Sunday, 2.21.10 finds the Video Dude joined once again by Roberta, DJ and John LaFlair of Scuba Network at the Blue Grotto, located in Williston, FL. This is a natural spring that is large enough to be used as a dive facility. You can enter the Grotto by either a giant stride entry off of a platform, or walk down a set of stairs. There are dive platforms at various depths for students to practice skills, underwater lighting, and even a diving bell you can stick your head inside and breathe air! There were lots of students there working with their Instructors, and a few rebreather divers doing checkouts as well.

After getting our gear set up, we splash into the water and head down to one of the dive platforms so I can get some video of John and DJ pretending to be Instructor and student doing some skills. Then we head over to the diving bell and check it out a bit before heading down to about 65ft to an area known as “Peace Rock”. This is the final point for divers who are not Advanced Open Water certified to go. As we dropped over the side of Peace Rock and into the cave portion of the dive, we followed the guide line in a loop around the bottom of the grotto and back to the cavern area. It was really cool! I went back around a second time to get more video footage, then we all headed over to one of the dive platforms to do our safety stops and get ready to exit the Grotto. It was very cool experience and if you get the chance to go, you should definitely do it!

Another great first experience for me here in Paradise,

The Video Dude

Saturday, 2.20.10 finds the Video Dude, along with Roberta, DJ and John LaFLair of Scuba Network on our rented boat headed out to King’s Bay in Crystal River to shoot video of the manatees. This area is a major congregation point for the manatees in the cold weather, as the water is warmer than the ocean and they can huddle together for warmth. Almost immediately upon setting out, we see signs of manatees swimming in the shallow water. We head over to a side canal that leads to Three Sisters Springs and I jump in to begin the adventure of capturing video of these amazing creatures. Visibility is a little murky here, but I was able to get close enough to most of the manatees to get good video. John was able to rub a few manatee backs and get them to play a bit before they swam away.

After staying in that spot for a while, we headed over to Three Sisters Springs, where we discovered the water was much clearer and there were probably close to 200 manatees in various areas around the springs. The water in the springs is only about 3-4ft deep in places, so getting nice “up-close and personal” video of the manatees was fairly easy. Most of the manatees here were sleeping on the bottom, huddled together for warmth, but there were a few that were swimming around and enjoying the attention they were getting. After staying in the springs for over an hour, we headed back to our boat (docked outside the channel into the springs) where I encountered a baby manatee (if you can call a 6ft-long manatee a “baby”) who was very happy to come over and check out my camera and give me some great video moments. Probably the best stuff I shot all day! After that encounter, we motored back to the marina and got some lunch before setting off towards King Spring for our afternoon dive.

Lunch all done and back on the boat, we head over to King Spring inside of King’s Bay just across from our hotel. Unlike our manatee encounters of the morning (which was all done on snorkels), we get to strap on our SCUBA gear and dive into the spring. The water in the top of the spring was a little brackish and green-tinted, but once we dropped down below the point where all the Open Water students were hanging out, it cleared up quite a bit. This was my first cavern/cave dive ever and it was awesome!! We found some Blue Crabs hanging out amid the rocks, John found a Mullet, and we dove around the perimeter of the spring until we came across an exit point and had to come up. What a great dive! After that, we get back on the boat to discover that the wind has picked up a bit, so we do our best to get out of our wet stuff and stay warm while we cruise around the bay a bit more before heading back to the marina.

Tomorrow it’s off to Blue Grotto for some more cavern and cave diving!

A great day of freshwater diving and having new adventures here in Paradise,

The Video Dude

Saturday February 13th finds the Video Dude, along with 5 other very brave souls, out for a morning of diving, underwater hunting, and shooting video aboard a private boat. The air temp was in the low 50s with wind-chills down in the 40s, but the ocean was flat and water temps ran in the low 70s. I learned a new term for this kind of diving - “Viking Diving”- and the phrase definitely fit!

We were all guests aboard South Florida Spearfishing Club member Tom Campbell’s private boat for the morning, as we got all our gear stowed and began heading out for our first of two drift dives. Being as it is a private boat (and one of the six divers was the captain), we rotated through the first dive so that everyone got to dive. We were on a reef called “Pine Tree” just north of the Hillsboro Inlet and fairly shallow at about 40fsw. I was buddied up with Pat, a friend of Heather (one of my dive buddies), and off we went - he was in search of something to spear or snare, I was in search of good video. We managed to get two Lobsters - the second one put up quite a fight! - and that was about it. We had a couple of very curious Gray Triggerfish following us around for most of the dive, and I saw a school of Spadefish, two Pufferfish and 2 Burrfish.

After coming up from our dive, Captain Tom informed us that since the air temps were dropping, we were canceling our second dive. That was OK with us since, after we got out of the water, the wind was cutting through our wetsuits and chilling us to the bone! So we had a short morning of it, but everyone had a good time. The total catch was 15 Lobsters and one Mutton Snapper, so it wasn’t a total wash. Of course, on the way back into the Inlet, we get stopped by a Florida Fish & Wildlife officer who wanted to inspect our boat and our catch of the day. He was very friendly (and cold like us) and probably bored as we were one of maybe two boats out with divers aboard in this “viking” weather. We are released without a fine and head back to the dock - and a hot tub! - at Tom’s house.

Shootin’ video and making new friends here in Paradise,

The Video Dude

Saturday, February 6th finds the Video Dude aboard the “Island Magic” with members of the South Florida Spearfishing Club heading out on a beautiful day to do some spearfishing and hunting for lobsters (except me - I was shooting video of course!). “Island Magic” is a wonderful boat carrying 6 divers with plenty of space, a covered cabin, shower and marine head, and even a couple of berths down below. Captain Jim is very laid back and makes everyone feel at home. Check out their website at: http://island-magic.com/boatchrt.php

After leaving the dock, we have about a 20 minute ride up the Intracoastal Waterway, then another 15-20 minutes to our first dive site, a reef called “The Mounds”. I am buddied up with Lance, one of the club members, and we jump in and head down to about 90ft looking for stuff to hunt/video. As soon as we hit the bottom, Lance is circled by 3 Remoras checking him out closely. Meanwhile, I am looking for their ‘ride’ in case they were attached to something big that might be sneaking up on us! We drift along the reef without seeing very much for either of us to shoot, so we’re relaxing and having a good time. Then it’s up to do safety stops and back on the boat, where we discover that one of our group, Maureen, has speared about a 13-14lb Mutton Snapper! She was VERY happy about that.

During our surface interval, Captain Jim takes us in towards shore to a calmer area so we can all relax and swap stories a bit. After about an hour or so, we head off to our next dive site, the “Pompano Trench”. I have never done this site before, so it was pretty cool to see all the stuff down there. Lance and I came across 3 Lobsters (he caught 2 of them) and a Lionfish just before hitting the Trench, then we entered the Trench itself and followed it for a while. I felt like a bug in the Grand Canyon it was so huge. There was a nice Anenome on the bottom, and in one section, there were old cement trucks (the round part that carried the cement) that had been placed on the bottom with holes cut in them for reefs. Lots of Glassy Sweepers inside most of them and supposedly there were Goliath Grouper as well, but we didn’t see them. There also a lot of tires on the bottom, not deliberately placed there, that apparently drifted over from other areas. Soon we have to come up to our safety stops again, and back on the boat.

Lots of fun on a new boat with friends and good times here in Paradise.

Doug the Video Dude.

February 2nd finds the Video Dude donning his Divemaster hat and working aboard Parrot Island Scuba’s “Fathoms O’ Fun” for the day. It was a beautiful day for diving with partly cloudy skies, mild temperatures and flat seas.

The morning trip had 6 divers aboard and was headed for a popular wreck site, the “RSB-1″ and “Razzle Dazzle Reef”. After getting everyone’s gear aboard and handing out whatever rental gear was needed, we get underway. Captain George gets us out to the site in no time, and I am jumping in to tie off the descent line to the wreck. Very little current on the bottom made for a nice dive for everyone and reports came back that there were lots of Barracuda and a couple of Goliath Grouper. While the divers are down, George and I begin to notice what would be the omen for the afternoon, Man o’ War jellyfish are starting to show up. Carefully, I jump in and retrieve the descent line and we head off to our next dive site.

After gear changeovers and surface intervals are complete, I get the divers divided into groups and ready to jump in for their drift dives. George positions us over the reef and the divers jump in for a nice leisurely drift along the reef. After about 40 minutes bottom time, the groups begin coming to the surface and I assist everyone back onboard. Reports of Lobster, Green Morays, and schools of various fish pass between the divers as we head back to the dock.

The afternoon trip is headed out for the “Sea Emperor” and “Lighthouse Ledge” reef. This trip has a family of 4 aboard and they are all very excited about seeing the wreck and reef. I get everyone’s gear aboard and make sure they have everything they need, then it’s off the our first dive site. Captain George gets us out to the wreck in good time and I jump in to tie off the wreck line. It’s gonna be a good dive for the family as conditions were good down below. Just as everyone began jumping in, a Man o’ War jelly got caught on the descent line and 2 of the divers caught a tentacle across the hand. The whole group proceeded with their dives, and while they were down, I was making sure the jellyfish didn’t get caught on the ladders or the dive line. Just as I had the line cleared, 2 of the divers came up and another jellyfish got caught on the line. This time the other 2 divers got minor stings. After everyone was onboard and gear secured, I administered some first aid for everyone and they began to feel the stings less.

Surface intervals done and gear changed over, George takes us out to “Lighthouse Ledge” for a drift dive along the reef. Wary of the jellyfish this time, the family jumps in and starts their dive. While they are diving, I am sitting on the dive platform with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass picking tentacles off of the dive line, so the next person to use it won’t get stung. No incidents of stings this time as they get back on the boat, and they were all excited to report the things they saw. The family had a great time on their dives and they are planning to come back again.

Divemasterin’ the days away here in Paradise,

Doug the Video Dude

Starting the New Year right by doing a dive trip, the Video Dude finds himself aboard Parrot Island Scuba’s “Fathoms O’ Fun” , along with a group from ScubaBoard, headed out to the “Captain Dan” and “Grouper Bend” Reef. A great day to be out on the water and though the air was a bit chilly, the sun was out.

Captain Jerry and Divemaster Keith get us underway and off to our first dive site with their usual skill, and in no time we are there. After Keith jumps in and ties off the descent line and comes back with a report on conditions, we all jump in and head down the line. Visibility at the bottom was about 50ft, but it was a bit dark at 110fsw. Had to use my video lights for most of the dive. Lots of divers were doing penetrations and looking for Goliath Groupers and there were lots of the usual fish types on the wreck. After a 35 minute bottom time, it’s time to head back to the line, our safety stops, and ultimately the boat.

After gear changeover and our surface interval, we arrive at our second dive site and jump in to start our drift dive of the reef. Most of the group were hunting for Lobster and I, of course, was shooting video. I found a large King Helmet shell, and the rest of the group caught about 2-3 Lobster each. Grouper Bend is always an interesting reef and today was no different. With the sun out, the colors really “popped”.

A great day of diving with friends here in Paradise!

Doug the Video Dude

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!

Playing with new toys and friends in Paradise,

The Video Dude

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!

Finding cool new stuff to see in Paradise,

The Video Dude

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?

Another great day of diving here in Paradise!

The Video Dude