Mark of Force-E Riviera Beach lead the expedition Saturday night. There were about nine folks in the water; I was the only snorkeler. Water temps reported at 71F.
We entered the water around 6:15pm; the group I was with exited around 8:10pm. I believe high tide was 6:56pm. The current upon entry was noticable but not demanding. Visibility was pretty good for recent days - at least 20ft. I could see the bottom at the pilings by the boat channel.
There weren't any large creatures out and about last night but the photographers got at least a dozen photo opportunities. As a snorkeler this isn't an ideal locale for night diving. Most of the marine night life occurs on the bottom. You need to crawl along the bottom to even detect whatever life is present.
The photographers did spot a couple of baby octopi who seemed to enjoy playing with the weirdly lit giants in their midst.
The cold water got to me eventually. (I was wearing a 3mm shorty and 3/2 hood. Everyone else was wearning full suits at least 3mm and in some cases 5mm.) However I was able to capture some warmth by floating in the exhaust air from the divers below. Ahhh... gotta love those warm tiny bubbles.
It was a new moon last night so once the sun set it was pretty dark underwater. What a beautiful sunset from the water's surface. The western sky was cloudless, the sun's fading deep orange light lingered on the horizon for a long spell, and finally the night sky's deep purple cover closed in over us. Pretty sweet.
Once when the divers were right next to the boat channel a good sized two story party boat lumbered through the channel heading south. The boat, capable of holding at least a hundred people, was unoccupied except for the crew. The indoor string lights were lit in the lower and upper ballrooms. It seemed out-of-place - like a vehicle from another era.
I was impressed with Mark's navigational acumen. He lead us out west along the south side of the main bridge, around the piling next to the boat channel, back east in the middle of the main bridge, and finally back to shore along the south side of the bridge. Mark did all this underwater. Pretty cool.
So this was my first night dive evah. (Well, first night swim wearing clo... uhhh... nevermind.) It was a great experience; I had a blast. The folks from Force-E in Riveria Beach were professional, helpful, organized, and friendly. Thanks to all who participated in the festivities.
