Whaooo i finally saw a sea horse. He moves fast too.
Got the am dive at lstreet , vis was horrible but expected.
Got the am dive at lstreet , vis was horrible but expected.
L Street - Night Dive 10/10/14
- Thread starter Basking Ridge Diver
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OP
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
Very good - how bad was the viz? I was thinking of going tonight...
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Did you record a temp? I'm trying to figure/guess when the party is over. My last dive was a toasty 64 degrees.
OP
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
We ended up diving last night - 60 the whole way through. Did just over an hour - viz was 1 to 2 feet.
I tried before the dive to drop a dive light in the water on a rope to check the viz - I guess by the ramp it is much cleaner - viz was easy 4 foot or more... So I would like to figure out a way to gauge the viz - if anyone has any thoughts...
I tried before the dive to drop a dive light in the water on a rope to check the viz - I guess by the ramp it is much cleaner - viz was easy 4 foot or more... So I would like to figure out a way to gauge the viz - if anyone has any thoughts...
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I always thought (not sure) that the incoming tide had better visibility than the outgoing. Maybe Agilis would weigh in on this one...
If one were to walk down past the sign to the floating dock (for the boats only) and shine one's light straight down for depth and across for particulate matter...
If one were to walk down past the sign to the floating dock (for the boats only) and shine one's light straight down for depth and across for particulate matter...
Selchie in LB
Contributor
Looks a lot like the dive AfterDark & I did last night off of Ft. Getty in RI. Saw a skate & eel too. I'll have to get a gopro.
under water some where
under water some where
IrnBear
Registered
Hey, good pics, I like the squid.
I'm enjoying reading about your east coast dive adventures.
Thanks,
IrnBear
I'm enjoying reading about your east coast dive adventures.
Thanks,
IrnBear
Incoming tide almost always has the best visibility, unless there is a very heavy surf just ouside, when visibility is bad no matter when. The absolute best visibility, all things being equal, is during the half hour or so around peak high when there is almost no tidal movement and a great deal of precipitate drops out of the water column.
Rain can make an outgoing tide especially dirty because of all the stuff washed into the water upstream. The effect is less pronounced the closer to the ocean you are.
There is usually better visibility close to shore if the near shore area is partially protected from currents by structure. Sandy bottoms tend to offer better visibility than muddy bottoms, another factor that tends to make it more clear as you get closer to the ocean. Sand drops out of suspension quickly.
As temps drop significantly below 60F the seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) will adopt a tight 'comma'curl, head tucked tightly against the body, tail fully curled, breathing very slowly, not swimming or eating, essentially dormant, drifting with the tides.
There are probably two populations, native seahorses and Gulf Stream strays. The locals seem to survive the winter, at least some do, while the strays, though the same species, don't make it. Research on this phenomenon has been going on at Woods Hole for decades. I've found live completely dormant overwintering seahorses in back bays, and some have come up from lobster traps in mid-winter in New England.
I have one seahorse at home I picked up as a little tiny thing last year in Manasquan Inlet. I was impressed by the tireless zeal with which she searched for food, carefully examining every object with microscopic intensity, looking in every possible nook and cranny as each eye focused independently. She is doing quite well 15 months later, almost full grown, exhibiting the same relentless hunting strategy in a large heavily overgrown aquarium she shares with two large fish and no competitors for the profusion of small life forms that scurry among the many coral rocks and hide in the coral gravel.
Other than this exception I don't collect seahorses at all. Butterflys, Angels, Spiny Puffers, Bigeyes, Damsels, Lookdowns, yes, I'm happy to share them with friends and small shops, but never seahorses. The others all will die anyway, are dying now, in fact, as the waters grow cold, but the seahorses are too rare and fragile to put into the hands of the average aquarist.
Rain can make an outgoing tide especially dirty because of all the stuff washed into the water upstream. The effect is less pronounced the closer to the ocean you are.
There is usually better visibility close to shore if the near shore area is partially protected from currents by structure. Sandy bottoms tend to offer better visibility than muddy bottoms, another factor that tends to make it more clear as you get closer to the ocean. Sand drops out of suspension quickly.
As temps drop significantly below 60F the seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) will adopt a tight 'comma'curl, head tucked tightly against the body, tail fully curled, breathing very slowly, not swimming or eating, essentially dormant, drifting with the tides.
There are probably two populations, native seahorses and Gulf Stream strays. The locals seem to survive the winter, at least some do, while the strays, though the same species, don't make it. Research on this phenomenon has been going on at Woods Hole for decades. I've found live completely dormant overwintering seahorses in back bays, and some have come up from lobster traps in mid-winter in New England.
I have one seahorse at home I picked up as a little tiny thing last year in Manasquan Inlet. I was impressed by the tireless zeal with which she searched for food, carefully examining every object with microscopic intensity, looking in every possible nook and cranny as each eye focused independently. She is doing quite well 15 months later, almost full grown, exhibiting the same relentless hunting strategy in a large heavily overgrown aquarium she shares with two large fish and no competitors for the profusion of small life forms that scurry among the many coral rocks and hide in the coral gravel.
Other than this exception I don't collect seahorses at all. Butterflys, Angels, Spiny Puffers, Bigeyes, Damsels, Lookdowns, yes, I'm happy to share them with friends and small shops, but never seahorses. The others all will die anyway, are dying now, in fact, as the waters grow cold, but the seahorses are too rare and fragile to put into the hands of the average aquarist.
Temp was 60 , vis was bad 1 feet. As agilis said i saw the sea horse with very slow movements not disturbing the bottom. What depths do you guys get over by the boat ramp? This was real shallow max depth 10 feet.
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Not much deeper than 7' anywhere in front of the sailboat dock and that was probably dredged. It starts to open up as you head into the channel. L-Street is a pretty tame dive, but you can see some really nice sea life there at times. Perfect for night dives.
The place is full of clams, anybody know if there are restrictions on that part of the bay? (and I do have a current NJ shellfish license)
The place is full of clams, anybody know if there are restrictions on that part of the bay? (and I do have a current NJ shellfish license)
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