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Archive for May, 2010
Larry, the Puerto Rico lobster
Puerto Rico may be the fourth largest island in the Caribbean, but it is certainly one of the greatest for scuba diving. Its unique location, between the semi-protected Caribbean Sea and the open Atlantic, means that divers get the best of two realms, with sheltered reefs, pelagics from the deep, sheer drop-offs and networks of caves and tunnels, all in clear, warm waters year round. Water temperatures are in the low 80s in winter; mid-80s in summer. Visibility averages 70 feet around the main island with 100 feet or more off some of the surrounding small islands.
Diving in Puerto Rico is mainly done off the East, South and West coasts of the island. To the east, visibility frequently approaches 100 ft. Off the coast sit two small islands ripe for diving – Culebra and Vieques. The establishment of the Culebra Marine Reserve Park ensures that its dive sites are protected. Though Vieques is known for the prior U.S. Naval bombing exercises, it actually offers very healthy reefs due to the lack of visitors there in the recent past. There are also several dive sites around a series of small uninhabited islands—Palomino, Palominitos, and Cayo Diablo, where white beaches lead to shallow, prolific reefs amongst calm waters. Along with stingrays, eels, angelfish and jacks, very often divers off the east coast see dolphins, turtles, manatees, and even sometimes passing whales.
Puerto Rico’s Wall runs parallel to the south coast, producing sites with shocking drop offs. La Parguera, on the island’s southwest edge, features at least two dozen spots for sighting stands of black coral and pelagics. Rincon is where land-based dive operators run trips westward to Desecheo Island, another area with more dive options than there are hours in the day. A trip to pristine Mona Island is a highlight of many divers who visit, but it lies 45 miles west of the island (a 6-hour boat ride) and so the visit needs to be planned in advance.
Some interesting dives in Puerto Rico include:
Las Cuevas – This fascinating spot located near Desecheo that looks like Dr. Seuss molded the sea floor. Arches and swim-throughs cover the landscape, producing psychedelic effects and plenty of exploration opportunities. This boat dive starts at about 35 feet, but goes no deeper than 65 feet, which insures divers will have plenty of bottom time to search for critters amongst the super healthy reefs.
Cayo Raton – This semicircular reef off of Culebra starts flat and then plunges down to 55 feet. The sometimes strong current makes for 100+ foot visibility on a good day of diving. Larger fish are attracted to the current, but the reef boasts a healthy collection of small creatures, too, prompting many divers to note that there seems to be an unusually large amount of fish to be seen at this site.
Fallen Rock – This advanced dive near La Parguera will take a bit of a boat ride to get to, but bring a book and some sun screen, and you’ll be glad you made the trip. Sometime over the millenea, an enormous piece of the wall broke off and tumbled down the slope, causing a v-shaped notch that now shelters an explosion of coral and sea life. The boulder that broke off now forms a pinnacle further down the slope that divers can explore in detail, with frequent seahorses, crabs and octopus sightings. This is a deep dive, with the top of the reef at 65 feet, and the bottom dropping past 100, but the unique topography makes for a dramatic dive. All the usual reef fish can be spotted here, as can pelagics like mackerels, jacks, barracuda and spotted eagle rays that patrol the blue.
The Wall – This wall dive near La Parguera (sometimes also called Efra’s Wall) boasts multitudes of colorful coral lining the wall and adjacent canyon. This is a great site to check out the plant life, with gorgonians, whip corals, large golden zoanthids, green finger sponges, black coral and rope pore sponges growing from what seems like every surface. This dive also offers queen triggerfish, spotted eagle rays, schools of goatfish and parrotfish, as well as a hefty dose lobster action.
Hawaiian green beauty...
Every diver has favorite things they like to see underwater. For some its sharks, for others rays, but for many people turtles top the list of fun aquatic finds. The Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) in particular has been a scuba favorite for years due to its good looks and reef-dweling nature.
Despite their name, Green Turtles are actually a light color all over, with the shell ranging in color from olive green to black, depending on where the turtle lives. Green turtles are migratory animals, traveling thousands of miles each year to nest. In fact, they only nest on the very beach they were born, so in order to lay eggs, they must return to that same beach.
Green turtles are on the endangered species list and therefore protected in most countries around the world. Besides humans, the tiger shark is a Green turtle’s main predator. Adult green turtles can grow to 5 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds, so sharks tend to target younger specimens for snacks.
So if you are determined to dive with these beauties in the wild, where can you go for a guaranteed sighting? The range of the sea turtle extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Interestingly, green turtles react differently to scuba divers depending on their location. On one side of Oahu turtles are curious and friendly, while on the opposite shore they jet the moment they see you, so two different dive sites around the same island can produce very different results. When visiting green turtle waters, it’s important to get the input of the locals to find the best locations for healthy, long-lasting viewing. But planning a trip to a locale with a concentration of these green jewels is the first step.
Atlantic
In the Caribbean, major nesting sites have been identified on Aves Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Tortuguero in Costa Rica. Within United States waters, minor nesting sites have been noted in the states of Georgia, North and South Carolina. Florida attracts them in droves especially near Hutchinson Island, Indian River Lagoon, the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, Homosassa, Crystal River and Cedar Key. In South America green turtles enjoy the waters off Surinam and French Guiana as well as around the island of Ascension.
Pacific & the Indian Ocean
In Mexico, green turtles are found in seagrass pastures in the Gulf of California. They are found throughout the Hawaiian Islands, most notably in Oahu and Lanai and west in the waters of the French Frigate Shoals. The Turtle Islands of the Philippines and the Meru Betiri National Reserve in East Java, Indonesia boast healthy populations. Green turtles are scattered throughout the Great Barrier Reef, but exist in high concentrations around Raine Island. The waters around Madagascar support Africa’s population of green turtles. The Arabian Sea also attracts the turtles, especially in Ash Sharqiyah, Oman and Karachi, Pakistan. In the same area, the waters surrounding Astola Island, a large nesting site, have plenty of green turtles to fill your bottom time.
The Vandenburg
There is more to Key West than dive bars. Most people don’t realize that one of Florida’s biggest party towns actually has a lot of scuba options if you can stay sober long enough to seek them out. Key West’s largest and most pristine reefs are located several miles off shore, making a dive boat a must. Those willing to venture a little further still can also enjoy the dive opportunities in the Lower Keys, especially pristine Looe Key Reef, a protected site teeming with sea life that know nobody is going to eat them. Interesting sites include:
Looe Key Reef – The coral reef of Looe Key has been afforded special protection since 1981. Since then, all spearfishing, coral collection, and even lobstering have been banned there. The site’s namesake, the frigate H.M.S. Looe, accidentally ran hard aground there in 1744; remains of the ship lie between two fingers of coral near the eastern end of the reef although only the ballast and anchor are visible. One unusual aspect of Looe Key is that a complete reef ecosystem is found there, from a rubble ridge of ancient fossilized corals, to a reef flat comprised of turtle grass, to a fore reef made up of large star and brain corals arranged in a spur-and-groove coral formation sloping from 20 to 40 feet. There is even a deep reef which slopes to more than 100 feet, providing a great opportunity to view the pelagic species of the Florida Keys, including eagle rays, turtles and every once in awhile a whale shark or manta ray. But don’t miss the main attraction looking for big game: more varieties of tropical marine species are found at Looe Key than perhaps anywhere else in the hemisphere, placing most of the of action right in front of your mask.
Adolphus Bush – This former island freighter was purchased by the local dive community with the generous assistance of Adolphus Busch IV, and sunk upright and intact in just 100 feet of water some seven miles southwest of Big Pine Key in December 1998. Before sinking, the ship was well cleaned and prepared for divers, including the opening of several large holes for penetration. The ship is 210 feet long and the maximum depth is 110 feet, making it an Intermediate to Advanced level dive. There is some marine growth on the wreck, but the highlight is the ship itself, as well as the schools of fish that are starting to use it as a playground.
Sand Key – From the surface, Sand Key looks like a pile of shells topped with a jaunty red lighthouse hat. But, underwater the view gets much more idylic. The reef itself consists mostly of rock fingers and gullies with sandy bottoms between cliff-like structures and extensive areas of staghorn and elkhorn coral. This site reaches to 65 feet and teems with endless expanses of colorful tropical fish and macro photography opportunities. Though popular, this location is so large that dive boats can spread out, and fish always outnumber divers.
Alexander’s Wreck – commercial salver Chet Alexander purchased this ship from the Navy and sunk it to form an artificial reef. The wreck lies on its side and is broken in half, with the stern section lying 150 yards or so north of the bow, which is awash on most tides. The hull is covered with Leavy oysters and the surrounding waters teem with what seems like unending schools of tropical fish.
Joe’s Tug – This classic tugboat sits totally upright in just 65 feet of water, and offers a great opportunity for close encounters with Goliath Grouper, spotted morays, barracuda, and horse eye jacks. Open access to the wheel house and aft deck make this an enjoyable dive.
The Cayman Salvor -This 180-foot. steel hulled buoy tender, also known as the Cayman Salvager, was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in 1985. She now sits upright with cavernous open holds providing refuge for baitfish and grunts, as well as a resident jewfish and green moray eel.
Hoyt S. Vandenberg – So, how long to do you plan on staying in the Keys to dive? At 523 feet in length and 10 stories high, the Vandenberg, the Key’s most famous artificial reef, will take you some time to explore. Vandenberg sits upright approximately seven miles off Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, its keel buried at 145 feet. The tops of the bridges, the communication center and the ship’s dish antennas are 40 feet from the surface of the water, perfect for beginning divers or deco stops. All dive spots along the top structure are open, free from obstruction and are easy to maneuver over and around during a dive. The decks are 45 to 90 feet below the surface. There are holes cut measuring 8×10 feet on each side to allow divers to penetrate the decks horizontally. There are 18 stair towers, 11 elevator shafts and cargo hold shafts to give divers vertical access to the wreck. The 25 foot tall rudder and prop is a great deep dive at 150 feet for the advanced diver.
Since being sunk to the bottom in under two minutes’ time on May 27, 2009, the second-largest ship in the world to be sunk as an artificial reef sits encrusted with species of soft corals. Some 48 different species of shallow water and reef fish have taken up residency, such as parrotfish, goliath grouper, yellow and blue tangs, barracuda as well as deeper water dorado and the occasional sailfish attracted by clouds of bait that frequently school around the wreck. Gray angelfish and butterfly fish are routinely seen circling the anchor chain, while arrow crabs treat the whole thing like a jungle gym.
Insane amounts of coral ...
Marathon and the Middle Keys offer lots to do and see underwater. Most sites are extensive spur-and-groove formations, with some well-developed patch reefs thrown in for fun. Coral can’t seem to get enough of the place, with elkhorn, brain, pillar, star, staghorn and (unfortunately) fire coral all growing in abundance. Lobsters and moray eels are found at almost every site, and stone crab, those tasties of the deep, can also be spotted. Though the area boasts some nice dive sites, an added bonus is its proximity to the rest of the keys, both north and south, making the scuba options almost limitless. Some of the fun dives here include:
Sombrero Reef – If you have gone diving in Marathon, chances are you have been to Sombrero Reef, a traditional favorite of the Marathon dive portfolio marked by a 140-foot lighted tower. The site sports your typical spur and groove formation with wide channels of brilliant white sand separating towering coral heads. Schools of grunt and snapper buzz the spot while solitary barracuda stand guard over their turf. The best part of this site is a photo op at “The Arch” an 8-foot high natural coral bridge teeming with colorful coral and tropical fish.
Delta Shoals – Eastward of Sombrero Light lies Delta Shoals, where a vast network of coral canyons fan seaward from a sandy shoal, offering great diving amid elkhorn, brain, and star coral heads. Like so many other Key sites, this one is pretty shallow – 25 feet max. But the sea life is plentiful and the coral is healthy and colorful. Two interesting wrecks lie in this area. The Delta Shoals Barge behind the east end features typical shallow water soft corals and an abundance of fish life, perfect for snorkeling. The other is the Ivory Coast Wreck, a sunken slave ship lost in 1853, although little is recognizable any more. Both wrecks offer plenty of places for sea life to move in and set up shop.
Thunderbolt Wreck – Sunk intentionally as a dive attraction in March, 1986, the Thunderbolt now sits upright in 115 feet of water. Her superstructure is coated with colorful sponge, coral, and hydroid, providing refuge and sustenance to large angelfish, jacks, and a variety of deep-water pelagic creatures. At 188 feet, this former lightning research vessel is the biggest and the best wreck in the Marathon area. Divers can spend hours investigating the ship’s structure, including a large reel off the bow and enormous twin props perfect for photo shoots. Large hatches off the main deck open into the engine compartments where it is possible to descend into the hull to 110 feet.
Adelaide Baker – This historic steamship wrecked on January 28, 1889 while bound for Savannah with a load of sawn timber. At the time of the ship’s demise, it was 153 feet long with a beam of 35 feet and a hold of 21 feet, though now what remains covers over 1400 feet of the ocean floor. Divers of all levels can enjoy this shallow wreck, including two large steam-venting stacks that are still relatively recognizable. The rubble strewn floor houses a nice array of macro creatures, especially those that like to hide in cracks and crevices.