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Archive for November, 2009
There comes a time in every diver’s life when your usual dive buddy (wife, husband, partner in crime, lifelong friend, annoying neighbor, twin, etc.) is not able to make the trip, but you are determined to dive anyway. Not to be deterred from the lure of the sea, you boldly climb on the dive boat and start scrutinizing the other divers to see who is going to be your assigned buddy for the day. Sometimes it works out, and a new dive buddy/lifelong friend is made. But, more often then not, you get saddled with The Worst Dive Buddy, the butt of jokes and the basis of buddy comparison for all dives in the future. A few of the unfortunate buddy options:
ADOS Buddy – Attention Deficit…Ooooh Shiny. ADOS Buddy can’t seem to focus on anything for more than a second, making task completion and stimulating conversation impossible. You are the last pair to descend because he forgot his weight belt and has to climb back on the boat to get it. Underwater, curious things continuously pull his attention and his body in the polar opposite direction from you and the rest of the dive group. Before the boat pulls back to the dock he will ask you at least four times “What was the name of that reef that we just visited?” It is okay if you lose your temper with him – he won’t remember you tomorrow.
Scuba Steve Buddy – Scuba Steve knows it all (just look at the endless list of ScubaSteve Twitter sites). What starts out as some interesting ocean factoids on your ride to the reef quickly turns into an overwhelming dissertation about the mating habits of the humuhumunukunukuapuaa fish. He corrects the divemaster during the dive briefing, and wants to point out to you every bit of obscure fish sh*t he encounters during the dive. Note: you can usually tell Scuba Steve Buddy before he even opens his mouth: he’s the one with the enormous trapper-keeper dive log and seven sharpened pencils for recording the details.
I Love Scuba Buddy – This man is moved by the scuba spirit. You can appreciate his enthusiasm, but your hand starts to sting from all the high-5’s he keeps giving you. He claps at the end of the dive briefing. Fascinating underwater finds like seaweed and sand cause him to grab your arm and gesticulate excitedly. Warning: this man will whoop with joy and celebration the moment he breaks the surface at the end of the dive. Do not be alarmed – this is normal behavior for I Love Scuba Buddy, and not nitrogen narcosis.
Clueless Buddy – Has this person ever gone diving before? Clueless Buddy has no idea how to set up their gear, how to function on a dive boat, and even looks like he put on his swimsuit backwards. His weight belt is on the bench seat, he washed his soapy mask in the camera bucket, and he is gazing off into the sunset while a whole line of divers waits behind him to giant stride off the swim platform. Underwater, his hand gestures look like Kabuki Theater and he wants to fondle every living thing in the sea. Fortunately, the fire coral teaches him a lesson before you have to.
Andros is the largest of the islands of the Bahamas at 104 miles long by 40 miles wide and features lots of fresh water, beaches, mangrove trees, and vast pine forests. The Andros Barrier Reef is the third largest barrier coral reef in the world and second largest reef in the Caribbean. The Andros Reef stretches for 100 miles along the eastern shore of Andros Island. In the winter, the water temperature is about 74F degrees and the summer water temperature is about 84F degrees.
Though a large island, the fish in the surrounding waters significantly outnumber the humans on land. You’ll find sea turtles, rays, lionfish, reef sharks, and all manner of reef fish. The island’s diving opportunities include shallow reefs, coral gardens, wrecks, and spectacular walls where the Tongue of the Ocean plunges to 6,000 feet. Also, Andros is riddled with both terrestrial and oceanic blue holes. Stargate, Guardian Blue Hole, Big Blue Hole, Little Frenchman and Uncle Charlie’s Blue Hole are among the most popular blue holes dived in and off Andros.
Some interesting dives on Andros include:
The Big Blue Hole - This ocean blue hole is the second deepest blue hole in the Bahamas. While there are some cavernous sections, you don’t need special equipment or lights. The entrance of the blue hole is at 40 feet, where you’ll descend down an ancient waterfall chute. Then you’ll make your way along the rim of the blue hole, passing under an enormous swim-through called the sky light room, where giant boulders have wedged themselves along the rim. Finally, you pass into the main part of the “hole” where the bottom seems endless.
Coral Caverns – This site’s spur and groove coral formations have grown together, creating swim-throughs and numerous small caverns. Barracuda and nurse sharks are frequently spotted amongst the myriad of small tropical fish.
Giant Staircase – Fantastic coral formations descend like giant steps over the edge of the wall into the abyss. Dense proliferations of sponges, invertebrates, and tropical fish are everywhere you look. Keep your eyes in the blue for large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, and turtles that frequent this area. The sand at the top houses the requisite crop of garden eels.
Wreck of the Potomac – This interesting wreck sits in only 20 feet of water. While storms have scoured her of much coral or sponge decoration in recent years, this steamship is still a fascinating look at maritime history. Located near the channel leading into Coconut Bay, portions of the Potomac jut out of the water at low tide.
The Marion – Once a U.S. Navy crane barge, the Marion was sunk in 1988 by AUTEC, the local U.S. Navy base. It’s located on a large sandy area dotted with coral heads. The top of the wreck is at a depth of 50 feet , while the base is at the site’s maximum depth of 70 feet. Sea life is plentiful here, from the southern stingray that glides over the sandy bottom, to the spiny lobster and the green moray eel that hide among the wreck’s crevices. It’s also a habitat for peacock flounders, hogfish, large grey snappers, french angelfish, fairy basslets, goatfish, and the occasional barracuda.
Like so many of the Bahamas Out Islands, Andros is not a place where nightlife thrives and tourism booms. However, if you are looking for other, non-scuba activities it does boast one of the best places for bonefishing in the Caribbean.
The Dominican Republic lies about 800 miles/1,280 kilometers southeast of Miami and is bordered in the Greater Antilles chain by Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east. The island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti, totals some 48,482 square miles/126,053 square kilometers, making it the second-largest island in the Caribbean. It is actually easier to fly from one side of the island to the other than to drive! There are two rainy seasons, October to May along the northern coast and May to October in the south. June to September is hurricane season.
Europeans have always flocked to this affordable island’s resorts in Casa de Campo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, but Americans too are now starting to visit. There are a nice selection of topside activities to choose from, including touring of historical monuments, golf, tennis, beaches, horseback riding, windsurfing, and sport fishing. Visitors also enjoy this country’s top notch cigars and coffee.
The best conditions for scuba diving in the Dominican Republic are on the north and south coasts. Although there is scuba diving on offer on the east coast resorts, the Punta Cana area, the sea there can be rougher and more challenging, especially during the winter months. The islands’ best diving attractions include wrecks, reefs, walls, and coral caverns. You will find healthy crops of both hard and soft corals here. Upon occasion, humpback whales and whale sharks will make appearances in the local waters.
In addition to the fringing reef of the island itself, visitors can find some nice diving opportunities around the nearby deserted islands of Catalina and La Saona. Underwater shipwrecks, steep coral slopes and an easily accessible, large coral reef thrill divers as do the occasional dolphin sighting.
Some of the more interesting dive sites in the Dominican Republic include:
La Caleta Underwater National Park – In addition to healthy reefs, this marine park contains the wreck of the El Limon, a 69-foot steel tugboat with triple screws. She lies on a sand bottom, surrounded on three sides by high profile coral reefs. Bluestriped grunts, blue tangs, trumpetfish, porcupinefish, and goatfish all call this wreck home.
Wreck of the Hickory – 144-foot treasure salvage vessel that was sunk in 1986. Now broken in half and ravaged by storms, the wreck is home for an incredible assortment of marine life, including a riot of yellow tube sponges. Divers can penetrate the hull and explore the ship’s innards, scaring up the schools of blackbar soldierfish that live inside.
La Sirena Cave - A freshwater cavern dive with incredible visibility of 300 feet. Divers can explore a series of tunnels and chambers and occasionally emerge into air pockets that are filled with ancient stalactites.
Wreck of the St. George – A 170-foot freighter recently sunk to form an artificial reef. Promising marine growth and fish populations are starting to appear. End this dive with a visit to the nearby Aquarium shallow reef where macro critters like nudibranches abound.
The folks at scubaherald got me thinking about the scuba fringe, the diving opportunities that take you from being a recreational diver to a complete scuba diving freak. While I admit my first thought is “That sounds cool! Let’s go now!” there is a small voice speaking from my sub-conscious that says “Are you a fool?” Whatever your perspective, you have to admit these pursuits take diving to a whole new level.
Heli-diving
“I’m in a perfectly working helicopter, but I am going to exchange my comfy seat for a long, unpleasant plunge into cold ocean waters. Oh, and I’m taking my scuba gear with me.” Dive operators in several places, including the Great Barrier Reef and Curacao, are offering this expedient pre-dive experience, redolent of Navy Seal and flying fish jokes. In exchange for some serious cash, you get several hours of training and enough adrenaline to fuel Manhattan’s electricity needs. For a year.
Cageless, baited Tiger Shark diving
It’s tough to stand out as a dive operator in South Africa, as once-in-a-lifetime diving opportunities can be found all along the coast. One particularly creative shop has found the answer. Go to the Tiger Shark ‘hood, chum the water, remove the cage, and pray that everyone on the dive boat returns with the appropriate number of arms and legs (attached). What I want to know is: how do the Great Whites know that the dinner bell is not for them?
Record-setting deep dives
Go past 120 feet, and you’ve left recreational diving depths. Add a few hundred feet more, and you’ll find zero light and few fish. Go a few hundred feet more, and you might just find a diver with a death wish trying to set a new depth record. The deepest sea dive to date is 330 meters set by Pascale Bernabe in 2005, but depth-aholics are constantly trying to beat the latest achievement. The record and not the dive itself seems to be what turns these extreme divers on: it took Bernabe ten minutes to descend to that depth and nine long, boring hours to come back up because of all of the decompression requirements.
Ice diving
In the middle of the Antarctic winter you need to bore a hole through six feet of ice before you can even access the water. That alone dissuades most people. The remaining determined individuals then need to contend with their Sahara-sized dry suit, a slush filled, disorienting entry and volumes of safety rope, as the hole is the only way in and out of the ocean (no, chipping away ice cubes with your dive knife will not work). But, once the trivial inconveniences are dispensed, diving the water under the ice is a thrilling opportunity, with over three hundred feet of visibility and a host of unique sea creatures to see (can you say orka?) It’s an extreme dive adventure not for the faint of heart, nerve, body temperature, or wallet.
The largest island of the Netherlands Antilles, Curacao is the “C” in the “ABCs” that also include neighboring Aruba and Bonaire. The island lies in the southern Caribbean just 35 miles north of Venezuela. The island, busy with trade and refining, retains much of its Dutch heritage in look and feel. The official language is Dutch and the native language is Papiamento, but English and Spanish are commonly heard on the island.
Topside activities abound, including caving opportunities, distillery tours and plenty of nightlife Desert-like, Curacao is arid and flat with divi divi trees, cacti and spiny-leafed aloes dotting its rocky landscape. Constant trade winds keep the island at an average temperature of about 80-82F/26-28C, with a bit higher temperatures in summer. The island’s average rainfall is just 22 inches/56 centimeters per year, with the rainy season being October-February.
Diving opportunities come in many flavors on Curacao. In some places delicate corals and brightly colored tropical fish rule the day, while in others, massive coral formations extend into depths with deep-water fish patrolling the plunging walls. Stretching across the entire south coast, Curacao has over 60 identified dive sites to choose from with 44 of them equipped with chains.
Some of the interesting dive sites Curacao offers include:
Snake Bay – An enormous amount of fish cover this reef. Huge Jacks chasing bait balls, chromies, creole wrasses, southern rays, turtles, and so much more. Wild dolphins have been sighted at this dive as well. Gorgonians and hard corals abundantly cover the gentle slope.
The Superior Producer – This cargo freighter sunk in December of 1977 and is now sitting upright at a depth of 100ft/30m. It is beautifully covered in colorful corals and sponges and surrounded by watchful barracudas. It is an advanced dive not be missed by those with the appropriate skill level.
The Tugboat – This famous tugboat is overgrown with tube sponges and brain coral. Go around the corner to the east and you will find a beautiful wall that provides shelter for thousands of Creole Wrasse. Look for the large blue Parrot Fish, and Yellow Tail Snappers guarding the dive site.
The Lost Anchor – A beautiful wall with a variety of fish and corals. Look for the coral-coated anchor chain that stretches into the abyss. Interesting creatures like sea horses and squid call this site home.
Mushroom Forest – Star and Boulder coral form mushroom-shaped domes. Swim in between these towering fungi as you chase after schools of bar jacks and yellow tails.
Now that Florida has finally gotten around to sinking the Vandenburg, their planned string of successful artificial reefs is complete. Recently I ran across an article discussing the cleanup of a failed 1970’s attempt at creating an artificial reef using that little known reef building material, used tires. I began to wonder: is all this artificial reef creation good, or are we just rationalizing our practice of throwing junk into the sea?
The available information base on artificial reefs is almost endless. But, from what I can tell, people claim four main purposes for artificial reefs:
Financial
a. “Dismantling my old boat will cost too much. Instead, I will throw it in the ocean and pretend not to notice when it sinks.”
b. “I have no reef, but I hear it generates income. Let’s get one!”
Environmental
a. “That hurricane/cruise liner/glowing green factory goo destroyed my reef. Help!”
b. “My shorefront property just became a houseboat. Where did my beach go?”
Sport
a. “Cool, dude! I need gnarly wave action for surfing.”
b. “Cool, divemaster! I need great reef action for diving.”
Accidental
a. “Oops, iceberg.”
b. “Well, that landing strip was shorter than I thought.”
And, from what I can tell, artificial reefs are made of a few different materials:
1. Manmade stuff – Wrecks, train cars, airplanes, cars, dump trucks, and the occasional toaster
2. Reef promoting materials – Rocks, odd manufactured products like reef balls
3. All else –Items placed for a purpose other than promoting reef growth, such as bulwarks and Hoffa
I now realize that the question of artificial reefs being good or bad is not straightforward. The success of the reef seems to be a combination of both the purpose and the material.
Some examples:
#1
Purpose: Mobile Bay homeowners desire Environmental shoreline protection
Materials: “All Else” flat bulwarks that actually dissuaded marine growth
Result: Got our beach back, but ruined the fish population
#2
Purpose: Surfer Dudes at Pratte’s Reef in El Segundo need waves
Materials: Reef promoting rocks
Result: The rock promptly sank into the sea floor leaving flat water and a large bill
#3
Purpose: Aruba had an extra airplane all dressed up but nowhere to fly
Materials: 60 ft long YS-11 previously owned by Air Aruba
Result: Promising evidence of coral and fish “Movin’ On Up”
So now I realize I can’t pass judgment on artificial reefs as a whole, but need to measure success individually. For every tire cleanup story there is a successful artificial reef just waiting for fish and divers to come and play.
When I think of Barbados, I think of swank hotels and Tiger Woods, who got married there in 2004. But the waters off this eastern Caribbean island should also bring to mind healthy reefs and unique marine life. Scuba diving can be done year round in Barbados, though winter ocean swells make North and East coast diving seasonal. The visibility ranges from 50 to 90ft and the water temperature is a consistent 80 degrees F. A wide range of topside activities, nightlife and accommodations make this a perfect spot for any budget and any social agenda once the dive day is done.
The surrounding reefs offer plenty to see. The barrier reefs, located 1/2 – 2 miles from shore contain large coral heads which form the habitat for thousands of fish, Hawksbill turtles, and occasional manta rays. These reefs are also covered with lush soft corals that give way to a variety of hard corals, sea fans and sponges the deeper they get. Fringing and patching reefs are found closer to shore and have smaller coral formations, more abundant plant life, and interesting critters such sea horses, batfish, flying gurnards, frog fish, trumpet fish and giant sand eels.
Barbados also offers many excellent sites for wreck diving. Carlisle Bay, with 200+ wrecks, and the Stavronikita, located at Folkestone Marine Park, are favorites of Barbados scuba diving enthusiasts. The Pamir wreck is over 150 feet long and is home to thousands of butterfly fish. The Bajan Queen, recently sunk in 2002, offers the opportunity to dive on a modern vessel.
No matter what your underwater interest, Barbados is sure to please.
December Diving Destinations: Scuba Diving in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas
More than 100 miles of magnificent reef and excellent 100+ foot visibility make the Abaco Islands, in the northern Bahamas, an ideal scuba destination. The reefs are famous for their huge caverns and tunnels filled with rays of sunlight that penetrate through gaps in the coral growth. Much of the reef formation is colonies of star coral, but there are also elkhorn forests and isolated hard corals. In addition to the reefs and caverns, there are also impressive inland blue holes (complete with creepy stalactites) to explore.
Caribbean reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles, tarpon, southern stingrays, grouper, barracuda, ocean triggerfish, parrotfish, and schools of all manner of Caribbean tropical fish abound in the waters off the islands. Several underwater wrecks break up a day of reef diving, including: the Debra K in 130 feet of water, the San Jacinto in 20 – 50 Feet of water, and the wreck of the Guana Cay dingy in 60 feet of water.
The Abaco Islands are quite quiet, with two small airports, a single traffic light, and few tourists. Many times you can find yourself diving without another dive boat in sight. Accommodations are pleasant, but not fancy, although all you can find all the comforts of home. In short, this isn’t the place if you are looking for intense night life unless you are doing so underwater.
Countless entries have been made on worldwide scuba blogs recounting the amazing tale of the Nomura’s Jellyfish invading Japanese fishing grounds as we speak. Though I find the animal fascinating, I loathe the thought of beating the proverbial “dead jellyfish” with yet another post regurgitating the obvious. Instead, I acknowledge the phenomenon with this simple haiku:
Aquatic wonder
Giant sumo jelly beasts
Beware, fatal sting
At some point in ancient history, a land dwelling snake looked at the ocean and thought…maybe I’ll take a dip. Now, sea snakes are widely distributed in the warm Indian and western Pacific Ocean, though some experts believe they may start migrating to Atlantic waters in the near future due to global warming. Singapore, Borneo, Australia and Mozambique have the highest number of species, which vary greatly in color and shape. Their scales distinguish them from eels that have no scales. Sea snakes can dump nitrogen through their skin while getting up to 20% of their oxygen through their skin. This means that no matter how fast they dive they never get the bends.
Everyone knows sea snakes are highly poisonous. If you are bitten, you need to get medical treatment and possibly antivenom quickly. Tell-tales signs that you are not doing well after a snake bite include a headache and thick feeling tongue, though this might just be a hangover you are experiencing. If you then lose the ability to move your legs, you can safely assume the problem is the bite and not the tequila.
Huge aggregations of sea snakes have been reported. For example, in 1932 millions of Astrotia stokesii, a type of sea snake, were reportedly seen from a steamer in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Malaysia, and formed a line of snakes 3 m (9.8 ft) wide and 100 km (62 mi) long. Scientists suggest that these large snake gatherings are related to reproduction, basically enormous snake orgies. Nice.