Apparently, the last few days of strong land breezes from the west have greatly cleared the vis at Front Beach, in Rockport, MA! In a couple of different spots, at depths of 30' and 35', I laid out my marked line and measured vis of 25' and 35', horizontally. After two weeks of northeastern storms and last week's reports of 2' vis, this was a very pleasant surprise. 
Brief dive report: Front Beach, Rockport, MA, Sat. 11/20/2010.
It was really chilly gearing up on this overcast morning with 40-degree actual air temp and west winds of 10 to 20 knots creating a substantial wind chill factor. My snowmobile suit, balaclava and gloves did the trick until it was time to strip down for the swap into drysuit undergarments.... Needless to say, there was no dawdling!
Three other divers showed up a short time later, apparently to complete OW certification dives.... in wetsuits! :shocked2: They didn't dawdle either....
Since winds were predicted to increase to 25 to 35 knots and air temps only to reach 50 degrees, I figured the surface interval could be real torture, at least for an old wuss.... Therefore, I planned to do one very long dive instead of my usual two medium long dives.... I also decided to wear my winter setup even though the water temps have recently been around 50 degrees and I normally don't switch to winter gear until temps are in the low 40's. Once I got into the water, I was very glad I switched, as the water temp was only 47 degrees and I've found I get cold more easily since trimming down to what the "experts" think is a healthy body weight.... No doubt, they don't dive in cold water!
To make a long story short, in my single 125-minute dive, vis was generally 25 to 35' (measured), seas were calm, water temp was 47 to 48 degrees F., and my max depth was 43' (off Bearskin Neck).
I saw three sea ravens in rather drab colors, some winter skates, one pollock and several moon snails, including one that had an unusual hump over the rear portion of its foot, something I don't think I've seen before.
The high points of the dive day: excellent vis and being comfortably warm for the whole dive! Oh, and immediately after the dive, walking across the street, while still in my drysuit, to Nate's Restaurant, for a piping-hot take-out order of a great-tasting clam chowder!
Pics follow.
Dave C
Odd shaped hump on this moon snail. Is this an egg sack?
A sea raven with some spots in its corneas. Don't know if that's an illness or just a variation. Many of the sea ravens seem to have this appearance. The waves on the surface could be seen 35' above.
This might be the best part of the dive....
Brief dive report: Front Beach, Rockport, MA, Sat. 11/20/2010.
It was really chilly gearing up on this overcast morning with 40-degree actual air temp and west winds of 10 to 20 knots creating a substantial wind chill factor. My snowmobile suit, balaclava and gloves did the trick until it was time to strip down for the swap into drysuit undergarments.... Needless to say, there was no dawdling!
Three other divers showed up a short time later, apparently to complete OW certification dives.... in wetsuits! :shocked2: They didn't dawdle either....
Since winds were predicted to increase to 25 to 35 knots and air temps only to reach 50 degrees, I figured the surface interval could be real torture, at least for an old wuss.... Therefore, I planned to do one very long dive instead of my usual two medium long dives.... I also decided to wear my winter setup even though the water temps have recently been around 50 degrees and I normally don't switch to winter gear until temps are in the low 40's. Once I got into the water, I was very glad I switched, as the water temp was only 47 degrees and I've found I get cold more easily since trimming down to what the "experts" think is a healthy body weight.... No doubt, they don't dive in cold water!
To make a long story short, in my single 125-minute dive, vis was generally 25 to 35' (measured), seas were calm, water temp was 47 to 48 degrees F., and my max depth was 43' (off Bearskin Neck).
I saw three sea ravens in rather drab colors, some winter skates, one pollock and several moon snails, including one that had an unusual hump over the rear portion of its foot, something I don't think I've seen before.
The high points of the dive day: excellent vis and being comfortably warm for the whole dive! Oh, and immediately after the dive, walking across the street, while still in my drysuit, to Nate's Restaurant, for a piping-hot take-out order of a great-tasting clam chowder!
Pics follow.
Dave C
Odd shaped hump on this moon snail. Is this an egg sack?
A sea raven with some spots in its corneas. Don't know if that's an illness or just a variation. Many of the sea ravens seem to have this appearance. The waves on the surface could be seen 35' above.
This might be the best part of the dive....
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