Toby and Marivan 377, good morning gentlemen!
For Xmas beach dive, I'm thinking a nice relaxed midday dive--perhaps noon or 1 p.m. meet/chat/gear prep at Datura entry to LBTS. If we're motivated, I'd possibly be down for reloading for another night dive, too. My suggested times are just that--suggestions, not limitations; I'm pretty flex. Or instead of day and night separate dives, we could prep at around 4 p.m., get wet at 4:30 (surface swim's maybe 20 minutes to start of first reef; 30 if you're feeling lazy or it's blustery, and then descend around 5. It is sunset at around 5:30 and it darkens quickly p.m. Then the second half of the reef explorations, and the swim back, will be full-on dark. I've got all the lighting necessary for the dive, including strobes for the float and dive flag. So please let me know what you're thinking of the loose timeframes I've suggested.
I'll be wearing an AL80 because most oxygen is consumed on the surface swim out (and sometimes back---I like to stay under til near shore to practice compass work (the north-south sand ripple pattern nearshore is kind of cheating
. End of the pier is the middle of Reef 1, max depths perhaps 20 feet, so a bottle lasts a loooong time. LBTS is easy peasy, and enjoyable, unless the winds have been ripping for several days prior (wave entry and lower viz). Directly to the north of the first swim boundary buoy is a "snorkel trail" with man-made concrete cannons and cannonballs and such that can hold some pretty fish and occasional eel. Then it's another hundred yards to the beginning of Reef 1, which starts out as scattered cover that thickens and solidifies some but is relatively level. There's some areas with tires that have been adopted by some of the critters. At this point you are parallel to the end of the pier. The next 50-100 yards is still First Reef, but it turns a little more hardscrabble with more structure and hiding places for animals. I saw two nurse sharks resting last week; maybe they'll be moving around after dark. I'm thinking that'd be our primary exploration area and eventual turnback point. Farther out several hundred more yards at the mooring buoys is the start of second reef, more structure, larger animals, some lobster may still have survived (there's bunches still even further out at third reef, but for me that's a boat dive. Suggest we stay on first reef for your first visit.
Little question that I'll blow out my AL80 while you've got a plenty left in your AL100 (or steel 117), so perhaps I'll swing by Gold Coast nearby and borrow a 100 or 120 so we're better matched. Steve is a good dude there. I've got a fill card with him. Tip some might not agree with, but GoldCoast is 3 blocks farther from the ocean than the "other" well-known dive shop. Not knocking them, but GoldCoast is cheaper for airfills and also gives 10% off all merchandise if you take 5 minutes to sign up to his MeetUp site. He refers boat divers to SFDH, where Marivan377 is diving on the 27th. You get $5 off the $60 trip fee if you book/pay SFDH trips at Gold Coast instead of at the boat. Plus, his half-brother Brad will quite possibly be driving the boat. Anyways, back at LBTS, there's nice freshwater showers for gear rinse at all 3 (4?) of the primary exits to the intersecting roads, but Datura's usually the target. I've got a rescue can with a brand new FL-compliant flag, since I lost mine (at LBTS !!!) in heavy surf on a blustery entry. What a bonus if I find it on the bottom of the sea, hah ha! So we're flagged (important there). I'm hoping for great viz, too, because I also am still learning new tricks with my GoPro 6. If you're using a red color-correction filter, it's not deep enough to benefit much from the dark red filter, but a light red filter is nice at those shallow depths. Anyways, it's almost always a decent dive. I have extra gopro-mountable floodlights if you don't have but want to take some night video (if we dive night). Marivan, of course you'd be welcome to join us for the LBTS Xmas shore dive if you wanted to, and your family/holiday schedule were to permit!
Marivan, and Toby, I dove with SFDH twice this month, for the first time, both times on their AquaView. I didn't look to see how fast it was filling up (they have two more boats, too), but I'm free on the 27th for a two-tanker, either day or nite. My first ride with them was a hunting trip (lobster and lionfish on two reef dives about 3 weeks ago. My second trip with them was last week--we moored on the Okinawa wreck which was pretty cool, for one dive, and the second was a classic drift dive along Sunkist--nice wildlife. There is an eating (and fighting) sized barracuda that was hanging out in the wheelhouse giving me the menacing stare-down--beautiful animal. Anyways, he may become dinner on my next visit (I looooove barracuda filets!). It's a mixed boat so no real guns are allowed, but pose spears are, tsk tsk. So, if one or both of you also wanted to buddy up for the 27th, I'm also down with that. I have friends arriving the next day and it will be nothing but daily diving until the 31st, day/nite wreck/reef....just a nice way to end the year. That said, you two would also be welcome to join us on any/all of our adventures between the 28th and 31st. One partner is my girlfriend who is a new diver (11 logged) and the other is a best bud who happens to be a PADI instructor (that certified my girl 2 weeks ago).Excellent people both of them. On my two trips so far with SFDH, I was impressed with the attentiveness and safety mindedness of captain and crew, while maintaining a flex and relaxed vibe across the boat. So I am happy to dive with them again.
Marivan, which charter are you taking out on the 27th? They've got 8:30, 11:00 (3 tank, all reef), 1:30 and nite boats going out at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. The 6 p.m. a 2-tank wreck and reef and the 7 pm a 1-tank reef cruise. Water temps werer 78F last week. I wore a 3 mm with hood and was fine, but likely will swap into my new 5-mm that just arrived this week, for a bit of extra cozy for the rest of winter.
So, Gentlemen, give this lengthy diatribe (sorry, but hopefully informative) a good hard think, and let me know if you'd like to go diving together next week!
Matt