Texas Clipper Trip Report 5/17

[IslandFrog]

Not the best at writing these, but here is a shot.

Saturday morning the group from Oak Hill Scuba boarded the DIVER I in South Padre Island, and headed out for the TEXAS CLIPPER. Seas were actually very calm, although for some on the trip they seemed much bigger. On site, we had overcast skies and current from the Mississippi outflow giving us rather poor visibility, 20ft to 30ft was the general concensus. Water temp was in the mid 70's, and there was a Thermocline of sorts, that seemed to shift upwards as the day progressed, but at times you could stay at one depth and feel changes in the water temperature as the current stirred things up.

The CLIPPER herself was heavily encrusted with barnacles and such, much more than any of us were expecting as she has only been reefed for 6 months. Lots of blenny's, arrow crabs and such are making homes in the encrustation. A large accumulation of fish were on or near the wreck. I'll let others chime in with the types as my fish ID isn't the best. Tim from American Divers (Dive Charter) reported several large Groupers, although the dive team I was on did not seem them.

One member of our little expedition didn't make it back as Mary from the Sea Turtle Hospital brought a rehabilitated hawksbill turtle to release on the first dive. Mary reported that the fellow swam away without even a thank you. This was the second turtle release in two weeks. I stopped by the Sea Turtle Hospital on Sunday morning to take in the little tour that they have and Mary showed me an article in one of the local papers on the release.

Mack, you put together a great trip. It was a pleasure to dive with you guys, and Paul makes a great dive buddy.

I know that I have left out a lot, but hopefully others who made the trip can chime in and fill in the details.

-Brad

 

[Jay_SMART_Diver]

Man, I Gotta get down there...

 

[ReefHound]

Mississippi outflow?

 

[IslandFrog]

Mississippi outflow?

According to Tim with American Divers, the rain in the middle of the country has the Mississippi running pretty high, thus the Mississippi was creating a current that flowed all the way down past S. Padre, and gave us less than normal vis on the Clipper.

 

[Mack Diver]

Great report Brad.

The calm seas (1 - 3 feet) did take its toll on some of the dive team members. One diver never got his gear wet. Another took ill after the first dive, but toughed it out for dive two. One diver flooded his dry suit and only completed the first dive. Others got chilled and did not complete the full regiment of diving. The water, mid 70's was comfortable in a 3-2. The rolling thermocline did add an extra chill. However, the overcast skies did not give us a chance to really warm back up between dives. A thin hood would have definitely helped. Out of 12 divers, only 5 completed all three dives. The rest were either sick or cold.

The thermocline also brought reduced vis. Above, the temp was mid 70's and vis was 20 - 30 feet. Below the line, temp was high 60's and vis was less than 10'. One diver commented that if he wanted those conditions, he would have stayed home and dove Lake Travis. That left us will a rather small verticle area to dive in. Still, there was plenty of structure to take in.

One thing Island frog did not mention was the current! On the wreck, the current was brisk, but manageable. I would estimate it at 3 knots. However, top side was a different story. On Diver I, you enter the water from the stern and grab the drift line. From there, you make your way to a bridle line that takes you to the down line at the bow. These meet at the 20' mark. The current there was RIPPIN! I'm guessing 5 knots or more. You literally could not kick against the current and had to arm pull yourself along the bridle to the down line. It reminded me of the outflow from some of the caves I have been near. on ascent, you had to make sure you were holding onto the line. At about 30', the current would catch you and suddenly you were verticle in the water, similar to a flag waving in the air.

Capt. O'Leary and his crew run a topnotch operation. To enter the water, you sat on the stern. They handed you your fins one at a time, followed by you mask. They then helped you into your ig. From there, it was a nice roll forward, into the water 4" below. Getting out, the took your fins, you climbed the ladder a couple of steps and they took your gear from you. It was a very smooth, easy process.

I still do not understand the magic of the jetties. Coming in, the seas were very flat and I did not notice a change as we came to the jetties. However, as soon as we were past the tip, all of the ill travelers came to life and felt fine. I guess we need to invent a new sea sickness medicine and call it jetties.

Despite the strong current and limited vis, I think everyone enjoyed the trip. We'll certainly do it again.

 

[IslandFrog]

Hey Mack,

Thanks for setting it all up for us. With my work schedule I can't plan too far ahead, but I would definately go back. Only next time, we need to get dive flag patterned wetsuits with the DIMWIT logo on them for when we are hanging at the safety stop.

 

[Mack Diver]

Hey Mack,

Thanks for setting it all up for us. With my work schedule I can't plan too far ahead, but I would definately go back. Only next time, we need to get dive flag patterned wetsuits with the DIMWIT logo on them for when we are hanging at the safety stop.

The wetsuits may be a bit pricey, but maybe we can take a DIMWIT flag and fly it from the down line. That would make a great shot.

I need to check with Tim and see what his bookings look like. I'm thinking maybe some time in August.

 

[Guba]

Man, I Gotta get down there... Jay SMART Diver

I'm with Jay on this one...I GOTTA get down there! I can't book at the moment, Mack, but I'll check my calendar and see what I can do. Let us know about the dates if a trip makes for August, okay?

 

[texdiveguy]

Mississippi outflow?

Todd at times it is nothing but a 'black (brownish) out'...vis goes to zero at depth.

 

[ReefHound]

Check out the loop current flow in the Gulf and tell me how water from the Mississippi can make it's way to Port Isabel when the flow south of Aransas is northbound.

The Loop Current