Subject: Scallop trip
Here is a trip that we did last year. We are doing it again. There were several members that hoped to make it last year but we did not have enough seats. Lets hope they can do it this year. We are chartering boats for this. 6 per boat. $300. for trip. or $50 per seat. If you have a spouse, that is not a diver, but a snorkler this is a fantastic trip. The waters were anywere from 3 feet to 8 feet deep. water flat. warm clear. The boat leaves the dock at 9am. and we returned around 1PM . All you need are fins and snorkle mask.
We found that if you had a few lbs of weight with you you could stay down longer to chase the little suckers. My husband went out and bought a net on a long stick. to help him this year. Each boat has a limit of 10 gallons of scallops. At the end of the day, the boat captain takes the scallops to a place that opens the scallops puts them in baggies. it cost $6 a pound to have them cleaned. If you want any you can pay the $6 or not.
There is a beautiful Beach with a picnic shelter and a small restaurant about 20 min from the boat. We can lunch there while we wait for the scallops to be cleaned.
We were home by 6PM. We met at Laural Manor to car pool at 6AM . On the dock there are showers, There is a bait shop on the deck, We had two boats last year. We can have as many as we need . I have chosen two days July 14,(Wed.) or /and August 11,(Wed). If you are interested e-mail Madeline Helbock at helbockm@aol.com. If you have guests visiting this would be an awesome trip for them. If the Oil Spill closes the area, you will get your money back. This fishing village is very small, and the scalloping season is where they make their money for the year.
Proposed Dives:
Anyone planning a dive should forward the info to Earle Lammers , 430-0048 (home) or (thevillagesscubaclub@gmail.com ) if they wish to have it posted on the Web and e-mailed to the member list.
Proposed Dives:
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Dive Reviews
Dive Report - R.J. Thompson and Harvey's Ledge (Wed., May 28)
I had signed up with Narcosis Scuba Center out of Tarpon Springs for a boat dive on Tuesday but they had to cancel due to a lack of divers. So, I signed on for Wednesday’s boat dive expecting the same to happen when low and behold they called me at 4PM and told me the dive was on. Be at the shop by 7AM (Mac, that’s why I didn’t get back to you in time). That meant I’d be up and out by 4:45AM. It was a beautiful morning motoring out to the R.J. Thompson for the first dive. Seas were relatively calm, winds were light, and water temps would be 78 to 80 degrees! There would be five divers plus the DM. After about an hour and a half of motoring, we arrived at the sight and were raring to go. The DM secured the anchor line and gave us the conditions. Viz was low, only about 15 to 20 ft. But there was no current and the water temp was 79. My buddy and I were the first over and had no problems heading down the line to the wreck. We decided we’d circumnavigate the hull at the sea floor and check out any interesting penetrations. The R.J. Thompson is allegedly a CG cutter but no one has ever been able to verify this. But it is a novice wreck diver’s dream. The hull is pretty much in tack but the hull inside below the main level is completely open with only some of the structural girders remaining. There are no deck plates to speak of. What there is to speak of is the marine life which is abundant. So, my buddy and I are moving along the hull near the bottom when we come across a nice sized opening and decide to take a look. We’re only about a few feet in when I turn my head to the right and almost spit my regulator out. The first words out of my mouth were “HOLY SH__!” There, only about 20 ft away was the biggest goliath grouper I’d ever seen under water. This fish had to be over 5 ft long and weigh over 250 lbs. I signaled my buddy and he caught sight of him, too. We followed the grouper a little ways into the wreck and then cut it off so we would be able to find our way out of the wreck. We went back out of the wreck and headed down the side of the hull when we came across a sea turtle resting on the bottom right next to the hull. We moved down beside it but a good distance away so as not to disturb it. I’d say it was a good 3 ft in diameter. It picked its head up, saw us nearby and decided it didn’t like the situation, so it flapped its flippers and swam away. By then it was time to surface anyway.
The next dive was to Harvey’s Ledge which was about an hour’s boat ride away. After the DM secured the anchor line he asked me and my buddy if we’d take a newbie young lady along with us since he had escorted her on the wreck and felt comfortable having her go with us since he would be remaining on board for this dive. Of course, we didn’t object. The three of us got down to the ledge but the viz was only about 10 ft and there was a slight current. We stayed close together and enjoyed the marine life along the ledge. We saw some well camouflaged lizard fish and toad fish along with the rest of the pelagic fish.
All-in-all it was a great day of diving.
Bill Canna
Ginnie Springs:
For those who haven't been to Ginnie Springs recently or ever. Ginnie Sprgs is open every day of the year. There is a full dive shop including rentals, tanks & air fills. Driving time is approx. 1 hr 45 minutes using I-75 to X 399, thence WB on 441/27. Make a left where US-27 forks off (gas station on narrow corner). Proceed into High Springs, make a left turn at the traffic light onto Main St. (236). Aprrox 1 mile turn right onto Poe Springs Rd (340) past Poe Sprgs, past Blue Sprgs, to Ginnie Sprgs sign of right side. Turn right proceed to fork, branch right and drive on dirt road to bldg. They have a web site with maps and release forms: www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com Fee to use the facilities is $28.00 plus tax. You need to sign a form and present your "C" card. There are actually 4 divable springs: Ginnie, Little Devil, Devil's Eye, Devil's Ear. All certified divers can dive Ginnie Spring and take a light. There is a large cavern in which one can always see light above. The spring flows out from the cavern and is barred off. Max depth 53 ft. It is possible to continue the dive in the outflow to where it joins the river. However, one must realize that the high river water produces a greater pressure (or head) on the spring and reduces the normal outflow. When the river is not a flood stage the swim back against the spring outflow or current requires more effort than some divers may wish to exert. So don't be lulled by the easy swim toward the river during normal levels. Ginnie Spring dive times can be any where from 20 minutes to 40 minutes. Some divers do all the dives with one tank of air, if this is your plan start with the Devil's System first. July 17th was a Sunday and as usual diving venues, swimming and camping areas are crowded. Underwater was not too bad but on the surface and land areas it was packed. The only offsetting factor benefit to week end diving was the slim young things in bikinis running around. The distance between Ginnie Spring and the Devil's System is about a city block. We drive out vehicles from one to the other with the gear and the divers keep their wet suits on and walk. The Devil's System (3 springs) water was stirred up by tubbers, swimmers and divers who dragged their fins. So viz was not the normal unlimited viz. However once in the spring, e.g.; Little Devil, the outflow was once again excellent. Little Devil is a narrow slit dropping down to 50 ft. Only cave and cavern certified divers are permitted to carry lights in the Devil's System. I personally feel that this discriminates against responsible divers who are smart enough not to go exploring caves without training and is perhaps even dangerous for divers with unlit instrumentation. (of course in the later case you only dive to 20 ft). Little Devil has a lot of loose sediment and stirs up easily. Ginnie Springs is a popular cave and cavern diving training area. So you will find divers with doubles and one or two additional tanks hanging from their BC. There will be UW scooters going by. But unless you are a cave diver and using the caves underwater is not overly crowded even on the weekend. From Little Devil one proceeds with the flow to Devil's Eye. Viz on this shallow swim is often poor. Devil's Eye has caves at the bottom (depth 57 ft) but the dive down to the cave entrances is considered a cavern dive. However be advised that there are narrow areas where diving 2 abreast may be difficult. And you will need to give way to the multi-tanked cave divers who are in a hurry to get down on their way in the caves with a minimum of air consumption getting there. The cavern room at depth is not as large as the Ginnie Spring cavern but has natural beauty. As you ascend out of Devil's Eye to dive the next spring, Devil's Ear, you may wish to make a short safety stop, because it is a shallow swim to the "ear". The ear is marked by a large red float ball. You need to telephone ahead before you drive up if you want to dive Devil's Ear. Devil's Ear is like The Eye, approx. the same depth to where the caves branch off, but a much larger cavern room at the bottom. If you don't observe the mix of tannic river water with the clear spring water entering the springs you will on your ascent. There is a large log, the marker buoy is chained to it, at about 15-20 feet. Stop there for your safety stop but also to see the water mix above you. It is mind boggling. The water changes color in weird swirls from blood red to pinks, to greens as the tree foliage mixes to blues from the sky to white from the clouds. And endless blend of color. If you have a video camera, here is the place to use it. Total bottom time at the Devil's system can vary from 35 minutes to 60 minutes for non-cavers. Many divers do all the dives with one 80 cu ft tank. BUT DON'T RISK YOUR LIFE TO SAVE A $3 FILL. We left home a little after 7 AM, ate our brown paper sack lunches after the dives and were home around 3 PM. Time will vary with the divers (we didn't have any pokies). We probably could have stopped at Blue Grotto on the way home. Ginnie has a deli eating facility at the park but it is not necessarily always open. Both dive sites have rest rooms and hot water showers. Ginnie Springs is always a nice dive site. Hours are 8AM to 10PM in the summer.
Wilt Nelson
Venice Beach
Venice Dive 9/28/05. The diving was very nice North of Sharkies Pier in Venice, Florida. Air was ˜92°F, Seas were essentially calm with a light chop on otherwise nearly flat water (a delightful 84°F), , Viz 10 feet. In addition to the 178 teeth in my bag from 2 dives (no large Megladons) there was a plethora of marine life. A small Cowfish continued to swim around my head and allowed touching. They are beautiful fish. We also saw Scorpionfish, Trevalle, an Octopus, lots of crabs, and some other nondescript small fish. Most of the sharks teeth were found in the darker colored windrows at the edges of the sand areas using the sieve method. Although some scoops near the small coral heads also produced teeth. The drive back was "dampened" by a deluge of "white out" rain from below I-4 to exit 321 where we got off. Water was standing 3 to 6 inches deep on the surface of I-75. Transferring the equipment from one car to the other in the rain elliminated the need for a bath or shower when I got home.
Wilt Nelson
See "Discount" web page for trips sponsored by local dive shops. Links are provided to their web sites.