Go deep, stay long

Manatee calf looking for attention

Val and I were invited on a trip to Florida, including a Manatee dive in Crystal River. As it worked out, I did have some time off, so we packed our gear and headed down. Val was going to stay a few days, for the Manatee dive, after that, I was planning to stick around for a cavern/cave class.

Packing went smoothly, except for the snowstorm that covered the area the day before the trip. Most of the roads up here were dry with some salt for good measure. On the trip down we stopped over with our friend Grace in Durham. Their roads were not cleared as well, and the drivers were not accustom to snow. It was not a pleasant situation, but with only minor delays we were back on the road the next morning.

We arrived in Crystal River a bit later than expected, but were up and ready for the dive the next morning. Dive gear, camera gear, and all weather gear packed and ready, we headed out.

This was our first time diving with Manatees. The boat rental required us to watch a video concerning the regulations around Manatee interaction. Bottom line, nothing can prepare you for the actual dive! Becky had invited a group of experienced divers. We hit the water expecting to see a few dozen Manatees. I’m not sure if it was the cold weather, or something else, but there were a few hundred Manatees in the area.

We anchored in a small tributary with river water, and spring water running past a Manatee Sanctuary. Within the roped off sanctuary, there were a dozens of resting Manatees. Back in the springs, the sandy bottom was covered with them. We were all snorkeling on the surface looking to see if any were interested in interaction. Many were resting, but others would swim right up to us.

At first, it’s a bit unnerving to have a 1200lb animal swim up to you. These creatures are 5-6 times our size. It makes you think for a second. Then they roll over and want their belly rubbed. Ok, not so intimidating. The juveniles (calf) are more curious than the older adults, but both were curious about us as divers. I’m not sure why, but my camera seemed to draw their interest. Some would swim up and interact. Several would swim up, play for a bit, and then swim away. Many came back again and again.

After I filled up my still cameras memory card, I switched to the video camera. It was both fun and enlightening interacting with these gentile creatures. As usual, they had to drag me from the water, since I was having so much fun.

If you ever get a chance to dive with Manatees, I highly recommend it. Take your time, and let them come to you. They are both fun and engaging.

It certainly has been difficult to get out diving this fall. However, the few times we were able sneak out, the diving was fantastic. This Sunday we headed out to the Resor with a jam packed boat. Clearing the inlet we had nearly flat seas, and just a breath of a breeze. With the early start, the sun was just rising. We all kept our fingers crossed that the conditions would hold, since NOAA was calling for the wind to pick up a bit in the afternoon.

By the time we reached the wreck, the sun was a bit higher in the sky, and the conditions were still flat. The surface water was a nice Caribbean blue. Dropping down the line it was clear that there was a good current to the east. This made going a bit slow, but we were soon tied in.

While working with the line, shadowy figures kept appearing in the distance. At first I thought the dogfish were back, but it turned out to be bluefish. We saw them inshore last week. Now there was a school buzzing around us on the Resor. Ever few minutes a few of them would dart by. Down on the sand, there were large fluke and flounder almost side by side. Normally we see one or the other, but here the flounder were hunting while the fluke were resting. Both scurried off when approached. Large tog are always around this wreck, and this was no exception. I spotted a few small lobsters, and one good size one with eggs.

I was nearing my turn time when I spotted a nice new Danforth with a long chain. At least I was not going up empty handed. It turns out that the current and the wind were not aligned, and I spent my deco holding my reel in one hand (attached to the Danforth and lift bag) and the shot line in the other. I was just hoping other divers would not get caught in the line.

My hunting efforts had been thwarted, but many others came up with lobster, tog and some nice size pollack. There were various reports of giant lobsters, deep in the wreck, well out of reach. A few folks had ventured out into the sand for scallops, with varying degrees of success.

All in all it was a great day of diving with 30-40 ft of vis and 65 degrees top to bottom. The wind had picked up as we started to head in, but it was still a comfortable ride home.

It’s been a few years since I’ve had the opportunity to do a Northeast twilight dive. Some of our deep dives seem like night dives, but a twilight or night dive on a shallow wreck is a different story.

As we approached the wreck the sun was getting ready to set behind us. This was a low lying wooden wreck, so Bill looked carefully for a good piece to drop the hook on. By the time I cleared 20ft my light was the only thing visible before me. On the bottom, the line was right on top of a large rib. We were soon tied in, and it was time to reconnoiter.

Given this was my first dive on this wreck, my standard practice is to look around first, then decide on a plan of action. Within a few feet of the line, the telltale signs of lobster were evident. Here, there, everywhere. They were not coming out yet, but there were quite a few in some deep holes. Sea bass were everywhere, and some were quite large. Tog and ling cod where here and there. Sea Robins were all over the sand. Even a nice Conger eel was swimming about freely. It was bit startled by my light. Swimming up the main rib, there were also signs of fluke, and large ones. All of this was very bad, since my weapons were on the boat. After coaxing a 22 inch fluke into my bag, I headed to the surface for reinforcements.

The remainder of my short dive was spent mapping out the wreck in my mind, and collecting fluke along the way. Like most wooden wrecks, there was a nice chain pile at the bow. Many fish and lobster were entrenched here. Some low lying sections stood just a few inches off the sand. Here, Sea bass darted in and out in response to my light.

Back on the surface, the sun had set, and Bill was getting ready to jump in. As the divers came up they all agreed that this was a great dive, and we should do it again. At this point Captain Dan regretted leaving his gear at home. After a short while, we could tell Bill was at his safety stop by the aura of his HID light: 20-30 foot arcs of light. It’s kind of eerie to see the water lit this way at night.

If you’ve never done a night dive here in NJ, I strongly suggest giving it a try.

Many divers live in tropical climates, or only dive when they travel to these climates. Up north they are often called Caribbean divers, or blue water divers. I prefer warm water divers, as many travel beyond the Caribbean, and blue water is often used in reference to very deep water.

Diving under these conditions can be both exciting, and relaxing! The scenes of tropical reefs and colorful fish are beautiful and serene. The diving is often easy and at many resorts it’s supervised. This is a great place for beginning divers to practice their new skills, and enjoy the wonders of underwater world.

Gear:
We previously talked about basic SCUBA gear, so now let’s add a few items for tropical diving.

Exposure protection:
This will be the major consideration. There are a few variables here:
Water temperature
Air temperature
Your bodies reaction to cold
How many dives are planned

Read the section on Exposure Protection for more details

Signals:
Tropical diving is often done around small islands. Sometimes in strong current. Separation for the boat is a real possibility, and signal devices can be real life savers! If your planning a drift dive, then will need a marker to let the boat know where you are. A visual aid like an SMB is ideal for both situations. Also a audible signal like a whistle, or Dive Alert can get the attention of the dive boat when you’re hard to see. Both of these can be easily carried in a BCD pocket.

Skills:

Buddy Skills: With all the fascinating beauty of the tropical reefs, it’s all too easy to become distracted and lose contact with your buddy. Try to stay within about 10 ft, and don’t forget to check on them regularly.

Depth Control: The clear water can be very deceiving. Remember objects appear closer under water. We can easily go deeper than planned, and run into issues with gas management, or decompression. Keep an eye on your gauges!

Buoyancy Control: Coral reefs are fragile environments! A single kick can kill an organism that has lived for 100 years. We as divers are fascinated by this spectacle, but we must protect it from ourselves. Work on your buoyancy. Practice it whenever you have a chance.

In the process of diving, we are subjecting our bodies to an alien environment. This environment exposes our bodies to conditions that we are not accustom. Divers need protection in a few different forms:

• Thermal protection: The major reason for protection is Thermal protection. Keep in mind that water conducts heat 25 times faster than air. In air, our bodies would be warm at 75 deg F. Underwater, most people would chill very quickly at 75 deg F. Our bodies can not tolerate a drop in temperature. Hypothermia develops after a drop of only a few degrees.
• Abrasion protection: Rocks, shipwrecks, shells, corals can all easily scratch, or cut through exposed skin.
• Marine organism protection: especially in tropical waters, there are many stinging organisms both on the reef, and floating in the water. Sea Urchins, scorpion fish, lion fish and a long list of others have sharp if not poisonous barbs that can easily hurt a diver.
• Sun protection: While not as obvious, the sun in the tropics can burn sensitive skin on the deck of a boat, or even while we are snorkeling in the water.

The type of protection available breaks down into three groups:

• Dive Skin: These provide no thermal protection, but do provide the other three. They are often made of Lycra to hold the suit close to the body and reduce drag.
• Wetsuits: These are made of Neoprene rubber, which consists of thousands of small gas bubbles. The thicker the wetsuit, the more bubbles, and therefore the more thermal protection it provides. The thickness is measured in millimeters (mil) and varies form 0.5 - 7.0. A small amount of water enters the suit (hence the name) but the body quickly warms this water, and the suit insulates it from the outside water. In order to work properly, they must be snug to prevent water from flushing through the suit and cooling the body.
• Drysuits: These provide an airspace under the suit that can be inflated to provide protection. An undergarment holds the air in place around the body and reduces air movement to the highest part of the suit.

Which to use:

Since each diver responds differently to cold, it’s impossible to give an exact answer. Here are some factors that affect how much thermal protection is needed:

• Water temp: Duh. Colder water will need more protection.
• Depth: Often it is cooler down deep, and wetsuits will lose some of their protection as we go deeper.
• Air temp: On an overcast day, it can be cooler in the air than under water.
• The diver: Size, fitness, metabolism, even what was eaten for breakfast will all affect the reaction to cold.
• Length of dive: Longer exposures will require more protection.
• Number of dives: More dives done in a day or over a week can cool our bodies slowly.

There is no right suit for all divers under a given conditions. No one can say “you’ll be warm in a 3 mil suit at 80 deg F.”. However, here are some guidelines:

Dive skins are used in very warm water ( over 85 Deg F ). They have little to no thermal protection, but do provide a layer of protection from sun, scrapes, and stinging organisms. In tropical environments, this protection can be very important. Corals, sea urchins, and shells can cause punctures and abrasions. Also, the Caribbean sun can cause dangerous sunburn very quickly. If you don’t need the thermal protection, it’s still advisable to wear some form of dive skin.

If the water temperature is below 85 degrees, many people should consider a 3 mil wetsuit. At 80 degrees, many will wear a suit between 3-5 mil. On the other hand, some very cold people will where a 7mil suit. As the water get colder, the thickness of the suit can be increased.

Since water temperature varies throughout the year, it can be beneficial to consider layers. A 3 mil shorty can be worn over a 3 mil suit when the weather turns cold. Or, a hooded vest can be warn under a suit to keep the core warm.

Below about 60 Deg F, many people are thinking drysuit. Some will stay with a wetsuit as long as possible due to the cost of a drysuit. For longer dives in colder water, drysuits are heaven sent. With a drysuit, dives under the ice in lakes are possible. To handle cooler temperatures in a drysuit, the undergarment thickness is increased to create a larger air space around the diver. Some exotic materials are often used in the undergarment provide more thermal protection for the same size air space.

Unfortunately, when discussing thermal protection, there is no right answer. It all depends on the diver, and trial and error may be the best approach. One parting point: If you’re warm, you can flush water through the suit, or remove your hood to cool off. If you’re cold, you have to end the dive to warm up. It’s better to error toward the warm side.