Labor Day Rock on Labor Day - imagine that!

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SeaYoda

Contributor
Messages
3,840
Reaction score
10
Location
Florida Panhandle
# of dives
200 - 499
Mike S once again motivated the SeaYoda to push back all the time consuming cares of the world and just go dive! Mike was down for a visit and I was off on Monday so he called and got us a ride with ScubaTech. I was a little worried about my gear - it had been stored in a shed since we moved north. When I got it out on Sunday night, it looked like ancient artifacts. I cleaned it all up and it worked fine but it still needs a little spit and polish to make me feel like a real diver again. I decided to leave the camera prep for another dive. Monday morning started off well because the sign in time for the trip was 08:00 instead of the usual 07:00. This gave me an extra hour to drive from the Florida mountains where I now live.

When I got to the shop Nancy and Carla hardly recognized me. It had been a long while and I've grown a beard since I last saw them. While getting things signed and paid for, I began to find out the conditions we would meet - not high surf but rollers that had been making people feed the fish over the last couple days. As I got ready to go to the dock, Nancy asked me to tell Shaun that we were down 4 people for the dive. I said OK without thinking much about who Shaun was. When I got to the dock and started to unload I heard a very familiar voice - I then realized who Shaun was. Shaun was my OW instructor and he had left the area a couple years back. It was a nice surprise to see him back on the SeaCobra.

We loaded up and headed out to the pass where we got a taste of the rollers Nancy had talked about. The tide was going out and the rollers were coming in which made for a little pop and splash action. I had been on a trip before with a little less action that was cancelled so I got worried that I may not make this dive after all. We made it through the "rough" stuff and we still did not know where we were going. We were heading pretty straight out so I thought about what places I had been in that direction. I immediately thought that Nancy might make a play on the day and take us to Labor Day rock. I told Mike that's where I thought we were going and after a little trouble setting the anchor Nancy came to give us our briefing. She said we were at Labor Day rock and people started laughing. She looked kind of funny and then it dawned on her that it was actually Labor Day - DUH! :) During the briefing we were told that if there was a thermocline it was just a few feet off the bottom (about 90'). The water had been in the 80's all the way down for the last couple days. I decided to dive without wet suit since I sweat to death in a 3mm at higher than 78* (my favorite dive attire is a bathing suit and T-shirt). We took the plunge off the boat into bathwater. Waves were still rolling but not bad current. Down the anchor line to the rock we went. Most people took off counterclockwise around this round outcropping. I motioned to Mike and we agreed to go the other direction. There were the usual gulf fish and creatures swimming around and we did find the slight thermocline at the base of the rock. It actually felt good! Toward the end of the dive I got to experience a first. I saw my first live and in person nudibranchs. Mike and I were the last to leave and the fish were beginning to return to the area. We saw a small school of amberjack before heading up the line. On the line my arms started to itch - yep, moon jellies began to float by. We dodged them all and got back on board for our next stop.

There was some discussion as to where the second dive should be. If we went to another reef it would be deep enough to limit our bottom time. The old standby was selected instead, at least this time it was the East stack of the bridge rubble. I had not been on that stack before. We off gassed for an hour rocking with the waves. I ate three pieces of watermelon between dives in order to refresh myself, note to self - don't ever do this again. Everyone got back into the water, Mike and I were last. I let Mike go first and when I stood up I felt like I needed to puke. I did a couple dry heaves and Nancy kept encouraging me to get in the water quick. I stopped the up-chucky dance long enough to get my fins on and go. Very quickly things returned to normal in stomach land. We headed down to the rubble and found most people headed north. We went south. There was a nice piece of junk at a 45* angle with a large school of tomtates under it and the sun above and behind it. Mike and I agreed that it would have made a nice pic. While I was in that area I met what would become an unwelcome focus to my dive. I saw a sharksucker in the distance that was not attached to anything. He decided I looked like a good ride so he began to follow me. I have found that there is a simple Jedi trick to rid myself of such a pest. It is the only way to get rid of these things. The maneuver involves swimming past another diver or group of divers that are unaware of what you are doing. If you swim at just the right speed the offending sharksucker will pick the slower target and leave you alone. Works every time! :) We continued to dive the rubble without my shadow. As deco time approached we found the anchor and swam around it. You'll never guess what else I found ... not one but two sharksuckers. Mike was ahead of me and I tried to just swim past the stupid fish - no luck. I felt flapping underneath me and there was my friend trying to attach. I shooed it away but it kept circling like a swarm of gnats. I finally got vertical in the water column and put up my dukes and had a fist fight with this crazy fish. I landed a couple blows but it still wanted to snuggle. I had enough and headed back to the line and started a slow ascent. The offending fish was nowhere to be seen. As we ascended, my favorite little fillet must have gotten lonely and found us. This time he was in love with Mike - fickle fish! Mike got serious and pulled a knife on the goober and he was gone. At the current assist line I looked over at the hull of the boat - the pest and his buddy were trying to attach themselves to the boat. Seeing me again must have been too much to bear and he followed me to the back of the boat. The rolling waves were making the boat bob and the ladder flap enough to need my attention for an exit. As I tried to hold the flapping ladder, take off the fins and hand them up, I had to fend off this nut job of a fish. I got up to the rung where just my feet were in the water and that fish started poking my feet. I must have turned the wrong way and pulled a muscle in my left calf - I'm still nursing the thing as I type this. I know I'm attractive but this is ridiculous!

On board the boat and safe from the fish, we headed in. The pass was still pretty rough and Nancy had to make two tries to get in. The second attempt was very smooth between the waves - nice job! We parked the boat, unloaded, and went our separate ways until next time. It was a very good day.
 
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