The Sweet Life on Molasses Reef & Upper Keys

[deeper thoughts]

Scootered a few reefs in Islamorada today. Secret garden,Crocker and Davey Crocker.
Flat calms seas. Viz ranged from 40-60, jellyfish are still around and Crocker was full of them.
Saw the following with no video or camera!!
Swam with a squadron of 17 eagle rays for about 10 minutes
3 free swimming green eels and 3 nurse sharks
A school of about 100-200 small Barracuda(1 and a half foot)

FWC stopped me while I was snorkeling which was cool. I took this time to bring up monitoring ch16(FWC never seems to answer) and about fishing inside the spas. He couldnt leave me quick enough

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Seventeen eagle rays for ten minutes!?! Wow.

Eagle rays are one of my favorites but I have yet to see even one in the Keys.

Interesting (in an ugh! way) to read that the jellyfish are still there. I've never seen them there like this year, but I'm not a lifetime Keys person. Is this an anomaly? Or cyclical?

How much of a bother are they when diving? When I was there diving in June they had not arrived yet; and my last trip was a snorkeling-only trip - they were a real pain while snorkeling. It was like standing on a freeway dodging cars meanwhile supposedly enjoying the scenery off to the sides of the road.

 

[mselenaous]

Touchdown Jesus and North North Dry Rocks.
Perfect day: no seas, no wind, sunshine, not too hot, water temp 83, none to little current, few jelly fish
Fun day to be diving.
OK I didn't see any of the awsome critters Walter saw, but a few weeks ago, this is were I found a rare juvenile trunk fish in white with brown spots - so teensy, smaller than a dime. TimG got photos of it.

Diving here is always a surprise of cool critters .

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Neat-o! And I'm glad you mentioned that because it reminds me that I saw one when I was snorkeling and forgot to write it down in my log. The one I saw was also teeny-tiny... I'm trying to remember if I told my buddy it was smaller than a quarter or a nickle - but I do remember saying it was "smaller than X coin" just like you did

Sounds like a great day and I am craving diving!

 

[Rich Keller]

as a follow up to yesterdays post: 1st dive today(captain lou), the aquarius underwater habitat, calm seas, zero current and green water. viz only 45FT(worst iv'e ever seen on the site, normally clear water as it's an extension of conch wall), max depth 66FT. absolutely engulfed with fish: grey, schoolmaster, cubera, yellowtail and dog snappers, grunts, goliath and black groupers, spadefish, jacks, creole fish and barracuda hanging below the support buoy. 2nd; snapper ledge(molasses only had 40ft viz, green water as well), viz 35ft, green water, very fishy. timg might send a few photos for me to post of the habitat from his june dive. tomorrow, the elbow and north/north or horseshoe(long haul on OD's boat. by the way their captains and divemasters have been simply terrific this week!!),,,,,,,,,,,,,



Home | NOAA’s Aquarius Reef Base



reefman
key largo

What dive boats go to the Aquarius?

 

[deeper thoughts]

What dive boats go to the Aquarius?

I dove it once. If I remember correctly you can dive it if you get permission from the base. Ch 83 on the vhf but I am not 100 pct sure

 

[reefman]

What dive boats go to the Aquarius?

none. i was on a full boat charter/prior permission granted. safety divers present and no missions being conducted within the habitat or surrounding waters,,,,,,


reefman
key largo

 

[reefman]

I dove it once. If I remember correctly you can dive it if you get permission from the base. Ch 83 on the vhf but I am not 100 pct sure

those were the old days.


reefman
key largo

 

[deeper thoughts]

those were the old days.


reefman
key largo

I thought I saw some dive boats there when I went by, I guess not

 

[reefman]

NASA mission; NEMO13 ended today(13 days). training for a new mission begins on tuesday. always support vessels(you most likely observed), 24/7, in restricted area,,,,,,,,




reefman
key largo