Johnoly
Contributor
- Messages
- 4,020
- Reaction score
- 5,486
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
New Years Weekend Saturday, jumped on the Jupiter Dive Center Republic IV boat with Capt Mike and brand new DM Taylor. Quick 2 tanker before heading to the keys to splash the Speigel Grove with Kidsdream and Chuckitall. Jupiter weather was flat & nice.
1st drop was Area 51 backside. No bugs and the dinner plates were too small to shoot. 74 degrees, 1.5 knots of current and a hazy 50ft of viz.
2nd tank was the Bluffs. Right after I jump in I feel something bumping my leg. As I look behind I see both of my orange fish elevators have completely un- rolled and I looked like a hogfish with streamers.
Re-stuff the tanks and git on the road. Same distance from Jupiter at 2 hours whether turning right back to Orlando or to the left towards Key Largo. Met up with KidsDream and Chuckitall. Woke up the next morning to some blustery 25 mph winds but they had just the right amount of angle off the land that the seas were doable. Unfortunately many people canceled (we don't cancel!!) so the boat was wide open with plenty of room on the big 46 foot Conch Republic Newton.
Capt Gary and Admiral Brenda always take good care of the D2D's and they have a great shop right next to the inlet
1st drop was the wreck of the Eagle. 105 to the sand. Viz was tough at 30 feet with tons of backscatter. Chuckitall found 2 friendly sharks and a big Goliath on the rear end of the wreck. 74 degrees and almost no current on a full moon night.
Only 2 picts from the wreck cause you just can't shoot wide angle in soup.
Trumpet fish swimming around a flora
and then the fish promptly turned upside down and started swimming upside down. Took a picture and I left promptly before having a finger pointed at me, cause you know what fish swimming upside down are...
2nd drop was a shallow 25 foot reef with great 60 foot of viz. Now I could practice a little more on some camera work. Really colorful and diverse reef with fish some structure and plenty of flora. Here's a card dump of a bunch of shots.
Red grouper hiding from a spearo behind a plant
Had a nice small turtle swim by for some easy shots
Anchor mooring shot
New Year's Eve weather was 4-6 waves in the Key's but yaa gotta suck it up if you love to dive. 15 divers on board the Conch Republic Newton. Hit Davis Conch reef for the 1st drop. 25 foot with a shovel. 74 degrees and about 40ft of viz, but had a 4 foot back and forth surge which made it real interesting to take photo's. Today's photo practice was to push the F-Stop as high as I could while playing with the shutter speed and touching the ISO between 100 & 200. I'm trying to figure out how the different settings let me sharp focus the far off background while still keeping the bright deep blues . More photos randomly popped.................
Spotted Drum
Rare-To-Me Yellow Trumpet fish
Alpha Hog in a surge sand storm
This is a budda memorial with a granite marker. Hasn't been cleaned so couldn't read it
Who say's you can't train divers??????
Nice Green EEL
New Year's Day we were up at 7am hoping to dive the Spegiel Grove, but the weather front did not weaken as we expected and the high pressure system wouldn't drop. Just the way it happens sometimes.
Big Thanks to Kidsdream for the hospitality as well aslConch Republic Divers for the dives and all the other Divers that I was able to catch up with.
Wishing everyone a very picturesque 2013 of diving !!
1st drop was Area 51 backside. No bugs and the dinner plates were too small to shoot. 74 degrees, 1.5 knots of current and a hazy 50ft of viz.
2nd tank was the Bluffs. Right after I jump in I feel something bumping my leg. As I look behind I see both of my orange fish elevators have completely un- rolled and I looked like a hogfish with streamers.
Re-stuff the tanks and git on the road. Same distance from Jupiter at 2 hours whether turning right back to Orlando or to the left towards Key Largo. Met up with KidsDream and Chuckitall. Woke up the next morning to some blustery 25 mph winds but they had just the right amount of angle off the land that the seas were doable. Unfortunately many people canceled (we don't cancel!!) so the boat was wide open with plenty of room on the big 46 foot Conch Republic Newton.
Capt Gary and Admiral Brenda always take good care of the D2D's and they have a great shop right next to the inlet
1st drop was the wreck of the Eagle. 105 to the sand. Viz was tough at 30 feet with tons of backscatter. Chuckitall found 2 friendly sharks and a big Goliath on the rear end of the wreck. 74 degrees and almost no current on a full moon night.
Only 2 picts from the wreck cause you just can't shoot wide angle in soup.
Trumpet fish swimming around a flora
and then the fish promptly turned upside down and started swimming upside down. Took a picture and I left promptly before having a finger pointed at me, cause you know what fish swimming upside down are...
2nd drop was a shallow 25 foot reef with great 60 foot of viz. Now I could practice a little more on some camera work. Really colorful and diverse reef with fish some structure and plenty of flora. Here's a card dump of a bunch of shots.
Red grouper hiding from a spearo behind a plant
Had a nice small turtle swim by for some easy shots
Anchor mooring shot
New Year's Eve weather was 4-6 waves in the Key's but yaa gotta suck it up if you love to dive. 15 divers on board the Conch Republic Newton. Hit Davis Conch reef for the 1st drop. 25 foot with a shovel. 74 degrees and about 40ft of viz, but had a 4 foot back and forth surge which made it real interesting to take photo's. Today's photo practice was to push the F-Stop as high as I could while playing with the shutter speed and touching the ISO between 100 & 200. I'm trying to figure out how the different settings let me sharp focus the far off background while still keeping the bright deep blues . More photos randomly popped.................
Spotted Drum
Rare-To-Me Yellow Trumpet fish
Alpha Hog in a surge sand storm
This is a budda memorial with a granite marker. Hasn't been cleaned so couldn't read it
Who say's you can't train divers??????
Nice Green EEL
New Year's Day we were up at 7am hoping to dive the Spegiel Grove, but the weather front did not weaken as we expected and the high pressure system wouldn't drop. Just the way it happens sometimes.
Big Thanks to Kidsdream for the hospitality as well aslConch Republic Divers for the dives and all the other Divers that I was able to catch up with.
Wishing everyone a very picturesque 2013 of diving !!
