Went out New Year's Day on the Emerald - as Randy got mugged on the deep ledge the day before, we did all three of our dives with the lemons on the reef. Not sure of the site, but it was probably Lemon Drop 3.
Of course my photos aren't pro-grade, but we had some good action - 10-15 lemons and a nurse shark. Most of the lemons were males, but there was at least one female in the group. All three times they followed us up to the surface; on the second dive this got real funny because the Emerald was off picking up some lobster divers and was out of sight. Should have called the boat on my Lifeline; would have made great ad material for Nautilus.
"One at a time, one at a time!"
This green moray seemed to think we were all ****ing crazy.
This poor fellow has something sticking out of his right side, not sure what.
Because my hatred for invasive lionfish shows no restraint, I shot five out of the hole we were feeding in. The first one was a runt that I killed before the sharks turned up; not wanting to have bait onna stick I crushed its head on the ledge and cast it off into the current. At the end of the first dive I saw one of the biggest lionfish I'd ever encountered; skewered it, clipped the spines, and actually got it back to the boat. I think the lemons were considerably more interested in people's strobes. The third lionfish was just as big as the second (and looked like it had some scars to boot); saw it at the start of the second dive. Skewered it, clipped the spines, broke my EMT shears trying to snap its spine (I really need to get a new BFK), and then saw the lemons were lining up in front of Cameron so I shoved the fish and the spear under the ledge. Well, within 30 seconds one nosed under there and swam off with the lionfish and the spear. Swam after it and found the spear maybe 100 feet away. Got a fourth, midsize lionfish at the end of that dive and started up with it; in midwater it came off my spear and Cameron was trying to wave lemons over to it. A few made close passes on it, but none even tried to get a bite in until I skewered it again (I was afraid the little jerk would get all the way back to the bottom) and put it right in front of a lemon.
The fifth I encountered at the start of the third dive; put him up away from me while I was turning my mask-mounted GoPro on and another lemon took him off the spear.
