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Monday, November 11th finds the Video Dude, along with Faboo dive buddy “Hall of Famous” Joanie, aboard Scubatyme III heading out to the ever-popular wreck of the “Sea Emperor” for a relaxing morning of diving. Captain Bob is at the helm and Divemaster Goddess Amanda is assisting everyone on deck as we head out on flat seas to our destination. Along the way we see a pod of Dolphins cavorting and jumping our wake. Captain Bob makes a couple of circles so we can see the dolphins and to give them a nice wake to play in. It was a great start to the morning and a good omen of things to come!
We arrive at the “Sea Emperor” and after Amanda ties off the descent line, Joanie and I head for the bottom. I nearly landed on the resident Stingray, who was out and about already. I had several face-to-face encounters, with the stingray occasionally brushing my camera and once even hitting it head-on! I always love to watch the grace of a “flying” stingray, they make it look so effortless! Captain Bob gave me some crackers to feed to the fish, so I went over to the sand and started feeding them so everyone could get pictures. We also found one of the resident Green Morays, and I found a 6ft Nurse Shark over amongst the pipes next to the wreck. We also came across a sick-looking Midnight Parrotfish who seemed to be having trouble just moving it’s fins to stay in one spot.
After our surface interval, we head over to Abbey Too Reef. Visibility on the bottom was much improved from the day before, but the east/west surge was stronger. We did see about 7 Lobsters all total though. No other critters besides the usual Grunts, Squirrelfish and Chromis.
So that’s about it. Good seas, Faboo dive buddy, better visibility and still warm water temps, plus a cool stingray encounter and a fish-feeding made for a great morning!
Still diving in Paradise (even in November!),
The Video Dude
Saturday, November 14th finds the Video Dude shooting video aboard South Florida Diving Headquarters‘ “Coral Princess” for an equipment demo day. JBL Spearguns, Oceanic Dive Computers and SCUBA Network (Deerfield and Fort Lauderdale) put the whole event together and divers got to pay a discounted rate for their seats on the boat in return for the opportunity to try out the various spearguns and computers (including Oceanic’s Datamask!).
After getting everyone set up with the gear they wanted to try, Captain Shane and DM Matt took us out to Hillsboro Ledge and turned everyone loose to play with the new toys. I swam along with the speargun group on the first dive getting some footage of them using the guns (and keeping my eyes open for stray shafts!). The dive went well and everyone who tried the guns enjoyed the experience.
After our surface interval was done, we headed over to Lighthouse Ledge for more playtime. Everyone was able to switch and try something else if they wanted. This time I dove with the divers trying out the Oceanic Datamasks and wrist-mounted computers. Lots of reef to see and everyone was thrilled with the various computers.
So, next time you’re on a boat and you see a JBL speargun or Oceanic dive computer, that might be someone who participated in the Demo Day!
Saturday, October 24 finds the Video Dude and dive buddies Paul and Thora, on the RJ Diving Ventures boat heading out to dive on the Neptune Memorial. I’ve been wanting to do this dive for months now and the schedule finally worked out. For those of you who don’t know, the Neptune Memorial is an underwater memorial garden (aka cemetary) designed in an artist’s concept of Atlantis. It sits at about 40 ft, and takes up about an acre of bottom. Captain Mike and Divemaster Georgia get us out to the site on an off-and-on sunny afternoon and we all get ready to jump in. Paul, Thora and I roll off the side of the boat, ahead of a large group of students, in order to get some video before the viz gets bad.
As it turns out, the viz was kinda murky anyway. It made for challenging video conditions for sure, but I managed to get about 19 or 20 minutes of video. There are some still frames included in this posting below:
The site was amazing to see and interesting to video. I definitely want to make some repeat trips here so I can catch the site on a clear viz and sunny day!
Tuesday, October 20th finds the Video Dude out to shoot video along with Faboo dive buddy “Hall of Famous” Joanie. We’re off to visit the “Ancient Mariner” and “Abbey Too” Reef. The gang at Scubatyme Charters made us feel right at home and, as we head out into 4-6ft seas and rainy conditions, we wondered if this was a good idea today. We both agreed it was better than being in a cubicle, so we made the best of it.
Shortly after we break the Hillsboro Inlet, we arrive at dive site #1, The “Ancient Mariner”. Conditions on the surface made tying off to the descent line a bit scary, so we jump in and drift over to the descent line and make our way to the bottom. Once we reach the wreck we notice a pretty good south current blowing and we use the wreck as a shield for a bit. We got a visit from a Southern Stingray who circled us for about 8 minutes and performed some interesting maneuvers before leaving to play with the other divers. We also spent some time looking for an octopus we were told inhabits the wreck, but couldn’t find it. We did one swim-through of the wreck, then headed back for the ascent line and ultimately the dive boat.
Back onboard, we do our best to change over our gear in the “sporty” conditions and talk about our next dive on “Abbey Too”. Joanie has gone out on a limb and made some predictions of what we will see again, and we get ready to jump back in. After reaching the bottom, we notice a little East/West surge in the current and begin to make our way over to the drop-off of the reef. Visibility is only about 40ft, but still good enough to check out all the schools of Grunts, Margates, Squirrelfish and Juvenile Hogfish. We also saw one Lobster but no Eels, Turtles or Sharks. Well, if we saw them on EVERY dive we’d be too spoiled, right?
October 11th finds the Video Dude out to shoot video with his Faboo dive buddy, “Hall of Famous” Joanie aboard Parrot Island Scuba’s “Fish Food”. The weather was perfect and the seas were calm and, although we heard rumors of fast currents, we were still excited to be out diving! Due to the currents we were forced to change our first dive destination (which was to be a wreck) and ended up with 2 drift dives instead. Captain George and Divemaster Dale got us all situated onboard and we headed out to the reefs.
Dive #1 was on “Sunkist Reef”, a very pretty reef I have been on many times before but seems to always be different each time. Joanie and I dropped down to the reef and, although the current wasn’t nearly as swift as advertised, it was still good enough for us not to have to kick very much. We saw lots of schooling fish like Grunts and Porkfish as well as Blue Chromis, and we came across a MONSTER Rainbow Parrotfish that we both determined had to be 4 1/2ft long and about 2ft high! We had never seen one that huge before. It was tucked under a ledge just chillin’ and even had a 2ft Remora attached to it’s belly!! Additionally we saw a Stone Crab, Hogfish, lots of French Angels and 2 Squid. All too soon our bottom time is over and we have to head for our safety stop and then the surface.
Back on the boat, we change over our gear for the next dive, talk about what we saw, and I ask Joanie for predictions on what we’ll see on dive #2. She replies, “a Turtle, a Shark and an Eel!”. So, once we arrive at dive site #2 which is the ever-popular “Lighthouse Ledge”, we hit the water and drop down to the reef. Still a moderate current and, wouldn’t you know it, we almost immediately see a Hawksbill Turtle! Not long after we find a Green Moray, a Stone Crab getting cleaned by a Damselfish, and the final part of the prediction, a 7ft Nurse Shark!! Just in time too, cause our bottom time was up and we had to head back to the boat! Overall a Freakin’ Awesome day of diving with my favorite buddy! Next time I’ll get her to predict a Whale Shark and a Manta Ray too!!
Divin’ the day away here in Paradise!!
The Video Dude
Here are some still frames from the video (which is now available for purchase, see link below!):
September 29th finds the Video Dude in Sint Maarten, Netherland Antilles to dive with Scuba Fun Dive Center. It was a glorious day weather-wise and the seas were running about 2-4ft. Aboard our boat, the “Coral Palm”, Captain Jarvis and Divemasters Kelly, Guillaume, Nichole and Michelle were getting all our gear situated in preparation for our upcoming dives. We are scheduled to do a Wreck/Reef combo called “Proselyte Reef” (where a ship was wrecked in 1801) and another reef called “Shark Attack Reef”.
In great spirits for the day, we all arrive at “Proselyte Reef” for our first dive. Depth on this dive was @60ft and the coral canyons were amazing. Coral heads nearly reached the surface from our 60ft depth, and there were good spots with Lobsters, Trunkfish, Trumpetfish, Grunts and more. Also on this reef are the remains of a wooden ship called “The Proselyte”, which sank so many years ago that the only thing left are the anchors and cannons (and even they are really overgrown with coral!). Soon this dive is over and we have to head back for our safety stop and then the boat.
Back onboard, we get our gear changed over and get ready for dive #2 on “Shark Attack Reef”. As soon as we dive in the water with our divemaster Michelle and get to the bottom, I notice 2 Caribbean Reef Sharks swimming parallel to us about 100ft off to the side. I signaled Michelle I was heading over to get some video, and swam along side the sharks for a bit. About that time we found an area that another dive operator had set up for feeding the sharks, so we all swam over to that spot and sat down on the bottom waiting for the rest of the sharks to appear. Ultimately, they start to come over one at a time, circling us and waiting to see if we had food. One or two sharks got a little braver and swam in between some of the divers and myself. Was really amazing to watch the grace and fluid motion of these animals! Although I would have been happy staying with the sharks, we did have to go check out the rest of the reef, so off we went. Again beautiful coral heads/canyons and schools of juvenile tropicals of all species. Then it’s off to the boat again and get ready to head back to the dive shop.
Thanks again to Scuba Fun Dive Center. Antoine and the staff there are first-rate!!
The Video Dude
Below are some still frames from the video which is now available for sale (see link at bottom of posting!):
September 20th finds the Video Dude diving in Jupiter, FL with some of the gang from ScubaBoard. We’re diving with Jupiter Dive Center and heading out to catch the Goliath Grouper Aggregation. Captain Mike and Divemaster Chris get us all settled aboard the “Republic IV” and we head out in search of some of the largest fish around. Skies were beautiful, seas were calm and there was a great deal of excitement aboard the boat. I was diving with a couple of friends of mine, Paul and Thora, and everyone was looking forward to the dives.
In very short time, Captain Mike has us all out on “Bonnie’s Reef” where many Goliath Grouper have been recently spotted. We get geared up and ready to jump in with Divemaster Chris leading the way. Almost immediately, we see a big Green Moray who thrilled us all by free-swimming along with us for most of the dive. Additionally, during the combination of both dives we came across a Lionfish, a huge Hawksbill Turtle, several more Green Morays, a giant Burrfish and ultimately our goal for the day, the Goliath Grouper. Although the number wasn’t quite what we wanted, there were 5 or 6 swimming around together, each surrounded by their own “bait ball” of fish. It was an awesome sight to watch!
All too soon the dives were done and we had to retreat back to our dive boat. Everyone was in full chatter mode on the way back to the dock, marveling at everything we saw today. It truly was a spectacular day of diving! Thanks to Jupiter Dive Center, Captain Mike, Divemaster Chris and my dive buddies Paul and Thora for a great day of diving here in Paradise!!
The Video Dude
Below are some still shots from the video, which is now available for purchase (see link at bottom of post).
Today I had the opportunity to be a guide for a couple of newly-certified divers, Christine and Brad. Today was to be their first local boat dives since getting certified, and they were both excited and anxious to get in the water and have fun. We went out on “Scubatyme III” and Enzo, Captain Dave, and Amanda all treated us very well. We did two drift dives - “Anglin’ Pier Reef” and “Radical Rubble Reef” and, although the skies were gray up top, the scenery was beautiful down below. We even had a very curious French Angel come over to play with us!! We saw lots of Angelfish, Grunts, Jellyfish, Arrow Crabs and Chromis. Very small current on both dives, visibility was around 50ft and bottom temp was around 82 degrees.
A beautiful couple of dives and a very relaxing day here in Paradise!
The Video Dude
** If you are looking for a dive guide, call me at 954.296.6449 or email me today!!
Tuesday, July 7th finds the Video Dude cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway at about 4mph behind a boat towing the “Antipodes” Mini-Sub, heading out to “Touchdown Reef” off of Atlantic Blvd. Pier for some test runs. Pete Hoffman of Hoffman Marine had contacted me to shoot video of the test runs for his client who was purchasing the sub. Earlier this morning, a crane lifted the mini-sub and lowered it into a canal behind Hoffman Marine to begin the long trip from south of Atlantic Blvd., up the Intracoastal Waterway to Hillsboro Inlet and back south to the second reef off of Atlantic Blvd. In the movies it all looks so easy, but there is really quite a lot of work to get a sub ready for launching!
Once we arrive at our dive site - “Touchdown Reef” - the sub begins to run through it’s test paces, maneuvering here and there and giving the new owner and his son a chance to see everything in the area. I am maneuvering myself on the outside to not only get good shots of the sub, but to stay out of the way as well. The sub performed flawlessly, and I got some great video of it zooming around over the reefs and occasionally over my head!
At the end of the day, everyone else (including me!) got a chance to ride in the sub and see what it was like. It was an amazing experience and I am glad I got to be a part of the whole project. Thanks Pete!!
Monday June 8th finds the Video Dude and dive buddy “Hall of Famous” Joanie diving under Blue Heron Bridge. This is my 500th (non-teaching) dive and Joanie is working on her photography skills for her upcoming trip to Indonesia (lucky duck!). The weather was very cooperative and high tide was scheduled for 9:10am. We arrived at the bridge @8:30am and began setting up our gear. After our final buddy checks, we head for the shoreline and make our way into the water to finish getting our fins on and any last-second final adjustments.
Then it’s off to the pilings on the west side to see what we can see. Visibility turned out to not be so great, maybe 10ft or so, so we had to stick close together. We right away found lots of Starfish and the ever-present Sea Urchins with their shell camouflage. We actually saw an urchin using a plastic cough syrup bottle for camouflage! I haven’t laughed like that in a while! Zig-zagging around the pilings we also came across a Batfish, Arrow Crabs the size of Frisbees, Banded Shrimp, Barracuda, Spadefish, Hermit Crabs, Lobsters, Sheepshead and Hogfish. It was definitely a full-variety day to be sure!
After close to 80 minutes underwater, we decide to head back to the beach. It was a nice leisurely swim back and we finally bumped into another couple that were just heading over to the bridge. We basically had the whole place to ourselves until then! It was a great spot for my 500th dive and having a great dive buddy along made it even better!
The month of May was very busy for the Video Dude. Now that I am a NAUI Instructor, there have been a lot of teaching opportunities coming my way (more on THAT in another post). So now we are into June, and I can think of no better way to start the month than by watching the sinking of a new artificial reef right here in my hometown!!
Saturday, June 6th started with the promise of a beautiful day. Bright sunshine, very little wind and calm seas were on tap for today. I had reserved a seat aboard Scubatyme Charters’“ScubaTyme III” and we left the marina @10:45 in the morning to get our position in the viewing area to watch the sinking. At @11:45, the hatches were opened below the waterline and the former “Miss Lourdies” began to take on water. It took about 9 minutes for her to submerge beneath the surface in full view of everyone.
After the safety divers had gone down to make sure the ship had landed in the proper spot (and upright too!), the all clear was given for dive boats to allow divers on the wreck. “ScubaTyme III” was the only commercial dive boat with divers ready to immediately get in, so at @1:30pm we all hit the water for our first look at the new “reef”. She is 170ft long, sits in 140ft (+-) of water with the tallest point (the wheelhouse) at @100ft. It is really strange to see an artificial reef in it’s beginning - all clean and painted pretty - but we all know that soon there will be growth on it, followed by fish and animal life adding to our rich reef system here!
Well it has been a while since I posted last. I have been a busy camper these days and finally have some time to post. Back at the beginning of April, I finished my NAUI Instructor ITC so I can now teach SCUBA diving, and I have been busy with teaching, Divemaster work, and shooting video ever since!
So here’s what happened this past weekend. I had the opportunity to work at the Pompano Seafood Festival with the good folks from DEMA in the “Be a Diver” pool. This was a 30 x 20 foot pool with a depth of about 4ft where anyone who wanted to try scuba diving could strap on a tank and, under supervision of an instructor, experience the thrill of SCUBA diving. I worked in the pool all day both Saturday and Sunday and met lots of nice people. There were a great deal of kids (as you can imagine) as well as adults all getting their first taste of the underwater world. After they tried it out, we gave them all packets of info from the various dive shops in the area and suggested they call for classes. I had a BLAST!! I also got to meet Neal Watson who stopped by for a visit on Sunday, and my friends Heather, Kim, Bob, Jim and Maureen all stopped by to say “Hi!”.
If you ever get the chance to see this pool in action, stop by and say “Hi!” to those working in it, and of course, bring a non-diving friend to try it out!
Playing in the water in Paradise all the time now,
Sunday, January 18th finds the Video Dude once again wearing his Divemaster hat for Parrot Island Scuba. This time I am paired up with Captain Jerry aboard “Fish Food” and we’re off to do a couple of dives on “The Balls” - a reef mooring system on the first reef line. I get everyone’s tanks and gear aboard and organized while Captain Jerry gives the boat briefing, and then we are underway out of the Inlet and into open seas. The weather is perfect and the seas are flat.
Captain Jerry gets us out to out first dive site on “The Balls” called “The Copenhagen”. If you have read many of my blog postings you know that “The Copenhagen” is an old wooden coal ship that has been declared a Marine Sanctuary by the State of Florida. Upon our arrival there, I tie off the boat to the mooring ball, and get buddy groups organized and assign dive flags while Captain Jerry gives the dive site briefing. Once everyone is ready, I assist the divers to the dive platform and, after checking their gear, assist them into the water for their dive. After about 50 minutes, buddy groups start surfacing and I begin assisting everyone back on board and to their seats. Apparently this was a good day to be on this site as I heard lots of discussions on what was seen and where.
After everyone is back on board, I secure the boat and untie from the mooring ball so we can travel to our next dive site called the “Pompano Extension”. This is a series of newly-added mooring balls on the first reef line and therefore the dive sites are relatively new to divers. I get the boat tied off to the mooring ball and once again I make sure the buddy groups are ready. After checking their gear on the dive platform, I assist everyone into the water for their drift dive. Captain Jerry and I keep a close eye on the groups and make sure boat traffic doesn’t get too close. After about 45 minutes, buddy groups begin to surface and it’s time to pick everyone up again. After getting everyone back on the boat and into their seats, I secure the boat and we head back for the dock.
Upon arriving at the dock, I get everyone’s tanks and gear off the boat and organized on the dock and begin to cleanup the boat and stow gear and supplies for lockdown. A nice day on the water and I got to help lots of divers (some students and some new divers) experience diving here.
Saturday, January 17th finds the Video Dude doing a solo dive at Blue Heron Bridge. Scuba Goddess Terri has a head cold today, so I am off to brave the chilly air temps and 70 degree water at Blue Heron. Once I arrive and get geared up, I carry my dive flag, camera and fins to the water’s edge and finish getting ready to get in. Once I am underwater, I drift with what little current is left just before slack tide, and see that visibility will only be about 10ft today. Well that’s OK because I now get to practice my “muck diving” skills and look for the little stuff that sometimes gets missed.
Several Starfish are about, along with hundreds of Sea Urchins - one had a small Crab skeleton attached as camouflage! There was also a small Flounder trying to hide from my camera, a Red Batfish, a couple of Lobster, lots of very large Arrow Crabs, and an Octopus that had made a “garden” from empty bottles. He actually tried to hang onto his “favorite” bottle while I was shooting video. It was kinda funny.
Click to play the video:
After about an hour and a half bottom time, I started to get chilly and started making my way back to the beach to get out and head back to my car. There were a few scuba classes going on and I chatted with a few people about shooting video, then dropped my gear at my car, changed clothes and headed home.
It was a great day of diving and I was glad I could shoot video so my sick dive buddy (and others) could see it. It was a little eerie not having a dive buddy nearby, but I am glad I had the experience.
Tuesday, January 13th has the Video Dude once again donning his Divemaster hat for Parrot Island Scuba. This time we’re set up for an all-day schedule with both a morning and an afternoon trip booked. Captain Nick is piloting “Fish Food” today as we set off for our first dive destination: “The Sea Emperor”. I get everyone’s gear and tanks organized on the boat and get them started setting up while Captain Nick gives a boat briefing and we set out through the Inlet to open ocean.
When we arrive at “The Sea Emperor”, I am already geared up and ready to jump in with the descent line to tie off to the wreck. Captain Nick gives the “dive, dive, dive” signal and I am off to the bottom. I make it to the wreck and check current conditions before tying off. This enables me to judge which end of the wreck is best for tying off. After my ascent back to the surface, I give a briefing on conditions down below, and begin getting divers into the water and on the descent line. After about 40 minutes, divers begin coming back up the line and I assist them back onto the boat and into their seats. Once everyone is back on board safely, I get geared back up and jump back in to retrieve the ascent line.
Once I am back on board, we are off to our next dive site, a reef called “Lighthouse Ledge”. This will be a drift dive so I assign buddy teams/groups and equip each group with a dive flag. After checking each diver on the dive platform, I assist them into the water and make sure everyone is OK on the surface. Once all groups are in the water and headed in the right direction, Captain Nick and I monitor the diver’s positions and watch out for boat traffic. After almost an hour, divers begin re-surfacing and I assist them back on board the boat and into their seats. Once all divers are back on board, we return to the dock to pick up the group for the afternoon trip.
Back at the dock now, I assist the morning group with getting their gear and tanks off the boat and organized on the dock. After they are taken care of, it’s time to do a quick cleanup of the boat before loading the afternoon group’s gear and tanks aboard and getting everyone organized. After a boat briefing by Captain Nick, we are once again underway to our afternoon dive sites.
This afternoon we are doing two dives on “The Balls” - a series of mooring balls on the first reef line. Captain Nick decides to take us to a reef called “The Nursery” where there is a lot of juvenile fish activity and the occasional Nurse Shark. Once again this will be a drift dive, so I get the buddy groups organized and assigned a dive flag and check the divers over before assisting them off the dive platform into the water. We stay tied to the mooring ball while the divers drift with the current, keeping an eye on both them and nearby boat traffic. When the groups start to get too far away, we untie and head off in their general direction, monitoring them along the way. After nearly an hour, groups start to surface and we begin the process of picking everyone up and getting them back on the boat.
Once everyone is aboard and starting to changeover their gear for the next dive, Captain Nick takes us to the next dive site, “The Copenhagen”, an old wooden coal ship that is now a Marine Sanctuary. Once again the buddy groups get ready and I assign them flags for the drift. I assist everyone on the dive platform and make sure they are OK on the surface, then Captain Nick and I begin the surface watch for divers and boats. After about 45 minutes, groups begin to surface and I assist everyone back onto the boat and into their seats. After a final diver roll-call, I secure the boat ladder, untie from the mooring ball and we return to the dock.
Back at the dock the process of getting tanks and dive gear off the boat begins again and I get everyone’s gear organized on the dock. Then it’s time to clean the boat and store all the gear, snacks, camera/mask buckets and whatever else needs to be done to get the boat ready for lockup.
A long busy day, but a lot of fun helping divers out in Paradise!!
Hello everyone. Sunday, January 11th finds the Video Dude and Scuba Goddess Terri once again aboard “ScubaTyme III” heading out to dive a wreck and a reef. Enzo, Captain Dave and Amanda welcome everyone aboard and get us situated on the boat before heading out. It’s another beautiful day on the water under sunny skies and with very little wave action. We’re a little crowded today as the boat is full (a good sign for the local dive industry), but everyone is happy to be out diving and, a good omen for the day, on the way out to our first dive site we get a pod of about 20 Dolphins riding our wake and jumping out of the water!! Way cool!!
Captain Dave gets us out to Dive site #1 - “The Tracy” fairly quickly and DM Amanda jumps in to tie off our descent line. She comes back up to report a bit of a current on the bottom and nice visibility. Terri and I jump in first since we will be penetrating this wreck and I need to get some video footage before the crowd shows up. We get down to the wreck and head inside, poking around in various areas, shooting video along the way, then we head outside the wreck for a tour around the exterior. This is where I find the Spotted Eel just sitting there posing for my camera. Very cool!! Then it’s back up to the boat and get ready for the next dive.
Dive #2 is on “Sunkist Reef” - a beautiful reef we have been on many times. It always has something amazing every time we’re on it though, so it never gets old. Almost immediately after reaching the bottom, Terri finds a nice-sized Cowrie shell, and a few moments later a lobster snare. She was relieved to find that because she had just lost mine the day before and was gonna have to buy me a new one. The one she found was in new condition, so it is now mine!! I also found a deep-sea fishing reel in decent condition and along the drift dive we saw a free-swimming Green Moray, White-spotted Filefish, and a Giant Anenome. Then it was time to get picked up by the boat and head back to the dock.
Yet another in a series of beautiful dive days here in Paradise!
