Captain’s log, Star date: 6-29-08.
After a couple a windy days we headed out looking for VIS. We’d found great visibility the last two days but had to go further out to get it. Today we were hoping to find the elusive VIS a little closer in….and boy did we.
First dive, The Hamm (short for Hammasaurus….don’t ask), 60+ foot of vis and just a smidgen of current. I dropped down with my open water student, Zach, and began our recon. A nurse shark, then three nurse sharks, then a big ol’ green moray eel, and then a southern stingray….WOW! And we weren’t even five minutes into the dive yet. We saw a few more green morays and so many nurse sharks that I stopped pointing them out half way through the dive. FABULOUS dive, my friends (do I sound like John McCain, yet?…..my friends?).
Second dive, Sarah’s (not short for anything), visibility about forty, and still that slight south current. Zach had just finished the last two skills of his open water certification, and so after much congratulationism (do I sound like George Bush, yet?) we headed out to see what we could see. AHUGE Southern Stingray was spotted by Zach and we took a moment to revel in the glory of this creature’s magnificence. Here’s the awesome part: for the first few minutes of the dive I had heard the faint soundings of what I knew to be Dolphins. I really didn’t expect to see them since this is veeeerrrry rare, but I cast my gaze about nonetheless. Vigilance pays because what I suddenly saw 25 feet in front of me was a pod of four to five REAL LIVE DOLPHINS! I turned to get Zach’s attention, but he was of in la-la land (now a certified diver and all) and by time I got to him the Dolphins were gone. Sorry, Zach! But I saw them! Two other divers in our group saw them too, and it was all the buzz back on the boat. You can dive your whole life here in the fabulous Florida Keys and never see a Dolphin in the wild…..it only took me four years and about 700 dives. I consider myself truly blessed.
Well, the second dive was still good for the young Zachster. That big Southern Stingray made a couple more fly-bys at us and we saw Spotted Eels, Lobsters (yum!), trumpet fish, angel fish, puffer fish, groupers, etc. etc. etc. (do I sound like Yule Brenner, yet?).
Another magnificent day of diving here in Islamorada. As it was once said, diving is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get (Run Forest! Run!). I guess today we got Godiva.
Remember, if you feel the urge to submerge come see us here at the Holiday Isle Dive Shop and be prepared to be amazed!
Captain Drew signing off.