost it at the shoreline when I was taking it off in 0 viz water about 4'deep chest high mid-tide just off the sharp 1' sandy dropoff.. I was at the end of the beach sand 5000' +/_ southerly of Sharkey's Pier, beyond Brohard, where the rocks are that you have to climb up over to continue on to Caspersen Beach. It's across from Red Lake area on map I'm looking at. I was exiting between the beach drop-off and the sandbar. The water sort of corners there between the beach, the rubble breakwater and the sandbar. I was about opposite the roadway where the Caspersen Beach sign is on the left side of the road approaching the beach bathhouse. It's one of my favorite fins. At low tide the fin should be about waist/chest deep. Thanks for any help.

 

[cbm369]

That fin may be in the Keys by now...

 

[oldflounder]

That fin may be in the Keys by now...

I don't think so. It is in a protected pocket surrounded on 3 sides by beach, a 40'+ long rubble breakwater seaward and a 4 or 6' high sandbar (just out past the breakwater) extending many1000's of feet up and down parallel to the beach. I can't see how the fin could be carried up and over that sandbar when any storm currents would be heading into the beach or along it, not back out to sea over the sandbar. It would not surprise me at all if it landed up on the beach and someone has it hung over their mantle. I was only 10' away from the beach when I took it off after snorkeling. I dropped it and couldn't grab ahold of it quick enough. It was pretty rough that day and I think the bottom surge caught it and moved it out from underfoot. Like I said it was practically 0 viz at the shoreline with the sand all riled up the way it gets. I spent a good 20 minutes walking up and down dragging my feet on the bottom trying to snag it. Unless someone found it washed up on shore after a storm I am sure it is still in that vicinity.

 

[oldflounder]

Well I'm finally down here and will begin searching for that fin soon. If you see an orange child's kayak, yellow scuba tube and high dive flag out on the water the next couple months that will be me. I use the craft to snuba.