MRXRAY
Contributor
JHayes and I were underwater when the storm came through. We never knew it came through until we came up and the beach was deserted, except for poor Jason's soaking wet and cold family who were patiently waiting for us to return.
Destin May 17th-22nd
- Thread starter mike_s
- Start date
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OP
mike_s
Contributor
well.... today the water was nothing but brown. So we opted for the "alternate site" for breakfast at What-a-burger.
Glenn, SeaYoda and I are doing Scubatech 8am boat trip if anyone wants to go. (call them and sign up today if you want to go).
mike
Glenn, SeaYoda and I are doing Scubatech 8am boat trip if anyone wants to go. (call them and sign up today if you want to go).
mike
MRXRAY
Contributor
I think your problem with your planned dive Monday was the current not the tide:
The current chart shows no water moving into the bay on the 18th! Really funny you guys hit it on that day!
The current chart shows no water moving into the bay on the 18th! Really funny you guys hit it on that day!
The water is building up and not as smooth the last day or so. The time switch is on Tuesday, I believe.
GLENFWB
Contributor
It was part of the problem...but we gave it a try anyways. The other big problem was there was a VERY strong north wind. Any water that wanted to come in through the pass was met by a strong wind and current pushing brown water back out. All of us have done low viz. jetty dives...but we weren't excited about a no viz jetty dive.
OP
mike_s
Contributor
well SeaYoda and I went out on the SeaCobra from ScubaTech today.
Sadly, Scubatech wimped out in the 2-3 foot seas and only went 1/4 to 1/2 mile past the jetties before they turned the boat around and headed back.....
they were headed east towards the Miss Louise directly into the wind and it was choppy enough for them to cancel and turn the boat around. Personally I didn't think the water was rough enough to warrant turning around, but I guess it's not my boat.
we got back in a little before 9am and there was a 8:45 high tide at the jetties and from the boat the water at the jetty looked pretty decent (as we went by), so SeaYoda and I didn't even change out of our wetsuits or break down the gear and just threw it in the truck and headed over there. A quick check showed clear water, so we headed towards "the walk".
There were about 3 snorkel boats there and maybe about 6 other people on the beach. The cooler air temps and high winds was keeping people in (that and it was till early).
made a 1hr 7 min dive. water temps read 75f the entire time until the end of the dive. The last 5 minutes of the dive, the brown water from the bay outgoing tide washed over us from about 15 feet up. That water was easily 10-15 degrees colder and made us both cold as we exited the water. (my computer is very slow to adjust in the console/boot it's in and didn't get a good secondary reading once the temp dropped. I'll let SeaYoda post the temps from his Sensus II which is much more accurate).
Vis as 15 to 20ft and went down a little towards the end of the dive. June grass was present, but ok. Only out near the first anchor was it pretty thick. We went in search of the 2nd anchor, but it apparently is covered in the sand again.
Current was light heading out and got a little stiffer for part of it heading back in. (Definately required some pulling along the rocks as it got pretty strong for about half of it).
after the dive, headed back to Scubatech for cylinder re-fills and then a quick lunch at Dewey Destin.
Ironically, after lunch the wind shifted from the east back to the north and the seas out near the Miss Louise were flat enough to water ski on. (If they had an afternoon trip, we would have been fine.)
still a good day
mike
EDIT: Didn't see this earlier, but SeaYoda started a seperate trip report thread on this here http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/deep-dixie-divers/285705-destin-jetties-dive-report-5-19-09-a.html
Mike
Sadly, Scubatech wimped out in the 2-3 foot seas and only went 1/4 to 1/2 mile past the jetties before they turned the boat around and headed back.....
they were headed east towards the Miss Louise directly into the wind and it was choppy enough for them to cancel and turn the boat around. Personally I didn't think the water was rough enough to warrant turning around, but I guess it's not my boat.
we got back in a little before 9am and there was a 8:45 high tide at the jetties and from the boat the water at the jetty looked pretty decent (as we went by), so SeaYoda and I didn't even change out of our wetsuits or break down the gear and just threw it in the truck and headed over there. A quick check showed clear water, so we headed towards "the walk".
There were about 3 snorkel boats there and maybe about 6 other people on the beach. The cooler air temps and high winds was keeping people in (that and it was till early).
made a 1hr 7 min dive. water temps read 75f the entire time until the end of the dive. The last 5 minutes of the dive, the brown water from the bay outgoing tide washed over us from about 15 feet up. That water was easily 10-15 degrees colder and made us both cold as we exited the water. (my computer is very slow to adjust in the console/boot it's in and didn't get a good secondary reading once the temp dropped. I'll let SeaYoda post the temps from his Sensus II which is much more accurate).
Vis as 15 to 20ft and went down a little towards the end of the dive. June grass was present, but ok. Only out near the first anchor was it pretty thick. We went in search of the 2nd anchor, but it apparently is covered in the sand again.
Current was light heading out and got a little stiffer for part of it heading back in. (Definately required some pulling along the rocks as it got pretty strong for about half of it).
after the dive, headed back to Scubatech for cylinder re-fills and then a quick lunch at Dewey Destin.
Ironically, after lunch the wind shifted from the east back to the north and the seas out near the Miss Louise were flat enough to water ski on. (If they had an afternoon trip, we would have been fine.)
still a good day
mike
EDIT: Didn't see this earlier, but SeaYoda started a seperate trip report thread on this here http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/deep-dixie-divers/285705-destin-jetties-dive-report-5-19-09-a.html
Mike
Last edited:
SeaYoda
Contributor
MRXRAY
Contributor
I use the NOAA current charts here: Tidal Current Predictions
They are listed by Month so you have to scroll down several pages to get to May and then look for the date. You can see water flow for the area. The tide is changing depth and since this tide is a progressive tide it does not usually coincide with current shifts. That's why it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the current charts. Keep in mind that the closest buoy for current predictions is off Pensacola but I find it to be fairly accurate for most of the coast within an hour or so. What I find best about the chart is to see the min/max flow speeds for the dates. And you'll see on the date you aborted the flow change was near zero!
They are listed by Month so you have to scroll down several pages to get to May and then look for the date. You can see water flow for the area. The tide is changing depth and since this tide is a progressive tide it does not usually coincide with current shifts. That's why it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the current charts. Keep in mind that the closest buoy for current predictions is off Pensacola but I find it to be fairly accurate for most of the coast within an hour or so. What I find best about the chart is to see the min/max flow speeds for the dates. And you'll see on the date you aborted the flow change was near zero!
kalik
Guest
SeaYoda
Contributor
MRXRAY
Contributor
The quick and dirty is to look at the flow rates for the day. Max incoming flow for the 17th was +1.1 Knts, and out going was -1.1 knts. This is not real bad and would probably make for a nice clean dive. The times represent the slack water times, first and then the time of max flows for both incoming and outgoing respectfully. Two things to look for are no flow like you had on the 18th which shows no flow after 0933 and the currents that are really kicking like a +3.3 followed by a -3.3. This would represent some kicking currents which may not/probably not coincide with a high/low tide.
Make sense? You can check NOAA for more details! Or PM me and we can talk more.
Make sense?
You can check NOAA for more details! Or PM me and we can talk more. Similar threads
