The Boynton Dive Chronicles (new and improved)

[Scubakevdm]

Holy smokes! I must've lost my chronicling hat or something. Anyway, we've been diving our butts off, I just haven't been sharing. But, 'tis the season, so here's a report.

Today was actually an E-diver event, but much of, if not all of the passengers were Scubaboarders as well. Dual citizens. Anyway, the plan was to do the Castor followed by the Tony in the morning, and two reefs in the afternoon.
The water was pretty similar on the wreck dives. Vis was 80 feet or so, maybe 90. Water temp was 78ish, I didn't check. Maybe someone else did. There was a gentle north current for both dives. Many of the huge aggregation of goliath groupers are gone now, but there are still half a dozen or so that live on the wreck.

First, we did the Castor.

Cliff was sidemounting.

Brian petting a friendly lobster. In Boynton the lobsters swim right up to you! At least they do when you dive with Underwater Explorers!

Everyone getting ready to go back up from the Castor.

Joyce on the Capt. Tony

Hillary having a little mid-water snooze over the handrail of the Capt. Tony

It was fun! The afternoon had some pretty unbelievable stuff too, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow because I'm pooped and because I need pictures from one on the divers that he took of two octopae mating.

 

[deepstops]

Thanks for another outstanding day on the water Kevin (and Alex). I look forward to the porno pics of the octopuses.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Wow very nice pictures.

 

[augie]

Glad to hear you're still diving Kevin!

I'll be down to see you soon!

 

[Scubakevdm]

Glad to hear you're still diving Kevin!

I'll be down to see you soon!

I still have your weights!

 

[Scubakevdm]

Okay. I'm sorry, but I still don't have the octoporn. I do have some pics from the last couple of days though. SB member Nuno is down from his area of the country and we went diving yesterday and today.
Yesterday's dives were okay... there was good water up on the north end, and regular water down south. Vis was probably 50' followed by 40'. Today was pretty clear no matter where we went. I'd say 80' vis. Both days were nearly flat on top.
Today we did Clubhouse and Gazebo. I found a batfish on Clubhouse... I haven't seen one there in the longest time. There used to be three of them that you could pretty much count on seeing every time you dove it. The current was almost non existant, and I didn't check the temp, but it was probably 77 or 78º for both dives.
Gazebo was busy, and the current picked up to just a gentle trickle. Nothing super weird on this dive, but there were tons of fish, as usual.
One important note... there have been quite a few man o'wars floating around for the last week. Many of them are tiny, but there are some bigger ones too.

A medium sized man o'war with man o'war fish floating above the Captain Tony on Sunday morning.

The batfish on Clubhouse.

SB member Nuno peeping out a nice lobster on Gazebo.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Now there is a good reason to keep looking up!

 

[Divingguy]

I am going to be down there in 10 days. Can you please tell me whether the MOW's are seasonal, or tidal, or ???? Thanks. Tom

 

[Scubakevdm]

I am going to be down there in 10 days. Can you please tell me whether the MOW's are seasonal, or tidal, or ???? Thanks. Tom

They are ?????. They blow in every once in a while for a couple of days and then we don't see them for a while. If they are around there are some precautions that you can take against being stung. One is to bundle up with a wetsuit, hood and gloves, another is, as BigSage said look up as you near the end of your ascent, and thridly coming up in the center of your bubbles. I've seen one sting in the last five years of full time DMing. They are actually kinda cool.

 

[joystershell]

Kevin,

Hillary and I saw one on Saturday, when we surfaced from the Tony.