Dive report - Lemon Shark Dive - Jupiter, FL

[Amazz]

was the right time for lemons. We were extremely fortunate to spot them in great numbers on the wrecks. I'm not sure how many there were. I know it was at least 20 because when they started to move away, another group joined them from north of the Zion as they moved west.

I went out with Randy the next weekend on Emerald and we saw around 20. It wasn't quite as many but they were deep.

I searched on my boat again in early January and saw just a couple on the Zion.

Then a couple of weeks ago while out with JDC, we saw 5 on Captain Mikes.
Geez, this must makes me a real dive **** (funny, it puts *** in place of my avatar name, this must be a family site. ...my boat, Emerald, JDC. So many boats, so little time. Too bad I have to work for a living.

 

[kidsdream]

Geez, this must makes me a real dive **** (funny, it puts *** in place of my avatar name, this must be a family site. ...my boat, Emerald, JDC. So many boats, so little time. Too bad I have to work for a living.

I have been drying out since I went out with John and Chuck when you went to the baby shower. It is pretty hard to dive when the water all around is solid. I am going to provide some surface support (coffee and Baileys) for a group going ice diving on Saturday - I am just not that crazy to get in the water.

I did appreciate the guys sending me home with all the lobster tails. I just put the bugs on the porch to stay cold (they froze instantly) I made some lobster pesto pasta the other night. I don't know what was better, the food or remembering the dives.

 

[Orlando Eric]

In my experience this is the way all the boats in Jupiter do it. The boat flys the flag and the DM pulls a float for the boat to follow. Many of the WPB drift dives do the same thing. In Ft Lauderdale they put out flags to each small group of divers.

I assume it is the terrain which makes the difference. In Ft Laud the divers seperate and go this way over the reef that way to the next reef. Some go south some go north.

In Jupiter for the most part divers all go with the current (some days you have no choice) and follow the ledge all nice and single file.

The DM with a float, The boat with a flag and a good captain watching the float I feel perfectly safe diving without everyone having their own flag.

 

[sportxlh]

very cool video of the turtle.... I went out with JDC on Saturday and we did not see Lemon sharks either... saw a reef shark and nurse sharks but no lemon sharks. We also saw half a dozen turtles along with a goliath groper and some large free swimmng eels. Again, neat video and thanks for sharing

 

[deepstops]

In my experience this is the way all the boats in Jupiter do it. The boat flys the flag and the DM pulls a float for the boat to follow. Many of the WPB drift dives do the same thing. In Ft Lauderdale they put out flags to each small group of divers.

In Jupiter for the most part divers all go with the current (some days you have no choice) and follow the ledge all nice and single file.

The DM with a float, The boat with a flag and a good captain watching the float I feel perfectly safe diving without everyone having their own flag.

_____________________________________________________________
But the DM carrying the flag doesn't make anyone safe (at all) by itself. It might make some folks feel good but often, it isn't any safer for anyone other than the DM.

Why??

Consider this very common scenario that's pretty much a regular day in Jupiter: The current is 2.5 knots (4 feet/second), everyone drifting down the ledge and you, who happens to be lobstering, sees a honey-hole with three bugs in it and so you stop to catch them (the DM doesn't stop the entire group to watch you catch bugs, I've been there and done that on every boat in Jupiter). It takes you three minutes to catch, measure, and bag all three. So 180 seconds times 4' equals 720' away from the group now. Even if you had your own flag, it would have been dragged underwater in a 2+ knot current. Without the flag on the surface, the boat loses you until it pops back up. Bottom line: if you're hunting, bugging, or taking pics, chances are you aren't going to be diving with the DM after five minutes into the dive.

This is why every boat in Jupiter requires every diver to have a safety sausage. What they should add to that is a reel or a spool so the diver can mark his/her position prior to surfacing. I would consider that an essential skill for diving anywhere there's significant current. And those $20 safety sausages sold at most dive shops aren't up to the task IMO either. Get yourself a big, fat, brightly colored SMB because your life may depend on it. (my SMBs and liftbags have my initials on them in 3" SOLAS tape)

Separations will occur and every diver needs to be able to mark their position prior to surfacing so the boat has something to track.

 

[Bob]

_____________________________________________________________
But the DM carrying the flag doesn't make anyone safe (at all) by itself. It might make some folks feel good but often, it isn't any safer for anyone other than the DM.

Why??

Consider this very common scenario that's pretty much a regular day in Jupiter: The current is 2.5 knots (4 feet/second), everyone drifting down the ledge and you, who happens to be lobstering, sees a honey-hole with three bugs in it and so you stop to catch them (the DM doesn't stop the entire group to watch you catch bugs, I've been there and done that on every boat in Jupiter). It takes you three minutes to catch, measure, and bag all three. So 180 seconds times 4' equals 720' away from the group now. Even if you had your own flag, it would have been dragged underwater in a 2+ knot current. Without the flag on the surface, the boat loses you until it pops back up. Bottom line: if you're hunting, bugging, or taking pics, chances are you aren't going to be diving with the DM after five minutes into the dive.

This is why every boat in Jupiter requires every diver to have a safety sausage. What they should add to that is a reel or a spool so the diver can mark his/her position prior to surfacing. I would consider that an essential skill for diving anywhere there's significant current. And those $20 safety sausages sold at most dive shops aren't up to the task IMO either. Get yourself a big, fat, brightly colored SMB because your life may depend on it. (my SMBs and liftbags have my initials on them in 3" SOLAS tape)

Separations will occur and every diver needs to be able to mark their position prior to surfacing so the boat has something to track.

I dove with JDC last weekend and wound up shooting my SMB all four dives. Although I go in the water with the DM, it's seldom that I surface with him/her. If I'm away from the dive flag, I want my SMB on the suface to mark my position. It's just another layer of safety, and a good dive practice. almtree: Bob

 

[Chuckitall]

Thank you Bob, apparently some divers diving Jupiter don't understand how it's done. Every operator has divers separated. Seeing a ball or not seeing a ball has nothing to do with the safety of individual divers surfacing separately. I stll run into divers every weekend that have no idea of the concept of putting up an SMB from 20 ft. If some divers want to stick on the DM's shoulder for the whole dive, have at it, but most don't.

 

[fl-diver]

I mostly dive from my own boat where we generally stay together and ascend together. We usually only have 2 or 3 divers so it is not too difficult.
When I do end up getting separated or anytime I dive on a diveboat I will always send up an SMB from around 20'. I definitely agree with Deepstops in the fact that those little sausages you get at the LDS are not sufficient. Not only are they not designed to send up from depth but the are really hard to see as well.

I think the LDS's should quietly start carrying the "proper" SMB's and phase out the old ones. With over $1000.00 in gear for most of us, it should be a big issue to spend another $40 - $50 on a proper SMB. That and about 20 ft and 1/8" polyline stuffed into pocket and you are good to go.

Oh yeah, since this a Lemon shark post, I saw a lone large Lemon Shark on Nun's ledge just south of Lake Worth inlet last weekend.

 

[sportxlh]

this might sound like a silly question, but it is not intended to be one.... what is a 'proper' signalling device. I carry a safety sausage (picked up from a LDS) with a 25 foot tether that I shoot up on my safety stop anytime I am on a drift dive. I usually will send the safety sausage up regardless of whether another nearby diver has also shot one up: about the only time I don't send one up at the saftey stop is when I just happen to be coming up the a DM. I am gathering from the discussion in this thread that the typical safety sausage is not really considered to be adequate.

 

[deepstops]

this might sound like a silly question, but it is not intended to be one.... what is a 'proper' signalling device. I carry a safety sausage (picked up from a LDS) with a 25 foot tether that I shoot up on my safety stop anytime I am on a drift dive. I usually will send the safety sausage up regardless of whether another nearby diver has also shot one up: about the only time I don't send one up at the saftey stop is when I just happen to be coming up the a DM. I am gathering from the discussion in this thread that the typical safety sausage is not really considered to be adequate.

I carry two 170' spools and two of these:
XS Scuba Surface Marker Buoy These are 7" wide and at least 4' standing up out of the water when properly inflated.

I prefer shooting the SMB from the bottom because the gas expansion from the deeper depth makes the SMB fuller and stand up higher on the surface. It's also worth pointing out none of the SMBs will stand up on the surface unless you're keeping some downward tension on it as you ascend.