Blue Heron Bridge Trolls
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mntlblok
Contributor
some pics from last couple of trips
Just some typical sights out from the west entry beach. . .
Just some typical sights out from the west entry beach. . .
trigfunctions
Contributor
Good pics Kevin. the 4th one shows the parrotfish at the mirror. I saw the exact same parrotfish (or another of the same species) on Monday going back and forth looking into that mirror. Other fish don't seem to care about it but that parrotfish was very interested.
mntlblok
Contributor
Thanks. There was one like that doing the same thing a couple of years ago when I first visited that wreck - when the mirror was still upright. BTW, I rarely run into the "mirror wreck". Can somebody tell me what that lines up with on the shore??
If you straight out from the playground you will see a small white buoy. That buoy is connected to the mirror wreck. Shopping carts just to the east. Boat channel very close to the south.
Hope my background and AI credentials speak for themselves, but hoping for some PM guidance. Will be there towards the end of next week with family in tote for a nice leisurely beach dive. I've done BHB twice now, never found a sea horse. Rather annoying, that's one of the few things I have yet to see diving (at least, on my initial list of things to see / photograph 
).
I understand completely not wanting to publicly divulge any whereabouts, but if one of the local experts would be so kind to PM me with some guidance as to where I might see one next week, I'd be eternally grateful!
).I understand completely not wanting to publicly divulge any whereabouts, but if one of the local experts would be so kind to PM me with some guidance as to where I might see one next week, I'd be eternally grateful!
Flscubadad
Registered
Opinions needed I have Dove the Bridge 4 times. I feel pretty confident diving there. I can’t get a Dive Buddy next Fri. I want to go Diving I was thinking because of the shallow water if I am going to solo dive this would be the best place I could. I know solo is not my first choice but I feel comfortable at the Bridge. What do you all think has any one Solo on the Bridge Before? Jim
adurso
Contributor
All the time; there are some who get two hours or better solo there
jet126
Contributor
I dive solo at BHB a lot. Many photographers do. Just remember that you can get into trouble in 16 ft of water just as easily as 60. The currents are tricky and it's easy to get confused, even people that have dived there 100's of times have gotten disoriented. (not mentioning any names, Jim) You have to stay out of the boat channel and the swimming area. Toting your flag, navigating, monitoring your air, taking photos or just looking at cool stuff can task overload. Viz can go from 25-30 ft to nothing in seconds when the tide changes, which can be spooky. The boats always sound like they are directly overhead and when viz drops they are even louder. There is fishing line around both the east and west span; make sure you bring a cutting device in case you get hooked.
All that being said, if you still want to go solo be smart about it. Plan your dive, dive your plan. Let someone know when you expect to be out of the water. And carry ID.
trigfunctions
Contributor
All great advice! It is surprisingly easy to get lost/mixed up about directions, especially when the vis gets bad. I spent ten minutes confused under the east span once because I could not get it through my head that I was going east-west instead of north-south. So, I can add a couple other points of advice for a newer solo diver:
- Bring a compass and don't be shy about using it.
- Remember to look closely at the landmarks and remember them- the pilings, cables, etc.
- Distances seem a lot larger underwater than from above. When you look at the west pilings from land, they don't look that far apart, but when you are swimming from one to another they can seem very far apart.
- If you get confused about where you are, remember that you can always surface and look around to get your bearings. Surface slowly and directly up to your flag. Descend again slowly. Even though the water is shallow you can still tweak your ears if you go up and down quickly and/or repeatadly.
- Start off conservatively and move slowly over short distances instead of sprinting from one end of the park to the other.
I feel pretty comfortable diving the bridge solo, because there are so many people around and the water is so shallow, that I feel if I got in trouble I could surface and someone would probably see me. Of course, if I got in trouble at depth, I'd be completely on my own, so I try to be as cautious as possible. That means passing up some pictures or visiting different areas if I feel like it would be too much of a distraction from safety. And just because I feel comfortable doing this at BHB, I would NEVER dive solo in the open ocean without much more training and precautions.
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