Jupiter 10-30-04

I am again diving Jupiter as a single diver if anyone is looking for a excuse to go. Today's dive there where a couple sharks, 2 large moray's, several lobsters (including a spanish "shovel nose" lobster), a grouper eating a eel?, several turtles, and one molted lobster hull that got away.
The boat (the temptation) I dive has three good things: #1 Only tweleve people onboard limit. #2 NO students on the Morning Saturday dives. #3 Never had a bad drop and they treat you like the adult divers that you are. You get a briefing, a limit for the dive profile and a ten minute warning to dive.

Anyone wanting to go give me a call 772-460-6661 or just book with http://www.jupiterdivecharters.com/ and look for me onboard. I'll bring the donuts!

Only nine (9) shopping days left!

Seven spots still available. Bouy's report 2' swells and 79.7* F water temps! Is it considered an addiction if you work so you can pay for the dives $$ and the whole time you are trudging through the work day you are thinking about the peace and traquility of the dive coming up?

Visability was so-so I am guessing around 35-40'. Not many legal size lobster seen I saw only one, apparently the lobster divers saw NONE. Two large Green Moray's one under a ledge the other free swimming. I was checking my gauges when I looked up to see a diver swimming at me with camera poised then I looked to my side and there was a moray close enough to share air with me. After the "WoW look at that" phase I took my own camera and got a pic of it swimming away.

Saw several Barracuda and one nurse shark that was spooked by the "dive leader" fighting the ball line. Recovered a very battered lure tangled in the reef. Saw a globe not unlike the ones outside houses to cover the porch lights I am guess hurricane garbage. Bottles (boat trash). The usual tropicals and smallish fishes.

Overall a mediocre dive, the begining started bad with a call from Paul on the cell phone.. "Hey do youse have a hide a key in your truck you parked north of the gate." "No, I do not and there is no sign saying no parking, tow away or ANY indicator not to park there. " The parking is getting R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!!

The 1st safety stop was fun a 2" fish swam around my head. I'd exhale and he'd run around to the back of my head then return to look at himself in the reflection of my mask and then repeat over and over.

The second safety stop was amuzing as well. The "Dive leader" was winding up his line when a fish (or something) swam by him and he rolled to look at it. (snicker) Now the line is tangled around his legs(both). He passes the reel around his legs in the same direction. Now there are TWO wraps around his legs(BOTH). It was kinda funny to watch him untangled it. I was right under the ball and the line in front of me if a worst case scenario happened I could have cut the line. (So no flames on why I did not abandon my safety stop to untangle the "dive leader." it only lasted like 1.5 minutes.)

The parking thing has got me pretty peeved at the charter boat. I am going to entertain a new boat as the walk back to my truck across the parking lot to a crappy space that NOW I find out is not even where they want me to park. I would estimate that there is about room for four cars then you are parking "down the street" and walking. That coupled with a dive leader that is a mediocre diver (being generous) I think I will snoop through the yellow pages.

PS- the other DM Kimberly is awesome! This guy was err.. not.

Eric