sportxlh
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So I played a little hooky yesterday morning and went out with Jupiter Dive Center's Republic IV piloted by Mike: As the thread title suggests, conditions were incredible.
We dove Captain Mike's Reef and Tunnels and saw an amazing amount of sea life.
Visibility: 60-100 feet
Current: mild north. The current was just strong enough to allow a dive of the complete Tunnels site in 45 minutes
Top side conditions: lake-like and smooth
Sharks: 15 reef sharks and 1 nurse shark (on Tunnels, the sharks seem to reside in three distinct areas, at the south or start of the dive, about mid-dive and then near the doughnut hole: it is possible I double counted a few that might have moved between areas)
Turtles: 12 loggerhead and 2 hawksbill (another diver indicated he saw a green as well)
Goliath Grouper: 20+ About 10 are hanging out on Tunnels at mid-dive, south of the doughnut hole. Usually 3 or 4 are in this area year round, but 10 are there right now. Last Saturday, I also saw, what I presume to be, the same 10 in that area.
Eels: 2 big green moray eels, 1 spotted and 1 goldentail
Rays: 2 southern rays
Tropicals: couple of huge schools of grunts and spadefish. It's pretty a special experience when large schools of fish envelope you as you gently drift along. Lots of other typical tropical fish were present too.
It was a perfect day to skip the office and hit the ocean instead!
We dove Captain Mike's Reef and Tunnels and saw an amazing amount of sea life.
Visibility: 60-100 feet
Current: mild north. The current was just strong enough to allow a dive of the complete Tunnels site in 45 minutes
Top side conditions: lake-like and smooth
Sharks: 15 reef sharks and 1 nurse shark (on Tunnels, the sharks seem to reside in three distinct areas, at the south or start of the dive, about mid-dive and then near the doughnut hole: it is possible I double counted a few that might have moved between areas)
Turtles: 12 loggerhead and 2 hawksbill (another diver indicated he saw a green as well)
Goliath Grouper: 20+ About 10 are hanging out on Tunnels at mid-dive, south of the doughnut hole. Usually 3 or 4 are in this area year round, but 10 are there right now. Last Saturday, I also saw, what I presume to be, the same 10 in that area.
Eels: 2 big green moray eels, 1 spotted and 1 goldentail
Rays: 2 southern rays
Tropicals: couple of huge schools of grunts and spadefish. It's pretty a special experience when large schools of fish envelope you as you gently drift along. Lots of other typical tropical fish were present too.
It was a perfect day to skip the office and hit the ocean instead!
