seaangel
Guest
I am finally getting things caught up since my return from Key West. We left Saturday and I made it home by Sunday afternoon. It is a two day drive for me or anywhere from 14-16 hour drive straight thru. I drove to my sister's house on Friday 1/11 and we drove to Key West in separate cars on Saturday, 1/12.
Our first day of diving was on Sunday 1/13, and it was a real learning experience for us all. Our Dad has a 24ft Wellcraft boat to try out. Our brother met us on Saturday night, he flew from TX.
Anyway first day, thought we were good enough to do a two tank dive, ha!. First mistake. Too many tanks in a cabin on a 24ft
boat with 4 divers and Dad as the captain. Dad had gotten the coordinates and set them in his GPS for Joes Tug off the internet. Well, they were off 4degrees which was not good. We ended up at the Eastern Dry Rocks. Since there we decided what the heck lets dive. We set up after getting there, rocking and rolling in 2-4 ft seas, my brother got in to help us from the water and promptly lost his weight belt. He tried to use ours to look for his but to no avail. So he had to abort. Next in was my sister, then me and I once hitting the water started to chum. Yep, I was seasick even after having taken Bonine. Once my brother in law entered though we decended and had an excellent reef dive. We went down the anchor line then took off on a westerly heading to explore, saw a lot of coral formations, large fish which we later determined to be Bonita, saw grouper and had some play time with a sea turtle. Returned to the anchor line to show my brother in law the boat as he ran low on air first. My sister and I took another spin around the reef then surfaced . While I was waiting to get back on the boat I again got sick. YUCK! My brother again wanted to look for his weight belt and once in the water a 3-4 ft Tiger shark came and decided to hang out around our boat. This was the deciding factor to pack it in. Thus ended day one with only a one tank dive for us. It was 5pm by the time we were back at the dock.
Monday, 1/14 decided one tank would do so we packed smarter, set up the tanks with the BC's and regulators at dockside and stowed extra gear in the cabin. Much better. Also, because we were going on a longer day to Looe Key, which is a 2 1/2 hour boat ride from Key West we packed lunch and left much earlier. As we got further out the seas were more unsettled, went from 2-4ft to 4-6ft swells. I might add they also were coming from different sides never the same. As we approached Looe Key there were breakers on it, my Dad asked my brother if he thought we shouldn't go to another site. No... my brother thouht since there we might as well try. Everyone decided we needed to eat lunch first, except me. I didn't want to but was pressured to go ahead and eat atleast half, so I gave in. Up to this time I felt great. Even suiting up I did not feel queasy or dizziness. I got in and immediately got sick. Water was rolling me up, down and all around. My sister was in also she was complaining about the current, so I suggested that she and I descend and the two guys buddy together. So down we went, and off we went. The reef was spectacular sea fans were everywhere, coral formations high and low, fish were moving with the surge and so were we. After about 20 minutes I felt kind of twirly so I signaled to go up. I again was sick. I was also by this time really frustrated with it. I had taken extra Bonine and was wearing the seabands. Lot of good that they did. My sister again had a hard time with the current and waves, but made it back on board. My brother in law was in the water and he decided after I told them of the water surge and current under at 24 ft that he wanted to abort. So, another day was over.
We did not dive the next two days just did land things. On Thurs. 1/17 my brother had already gone back home, but my sister and brother in law, myself and of course Dear Dad tried again to dive Joes Tug. Success!! We had the right coordinates, the water cooperated, well atleast 2-4ft seas not 4-6ft. I also, wore a Scapolamine patch and did not get the least bit sick. We spent about 30 minutes at the tug, max depth 74ft, water temperature was a cool 71-74 degrees. We saw the Jew fish that lives there, a moray eel of large size and had a really good dive. Well, I left out that I did not get the same amount of time since I had to repair my regulator adaptor as I lost my o-ring on the previous dive. So they got more time down than I did, but I still liked it and felt we really made an accomplishment.
Friday 1/18, I was the only one interested in diving. Dad had friends to entertain, my sister and her husband wanted to walk the tidal pools. So, I went out with the Subtropic Dive Shop and we did a wreck and a reef dive. We went back to Joes Tug, this time I spent a full 30 min. there and took a lot of pictures (still to get developed) I got several pictures of a 7ft Nurse Shark up close and personal. There also were alot of Barracuda around. Really had a great dive. The reef was the Western Sambo's. This was a fairly shallow dive, 15 to 30 ft. The reef is fingers, that you can follow in and out of. More of the same, except alot is not even accurate to claim on Barracuda, they were everywhere, guarding each finger of the reef. I did get close to one and took his picture which he promptly let me know to go away. So, I did.
That about sums it all up. We had the experience of a lifetime and learned a lot about diving on a boat on your own.
Our first day of diving was on Sunday 1/13, and it was a real learning experience for us all. Our Dad has a 24ft Wellcraft boat to try out. Our brother met us on Saturday night, he flew from TX.
Anyway first day, thought we were good enough to do a two tank dive, ha!. First mistake. Too many tanks in a cabin on a 24ft
boat with 4 divers and Dad as the captain. Dad had gotten the coordinates and set them in his GPS for Joes Tug off the internet. Well, they were off 4degrees which was not good. We ended up at the Eastern Dry Rocks. Since there we decided what the heck lets dive. We set up after getting there, rocking and rolling in 2-4 ft seas, my brother got in to help us from the water and promptly lost his weight belt. He tried to use ours to look for his but to no avail. So he had to abort. Next in was my sister, then me and I once hitting the water started to chum. Yep, I was seasick even after having taken Bonine. Once my brother in law entered though we decended and had an excellent reef dive. We went down the anchor line then took off on a westerly heading to explore, saw a lot of coral formations, large fish which we later determined to be Bonita, saw grouper and had some play time with a sea turtle. Returned to the anchor line to show my brother in law the boat as he ran low on air first. My sister and I took another spin around the reef then surfaced . While I was waiting to get back on the boat I again got sick. YUCK! My brother again wanted to look for his weight belt and once in the water a 3-4 ft Tiger shark came and decided to hang out around our boat. This was the deciding factor to pack it in. Thus ended day one with only a one tank dive for us. It was 5pm by the time we were back at the dock.
Monday, 1/14 decided one tank would do so we packed smarter, set up the tanks with the BC's and regulators at dockside and stowed extra gear in the cabin. Much better. Also, because we were going on a longer day to Looe Key, which is a 2 1/2 hour boat ride from Key West we packed lunch and left much earlier. As we got further out the seas were more unsettled, went from 2-4ft to 4-6ft swells. I might add they also were coming from different sides never the same. As we approached Looe Key there were breakers on it, my Dad asked my brother if he thought we shouldn't go to another site. No... my brother thouht since there we might as well try. Everyone decided we needed to eat lunch first, except me. I didn't want to but was pressured to go ahead and eat atleast half, so I gave in. Up to this time I felt great. Even suiting up I did not feel queasy or dizziness. I got in and immediately got sick. Water was rolling me up, down and all around. My sister was in also she was complaining about the current, so I suggested that she and I descend and the two guys buddy together. So down we went, and off we went. The reef was spectacular sea fans were everywhere, coral formations high and low, fish were moving with the surge and so were we. After about 20 minutes I felt kind of twirly so I signaled to go up. I again was sick. I was also by this time really frustrated with it. I had taken extra Bonine and was wearing the seabands. Lot of good that they did. My sister again had a hard time with the current and waves, but made it back on board. My brother in law was in the water and he decided after I told them of the water surge and current under at 24 ft that he wanted to abort. So, another day was over.
We did not dive the next two days just did land things. On Thurs. 1/17 my brother had already gone back home, but my sister and brother in law, myself and of course Dear Dad tried again to dive Joes Tug. Success!! We had the right coordinates, the water cooperated, well atleast 2-4ft seas not 4-6ft. I also, wore a Scapolamine patch and did not get the least bit sick. We spent about 30 minutes at the tug, max depth 74ft, water temperature was a cool 71-74 degrees. We saw the Jew fish that lives there, a moray eel of large size and had a really good dive. Well, I left out that I did not get the same amount of time since I had to repair my regulator adaptor as I lost my o-ring on the previous dive. So they got more time down than I did, but I still liked it and felt we really made an accomplishment.
Friday 1/18, I was the only one interested in diving. Dad had friends to entertain, my sister and her husband wanted to walk the tidal pools. So, I went out with the Subtropic Dive Shop and we did a wreck and a reef dive. We went back to Joes Tug, this time I spent a full 30 min. there and took a lot of pictures (still to get developed) I got several pictures of a 7ft Nurse Shark up close and personal. There also were alot of Barracuda around. Really had a great dive. The reef was the Western Sambo's. This was a fairly shallow dive, 15 to 30 ft. The reef is fingers, that you can follow in and out of. More of the same, except alot is not even accurate to claim on Barracuda, they were everywhere, guarding each finger of the reef. I did get close to one and took his picture which he promptly let me know to go away. So, I did.
That about sums it all up. We had the experience of a lifetime and learned a lot about diving on a boat on your own.
