The continuing sagas of the Blue Heron Bridge

[danvolker]

Great meeting Guy and Maribe as well as Rich on Sunday night BHB dive.

Rich, Sandra wants you as a "spotter" whenever your available.... Rich is a great Frogfish finder

Here is a video of the night dive, about 5 minutes with the frogfish about 2/3 through it.
YouTube - Evening dive at BHB...with Frogfish

It came out darker and more yellowish than my intrmediate cineform avi file, when I output this as the mp4 video for Youtube with Sorrenson Squeeze...I have a support call into Sorrenson now.....Since I have my big video lights now, this is something I want to have perfected....the mp4 is clear, but the color space seems to be more yellow than the avi....It shouldn't be!
Also, if I am going to shoot a frogfish again, or an octo, I am bringing a tiny tripod so the camera can have zero movement...

 

[scubajim 1]

Great dive today...91 minutes with a steel 80, water was 79.8 and great viz...40+

Sad to say when I was in the sponge garden I saw a big lion fish


Very few people there today and I'm hoping it isn't too crowded tomorrow either.

And yes there are a lot of octos out right now and didn't see the frogfish but will spend time looking tomorrow.

 

[jet126]

Loved the Flounder Waltz, Dan! Great video. (In spite of the fact that I'm frogfishily challenged).

 

[jet126]

Force E is sponsoring a night dive on Tuesday the 31st. Does anyone know if another shop is sponsoring one over Mem Day weekend?

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

We will be back up there for sure for the 31st!

 

[discokat]

I've only done 2 shore dives and both were at Blue Heron Bridge. I'm due to be down in the area again very soon but my flight doesn't get in until about 9am and I won't be able to get to the bridge to dive until about noon. I have read that this will between high and low tide. Is it still possible to dive there at that time?

It seems you can only dive the bridge at high tide. Why is this? I'm a newb at shore diving, though I do understand tides, but I would like someone to help me understand the reasoning behind not diving there in the afternoon. Does the tide drop that much in the area? I remember during my underwater navigation done there we finished our second dive a little after noon. Please advise.

Thanks! Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread.

 

[danvolker]

I've only done 2 shore dives and both were at Blue Heron Bridge. I'm due to be down in the area again very soon but my flight doesn't get in until about 9am and I won't be able to get to the bridge to dive until about noon. I have read that this will between high and low tide. Is it still possible to dive there at that time?

It seems you can only dive the bridge at high tide. Why is this? I'm a newb at shore diving, though I do understand tides, but I would like someone to help me understand the reasoning behind not diving there in the afternoon. Does the tide drop that much in the area? I remember during my underwater navigation done there we finished our second dive a little after noon. Please advise.

Thanks! Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread.

Visit the tide charts for port of palm beach..... on days with a tidal range of less than 2.8 feet, you can usually get in 2 hours before peak high tide, and stay in up to an hour or maybe 1.5 hours after high tide..
On days when it is more like 3.4 feet of tidal range ( more water coming in to the inlet) , the current will be much larger 2 hours early, and you will likely need to wait to more like 45 minutes prior to high tide, or maybe 30....all up to how much current you want to tolerate...once you hit peakl high tide, there is little or no current.
At peak low tide, the vis is poor--usually....less of an issue when the tidal range is below 2.6 feet.

My wife Sandra typically does a 3 hour dive, every time she goes there..for perspective.

 

[mntlblok]

I intend to test the theory soon that one may dive off the "beach" area, between the two spans, well before high tide, and see if the current in that area is significantly less than that near the bridges themselves.

I might even break down and attempt to match up visibilities with tide heights.

IMG_5490wa | Flickr - Photo Sharing! I've added a few more sets of bridge dives recently. That one was from off the "beach" area. Didn't notice the nudi til post processing time. :confused4:

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I intend to test the theory soon that one may dive off the "beach" area, between the two spans, well before high tide, and see if the current in that area is significantly less than that near the bridges themselves.

I might even break down and attempt to match up visibilities with tide heights.

IMG_5490wa | Flickr - Photo Sharing! I've added a few more sets of bridge dives recently. That one was from off the "beach" area. Didn't notice the nudi til post processing time. :confused4:

Nothing to test. It's already been done 100s of times over... I even did it in this thread...

There is only one time that I will not dive the bridge, because the water is just too murky. I have been on 3 dives at BHB during slack low tide... None of the three dives was worth the time.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I will dive the bridge any time other than slack low tide
===

Visibilities have more to do with wind than tide heights. Notice times when tide is going one way and wind is blowing the other? Since it is so shallow there the smaller grains of loose sand stir up and add to the "milky" vis that often works against one diving the bridge

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Some pictures not yet posted from Saturday's dive at the bridge: