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Dive Report Archive
2007
December 27 Friday
Top to bottom vis. Water temp is steady at 77 degrees. Just georgeous. I still have a little tourist in me, because when the water is this nice, I don't catch too much. I have a tendency to just lollygag and enjoy the beauty. I stopped for 10 minutes today and played with a big Octopus. It came out of its hole and sort of chased us around on the reef. Once it got away from its lair, it tried to get back, but I stayed in the way. Terri got about a hundred shots that I will post as soon as she sends them to me. Some of the hunter types got max on Lobsters while I just drifted and dazed along. It has been an extremely productive week and I needed the break in the action. Here's a couple of pictures from the past week.
The gags are showing up and we are puttting one or two in the cooler each trip. John shown above and below likes a little grouper and lobster with his ham it up smile!
Here's one for the weird book! I came across what I thought was a small reef out in the sand. When I got close I could barely make out that this was a big, bronze prop covered with sponge life. I lifted it to the surface and was able to return the growth back to the sea. Turns out someone's shaft snapped and the prop came down. I hope they had two engines. Once cleaned up, the bolts came right off and the broken shaft came out. These run about $2500 new and up to a thousand used. Nice find.
December 21 Friday
We traveled North and dropped in on the USS RANKIN. We had typical Rankin conditions. At the bow of the ship, the current was slight South. At the stern , the current was slight North. On the West side the water temp was 69 degrees. On the East side it was 74. Very weird area. The gags came up midship to welcome us. John hit one 20 #r and Quinn took another . The rest of us chased gags around the boat until it was time to come up. The vis was 20 to 30 ft overall. The second drop was in the Loran area. Several hunters spotted a black that was estimated to be 50 pounds. Quin had a vector on it, but did not take the shot because he was not sure it wasn't a Goliath. I had a big, beautiful spotted eagle ray follow me for over half the dive. We bagged 26 lobster on that drop. Mostly big. The third drop we visited the Lemon Sharks hanging out on the MGIII. Good video. We did another drop in the area and put several nice Muttons in the cooler. Very productive overall. Good bunch of divers. We are diving the Rankin again on Monday. Call if you can go.
December 15, 2007
Ventured out today preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. The wind was howling and the seas were supposed to be either 2 to 4 or 4 to 6 depending on which "forecast" you listened to. As we approached the inlet, it looked good. A stiff incoming tide flattened the seas like a red carpet saying welcome to paradise. 1/4 mile out we hit the big waves 4 to 6 with an occasional 8. At this point no one is measuring. Tough crowd and the Captain competent so we dropped in south at 85fsw. Great dive! The vis was 50 ft, the currrent a mild north, and the temp dropped a little to 76 degrees or so. As the divers returned from their dive, you could read their face,"don't make me get off and on the boat again!" Captain James made the call and we headed back in while the tide was still coming in and the gettin' was good. We took an early gourmet lunch break and enjoyed the ride home. After careful consideration, we will not be going out tomorrow. Roger , a spearo friend from Okeechobee,stayed with me underwater and dead eye nailed a nice size yellowtail snapper, tough shot, a yellow jack and a huge trigger. One dive and a stringer full. A big Momma Lemon Shark came by to see what we were up to and then disappeared into the visibility. A couple other divers grabbed a few bugs for dinner. Earlier in the week I mentioned seeing a sailfish on the safety stop. Terri got a picture below. New deal at the Marina. They opened the parking lot and have a valet Leo, pictured below, that will schlep your gear to the boat in a golf cart while the new phase construction is in progress. Nice deal. Our Thanks to Anna , the new manager. and her courteous staff.
December 5 , 2007 Wednesday
Talk about weird current. On the first dive, I swear the current was running due west toward shore, the second dive we set up outside to drift into the sight. We got down and the current was running due east! We swam our butts off and managed to get bugs. On the third dive we set up in a spot that could go any direction. Good thing, the current was now running strong north. Very strange. We did enjoy the dives and maxed out on lobster anyway in a sweet 79 degree and 60 ft vis ocean. Pictured below is our dive buddy Eve enjoying the ocean last friday as its gentle lapping motion gently taunted her fleshy...Anyway she got confused when we said we were diving Center Street, she thought we said Center Stage! Just for fun Eve. Second picture Brian my dive buddy sucoombed to the sounds of the sirens and has moved "Up North" to be with his fiance Lisa. Bye Bye.
December 4, 2007
Sorry I haven't written. Seas have been calm and the water temp is still 78 or so. Vis has been good and the seas are full of life. So you see, I have been busy diving! Record hauls of Lobster and I have never seen so many large Hogfish. What is going on? Below Johnny and Barry with a FAT stringer of 3 hogs and a schnapper. and I will say the both are no slouch on bugs. Next to them is the lovely and talented Karen C with her first ever Lobster. Have we created a monster?
November 26 2007
Water Temp: 78 degrees
Seas Good on Sat, Rough on Sunday
Vis: Good on Sat. Blah on Sunday
You are gonna love this one. I put a group in 90fsw and tagged behind to be sure all was well. Good ploy, the Hogs came out where the others had stirred up the bottom and I had 4 on the stringer including a fat 6 pounder. I finally came across a bug and put down my gun to catch it. In the corner of my peripheral I saw commotion. I turned to see a big Mama Bull Shark tearing off with my gun and stringer attached with the Hogs. The gun was pointing right at me and I thought if a shark shoots me, I will never live it down. Well he didn't shoot and I bagged the bug and surfaced with my diluted catch. Back on the boat we learned one brand new tank lost bungie and escaped overboard. The captain marked it 6/10th north of the first drop. We dropped in almost right on the tank and sent it up with a lift bag. Nice recovery. Back on the boat, I was already shopping in my head for a new gun, when JR came up the ladder and handed me his. It had a good feel I thought. As I checked it out I was surprised to see my name on it!. The shark had busted the brass double bolt clip to the stringer and left the gun 3/4 of a mile away. By chance JR found it. Good day to buy a lottery ticket!
Seas are great for this week and the weekend. Good time to be a diver! Sold out for Wednesday but have spots for Friday, Sat and Sunday. Call early!
Sunday November 18
Water Temp: 80 degrees
Seas: 2 to 3 ft
Vis: 50 to 60 ft
I love it when we get the forecast right. The current picked up Northbound and produced some most excellent vis. We hit the first dive on the deep ledge and drifted in a nice flow upon 1 group of 14 good size yellow jacks. Bubbafish took one and I another. The second and third dives were loaded with bugs. We put 72 on the boat for the three tanks. Where there are bugs, there are usually hogs. 3 in the pan! Good news is the weather is going to be picture perfect Wednesday through Sunday. I expect vis in the boo coo range throughout the weekend. We are diving Wednesday, Thursday , Friday , Saturday and Sunday. Good conditions. By the way the Lemon Sharks show up the day after Thansgiving and I have a strong suspicion they will be on time this year. We will be hitting their new hangout on Friday. Give me a call, grab a camera and let's go!
Saturday November 17, 2007
Water Temp: 79 degrees
Seas: 2 to 3 ft
Vis First dive 40 ft, 3d dive 15 ft
Just a quick report. We had a great day. The current was nil and actually seemed to be heading south so the vis declined. By the end of the third dive the vis was poor but the current switched and was starting to go North. Expect North current and decent to fair vis in 90 fsw tomorrow. Should be crappy on the main ledge for the tourists. Go outside. We got 24 bugs between 6 people on the first dive! Johnoly shot a fat hog sent it up on a lift bag and it got hit by a shark. Fortunately Captain James got there in time and saved it. I'll post some pictures manana.
Saturday November 10, 2007
Water Temp 83 degrees
Seas 3 to 4
Zero vis offshore Juno at 100 ft. When I say Zero, I don't mean less than 10. I mean with a strong flashlight, I could see sand bottom from 6" away, no more. We beeped out and headed South where we heard reports of better vis. Captain Tony took us to some secret ledge just South of the Palm Beach Inlet and we hit payday. We did two more dives in the area and came back via the intercoastal waterway. We had a good time and decided to call this a Bluewater Hunt. If you go tomorrow,stay South. The vis should be hitting Juno but not 'til later in the day, Good Luck!
Spearboarders Chuckitall, Rjnjupiter and Johnoly
Sunday November 11,2007
Much better day! The vis did hit Jupiter and we enjoyed some better known, lesser traveled areas. We had about 50' vis and warm 82 degree water. the seas were 3 to 4 ft. After the first dive, we came up on a bouy that said "NO LOBSTERING". Captain Tony motored over and we secured the unsecured bouy to remove the hazard to navigation. Besides I thought it would make a nice picture. If you know who belongs to this let me know.
As you can see we did lobster and maxed out on good size bugs. Below is the The hat masked hunter with his catch of the day. Get the scale.
Char not a regular bug haevester got a few and Terry gave up her camera and produced a few bugs. Even little freediver, the lobster hound came up with one.
November 8, 2007 Thursday
Water Temp: 82 degrees
Seas: Calm at first then 4to 6 by the end of the day
Vis 40 ft and better
We had mixed feelings about even going out yesterday. NOAA was calling for 4 to 6 ft seas and the vis report was minimal. I got a call from a friend and was told the vis was good in 90 ft and getting better so we called a go! The seas at the inlet were dead flat. As we headed South , we passed 2 color changes and hit blue water at 90fsw. The vis was great ,40 to 50 ft at the bottom. More important, the fish and bugs were waiting. I came up on one "honey hole" that had more than 6 good size bugs and a good size spotted moray eel. I was able to extract them with the snare and didn't face the dilemna of should I put my arm in the hole. Dave came up with 2 fat Hogfish on the first dive. Subsequent dives, Lee scored a big Hogfish, a yellow jack and limited on the bugs. We took 24 lobster with 6 hunters in all. Not too shabby! Good news is the ocean was abuzz with small crabs. This usually signals Cobia, since this is a particular delicacy for the big fish. On the second dive I got a shooter's buffet and came up with a decent size Hog, Trigger and Snapper. By the end of the day the cooler was looking pretty full. Goodbye Paul, been good to know you. Call let's have lunch!
October 30, 2007
Water Temp 83 degrees
Seas: Rough to Ridiculously Rough
Vis: 60 or so
We got out Sunday knowing it would be the last dive for several days. The TS Noel is tearing it up here in Jupiter and the seas are 12 to 15 ft high. It will take 'til Sunday to settle down and get some vis. We headed out to 105fsw to look for bugs and hogfish. We had reports that the bugs had moved out to deeper water to prepare for the storm. I spent an entire dive not pulling the trigger and not even trying to catch one bug. I am still a little hand shy after a spotted moray put 17 stitches in my hand last week. Disappointed, I blew my lift bag and headed up. As I got close, I could see my lift bag was under attack by a school of Dolphin (Mahi Mahi). I reloaded thinking," I must not shoot my liftbag!" I was excited but managed to pick one out and take a shot. The fish dragged me around for several minutes before tiring. Back at the scale she weighed in at 14# and made a most excellent grilled dinner. On the second dive we found the bugs at 85fsw and limited out. We opted out on the third dive and enjoyed our lunch in the intercoastal. See you at DEMA Saturday and hope to see you diving on Sunday.
October 22, 2007
Vis 60+
Water Temp: 83
Seas 2 to 3s
Long productive weekend. The seas were not flat but not a problem. The vis was good on Saturday and got better on Sunday. Let's start with Friday. We did the lobster spots and loaded up. On the third dive I wanted to do Tunnels because I was expecting Cobia. I wasn't disappointed. halfway into the dive I was swarmed and surrounded by 12 Cobia hanging with a stingray. Denise was watching as I picked one out and hit him with a solid head shot. Charlie came up behind for backup and just missed the entourage. Great sight to see. Saturday we headed south and caught all the lobster you'd want. On the second dive I was trying to coax a bug out of a hole . As he receded I stuck my arm into the darkened crevice and was latched on to by a spotted moray eel. The eel held and in kneejerk reaction I pulled my hand out to find my glove and hand severely lascerated. I determined I would not be able to complete the dive, so I put the bug in the bag and headed up. Capatain James had a look on his face like,"you are in big trouble for waving instead of giving a diver OK signal and this better be good." He was quick to arrive and it was good. I got on the boat and attempted to control the bleeding. James assisted and then tended to the other divers still in the water. We were able to flag down a passing fisherman and Dave gave me ride back to the Marina where I was escorted to Jupiter Medical. I spent the rest of the afternoon there and received 17 stitches . By the way , to everyone at Jupiter Medical... Yes, I know I shouldn't put my hand in a hole with an eel! Sunday I was able to dress the hand in a rubber glove and returned to diving. On the first dive I shot a fat 8# hog and thought I was King hunter for the day until Chuck came up with an even bigger Hogfish. I bagged 27# of Lobster (commercial) and Drew and the others limited out.
John Casey aka the exterminator, with his and Kelly's catch.
October 18.2007
Vis: 60+
Water Temp: 83
Seas: 2 ft or less
NOAA was calling for 2 ft or less and as I watched the wind whip on Tuesday night, I thought there is no way. NOAA is ALWAYS on the safety side. Well they hit it and as usual instead of 2ft it was less. Absolutely gorgeous. I have been land locked between the weather and some boat work so I was particularly anxious to get out. On the first dive, John and Kelly got to the bottom and hit the MOA lobster honey holes. After relocating the small front door decoys, they put 12 fat bugs in a bag that would barely close. When they came up John said" Can you help me with this catch bag?' I thought, another smart ass, should fit right in with this crew. Nice job John and Kelly. They will be back out with us on Friday to repeat. Again, first dive. Lee plugged a fat yellow fin Grouper, reloaded and shot a 6# hog that came over to see. He then shot the big hog's littlefriend after catching 3 big lobsters. He returned to the boat with ample poundage and a SE grin. He plays that don't say anything to Randy until he looks in the cooler. It worked, I looked and about fell over. I could not beleive what I saw. Lee may sleep between dives, but he is wide awake on the hunt. We took a chance and stayed in the same area for the second dive, NG. The third dive brought a few more bugs up and the camera and videographers got some good footage.
Terri got these pictures of a Wrasse Bass, a rare cleaner shrimp and a yellowhead jawfish (below)
I 'tought I saw a Puddy Diver!
October 15, 2007
Vis: 50 to 60 ft
Water Temp: Still a warm 83
Seas 2 to 4s
Here's the deal. I got out Saturday with my friend Dan Brady on Blue Tang. He runs a good operation and does 2 tank dives on the weekends, twice a day. The Blue Tang is moored at Blowing Rocks in the slip where Temtation used to be, but now you can back right up to the boat and park within a few feet! What a difference. We did 4 dives and the seas definitely got bad by the end of the day. Most of the diver's were not Hunting, but we did average 6 pp for those that were. Sunday was not doable due to seas. The wind from the high pressure -low pressure gradient is letting up and by Wednesday the seas will be back down to 2 to 4. By Friday , the seas will be 2 ft or less and should stay that way for the weekend. I have openings Friday, a couple Saturday and plenty of space on Sunday. I am usually filled by Thursday if the weather looks good for the weekend. Call me or email if you want to go.
October 9, 2007
We haven't been out in a few days due to foul weather. I took the opportunity to do some work on the boat and look forward to getting wet this weekend. Unless there is a surprise storm, conditions look good for the weekend. Wind is howling today but the High Pressure fart over the area is moving off by Wednesday afternoon. Thursday and Friday look iffy, but Saturday is Dive Day. Give me a call. I was bored this week so I changed a few things on the website. Didn't want to clutter, but check out the Gallery. Interesting videos. There are lots of great pictures divers have taken and if they share them with me, I will share them with you.
October 1 , 2007
Water Temp: 85 degrees
Seas: Way overhead dude! Surfs up. Gnarly
Vis: good from the beach!
You got it. The weather turned to crap. We got our dive in on Saturday and coasted into the inlet just before all hell broke loose. Sunday morning I drove down to the inlet (by car) with Captain James and witnessed 9 to 12 foot waves breaking in the inlet. Ugly! NOAA is calling for a few days of this . Friday looks like the next best day to me. I will go out then. This past week was spent looking for our friend Nikki that failed to return to the boat last Saturday. She was on a private boat, but dives with us frequently. If you haven't already seen, go to spearboard.com and look under Florida East Coast. You will read posts from the most massive hunt ever for a lost diver. Amazing, almost all of the dive community chipped in and did something to help. I have never seen such an effort before. Her speargun was found just North of where she was diving, but nothing else. On a lighter note, the Goliaths are packing up on cue with the full moon. There were still 10 or so at the Hole in the Wall on Saturday along with a few Bullsharks, Awesome sight. We found another dead Goliath stuffed under a ledge. What is wrong with you fools, you will get caught! Reward is up to $2000 for the poachers. The Jupiter Wreck Trek had another dozen or so. We are back to lobstering on Friday. A couple of commercial friends report abundance of lobster in the 100 to 110 range. They are still out there. We are going to do a Halloween night dive October 31 Wednesday. 2 tanks, boat leaves at 6 pm. There is a boat decorating committee, so it should be fun. I am experimenting with a pumpkin hooch for the post dive fun. I have room for another 10 or so. If you have Candy, bring her along! Call if you are interested,I am sure this will sell out early.
September 22, 2007
Water Temp: 85 degrees
Seas: 2 to 3 ft
Vis 60 to 80
First picture 38# Black Grouper. Second picture Dead Goliath killed by some bastard free shafting on the Jupiter Wreck Treck. $1000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the a**hole that did this. Call Randy 561 248 8332.
September 17,2007 Monday
Water Temp: 85
Seas: 2 ft or less
Vis 60 plus
Great weekend of diving. We spent Saturday looking for bugs and found many in some very remote, ugly dive sights. This time of year, if you want lobster, you 'gotta dive the bumps. Remote sights that are definitely less traveled. I tell divers,"it's gonna look like a golf course fairway down there. Flat and covered with grass. Swim high and look for the sand traps!" Usually these ugly dives have several hotels loaded with bugs. On one dive, by the time I hit the bottom all I could see were fins and butts. Everyone was already plugged in under a rock. We hit the Jupiter Wreck Treck on Sunday for two reasons. We wanted to see the awesome display of Goliath Groupers and we heard there were some Cobia in the area. Not disappointed with the Goliath show but No cobia. We opted for the tunnels on the last dive and as usual, the Tunnels produced. I shot and boated one 36" Cobia and shot and pulled out on a larger one. All in all we saw 6 Cobia on 2 Stingrays. Great group and lots of fun. Good divers welcome. See you soon.
Picture of Solo Goliath "lookin' for love. on the Jupiter Wreck Treck
September 13, 2007 Thursday
Water Temp: 85 had a thermal to 73 the bottom 10'
Seas: Calm to 1 ft
Very nice conditions. The vis was over 60 ft and the current was light north. We stopped in on the deep ledge on the first dive. Nothing notable. Tom did dead kill a large yellow tail on his big 50 BD dive. After three dives we averaged 6 per person chasing lobster for the day. Reports are lobster are thinning out. We are finding them scattered in deeper 90 Plus' water. The current picked up this morning with the SE wind and I expect the current to be a little stronger over the weekend. Tougher to catch bugs , but great for hunting and sightseeing! We are going Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Goliath aggregation is still going on at the Zion and the Hole in the Wall. Call me and let's go!
Here's a few big 'uns Tom took home. Still exceptionally large catches for the most part.
September 8, 2007
Water Temp: 87 degrees top to bottom
Vis: 80 ft to 60 ft inside
Seas: 2 to 4 with a swell
It was a lot better today than I expected listening to NOAA. Going out the inlet was a little sloppy . We had a storm come up just as we were leaving. Once we cleared ,the seas were much better and got calmer as the day went on. Captain James did a helluva job keeping us steady as possible.We had the pleasure of a group of rebreather divers . Ryan from reefphoto.com, Howard from www.rebreatherworld.com/florida-s-c-r-u-b . Walt from waltstearns.com and a few other celeb in their field types. They wanted to see some Goliath Grouper. First dive on the Hole in the Wall they saw about 30. Second dive on the Jupiter Wreck Treck they saw another 45 and another dozen on the MGII. The group had a total bottom time of over 3 1/2 hours between the three dives. Great group and well $$ equipped. Tomorrow we will be scooping up on some lobster. Seas are expected to be about the same, but a surge may cloud up the vis a bit. Book early and let's go diving.
September 4, 2007
Water Temp: 85 degrees
Seas: Calm
Vis: About 50 ft
Strange 4 days on the Emerald. I had regular hunters but a bunch of divers wanted to see the Goliath Grouper aggregation at the Hole in the Wall and the Jupiter Wreck Treck, so we split our dives...some hunting some photogs. We didn't hit too many bug holes but managed a few on the regular drops. On the Jupiter Wreck Treck, there were about 30 Goliaths, so every body got their digitals full. Especially cool because they were covered up in sardines .The sardines were looking for protection as the blue runners, jacks and yellowtails zipped through the huddle. The huge baitballs looked like something from Blue Planet. Several years ago, Capt Paul, Mikey and I pounded rebar in between the three wrecks so divers could easily navigate. The hurricanes blew several away so with the help of Kim-Possible and Brian, I started putting the bread trail back together. As I pounded my 3# sledge into a rebar in front of the barge, a huge grouper(not Jewfish) came out from under the wreck and watched me. I didn't have a gun and was pretty frustrated because we have been stalking this one for months. Very smart fish. If you approached from the left she went right. Always one step ahead. Just for kicks, I heaved the sledge at her like THOR. Brian seemed concerned for my mental health. She just swam over closer, looked at the hammer and disappeared out to the west. I thought about that and went back with a group two days later. I took the hammer and when all the divers had left, I started tapping on the rebar again, the grouper returned. This time I was loaded and hammered her dead in the head with my Riffe. With no fight, I strung her and picked off a couple of the bigger yellowtail snappers. As I ascended to 60 ft to go back and check out one of the other wrecks. (we had a very light current that allowed for back peddling) out of nowhere a 300#r grabbed my stringer and ripped off one of the yellowtails like it was plucking a banana. Scared the crap out of me. I sent the rest of the catch to the surface where James our attentive Captain picked it up. Back at the dock the gag weighed in at 35 pounds gutted. I scaled the yellowtail and will eat it whole just like the Goliath only baked.
August 28,2007
Water Temp 83 with a thermal to 75
Seas 2 ft
Vis 40 ft with a few layers of yuck!
The storms brewing off the NE coast is creating a little disturbance. Expect the seas to pick up a little this weekend and the winds to go West Sat or Sun. West winds usually decline the vis so pay attention to the conditions. On a lighter note, we had 3 great dives yesterday. We stayed South and out and missed the cruddy vis we heard about the prior day from some other boats. On the third dive as I was lobstering, a huge 20# plus hogfish raced across me and never slowed down. When I got back on the boat, I asked if anyone saw a huge hog. Sean 'fessed up that he shot at a huge hog and missed. that would explain the speed in which the beast fled the scene. I will be going back to the area for a closer look in the next few days. Thanks for training the Hog, Sean!
Mike, Lee ,Pat and Dave with several nice hogs, a yellow jack and bags of bugs.
August 22, 2007
Water Temp: Still Warm 83
Seas: 2 to 3s then picked uip to 3 to 5s late Sunday
Vis: Good as it gets. 60 plus
The news this weekend was bugz. We hit several "secret" spots and loaded up. Amazing the size. Mike got one that was over 8 pounds. I hit a rock the size of a cooler and took my six in one setting, all big. Surprisingly , there are still gags in town and Luke put a tasty little 10# er in the boat along with a nice Mutton. We spent the early part of this week worrying about the Hurricane. Although it devastated Mexico, it had little affect here. The "experts" are calling for seas 2 ft or less Friday through Sunday. Look at the Outdoors section in this Thursday's Palm Beach Post in the Sports section for an article on the reefs and wrecks in the area.
Our friend Ginny with a nice pair!
Luke with dinner and Mike with a fattie!
August 10,2007
Water Temp 83 degrees
Seas: 2 ft or less
Vis: 60 plus
I would not report what happened today unless I had witnesses. We dived on the deep ledge 105/125' and were ripped through the water by a 2+ knot current. I was looking left and I heard Angie Honk and squeal. I would have ignored the quacker honk thinking she spotted a Goliath or an eel, but the squeal got me excited so I turned to see her pointing at a shark. Not just any shark. This was an 8' long possibly silky or blue that was stuck on the bottom. I kicked it in high gear to investigate. The shark was caught in a 600# mono long line attached to a stainless steel cable. She was fighting but looked a little low on energy. I approached and tried to touch the shark to see what reaction I would get and if I could free her. The shark jumped and was not interested in companionship. I again approached her and having just watched shark week, I ran my hand forward and began tickling her snout. (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME1) Amazingly, the shark calmed down! I continued and her eyes rolled back, she was catatonic. I grabbed her by the dorsal and flipped her over. Once belly up she just froze. I pulled my knife and was able to cut the mono at the hook. I left the hook because it wasn't stainless and I figured it would rust away soon enough. When I flipped her back over, I tugged her by the tail and she swam off slowly. We all watched in awe and left with a good feeling that we saved that sharks life. Great trip. By the way, one of the diver's actually had a camera and was too narced to take a picture. Thanks Rick!
August 7, 2007
Water Temp: 83 on top THERMAL to 76 bottom 20'
Seas: 2 ft or less
Vis: Little Whale snot and thermal gradient lines. Otherwise about 50 ft.
First day of regular season and I am happy to report there were many more lobster than there were during mini season. We hit areas at 105' 80' and 70' and produced at all sights. We averaged 6 per diver. On the shallowest dive I was traveling with 3 techies in doubles. They weren't really catching so we hung together. We came up on a Goliath and I was surprised to find a lobster under the ledge he came out of. I snared the bug and came up a few feet to bag him. The Goliath approached and looked me over like I had just raided his icebox and got the last Corona. All of a sudden he came after me and chased me in circles while I clutched the lobster against my wetsuit. After several dizzying pirouettes, I elbowed the Goliath and escalated. The fish wasn't as comfortable in open water and gave up. I looked over to see the three techies blowing through their gas laughing. Turns out one of the techs, Chuck was with me a few years ago when I had an encounter with a certain puffer fish. He was looking for a replay! Not today!
August 1, 2007
Water Temp 83degrees
Seas Flat
Vis top to bottom
I was out today with a few new Emerald Divers and was thrilled to hear it was "the best dives they had ever done!" We started on the Jupiter Wreck Trek and were greeted by 32 Goliath Groupers and 2 Blacks. The divers mingled with the Goliaths while Scott and I chased the Blacks to the second barge wreck. They managed to get way up under and spared themselves. 3d dive we hit the Tunnels and again found a Caribbean Reef Shark asleep under a ledge. Different ledge this time. Further down the reef we encountered a .... 12 foot long SAWFISH! Unbeleivable. All the divers hung and watched this prehistoric looking beast hang in the sand. Eventually the Sawfish moved down the reef, the divers left and I chased a Cobia that earlier accompanied the Sawfish. Everyone knows you shouldn't chase fish because you can't catch them. Scott and I again came up on the Sawfish further down the reef. No Cobia this time. I hate to admit it, but I wish I had my video today instead of my gun.
July 30, 2007
Water Temp 83 degrees
Seas Calm
Vis 80 ft
You could not ask for better conditions. Saturday I went out with a few friends and hunted. I was lucky enough to pin a 32# Gag Grouper out on the 125' ledge. Brian actually shot first and realized the range of his gun was less than the range of his shot. As his spear took a nose dive , the grouper just followed it and looked down. I was able to swim up with a close range kill shot. On the second dive Chuckitall and I put a couple of nice hogs in the cooler. Happy Birthday Chuck!
Sunday I took a corporate group out that wanted to see "stuff". We started on the Jupiter Wreck Trek and were greeted by more than 20 Goliath Groupers. That was a lot of "stuff". The group was excellent, all good divers. On one dive we came across a Caribbean reef shark that was sleeping inside a cave. I got next to the 6 footer and was "cleaning" him as one photog videod. I hope to share that footage with you soon. Very rare occurence. Remember to watch shark week this week on Discovery channel. Brief footage of Jupiter Lemon Sharks that I took a couple of years ago made the American Shark Show... pretty cool to be in the credits. Goliaths will be herding up to peak somewhere around the August full moon. If you want to see a bunch of Goliaths, call and book. We go out Wednesday , Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Big Boat...No Crowds.
Just received these photos from Frank of the Caribbean Reef Shark asleep in a cave while I "clean" it.
July 27, 2007
Mini Season
Water Temp 80 degrees
Seas Flat to calm
Vis 60 plus all weekend
Everyone keeps asking, How was mini season?. You know I auto back, Great! I am not sure if they want to know how it is, based on poundage caught or # of divers or what. I say great because I got to spend two days with a bunch of crazy excited dive buddies that share the passion of being underwater that I do. I can't imagine a better time. More specifically, yeah we caught lobsters. The overall catch was less than normal for mini season . Several people limited out with 12, but the thing was, they were big. I have never seen such an abundance of big bugs. I had little 100# girls bringing up 4 and 5 pound bugs still snared and on the leash like a dog because they wouldn't fit in the bag. Lots of eggers. Mini season may be just a little early. The biggest bug was Paul Smith's 6.25# pictured below. Paul is a competent hunter and only had two real hunting dives. On the first dive, Paul's buddy had equipment problems and they stayed together and worked on it. Good buddies! One diver Kim, a fit small person, stayed with me on the first dive and then ditched me and turned animal on the lobsters. She ended up with 7 or 8 and one big 4 pounder. I told her husband if he ever made her mad, don't go to sleep because I saw the dark side underwater! On the last dive, the heartbreak kicked in as I watched Trey's lobster unzip his catch bag on the safety stop and haul to the bottom like ghetto rats on crack. Back on the boat another diver showed me half a hotel bag and not the part that formerly held his catch. And the comic relief was our friend Mark who, excited to see so many fish, remembered to take his gun on the second dive but forgot his fins. As he doggie paddled back to the boat he proudly exclaimed. "I got my gun!" Way to go Mark. On top of the lobster there were an unusual amount of big Hogfish in the area. I came up on one reef and observed little Lisa K tucked up under the ledge wrestling a bug. Right next to her was the biggest Southern Stingray I have ever seen. Yes, the Steve Irwin type. Lisa just kept working and out of nowhere came two nice Cobia. I plugged the biggest and as it hit the bottom trying to shake the shaft , it hit Lisa in the leg. She glanced back at me with a look to say, MY SPOT! MOVE AWAY FROM THE LOBSTER!. I grabbed my catch and mosy'ed down the reef hoping not to disturb any others. So if you ask, "how was Mini Season?" and I say great. This is what I mean.
Paul with the big one!
Here's Stephanie trying to keep the lid on a cooler full of bugs,
We also ran into a group of hot babes in orange bikinis shooting Trigger fishes. Sure beats a bunch of guys in Speedos!
July 16,2007
WaterTemp: 59 degree thermal on the Rankin! 81 degrees everywhere else
Vis 30 ft on the Rankin, 60 to 80 in Jupiter
Seas: Calm
Friday we headed out to hunt the Rankin. Always a special trip because you never know what you will get. Today was no exception. Overheated in our wetsuits from the blistering near 90 direct sunlight, we were relieved to hit the 80 degree surface water. As we descended a wavy haze covered the wreck. I recognized this as a thermal and expected a little cooler water. It wasn't until my hands hurt that I checked my thermometer. 59 degrees! After adjusting my wetsuit to fill the void where my boys had left, I swam down and had two big gags just swim up to me begging for a hot pocket. I gave one 48" of hot shaft and enjoyed the distraction for a minute. I sent the gag up on a lift bag and continued the dive watching herds of lethargic snook barely moving. I hope this cold water event isn't a view of mini season coming up. When I surfaced, the boat headed toward me. I signaled diver OK and waited. As she approached I signaled again and a black man signaled back. My eyesight isn't as good as it once was but my memory is ok and I don't remember a black diver on this trip, although Stepen is sporting a pretty good summer tan. I quickly reloaded my speargun in the event we were being pirated ny swim a muck haitian refugees. Only when I was along side did I see the Coast Guard cutter within a quarter mile and the uniformed officer on the bridge. We were being boarded for a "routine courtesy safety inspection" We got a "very professional" and clean bill of health and left the frigid waters to return to Jupiter. Stopping at the Loran Towers, three hunters put 3 big 10+ pound Muttons in the cooler. Good news , it was warm and clear.
On Sunday I had the pleasure of diving with Sherri Daye, the current National freediving spearfishing champ. I thought if I could do better than her here in my backyard, I would be King. No chance, even with the homefield advantage, Sherri smoked me. She sent up 5 big Hogfish and a mutton in the three dives. I got a King Fish(as close to royalty as I get) 2 yellow Jacks and a Mutton. 3 days , 9 dives and I am whipped. I'll be back out on Wednesday. Call me if you want to go. As I get older, my friends come up on the boat and say they missed this fish or that. I feel bad but proud that I got mine. I now realize they are just trying to make me feel better. Thank you, keep missing!
July 12, 2007
Vis 60 ish
Water Temp above 80
Seas calm to 2'
I have been busy getting the Tortugas trip together and haven't posted a report. Let's start with the Tortugas trip. Boat overall rating excellent! Of the 20 on board, most had a great trip to best trip I ever had. Strange as it seems there were a couple of shooters that did not see much the entire trip. The best shooter filled 2 large coolers and was going to sell his his catch to pay for everything. The food was plentiful but a little over carbed and the crew was professionally polite unless you upset the Captain and then he got stern. One guest got busted with a GPS on board, Bad etiquette! The Tortugas are taking a beating from ???. It is not as nice as I was last time I was there. Get there soon before it's gone. On the last day we dove the Baja California wreck and collected artifacts from this torpedoed freighter. I was lucky enough to find a cobalt blue LAXTOL now Milk of Magnesia bottle. One person found a couple of Clairol bottles. Very cool dive.
I am taking a group to dive the Rankin tomorrow and Saturday. I'll let you know how we do.
June 27, 2007
Vis 80 deep 50 inside
Water Temp 83
Seas 2 to 4 less between storms.
We were expecting some foul weather and were pleasantly surprised that most of the trash missed us. A rainbow over the Jupiter Inlet guided us as we departed. On the deep ledge, we dropped on a couple of Hogs and got both. Marcus shot the big one pictured about 15 minutes in. Several Bull Sharks approached but didn't seem as agressive as usual. A Hammerhead came by looking for the kill and was chased away when a photog swam toward her. Sharks are whimping out. Usually the Hammer would come back, not today... maybe too warm? On the second dive 3 of the guys wrestled a 20 # plus Gag from under a ledge after Dan impaled him. I opted for the tunnels on the last dive and as almost always pulled a gag from under the ledge at the "donut". No sharks on the tunnel.
June 17, 2006
Still good. Great vis and water temp. Some afternoon showers to cool things off. We were diving and hunting South when Barry spotted 2 really big yellow jacks. He kerplunked one with a solid "no kill" shot. The jack immediately went under a rock and wrapped the line around the rock and broke it. We watched as the jack slowly ( faster than we could swim) swam off with a $60 shaft and a $90 Riffe slip tip. Sorry for the loss Barry. BOLO for speargun lost 2 weeks ago and now a shaft and tip all in the Juno ledge area. We ended up doing 5 tanks Sunday and filled the cooler with meat. Nothing big but Nikki got three nice Triggers and between her and Barry, (What is between her and Barry?) they filled up the stringer every dive.
Possibly the strangest event of the day was when Lee, Quinn and Eve were on the surface waiting for pick up and a couple of seagoing birds stopped in and sat very close to them. Cute, I thought until the birds started swimming after the divers and diving under them. ( do birds eat nuts?)The divers may have attracted some bait. Lee, more of a dog lover, swatted at the fowl but they just kept coming. As they hit the ladder, I counted 54 birds chasing and taunting the two of them. It was like something from Hitchcock. Once the divers were in the boat, the birds followed until we outran them. Their little feet were paddling like an old Evinrude very cute but Very weird!
June 15, 2007
Water Temp 81 Degrees
Seas 1 to 2s
Vis 70 out at 90'and 50 inside
Beautiful day to dive. We saw more wildlife on the first dive than I ever see in a week of "resort" dives out of the country. Watch for tagged Hawksbills. Larry Wood at Marinelife center is tagging them off West Palm Beach. He is studying their travels. Take a picture of the tag on the front flipper and call me or Larry. We saw 5 Hawksbills, 1 was tagged.
On the second dive we got covered up by reefies. They were pretty cool and stayed with us for the whole dive. Towards the end of the dive, the sharks headed toward a ledge and swam out. 1 seemed different and sure enough was a Cobia that was laying under the ledge. I took a shot and missed. Chuckitall got my back and launched a spear into the fleshy section behind the ear. Chuck handled it gently as I reloaded. I hit him again with a crappy shot(I think my gun is off?) and the Cobia shook my spear. Chuck guided the beast until it went under a ledge. I chased it and got a handoin the gills. I attempted to extract a gill and failed. I bear hugged the fish and came out. Chuck quickly put a stringer in it and we sent it up on a lift bag. Being green, Captain George had to back down on the fish three times before he was able to gaff it and put it in the cooler. Truly a team effort!
The official weight was 55#. Way to go Chuck, a personal best.
I drove to the inlet by car on Saturday just to see how bad it was. NOAA reported 8 to 10 ft seas. I watched a large boat attempt to go out, return, attempt again and finally give up and return to base. At one point the boat actually submarined and took a base wave over the bridge. The Captain must have velcro on his butt. Sunday morning 24 hours later the seas were glass flat.Vis was in the 60 range and the temp was pushing 80 degrees. An amazing recovery! We headed out to 85fsw and dropped down on 2 nice size gags. One just came right up to us. When he got hit, the other holed up in a crack that barely covered him. Chuckitall managed one of those fat Muttons we don't see too often down here. Very productive day. I turned the 3 tanker into a 5 tanker and took some more divers out it was so nice. On the fifth dive of the day, I was exhausted. As I carried the flag and float down the reef , I was abruptly yanked with enough torque to change my direction. Apparently a fisherman had cruised up on us and caught some portion of my float system. The crew on the Emerald , not aware of what happened , cheered as the angler heaved and pumped the Goliath Diver toward the surface. After a long day of nitrogen build up, I did not want to go up so I fought to get back to the bottom. Hell of a fight! I then rushed the boat wondering if my Riffe would penetrate the hull. I got enough slack to find the 50# test and cut the line. The crew on the Emerald said the guy 'bout fell over when he lost the catch. And we worry about sharks.
Tuesday May 29
Vis: 70 ft
Temp: 81 degrees
Seas: 3 to 5
The seas calmed a little. It was comfortable. The water was great. We dropped in at 85fsw and landed on Grouper. Gags and Blacks! They were a little spooked as if they had been shot at somewhere else and came here to get away from it. On the third dive we hit a beautiful ledge and had several more Blacks and 2 more gags. Our skilled hunter Barry managed to stalk a 12# Black until it holed up. He then went door to door until the perp was apprehended. First Black for Barry. You know what they say ...once you get a black! I'm sure Barry will be back next week to get some mo'.
Sunday May 27
Vis: 70 ft
Temp: 80 degrees
Seas: 3 to 5 with an occasional 6
Seas were not as comfortable as you like to see, but were safe and the boat handles it well. Water was great once you got in. We stalked several large animals and put a couple nice snapper in the boat. Going back out tomorrow to do the Hole in the Head. Near the Hole in the Wall just a little deeper and more Bull Sharks. Area frequented by 60 # Blacks and 100# Cuberas. My daughter just got out of the Army this past Friday so she is now a civilian arabic translator. This makes this Memorial day a little more special for me because mine got out alive. Many did not.
Sunday May 14
Conditions were about the same as Saturday but the vis was down to near 60'. We went back to one Saturday spot and again had a variety of grouper hanging out. The catch of the day was Chuck nailing a 14.5# Hogfish. Lee saw this fish on the first dive and told gottaway stories. The Captain interpolated the current, drift , average speed of Hogfish and direction and dropped the group back on the hog. Chuck spooked it and found it cowering under a ledge. The day before Chuck found a Huge Cobia cowering under a ledge. Chuck just does a door to door search of the hood until the perp either surrenders or attempts to flee. Then he caps 'em! This weekend ,because of the swells from the prior week, was one of the most productive spearing weekends in my most recent recollection. The weather this week is less pretty. I am chartered for a spearfishing tournament on Saturday. Check it out at www.spearboardopen.com. Sunday looks good. If you want to go, give us a call.
Saturday May 12
Seas: Calm
Water Temp 81 !!!!!!
Vis: No BS Over 100 ft
Went from reports of 0 vis yesterday to 100 today. Got to get back out so I'll be brief. It was great and everybody shot fish. We saw sharks and a lemon tried to take my gun but only got the fish. OK. Pictures
This guy got hold of the stringer and started towing me. The effort overwhelmed him and he left with the fish.
The group today got 2 big Cobia, 4 grouper, A couple of Hogs and an assortment of cooler candy. Pictured in front is Pierce Hoover, editor of Sport Diver Magazine. Left to right is Walt Sandy Captain James, Harald,Bill, Chuck and Lee Keller owner of Scuba Works. Great bunch and great bunch of fun!
Monday
May 7, 2007
Water Temp 77 Degrees
Seas: Flat ass calm!
Vis: better than 60
I hope you got out this weekend because it was beautiful. Monday a front came in and we got 12 ft swells. That will kill the vis until at least Friday. Be sure to check the vis report before you book this weekend with me or anyone. We had some excellent dives out on the deep ledge 110/130 drop off. Several Cobia cruised us mixed in with herds of Jack Crevalle , Horse-eye Jacks. Bonita and Bull Sharks. We captured a few Cobia that all seemed to be around 45 pounds. Dave hit a yellow fin grouper on the second dive Sunday in 85 ft. It was unusually large for a yellow. Seeing mucho Lobster in all areas . Looks like it might be a productive mini season. Better call early, everyone will be sold out. Diving Wednesday, Friday , Saturday and Sunday every week.
Dave with a 45# Cobia and an 18# Yellow Mouth Grouper. First picture looks like Dave has an extra butthead growing out of his shoulder!
Team Jupiter in a practice session Friday, getting ready for the Spearboard Open. If you have ever wanted to Spear, you should check out spearboardopen .com for the upcoming National Spearfish Tournament. Hunters from several states will compete for thousands of dollars worth of prizes. Left to right. Cliff, Tony. Stephen, Chuck. Tom, John and Randy.
Monday April 30. 2007
Water Temp: 75 degrees
Seas: 2 to 3 ft
Visibility: over 80 ft outside and like 20 on the tunnels area.
Great week to be a hunter. The trips run together but between Wednesday and Sunday we filled the cooler several times. Friday's trip produced the most variety I have ever seen on one trip. When we got to the dock our cooler had:
1 30# Gag Grouper
2 Nice Muttons
2 porgies
4 Yellow Jack
2 Yellow Tail Snapper
1 Spanish Mackerel ( Nice shot, Chuckitall!)
1 Cobia 34 inches
1 Sheepshead
1 Dolphin 22 inches
The Dolphins came up on us on a safety stop at the Hole in the Wall. There must have been 30 of them.
It looked like someone from Sea World emptied out the aquarium. I will say all the fish were cleaned and destined for the table.
On Sunday, Captain James dropped me off on a nice ledge that was loaded with snapper. I stayed right there the entire dive and produced a stringer full of nice size school master amd mangrove snapper. I cruised up on they set and murked 'em cause I keeps one in the head, Dawg!
Lee from Scuba Works did a quick drop on the MG11 and nailed a gag. We hit three gags on one dive at the tunnels on Friday also. All in all a very productive few days. Getting ready for the Spearboard open Tournament in a few weeks,
One dive's worth
Lee with a gag grouper
Captain James helps hold some catch
Tuesday April 24, 2007
Water Temp: 74 degrees
Seas: 2 to 4 ft
Visibility 50 to 60 ft and improving
We were out on Saturday and had a great time. Nothing to report on the deep ledge. We went in to a known grouper hangout for the second dive and were swarmed by Bull Sharks. Mind you, I have never seen a Bull in this area and don't usually hunt in shark hangouts. This was something to see. The vis was down so it made it just a little more exciting. Every time you looked back they were there and every few minutes an 8 or 9 footer would cut in front of you. We chose NOT to shoot and just enjoyed the spectacle. A couple of divers just said screw it and got back on the boat. Smart! The vis got surge and clouded as the day went on. The winds turned East and the stream has been blowing the good water in. I am running 4 days a week now. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Call to reserve.
Monday April 16, 2007
WaterTemp: Back down to 73 degrees
Seas: 2 to 4 confused (pukers)
Visibility: 40 to 50( if you have good eyes )
I don't know where all the fish have gone. It seems since Lobster season closed, fishing has been hit and miss. The fish we get have been whoppers, but the cooler of Hogs and Mutton is scarce. We are finding large Cobia on the 110ft drop off and Bulls on the Bonaire . Very unusual. The winds from the North drove down some cooler water. The water should go back up to 76 by weekend with the East and Southeast winds predicted. My friend JD was diving some wrecks in WPB and came up on some Sargasso Seahorses inside the wreck. A very unusual find. He moved them to a better place and said they make excellent Hors D'Ouveres! Just kidding! John is an avid and adept spearfisherman and takes an occasional moment to indulge his soft nature loving side. Thanks for the photos. Notice the reflection from the trapped air pocket inside the wreck. See you all soon!
Tuesday April 3, 2007
Water Temp: 76 degrees
Seas: Flat to 2 or less
Visibility: 70-80 ft
Great day to be a diver. We have had some bizarre sightings in the last few days. On Friday I dropped in at 110 feet with a buddy to "check out" a spot. We hit new spots on staff dives to determine whether or not they are dive worthy. This particular spot sucked! We drifted at a ledge 110 to 130 feet. There was an occassional boulder on the ledge but mostly sand. It only took me about twenty minutes to decide to abort the dive. I could get a 20 minute dive in a bathtub before I decide it isn't a good dive. Anyway I signaled Wes we are going up. I could almost hear him think ...Thank God! As we hit 60 feet, a blurb appeared on my radar. It grew until we were confronted by an entourage of 1 huge Leatherback turtle and 15 to 20 fish working security or what ever the hanger- ons do. To my surprise the Leatherback stopped right in front of my face. Her massive roughly textured shell was within reach. She had a pink patch on her head Leatherbacks have as ID . The sight was breathless. I hung frozen like papparazi on the red carpet without a camera. I just soaked in the sight to commit it to memory and preseve this rare encounter. My silence was broken as Wes realized that 4 of the posse were Cobia and good sized ones at that. Thwack !was the sound I heard as he made a most excellent kill shot on a 30 pounder. Awakened to my senses, I disrobed my nature observer hat and targeted the second Cobia. Another kill shot. The Leatherback just stayed there and watched us. I motioned for Wes to watch the turtle while I put the two on a stringer. Wes thought we were going back for the other two, I just wanted to be sure he knew what a special sight we were witnessing. We surfaced and put the Cobia on ice. They officially weighed 52# total for the two gutted. Another great dive.
The next day we headed South, Brian my dive guide grabbed Harald and turned him to see another bigger Leatherback swimming by with 20 Cobia ( Harald's Count). The turtle was again spotted on the surface by Captain James and confirmed she had Cobia on her. The two also ran into a Hammerhead just cruising by. It was so nice out today, I decided to do a Good Friday dive. The boat leaves at 8:30. Call me to reserve and let's turn Good Friday into a Great Friday!
Monday March 26, 2007
Water Temp: 76 Degrees Yeah!
Seas: 2 to 4 with 5 to 6 occasional rollers
A real mixed bag on the pain/pleasure scale. I fretted all weekend on how bad the seas would be. Saturday I cancelled with 20 mph E/NE winds hoping Sunday would be better. NOAA called for 2 to 4s then a late update stated 3 to 5s expected. You just never know who to believe. I believed we needed to get out, so we loaded up and were pleasantly surprised the seas and inlet were way doable and the ride was all in all comfortable. A lot of fret for nothing. On our first dive, we headed South. I saw everyone buried under rocks looking for bugs so I mosey'd North and decided to focus on spearing. I really like Hog and we have seen some big ones out here. Up ahead at the edge of visibility, I saw a small Jewfish scurry toward a blowout. I thought he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, so I swam over slowly to investigate. What I saw as I peeped through a crack was either a small Jewfish or a huge Grouper. Expecting the worse, I carefully wedged myself under the crevice for a better look. My flashlight revealed a monster Black Grouper, so I unloaded. The tip went into the stomach area and got wrapped around the spine. Hit, but very much alive, she went nuts! There wasn't enough room under that ledge for both of us! I tugged the Black towards daylight, she turned and nailed me hitting my Octo. The Air 2 exploded and fell to the sand in several pieces. What was left, stopped free flowing when I disconnected the inflator hose. The fish was winning! I guess the crap stomach shot slowed her down because I was finally able to get my hands into her gil plate for a firm grip. Another bad idea! I usually rip a few gills out to kill a fish and it has always worked effectively. The problem is a big grouper has gil rakes of steel! Our green bloods mixed as we wrestled in the rocks. Again, she was winning. I had enough air to hang on, like I had a choice with my hand stuck in her gills! The fish finally passed and I collected my gear and sent her up on a lift bag with my reel attached. I followed the fish to the surface to see another fellow diver at 15 feet. We stayed together and I was glad to have some company after the exhaustive battle. I regained my composure as we slipped the final 15 feet to the surface and regailed over the size of the fish. John looked down and said ...Randy! I knew he was looking at trouble. Trouble this day was a 9 foot Hammerhead juking back and forth following a blood trail towards us. I sell shark shields and have laughed under my breath at those that would wear one. Today seemed like a good time to eat crow. I wish I had one. On the first lunge, I poked the Shark with my gun. Irritated, she swam away for a few seconds and returned with an attitude. This time, she went for John. I was glad because it wasn't me (Sorrry John!) and John didn't have any fish, My experience with Hammerheads is they don't bother you unless you have a fish and they don't give up until they get the fish. After several passes and much prodding , Captain James came to our rescue with the Emerald. Nice to know I can still clear the laddder in a single bound when I have to.
The Black weighed in officially at 46 pounds. There was plenty to share but thanks to the 360 degree surface shark dance John and I had together, I didn't have to share the Grouper with the Hammerhead.
The Bug on the right was caught on the second dive and weighed in at 5 1/2 pounds. The lobster model is my lovely fiance, Tania
Monday March 19, 2007
Water Temp: Brrrr! 69 degrees
Seas: 3 to 5 North Rollers
Seas and conditions were much better than projected by weather.com, accuweather, NOAA, wunderground and other local experts. Sometimes you just gotta look out the window. Diving was chilly with an unexpected drop in the 69 degree range. Hood weather for sure. We hit the Gorge again and collected several big bugs. We opted for an area near Scarfout and hit another bunch. A big Hog came by to see what I was doing. Unfortunately for him, I was loading my speargun. Tasty error! I was surprised to see so many bugs still there this late in the season. Remember March 31 is the last day until late July so be sure to get out in the next 2 weeks.
Monday
February 12, 2007
Water Temp 76 on Saturday and then a 73 Sunday at the Tunnels
Seas a mild 2 to 4
Great weekend to be a diver. Saturday we went South and filled the cooler with Hogfish, Snapper and lobster. Sunday we were at the Hole in the Wall. Vis was an easy 80 ft with a slight North current, We encountered the usual large animals and a few surprise sharks. The group wanted to photo some more sharks so we went down to Shark Canyon area where we came across a bevy of black tips, bulls and nurses. One brave soldier encountered a nice 30# plus black grouper, took the shot and was disappointed when the beast pulled off with the herd in pursuit. We traveled North and dropped in on the Tunnels. The current was still to slightly south and the crappy cold water from Stuart had creeped in to give us a 73 degree bath. Not good. Expect the winds to turn from the East bringing the Gulfstream closer and returning our clear blue WARM water. Pictured is Brian with the Emerald in the background. Nice weather!
Thursday Feb 8, 2007
What a beautiful day yesterday. 90 to 100 vis, clear blue skies and warm. Beats diving in Buffalo. They are expected to have 8 ft of snow today!. As promised here's a picture of a batfish from the Loran Area, See you all soon. A face only a mother could love!
Monday February 5, 2007
Seas 3 to 5+
Water Temp : 72 degrees at Loran and 76 at Jupiter. Air temp was cool with a North wind
February already? Shouldn't we be shoveling snow or something? No we should be diving! We headed North Saturday and hit some less traveled spots near the Loran tower reefs. I like to call this area the prettiest ugly reef I have ever seen. Very dramatic relief but a noticeable lack of soft corals. For some reason , we see some of the strangest animals there. I was telling one photog this story and she stayed with me. We ran into a large colorful batfish that posed for her for several minutes. She said she will send me the pix and I will post them. We also saw several peppermint wrasses that are usually reserved for the deeper 150+ dives. Scott pulled in one of the biggest lobsters we have seen this year and Oscar was right behind with 2 big ones. After lunch we hit the MGIII to do a relaxing shallower dive. Everything was cool until someone shot a snapper. Within 10 minutes, 2 huge stingrays came into the group accompanied by 4 Cobia. Guns went off and in the melee the stingray actually stole the fish and gobbled it. I watched in amazement as a southern stingray actually downed this 5 # fish like a python swallowing a rabbit. Back to the Cobia. The catch got manhandled and the Cobia broke free. As it headed East, a HUGE hammerhead rushed us and diverted after the Cobia which I am sure he caught out of sight of the group. Not to be left out , several lemon sharks came near the wreck and started swimming in and around our group. Exhausted, almost sweating from the fast action, we headed up to try and re-tell this story to the 3 divers that stayed on the boat to keep warm.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Water Temp 76 degrees
Vis: 60 to 80'
Seas: 2 to 3s with a few rogue rollers at the inlet
Saturday morning we dropped in on some unexplored territory. Not that great but we did manage one nice 20 pound gag grouper. On our second dive we ran into a herd of gags. Five big ones just hanging out! They got spooked and evaded our hunters. The muttons did not however and we put a couple of 5 pounders on ice. The gags get together this time of year. I am told they are all females. When they show up they somehow decide which will be male and one hermaphodites and becomes the producer for the bunch. You see this is why I don't drink in bars I am not familiar with. I swear one of the gags looked like he or she was wearing lipstick. Dating game or crying game?
Captain James and I spent the afternoon with Dr. Samuel Gruber from the U of Miami and some researchers. His mission is to tag 12 lemon sharks and study their movements. Saturday we augered and installed the receiver devices underwater near the known lemon shark hangouts. This week we will begin the round up. Someone (me) will dive down into the group of lemons, select the one ordered , get it to eat a baited hook and swim away quickly. The topside team will then reel it up, inject a transmitter into the flailing beast and release it. Researchers will follow the tagged sharks to see where they are coming from and where they go. The whole adventure will be documented for National Geographic and Discovery Channel so we may get to see it on TV at a later date. National Geographic did a story on this a couple of years ago . Check it out at:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0721_050721_sharkswarm.html
Monday , January 22, 2007
Water Temp: Still about 76 degrees
Vis: We had over 60 ft south and in 85'
Seas: 2 to 3 ft No problems.
We had Harald at Prop Tech in Jupiter do a tune up on our prop and now we run a lot faster. This lets us get a little farther away to some less traveled locations. This strategy panned out with the hunters this weekend. Saturday most of the lobster takers limited out and Sunday we got in to some good size hog fish. The diving was great and the company was wonderful. Here's a photo of chuckitall from spearboard with 5 fatties.
Monday. January 8, 2007
Water Temp. 76 degrees with a thermal to 71 in a couple of locations.
Seas 2 to 3 ft not bad at all
Great dives this weekend, Saturday we headed north to some secret spots near the Loran Tower. Possibly the prettiest reef I have ever seen North of Jupiter. There were spots with 30 ft of elevation and shelves of nooks and crannies. The lobster were big and hard to catch. I am sad to report some of our guests got nada but a good time. Sunday we stayed local looking for lemons. The conditions said they should be in one or two spots. We found a bunch of teeth, but none attached to sharks. Kind of a good thing. My friend Kent Bonde was on board. If you don't know, Kent was attacked by a Bull Shark a couple of years ago that ate his calf. After extensive surgery , he is up and running and still a fearless diver, although he has given up spearfishing while freediving in the Bahamas. There is an excellent article featuring Kent and the Bull Shark in Spearfishing magazine. You can see the article on line at http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=39337&highlight=spearfishing+magazine.
Tony Grogan of local spearfishing fame owns the magazine and is the administrator for Spearboard forum. Check out both online. The article shows the before surgery picture and below is the Kent after surgery picture.
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Monday January 1, 2007
Water Temp holding at 76 degree
Seas 2 to 3 much better than Sunday!
Great way to start a new year... with a dive. Took a few friends out and hit some lobster honey holes at 90 ft deep. I don't usually hunt bugs at this depth ,but I must say they were there and they were all good size. On our third dive we hit the tunnels and came across Shorty the stub tailed stingray, a distant cousin of Rudolf the red nosed reinder, Anyway, shorty was lying in the sand surrounded by 6 Cobias. I slowly measured them and picked my dinner with my Riffe. Twenty minutes later ,we came across another ray with a large Cobia resting in the sand. Chuckitall my dive buddy nailed this one with a kill shot. We evacuated both fish to the surface with a lift bag since we had attracted an audience at this point. All in all a productive day and a great start to a great year. By the way , nice shot Chuck!
December 4, 2006
Got out Saturday and Sunday. Seas were 3 to 4 ft , water temp was down slightly to 76 degrees and the vis was 40 ft. A little better south and deeper. The cooler temp has brought the grouper in. They are showing up on the wrecks and known hangouts. Sunday we came across a "monster" hogfish and no one had a gun! We did manage to get our limits on bugs. Not that tough when you only have a few people on a big full sized dive boat. Let's go get 'em!
Tom with a 12# and a 15# gag grouper speared on another dive boat.
December 1, 2006
Wow December already! Good dive last Saturday although the seas were way overhead. Hunters bagged a few Hogs and Muttons and did well on the bugs despite adverse conditions. The wind has been East to southeast all week and I expect the seas to be 2 to 4 with extreme vis. I have been in dry dock all week with a USCG inspection. We passed and are now certified to carry a bunch of divers. I will stick to only a few. Lots of room. Florida Dive Show at the Palm Beach Convention Center this weekend. No booth but see you there.
November 20, 2006
Top to bottom! You could almost see the antennae from the bridge. Seas were 1 to 2s with a mild north current. Still catching limits on lobster and a few nice gags are starting to show. The air temp was a chilly low 70s, so everyone took advantage of the hot water heater between dives. Long range report says the air will get cooler before Thanksgiving and then heat up to high 70s for the weekend. The water temp is holding in the high 70s. We are taking a group to the USS Rankin this Saturday. Anytime you get 6 people together, call me and let us custom design a trip for you. Remember, wholesale rate of $75 when you book a group and gourmet lunch is still on the boat!
Not my bugs, but this is what they look like. Thanks John D.
November 13,2006
Beautiful conditions this weekend. Seas were flat and visibility was 60 to 80 feet. Surprisingly, there was a shotage of bugs. It is suspected they ran deep for the prior week's storms and will be walking back soon. Divers got about 4 per person. Couple of edible fish . The gag groupers are starting to show up qand will become abundant as the water drops a couple of degrees. Still at 80.
November 9, 2006
We had a couple of weeks of terrible weather conditions. We made it out a couple of times, but last weekend the seas really were 9 to 12 ft! The good news is when the seas are rough, everyone is in and the bugs stack up. The Republic went out yesterday from JDC and reported an abundance of crustaceans. Several divers got their six. The visibility has been reported as top to bottom.This weekend, we are expecting calm seas and lots of action.
October 16,2006
The seas weren't as bad as NOAA said they would be, but believe me..they were rough. On Saturday we had some 6 footers hit us as we loaded up on bugs just North of Jupiter. Sunday the seas calmed to 3 to 4 ft. Visibility was outstanding in the 60 ft range and water is staying warm at around 80.We stayed in the area and all divers caught their limit of lobsters. Check out this Spearboard forum posted by one of our divers at
http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=35798
Thanks Johnoly, great report. Call me at 561248 8332 to book the Emerald.
October 9, 2006
I don't remember the last time NOAA weather report was this wrong! All week they called for 5 to 7 ft seas. We had 5 to 7 inches at best. If you want to know the weather ...look outside. Catch the web cam at the inlet link on the front page. Anyhow, the conditions were great. Blue skies, warm water and flat seas. We headed out to the Hole in the Wall Saturday and were greeted by 20 Goliath Groupers. I stalked and shot a very good size hogfish just a little North of the Hole. The vis was in the 80 to 100 range. Our second dive was to the Jupiter Wreck Trek. Again there were about 20 Jewfish hanging out. Do you think they followed us? A huge Southern Ray passed and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the unfortunate Crocodile Hunter. Sunday we headed North to the lesser traveled LORAN tower area. Good call Chuck. The place was crawling with Lobsters. The divers basically maxed out on the first dive and exchanged a few bigger ones on the other dives. Hunters bagged a few Muttons on the third dive. Some of the best diving days I have seen this year. Call Randy 561 248 8332, book the green boat and let's go play! Here are a couple of pictures of 2 huge fish speared by our friends John and Kevin on their boat ,in Jupiter, this weekend. Kevin has a record 80# Black Grouper and John has a huge 73# Cobia.
September 25, 2006
The seas got a little rougher but not bad. 3 to 4 ft by Sunday afternoon. Everybody overlooked the tossing and caught their bag limit on lobster of 6 per person. A couple of divers limited out on the first dive! Brian, from up north, caught this 3 pounder as his first lobster "that didn't have claws". Way to go Brian. Vis was in excess of 60 ft at all locations.
September 18, 2006
Great weekend! Thanks to the booking gurus at Jupiter Dive Center, we went out to the Hole in the Wall Saturday and Sunday. Worth the trip. Current was ripping, about 3 knots and the vis was in excess of 60 feet. The divers said it was like flying. There were at least a dozen Goliath Groupers at the Hole. The second and third dives we explored new found lobster holes and came up with limits. We have limited seating so call early.
September 11, 2006
We are finally up and running. Trips this weekend took us to several Lobster honey holes and everyone lobstering caught their limit. 6 bugs in three tanks is a "doable" task. We are seeing some big blacks in 2 locations and an estimated 20# hogfish has been spotted twice at the same location by non hunters. I'm waiting for someone to show up with a weapon. We still have a few spots open for next Saturday and Sunday. Call the shop at 745 7807 and tell them you want to book the Emerald.
August, 2006
The Emerald just set sail from North Florida where it has been getting mechanically outfitted. It "should" be in port at the Jupiter Dive Center dock by Sunday or Monday. I am hoping to be able to get out with a few friends for mini season. She won't be ready for charter for a week or so until I get it racked and rolled. I will be doing three tankers on the weekend and special charters during the week. All trips will be for advanced divers only and we will go "wherever the action is."
As some of you know, I haven't been able to dive in a while... and I really miss it. Mostly, I miss the camaraderie of the avid divers I have met over the years. My email is randy@emeraldcharters.com. Drop me a line. I'll keep you posted.
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