Go deep, stay long

Saturday, a group of divers headed out to the Arundo in a two fold trip.   First, we were in search of any gear left by our departed friend Yasuko.  Second we wanted to hold a brief memorial service for our lost companion.   While the NOAA forecast was not good, the conditions could not have been better.   Clearly someone up there was looking out for us.

I can not say enough about the kindness and consideration of the captain and crew!   We were all still hurting.    I still can not write this without tears.  Some of us chose not to dive, and everyone understood why.

Thanks to the crew, our tie in was only a few feet from the original. In pairs, we all went over the wreck in separate directions.   I went to the end of my reel with no joy.  Stefan and Shelly found our target by going over the top of the debris.   Back on the boat, plans were made to recover the gear, and mark the location.  Rob recovered this on the second dive.

After the dive, we all gathered at the stern to honor our lost friend.   Rob tried to say a few words, but we were all at a loss for words.   In silence we put flowers on the water above the resting place of our good friend.

Many thanks to Jim and the crew of the GypsyBlood for being so helpful and considerate! I know they too were suffering!

We were blessed with a beautiful day, and great conditions.

Yasuko, we will all miss you!

Backyard macro

It has almost nothing to do with diving, but it is a lot of fun.   Water conditions have not been conducive to photography of late, so I just wanted to take some shots to keep up the camera skills.   Once the heat broke a bit, I headed into the back yard for practice.  Val has been very busy with the garden this year, so there is a lot blooming.   Even the frogs in our pond came out and posed for a while.

Working with various lenses, and waiting for the right light angles, makes for some interesting shots…

Well, I find them interesting.

Click on the image for a quick slide show.

Each year the Dina Dee II has a crew day and BBQ.  This year was as fun as usual.  However it was a little hotter than most.   The dive was my standard 2 hour dip on an inshore wreck.  No flat fish this year, but a few lobster, and a lot of anchors came up.   I only send up the new anchors with price tags attached.   Others sent up some rust.   Either way.  It was a fun dive, and a great BBQ.   Lobsters and seabass were put on the grill, and there was even a beer or two passed around.

A great group of divers, and some of the most friendly captains and crew around.   A good time is always had on this boat, and I get to see my family on the way home.   What else could you ask for.

2010 BBQ

Always a popular wreck, the Independence II headed out with a full group of experienced wreck divers to the Resor.   The seas were calm, and since it is a bit of a ride out, many were able to get a quick catnap on the way.  Yoda Frogman (Terry) jumped in for the tie, and had the pool open in no time.  We heard rumors that another boat had been there recently, but tied into the bow.  Dan’s numbers are for the stern.   Given the size of the wreck, there were no real worries.  This wreck is huge.  It’s a good swim from the bow to the stern, and anyone looking for dinner would take too long to make the full journey.

Sunset over the bay

Terry clocked a 150 minute dive and brought up a bag of goodies for his effort.   I jumped once he was on deck.

There was some current on the surface, but it dropped off by the 100ft mark.  The bottom was bright with a good 30+ ft of vis.  I tied off and headed out.  Terry told me about his excursion to the left of the anchor, and recommended I go right.   Within a few seconds, I knew exactly where I was, the stem.  There above me was the deck gun, and a few feet away was the scallop dredge … and then the stern of the wreck.   OK, Right is not the right way to go.

The bottom was littered with empty scallop shells from previous trips.  Here and there were live scallop.  By this time I’d nab a few.  Lobsters were in short supply.  I saw a few small claws, but nothing that called out “take me home”.  Heading back through Terry’s path of carnage I ran into the largest Ling Cod I’ve ever seen.  I had no poll spear available.  It swam right up to me.  I pulled out my bag to see just how curious it was, but it was not quite that stupid.

While picking up a few scallops in my path, I was still looking for lobster here and there.   Finally, I found my quarry in large pipe about 4 ft off the bottom.  With claws just smaller than my hands, I estimate a good 4 pounder.  Rules of engagement were discussed, battle plans were drawn, and the moment of truth arrived….  I had was at a distinct disadvantages.  The pipe provided him a deep area to retreat.  But for some reason he would come up to within a few feet of the open end, almost in reach   After he mocked my attempts,  I gave up and continued the scallop harvest.   On the way back to the line Lingzilla swam by again.  It’s annoying when the fish have attitude!

All in all a nice dive.  The bottom was a bit cool at 43, but the hang was a close to 70.

A good number of nice lobsters came up, and Terry extracted a good 4 pounder from another part of the wreck.   Scallops came up by the bag full.  Captain Dan had so many, he had to shoot his up on a lift bag.  Many divers had acquired their first scallops, and Dan spent time demonstrating the proper cleaning method, and discussing various ways to prepare them.  (I’m partial to the wrapped in bacon and grilled, but my wife has many recipes that are all good.)

Most divers did a second dive, with even more scallops and lobster were brought aboard.  Joe and Terry jumped in for a short dive and pulled the hook.

We were quickly home and coolers were loaded.  A great day of diving!

Some good friends invited us to a brunch at a local Cuban restaurant in the area.   When we parked, we walked past an open air street and deck that brought to mind many a Caribbean bistros.

Between Val and myself, we had one of the best brunches we’ve ever experienced.   The food was out of the world.   It was very simple yet bright with fresh ingredients, and fantastic combinations.   It’s hard to describe how such simple flavors can be so “out of this world”.   We’ve been to all kinds of fancy/expensive restaurants, but this was so simple, and soooooo good.    Just so fresh!   It was exceptional.

On top of all this, the servers dealt with a bunch of SCUBA divers (not a small feat).  They were also exceptional in their work.   A fantastic experience!

Afterward, we headed out to have an afternoon at the pool.   On the way to the pool, many had made various sidetracks that will remain unmentioned….

Somewhere along the lines, at the pool, we ended up playing some card games that ended up with interesting clothing configurations.   Let’s just leave it at that.

All in all, a great day with great food and hospitality shared with some great friends and dive buddies.