Ft. Pickens Report

[MRXRAY]

I have a boat! A 26' boat. If it's a 1-2 tank dive I can take 4 people. Let's put something together!

 

[Hetland]

I have a boat! A 26' boat. If it's a 1-2 tank dive I can take 4 people. Let's put something together!

FYI, I set up my 20'er between the two jetties (closer to the small one) and shore-anchored at 2 points. There's an area in there where it drops off nice and quick, so draft should not be an issue, though I did have to horse my stern around a tad to get it where I was more comfortable starting my motor.

Have you done any of the near-shore dives just outside the mouth of Pensacola Bay yet?

 

[MRXRAY]

None. Do you mean the USS Mass?

 

[Hetland]

None. Do you mean the USS Mass?

The Mass is VERY tide dependant (so I have been told), but there are lots of spots to dive not too far out. I indend to hit a few in a month or so. (I can point you to some gps numbers if you need them)

 

[paulwall]

Take me!!!

 

[scuba066]

Hello, I dove the Pete Tide today, about the same conditions visibility wise. And, the temp was 71 past 30 feet. A pretty sharp, and chilly drop. I think I now know what a pea feels like floating around in peas soup.

 

[MRXRAY]

The Mass is VERY tide dependant (so I have been told), but there are lots of spots to dive not too far out. I indend to hit a few in a month or so. (I can point you to some gps numbers if you need them)

I'll take what ever you'd like to share. I have the guide to underwater Florida, and the Escambia County Reef guide, and MBT's list, but I have found all to be off a bit at times. As soon as vis picks up, I'll be out!

 

[Hetland]

I'll take what ever you'd like to share. I have the guide to underwater Florida, and the Escambia County Reef guide, and MBT's list, but I have found all to be off a bit at times. As soon as vis picks up, I'll be out!

Those numbers will do as well as any I have, possibly better in the case of MBT's.

I carry an 8 pound weight, with an empty bleach bottle attached, and as soon as I see the structure on my sonar, I toss it overboard. This makes finding the structure a little easier, and takes some of the pressure off of anchor placement.

 

[MRXRAY]

Those numbers will do as well as any I have, possibly better in the case of MBT's.

I carry an 8 pound weight, with an empty bleach bottle attached, and as soon as I see the structure on my sonar, I toss it overboard. This makes finding the structure a little easier, and takes some of the pressure off of anchor placement.

That's a great idea. I'll have to use that one, as anchoring can be tough while trying to keep on top of your target. Do you normally leave a group of non-divers on board while you're underwater? How do you work that issue?

 

[Hetland]

That's a great idea. I'll have to use that one, as anchoring can be tough while trying to keep on top of your target. Do you normally leave a group of non-divers on board while you're underwater? How do you work that issue?

I'm new to diving from my own boat, but I have been watching and learning from the old salts, and combining their tactics with stuff I've learned fishing over the years. Here's how I do it:

1. Make sure you have enough anchor and anchor line. Get the biggest anchor you can carry, and make sure it has a chain. You will need a minimum of 3x the depth you want to ancor with, so for 40 feet, you need 120 feet of rope. 4x is better.
2. Use a marker like I described in my earlier post. Get close to the numbers on your gps, and start watching your sonar. The fish will usually tell you where the dive site is, but if there is enough relief, you can see the change in bottom on the sonar and the a-scope. Toss your buoy.
3. At this point, you can drop a group of divers at the buoy, and have them descend the line (i use a yellow line for better viz), or drop anchor nearby, and have the divers navigate a heading underwater (surface current will usually make a surface swim a b!7@#). Alternatly, you can drop the first group with a line and a float, and they can tie into the structure, with the last group untying. Make sure that the boat is NOT connected to the float when you are tying in or out! That's a good way to get someone hurt. I personally would not tie into the site unless there are plans to do multiple dives at the same site, but that may change once I'm more comfortable with the procedure, and it's really the easiest setup for the folks doing the diving.
4. Always have a length of rope off the back of the boat with a buoy or float. This is the safety line, and it is nice to have, especially after a long swim.
5. Some people tie a line from the stern to the anchor line for ease in getting down the anchor line. It's nice to have this, as it negates the surface current.
6. Don't forget to fly your dive flag(s) and have your anchor light on at dusk. I've secured an extra light for my location buoy so I can see where the line is without using a flashlight after dark.
7. Leave a boat OPERATOR on board at all times. Your operator needs to know EVERYTHING about your boat, location of flares/safety gear, how to use your vhf, who to call on cell or vhf if necessary, how your boat starts, where the fuses/spares are located, what all the switches do, the whole nine yards. The operator also needs to know how to recover divers that have floated off, and how to deploy and recover the anchor properly. I think the best set up is to have 4 or more divers, and dive in groups of two, this way there is always someone on the boat, and an operator/diver will generally be more of an asset than just an operator.
8. Tying into rigs is another chapter I'll save for later

You probably know 99% of this stuff anyway, but some other folks were asking similar questions, so the long-winded response lets me kill two birds.

-h