Nurse Shark | Video Dude Productions

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!

10.11.09 – Drift Diving in Pompano Beach

Hello everyone.

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!):

1.13.09 – Divemaster Log

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.

Video Dude Productions

Posts Tagged ‘Nurse Shark’

11.16.09 – The “Sea Emperor” and Abbey Too Reef

10.11.09 – Drift Diving in Pompano Beach

1.13.09 – Divemaster Log

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