Well, I went back to the Flower Garden's with Bruce from TPWD. Our goal was to hopefully get some footage of the Hammerhead spawn.
The ride out was not too bad, with 2 - 4 foot seas. Saturday morning had nice seas as well and we did 2 dives on the western bank. No sharks, but we did spot a nice Manta Ray passing through the area. Saw some nice grouper as well.
After lunch, we moved over to a rig and tied up. Currents were a bear, and we had to pull our selves to the rig. Currents looked like they weren't too bad at depth, but Bruce stayed in the 40' area and my job was to stick with him. We spent most of the time clinging to cross members to keep from getting blown off the rig. Lots of fish, just none with the proper fin configuration. Getting the camera hooked back up for the boat to pull it aboard was a real struggle. The thing is about 2 feet long and 12" in diameter, so it really grabs the current.
We moved on over to the east bank for the remaining days diving. Currents were brutal. Bruce and I noticed that a down line with 40lbs of weight on the end was fluttering in the current. Knowing what a bear it is to handle his camera, we chose not to dive. We skipped the night dive as well.
Sunday we did 2 dives on Stetson bank. Nothing spectacular, although other divers reported seeing a black tip shark and a huge lobster. The front had passed over us and we had high seas on the way back. I think seas got up to 10' on the way back, so that aspect of the trip was my least favorite to say the least. Still, the Fling got everyone safely back to shore and the trip was called a success.
Many thanks to the captains and crew of the Fling. I'm sure we'll be out there again. Hopefully, this summer when the seas are flatter and the currents not so extreme.
The ride out was not too bad, with 2 - 4 foot seas. Saturday morning had nice seas as well and we did 2 dives on the western bank. No sharks, but we did spot a nice Manta Ray passing through the area. Saw some nice grouper as well.
After lunch, we moved over to a rig and tied up. Currents were a bear, and we had to pull our selves to the rig. Currents looked like they weren't too bad at depth, but Bruce stayed in the 40' area and my job was to stick with him. We spent most of the time clinging to cross members to keep from getting blown off the rig. Lots of fish, just none with the proper fin configuration. Getting the camera hooked back up for the boat to pull it aboard was a real struggle. The thing is about 2 feet long and 12" in diameter, so it really grabs the current.
We moved on over to the east bank for the remaining days diving. Currents were brutal. Bruce and I noticed that a down line with 40lbs of weight on the end was fluttering in the current. Knowing what a bear it is to handle his camera, we chose not to dive. We skipped the night dive as well.
Sunday we did 2 dives on Stetson bank. Nothing spectacular, although other divers reported seeing a black tip shark and a huge lobster. The front had passed over us and we had high seas on the way back. I think seas got up to 10' on the way back, so that aspect of the trip was my least favorite to say the least. Still, the Fling got everyone safely back to shore and the trip was called a success.
Many thanks to the captains and crew of the Fling. I'm sure we'll be out there again. Hopefully, this summer when the seas are flatter and the currents not so extreme.
