Lobster season is upon us so I'm making a trip to the deep water off Pensacola and I'm looking for a few excellent divers comfortable in challenging conditions.
We'll be going to the Timberholes aboard the Dr. Dive on Sunday August 10th for a 3-tank, full day of lobster diving on natural bottom off Pensacola Beach. Join us where no other charter boats dare to go and snatch a few of the monster bugs that hide in the crevices of the limestone 100 feet below the surface.
Ill be blunt, this is not an easy dive. Its very challenging and you have to bring your A game. In the Captain's words, here's what to expect:
They (Timberholes) are a series of linear limestone ledges. Average depth around 100 feet. Not a lot to see, but great habitat for bugs. Not a lot of time on the bottom, so efficiency is the key.
Anchoring (traditional dive setup) is less than productive.
Typical (preferred) setup is to locate a ledge, drop a buoy, and drop diver(s) to do a free descent with reference to the bottom. This means they follow the line, but do not depend on it to help them down.
The diver(s) search the ledges for lobster, continuing down the ledge with no concern for returning and finding the buoy line.
Make a free ascent (shooting a marker on a line is perfectly acceptable), making their safety stop and ascending to the surface for pickup.
Repeat as needed to get all divers down for a shot at lobster. If divers locate a bug they can't capture, they mark it with an additional marker, deployed from the bottom, for the next diver to catch.
Anchoring reduces the exposure to the ledges and the overall productivity so divers should be solo capable or who are buddied with someone with whom they can be totally comfortable and be descent ready when they hit the water. Futzing around on the surface is not an option with this plan.
So, if this sounds like your kind of adventure, PM me and I'll give you the details. Expect the cost of this three tank, full day adventure to be less than $150.
Nitrox would be an excellent choice for this dive and you do not need a fishing license. We'll take a max of 6 and a minimum of 4, so if you want a share of the lobsters everyone in South Florida is grabbing, shoot me a PM and let's get you on board!
Eric
We'll be going to the Timberholes aboard the Dr. Dive on Sunday August 10th for a 3-tank, full day of lobster diving on natural bottom off Pensacola Beach. Join us where no other charter boats dare to go and snatch a few of the monster bugs that hide in the crevices of the limestone 100 feet below the surface.
Ill be blunt, this is not an easy dive. Its very challenging and you have to bring your A game. In the Captain's words, here's what to expect:
They (Timberholes) are a series of linear limestone ledges. Average depth around 100 feet. Not a lot to see, but great habitat for bugs. Not a lot of time on the bottom, so efficiency is the key.
Anchoring (traditional dive setup) is less than productive.
Typical (preferred) setup is to locate a ledge, drop a buoy, and drop diver(s) to do a free descent with reference to the bottom. This means they follow the line, but do not depend on it to help them down.
The diver(s) search the ledges for lobster, continuing down the ledge with no concern for returning and finding the buoy line.
Make a free ascent (shooting a marker on a line is perfectly acceptable), making their safety stop and ascending to the surface for pickup.
Repeat as needed to get all divers down for a shot at lobster. If divers locate a bug they can't capture, they mark it with an additional marker, deployed from the bottom, for the next diver to catch.
Anchoring reduces the exposure to the ledges and the overall productivity so divers should be solo capable or who are buddied with someone with whom they can be totally comfortable and be descent ready when they hit the water. Futzing around on the surface is not an option with this plan.
So, if this sounds like your kind of adventure, PM me and I'll give you the details. Expect the cost of this three tank, full day adventure to be less than $150.
Nitrox would be an excellent choice for this dive and you do not need a fishing license. We'll take a max of 6 and a minimum of 4, so if you want a share of the lobsters everyone in South Florida is grabbing, shoot me a PM and let's get you on board!
Eric
