Dutch Springs

Day Two of Dutch Marathon Weekend
Day Two and another eye to look over my “issues”. I arrived and brought coffee, Nick and Frank (DarthLobster) were already there and GenX and a few of the guys from the new PA Board pulled in next to us. I promised GenX not to say anything about their tank issues so I wont. (PM Me) NESS pulled in with a troop of students, all smiles and Ernie arrived, but no Rookman Flag, we will have to wait a little longer.
Ernie surprised me and took well to my fin straps but I had to guard my retractor with my life. A few more tweaks of the gear and somehow my retractor went missing and we were ready to dive.
Today Nick was going to do some skills for his Dive Master and Ernie was going to practice a few skills and watch me and Frank was going to relax and dive along.
I cant believe that Ernie likes Frank better than me!!!!! NOT FAIR!!!!! Frank got to be the dive dummy and I had to hover. NOT FAIR!!!!! We went out to the trolley and Frank got to get lost and remove his dry suit hose and I got to hover. NOT FAIR!!!!! Then we went to the Deuce and a half and Frank got to turn upside down and get caught and I got to hover. NOT FAIR!!!!! And then we headed back in and Frank got to do stuff to Nick and I got to hover. NOT FAIR!!!!!
There were plenty of stories and jokes and Nicks suit leaked profusely during the surface interval. As we were winding down Frank noticed that air was escaping from somewhere on my rig. (Nice catch) Turned out to be a problem with my inflator and possibly the O ring but it was quickly fixed and I was diving again. Thank you gentlemen, I almost got to bee Nicks first real save..
On dive 2 we headed out to the trolley and then over to the Chevelle or Corvair or some kind of car where Frank was gong to get to be OOA and buddy breathe with Nick. Guess what I got to do? NOT FAIR!!!!!
The drill did its job and got the boys thinking, it is a great deal of multi tasking mid water column, but they did get the hang of it and up they went, with Ernie and I behind them. When they got to the surface NICK TOWED FRANK IN!!!!!!! I cant believe he got to do that too. NOT FAIR!!!! Frank is sunning himself like some oversized kiddie raft while Nick tows him to shore and I am doing a 3 minute HOVER!!! Life is not fair.
Ernie and I swam over to the trolley buoys and dropped down for a nice relaxing dive back in. The water was still a little nippy but the viz was great so it really was enjoyable.
Once back on the platform I removed the backs of my fins in one fell motion (thank you Tom), stepped on each fin to dislodge my boot (these puppies have some suction, Mark you would have been proud) and then almost drowned picking them up, much to Ernies amusement.
Quite the productive week end. Thank you to everyone.
**NOTE - Still slow on first buoyancy catching (read Dirt Dart) but trim felt much better. Still feels heavy at depth but some hard to hold stops even though not light.

Dutch Springs

DUTCH SPRINGS AGAIN
Some days stuff just happens. Some of it good and some of it ........ You can just do without.
As I walked into the shop to get my tanks filled earlier this week, the entire compressor bank was in pieces on the floor. Not a good sign. But parts were on their way !!!!! So I would return later for my tanks. I left with two different backs on my fins to mull over as possible solutions to my “fin frustrations”.
Back at home I asked the powers that be on a board or two their opinions while I walked around my living room wearing both fins and my dry suit and drinking coffee. Dennis found this most amusing but in the end I still remained fin challenged.
Upon picking up my tanks, the answer presented itself in the simplest form. A fin tab. Keep the old backs and add a fin tab to pull the back over the boot nub. Ernie will hate it but the idea grows on you. Now ....the kicker..... Upon replacing the old backs, several of the buckles and pins were brutalized and now have to be reordered and replaced. Nothing is easy. A pair of loaner fins and I am off.
I dont often go to Dutch Springs so many weeks in a row but, I have issues, all kinds of issues................
I slept in and arrived at Dutch at a leisurely 9AM. SeaCobra, Spratman, Banjoman, and BillF were there obviously anxiously awaiting my arrival, along with some of the guys from Marvel and “Stewy Smith from Brooklyn“.
After some “issue” discussions we suited up and it was suggested that I drop more weight. So I peeled off 2 more lbs and in we went, and I dirt darted for the bottom. Came back up to the platform and dropped 2 more lbs on the dock and headed out for a tweaking dive with Jack. We headed out for the platforms for a little buoyancy check, some hovering and finning skills and a helicopter turn or two and then a relaxing stroll on to the boat and bus and back around. Considering the fact that I was there because of floating issues, it was hard to accept that I might still be heavy.
While the thought of the excess in my dry suit being the culprit was tempting, several other suggestions were made during the surface interval. Among them was realignment of weights, harness movement, and backplate sizes and dropping more weight. There was also discussion regarding ironing, pepper variations for chili, what you CANT do with a crowbar and sheetrock, laminated beams, and what REALLY constitutes a supporting wall and how bad do you really need them. Interspersed were the usual jokes, stories and good natured ribbing. I must say, the guys from Marvel have some of the corniest jokes, Banjoman is not far behind with those “every woman wants 2 men...“ OY!, and Stewy struggled valiantly trying not to comment and remain politically correct (fine job by the way)despite all the opportunities Jeff fed him, thats his story and he is sticking to it.
Jeff had thumbed the first dive due to a leak in his suit but he was joining us for dive two. A realignment of my weighting had been performed and I was going to test dive it. A second Steel backplate was screwed onto my first and another 6 lbs removed from my harness. When we got to the dock someone had walked off with my soft weight from dive one, I was not pleased. We were going to go out to the new plane, shoot a lift bag and head on in. Slow and relaxing, just a 90 degree turn off the platform and swim out. Since Bill and Jeff both had their compass I did not need mine and could just follow behind, concentrating on my buoyancy and trim.
If I was the only one without a compass, why was I leading? Why did they keep following me and not pass me and take the lead? Why havent I seen the platforms yet, they are supposed to be right here. Why is Jeff tackling me!!?? Well, one reason could be because I was going in the wrong direction and they were laughing too hard chasing me to tell me, but that is only a thought. Upon taking a more passive roll and following Jeff, we had barely hit the first set of platforms when Jeff came across someone with a major free flow problem and accompanied them back in.
Bill and I continued on out to the plane to check it out. One quick cheating peek from the surface (by me not Bill) and we were at the buoy. A nice little practice descent and there we were . It really is kind of cool, an old fighter style plane with a propeller, newly sunk so you can still see all the parts and markings. Upon leaving to head back in we had some slight technical difficulties and I was afforded the opportunity to see the plane and hang on the buoy line once more.
A short surface swim, during which we discussed reels vs. Jersey upline and wrecks and we were in a position for Bill to practice his bag skills for his class next week, which he did quite well and we were on our way in for the day.
Some friendly conversation, a complete dismantling of my rig and reconfiguration (what do they have against the crossed shoulder straps?) pack up the car and I am off. Another long day tomorrow. Have to be there early with coffee for Jeff and meet Ernie and the “boys” and be among the first to view the newly completed Rookman Flag.
Oh, and the fin tabs performed admirably. I highly recommend them.
**NOTE - Moved to 2 SS backplates to move weight up over shoulders and went to 8lbs on belt. When I am not in trim and too verticle I move up. Once you have momentum it is really hard to stop and especially at shallow depths. Have to keep more visual references and better read on computer, which number is current depth.

Dutch Springs

Dutch Springs
First off, I found my sock from last week. Don’t ask. Then................

I came soooooo close to getting there at 8AM really I did. Someone overslept and Someone set their alarm for PM instead of AM. So maybe it was a joint effort. But did still manage to suit up with Amphibian, Banjoman and Mark O.

Again working on the trim and buoyancy thing at Dutch. The sun was shining and the water has warmed up nicely to 43 F.

First dive a weighting dive. Dropped another 8 lbs and took it for a test spin. Unfortunately Amphibian had a free flow problem and Banjoman had some equipment problems himself. They adjusted and went to the platform to further work things out and Mark and I took a spin around the block.

There was great viz (about 30 ft) and we visited a few sites before turning back and walking the LOOOOONNNGGG way back to the gear table, up hill both ways, just ask Mark.

On the SI we filled some tanks, grabbed some lunch, walked down to the student side to look for PIR8 and RJP and NJTony (didn’t find any of them) and then hotly debated the yellow koi golden trout speckled golden rainbow trout we saw. And it did get hot, great day up there registering in the upper 70’s by our second dive.

Speaking of which.......... we lost Amphibian to some family obligations and the rest of us took off for the helicopter. Never did get there. But did get to the bus, boat and plane and then back again.

Must have gotten over confident with my buoyancy skills or delirious with my trim but ended up at the surface again, much to Marks disappointment. This was different than last week as I never felt the ascent until I was just about there. Some tweaking of that is in order.

Opening Day Dutch Springs 2007

OPENING DAY AT DUTCH SPRINGS 2007
I want to say I dove with the weakest kidneys in the east , but I wont. The guys were really great about letting me dive with them and bringing me back each time even though I had way too much new equipment to adjust and a single tank to their doubles. I will even skip the names to protect the innocent.
Opening Day at Dutch Springs 2007. I had a little over an 1 ½ hr drive and when I left the house the sun was shining. It continued to shine though the first dive and into the second. It was 56 F on land and 43 F in the water. Couldn’t ask for more.
I arrived at Dutch and headed for the peninsula to see who was around. Finding a great group to join I unloaded my gear including my new dry suit and fins and brand spankin’ new wing. Yes, the 94# bungee wings of death have been relegated to a comfy storage space pending I ever hit my head and want to try doubles.
Ernie you would be proud I still didnt use any ankle weights and I skipped the gaiters pending further research.
I peeled 10 lbs off my weight belt, geared up and after a thorough dive briefing I headed to the wrong entry dock.. What can I say,...... I realized it eventually. The guys followed me and we reworked the dive plan . We were doing a wall dive and then looking for the newly sunk boat, turning back on my gas gauge reading. Upon entering the water Nick had some issues with leakage. A few minutes of Frank and Terry adjusting hoses and the problem seemed fixed and he felt comfortable enough to continue, so we walked out and dropped down.
I was less than pleased with my trim through the wall dive but never upended myself and kept my feet in my boots. I could definitely feel the difference in the wing, not feeling the bulk around me was much more comfortable. But I was still struggling with buoyancy. I am also having some trouble reaching around to adjust my valves. Some tweeking is still in order.
We turned to search out the newly sunken boat and there it was. Upon a thorough look/see it was discovered there was a large fish who had already taken up residence and a broom. I was playing with my trim and buoyancy while the rest played with the fish when the broom came floating by and I grabbed it. We replaced it for others to find and played a little longer with the fish who definitely knew he was not in any danger and just stayed teasingly close.
My gauges showed time to go back and we followed the wall around and back. Since the rest still had some air I exited the water and they continued on to look around.
As I changed out my tank I went over what I wanted to try to improve on dive 2.
Nicks dry suit leaked on land as well as in the water and Frank had to wring out his sleeves. So far, I am good, warm and dry every dive. This dry suit diving grows on you.
There are a lot of places in Dutch that I havent seen yet so they chose a site new for me. For dive 2 we were going out to THE HOLE and back. We stepped off the platform on the waterpark side and dropped down. We immediately saw the neatest fish which I think was enormous golden trout. This dive I was much happier with my trim but was still struggling with the buoyancy. I think putting too much air in my wing at a time and then having to dump it not long after and dumping too much air when I do. Patience, not a great virtue of mine, will have to be practiced with this wing.
Navigation to the trolley and then past the 2 ½ ton truck was flawless and we were at the hole with no problems. There must have been “some students there” because “someone” (not me) hit the bottom and a cloud of fine silt was immediately raised. I still managed to hover over the bottom and place my console down for a max depth reading of 104 ft.
And then we headed back. At some point I broke the seal on my mask and it flooded several times on the way back and I never really got it seated right again but I was holding my own with buoyancy and trim and plenty of air for the return. Back past the truck and turn at the trolley and we were 5 minutes from home when it happened.....my forward motion stopped and I started to rise like an elevator, slowly but straight up. I dumped but it wasnt venting fast enough, I went vertical and dumped both wing and suit but not quickly enough. It was too late now and I was at 10 feet and not quite sure why. I could see the boys looking up at me waiting for me to drop back down, but I was afraid I was light at this point and that was why I was at the surface and we were sooo close to the platform..... I decided to swim it at 5 or 10 feet following the guys bubbles for navigation. MISTAKE. Farther than I thought, I should have just dropped back down and I think I made Nick nervous that I had run out of air or something to boot.
I like the new jet fins even though they are a little heavy and will take some getting used to in the finning department but they are brutal to get off. At this point I was prepared to drive home in them, it was like they were crazy glued to my boot. Nick again came to my rescue and after a struggle got them off.
The walk up from the waterpark side is pretty steep and the gravel on the slope slippery. I did slide, and my tank and rig slid around and down I went. Second try was a charm, I do thank them for the steadying arm.
While loading up the car I got an education in where things were located around the quarry. Will be looking for the Redneck Backyard next trip.

Opening Day on the Stingray

Opening day on the Stingray or the saga of Dylan and Ed?

I love being back in NJ. 8AM boat call 20 minutes away, could have been warmer, but I wont complain.
It was “cool” this morning but still warmer than the weather forecast had promised. 46F at 7 AM, a spritz or two and not a drop more, we were going diving!! I pulled up to Belmar Marina and grabbed my gear and headed for the Stingray. This was not the sight I wanted to see, the engine compartment open and three men holding 4 parts and scratching their heads.
My apologies and compliments gentlemen, we were a bit late getting out but she ran like a champ, you did it.
We were in high spirits, heading for the Rockland County Tugboat, built in 1960 it was the first pusher-type tugboat ( or "towboat" ) in the northeast. A towboat differs from the more common type of tugboat in having a flat bottom and a square bow with large vertical frames. Instead of pulling its barges behind it, a towboat pushes the barges ahead. Usually, many barges are lashed together into a large raft ( ironically called a "tow" ) which is pushed and steered as a unit.
The remains of the Rockland County, 105 X 24 ft, lie upright on a muddy bottom in 80 feet of water. On April 1, 2007 it was in 80 feet of cold water.
This was to be my maiden dive in my new dry suit. Of course still using the bungee wings of death and my brandy new, weight harness and jet fins. A lot of new gear to manage you say? Pshaw!! Tons of new gear to manage, oodles even. TheRookman was to be my wingman (pun intended) was he up to the task? Lets see.
As we approached the wreck Ernie was to set the hook while the gang geared up. My apologies to the names I have forgotten, but this gang included Nick and Ann, Frank (Darth Lobster) , Kevin, Jim, Ernie and myself . The bottle came up and Ernie came up and in they went. Ernie and I had a little issue to deal with first. He was wet up to the shoulder due to several tears in his glove. We wrung him out and dried his unmentionables over the heater in the cabin.
The “boys” came back up with bags of mussels, one of the tiniest cutest little lobsters you ever did see and big smiles. The lobster went over the side and the musseIs and smiles stayed. It was dark at the surface but it had opened up to 30 ft viz and low 40’s water temps below. Not a bad opening dive.
Now it was our turn. Into my gear, with a little help from my friends, aaaaannnndddd couldn’t get off the bench, was I bungeed in still? No, just couldn’t get up. Some days it is just tuff , some days you just dont have the ease of motion due to the thickness of your undergarments (BTW I would highly recommend the Fourth Element Artic Wear), and some days it is both.
Up I go, over to the side, hold the mask, hold the reg, and ROLL!! This works very well if you have burped your suit before you roll into the water otherwise you blow up like the Michellin Tire Man. When you dont. Do that...... Your feet go up, you tuck and roll and you pop up to the surface......head first? No...... Feet first? No...... Butt first? I’m not telling.
Lift your arm, empty your suit, lift the inflator, empty the wing, down you go, in theory.... unless you are light and need a few more pounds of lead, but after that it works, kinda.
We go down the line but I am still feeling “light” and the whole dive have buoyancy problems and keep trying to float away.
There was not a great deal of marine life around, lots of starfish, a small crab or two under the stern and....one..... Gi-normous.....bigger than a breadbox..... bigger than Lobzilla.......no questions about it being a keeper...... Lobster. Chase, grab, smack with your wreck reel, fight for your life and watch where you put your fingers, smack once more with your wreck reel and stuff it in your goodybag... Kind of lobster. This dive wasnt all bad. First dive of the season and I had Dennis one of those $3000.00 lobsters he talks about. Life is good.
I learned several things that dive and made mental notes as to some adjustments I wanted to make and then it happened, feet went up, didnt tuck and roll quick enough and my foot came completely out of the boot and was in the leg of the suit and now finning with one foot in the boot and fin and one foot out, kind of a one legged, lopsided kick dragging one fin behind me. That was it, time to go up. Gave Ernie the thumb up and we headed for the line......... Where I learned why you dont want to ascend up the line feet first. And not having control of both fins I was not making good progress righting myself. Thanks to my good dive buddy who hopefully was not laughing the entire time I was righted and hit the surface right end first.
I was able to use the rung of the ladder to push my foot back in the boot and start to climb, until Gi-normo lobster grabs my leg. Many thanks to the strong hands that hauled me up and over. And I was greeted by the sounds and smells of burgers and sausage on the grill. Cant beat a Jersey dive.
After removing my gear I introduced everyone to my trophy quality lobster whom I promptly named Dylan. After insuring he was indeed a Dylan and not a Donna, I rewarded him with some of my string cheese which he promptly latched onto and would not let go.
I think it was Darthlobster that pointed out string cheese was not good for him. As in it would shorten his life span not good for him? Helloooo, its not like he is making it past Tuesday anyway...let him live a little.
And now, dive two. 6 more lbs, some discussion as to the thickness of my gloves and another helping hand and I am in the water. Flawlessly and down the line we go.. Although I was overly cautious after the first dive, we had a great second dive, a little hip heavy on the buoyancy but not a single foot or fin emergency.
We toured the length of the tug and back, taking some time to swim through the upper portion of the structure and check back under the bow And stern for some of Dylans friends. Up the line and onto the boat. Well everyone but me, the 30# in my harness was killing me. Thanks again to a little help from my friends pulled up and over by my D rings. Works every time.
But what is this? Here comes Nick...bowed at the knees from the weight he is carrying. What is that? I know I am not good with Fish ID but is that what I think it is? A whale shark? A whaleshark promptly named....Clyde? Everytime it opens its mouth I can see these teeth, they look like the special effects from Jaws. Nick has a vice like grip on him and several times has to wrestle it to the ground and subdue him to keep the rest of us from harm. With one snap of its jaws this monster can devour the measly barely legal lobster I have from dive two. Nick... You are da man!!!
But Cheryl.....2 lobsters (#2 named Ed as is Therm-ED-dor , I am sure the story of his capture included a man eating octopus and a tattoo of a giant squid) . Not too shabby. Dennis will be pleased.
Like the surface interval, the ride home was pleasant and filled with lively conversations and stories and we were towing 3 full bags of mussels behind us. We arrived back at the dock at about 5PM and headed on home.
54 minutes on the dives, 39 degrees water tiemps @ 77 FT. If you want your own stories to tell I think the Stingray is going out to the Mohawk on Saturday, you never know. But I definitely think it is time to get diving again and this was not a bad start.
Thats my story and I’m sticking to it.
Love
Cheryl

Shark Tooth 101

Shark Tooth 101
My boat dive was cancelled. The forecast was for 78 F, 2-3 foot seas and SE wind. The Captain didn't think the viz would be good (read under 80 feet) and there was chop. Having been called a slacker by Sunny I needed a dive, so I went to Venice Beach. The seas were flat and it was only 63 F at 8:30AM but the sun was shining and there was the promise of a great day.
I was taking this opportunity to also try out a BPW so the day would be a learning experience in more ways than one.
The visibility was 1-5 feet, which is average for this area for some reason. I think it has to do with the currents but dont really know. The water temps were 61 F top to bottom with both current and surge.
Let us say that my initiation to BPW was slightly less graceful than a 3 Stooges episode, and I think that the fact that I was using one "slightly" larger than I needed had something to do with it. Or it could just be me. I will continue to work on this. But I did find several different teeth and am learning to identify them Sand Tiger Shark, long thin tooth and the root is V shaped
Lemon Shark, tooth is at an angle from root and not straight down
Bull Shark, tooth is straight up and down Dusky Shark triangular tooth at an angle from root
Some others I haven't identified yet Additionally I also found the dental plate from a Ray, they have no teeth but have this ridged dental plate which they grind their food with
and also the barbs from Rays which they loose regularly I also found 2 rocks that looked like teeth and a fossilized bone that looked like a rock. 65 minutes of diving... it is all good. Think I will give it a try again tomorrow.

Pompano Beach _ Abbey II Reef

Pompano Beach Dive #2
We moved on to the next site, a reef they refer to as Abbey Too, a north/south ridge 40-60 feet in depth.
The sun was shining brightly, the temperatures were about 80 F and several people had moved under the canopy to sit and suit up. One of the members was working diligently at pulling on her 3rd wetsuit. Apparently Floridians believe in layering to keep warm. Three 3ml wetsuits is their idea of layering.
We joined up with several of Walters friends and jumped in for a relaxing drift dive off of the reef. As we moved along I realized that I may recognize more types of fish than I thought. I saw several squirrel fish, blue tang, juvenile tang, blenny, parrotfish and several types of wrasse. There were a few that caught my attention that I would look up later which included a white spotted file fish and a trunk fish. While I was chasing the file fish some others in the group saw a sea turtle and some squid. I really like the reef dives, you never know what you will find as you poke about.
I surfaced with another diver from the group and we drifted perfectly during our 3 minute stop and came up practically next to the boat and climbed aboard. We relaxed while the boat moved about picking groups of divers out of the water. As we came upon the last group of divers, which included my dive buddy and ride home, the mate threw out the hang line and then we saw it......... more Portuguese Man O War...... right in the middle of the group of divers.....more specifically.... right next to Walter. OUCH! He caught it right around his neck, which immediately blew up. OUCH!
So............ After pumping him full of benadryl, he slept and I drove all the way home, unpacked the car, repacked my car and drove on back to my place. I hate driving.

Pompano Beach - Ancient Mariner

Pompano Beach Dive #1
I was invited to dive with the Caloosa Dive Club (Fort Meyers area) and after last week I was looking forward to it, things were looking up. Of course it was in Pompano Beach almost a 300 mile trip. I hate to drive, really. But I was going to share the driving with a dive buddy, Walter. I got to drive 130 miles to his house and he would drive the rest of the way. This would mean that I have to leave at O’Dark 30 (6:30AM to be exact) for a 1PM dive but that does seem to be the usual around here. But I didn’t have to drive it myself!!! Maybe...(More on this in dive #2, you know how my dives go guys)
Weather on the west coast was horrific and I received doom and gloom from the local dive shop as I filled my tanks, but I was determined.
I arrived early at Walters house and we packed up his jeep and off we went. Since we had gotten an early start and I had yet to see an alligator in alligator alley we stopped to try our luck. At first it seemed futile, but then I saw one! And saw another and saw another and then one really big one saw me and came over to take a look. They have an amazing speed, grace and dexterity in the water. They are definitely DIR. Luckily they cannot climb rocks. Having fulfilled another item on my Florida wish list we continued on our way.
We arrived in Pompano Beach early and stopped for breakfast. This caused us (some of you may remember my TGI Fridays troubles...this place must be part of the same company) to be late for the boat. We arrived with seconds to spare and loaded on board. There were 20-25 of us, the sun was shining and it was 79 F. Not a bad day for diving. This boat was different than others I have dived before. There was no dive platform just gates to each side which you walked up to and just made a giant stride into the water.
The first dive was on the Ancient Mariner wreck. This was the former USCG Cutter "Nemesis" that was decommissioned and turned into a floating restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale. Due to her aging hull and the fact the restaurant was condemned for the largest outbreak of food poisoning in the history of Ft. Lauderdale, she was sunk as an artificial reef in 1991. It was not recommended we eat anything while on the wreck. We tied in at the bow and descended to the top deck. There was a bit of a current and the water temps were 74 F and visibility about 60 feet.
I made an initial swim all around the exterior of the wreck and my first observation was that there was little marine life about the exterior of the boat. I moved on to explore further, there were many large cut outs and swim throughs making this both fun and interesting . And once inside I found where all the fish were hiding! I made my way up to the top section which must have been the wheelhouse. This had multiple large windows encircling the entire portion of the structure. I peeked in through the openings and the fish were so thick inside it looked like a huge aquarium. I am still not good at identifying different fish so I just enjoyed the passing parade of marine life until it was time to ascend.
31 minutes at 69 feet, a most pleasant dive.
Upon surfacing the boat presented another new experience. The entry ladder was a straight up stainless steel thing similar to a pool ladder. I handed up my fins and climbed on up.
While the mate untied from the wreck we scanned the water and noticed what appeared to be some plastic bags floating about, as they got closer we realized our mistake. They were actually Portuguese Man O Wars. Lucky we were moving on to the next site...right?

Thumb This Dive

I SHOULD HAVE THUMBED THIS DIVE

If ever there was a dive that I should have thumbed, it was todays dive. The morning started out sunny and Dennis decided to take a ride down to Venice with me. I was doing the shark tooth dive one last time.
This would be day two using Boeings 747 Bungeed Wings of Death and it had to get better the more I used it....right? I am trying out an OMS BPW that can actually hold doubles and has about 94lbs of lift. It is a little overkill, but shouldn’t be impossible with some practice.
Kitting up started out picture perfect, but that slowly turned. I changed the position of the backplate to try to avoid being pushed face first by the wing as I was yesterday. After suiting up, I realized the wings crotch strap was caught in the tank strap and I had to remove it and take the wing apart and start again. My weight belt, in my effort to get it up off my hips, got hung up on my tank and I needed help. This would be the third time I hoisted my gear up on my shoulders.
Finally ready, I took the long walk down to the waterline, it was low tide. The water was 60 F and had 2 foot waves with a visible current. At low tide there is 2-3 foot drop or step down immediately at the water line and a sandbar on the walk out making entry challenging. By the time I was chest deep and putting on my fins, the waves were washing over me making things difficult and the wing and tank were already starting to spin around on me, I was feeling uncomfortable and should have just called it then and there but my buddy was already on his way out and encouraging me to keep moving in the current, so, I kept moving. The current is strong and each time I stop to look up and see where I am, the current takes me back, I am not making good headway and it is tiring. The wing is so wide across my back that I have a hard time swimming out on my back through the current and waves and turning over and swimming is only slightly easier as I can feel the mass of the wing pulling against the water. I give the OK but am not really feeling good about things, my buddy is encouraging me saying “Remember there is a learning curve with new equipment” and I am determined and tell him we are either going down now or in now. He places a buddyline on my wrist and down we go. Well, he does....I don’t. But he comes back up and gives my wing a quick squeeze and down I go too. Visibility is 0. Not 3 inches...0. We swim out hoping that the viz improves with deeper water but it is not to be, so we take in the slack on the buddyline so we have physical contact and turn towards shore. At this point, the wing and tank are again starting to spin around on me and my gauge is hung up and I cannot pull it all the way up to check it. I am shoulder to shoulder with my buddy and dont have any space to keep adjusting things and still keep up. I know going to the surface will make getting in miserable because of the current and so I just keep going along the bottom but I am really not comfortable now. When the haze we are swimming through starts to get lighter, I signal that I want to surface. We have been under just 16 minutes, I am done...this dive is over. We are in water just slightly over my head and I quickly get in close enough to start to remove my fins. The chop has picked up and I am getting batted around some but manage with a steadying arm to get my fins off and start in.
The sand bar just before shore is a challenge but I manage but the large step up onto the beach with the waves and my frustration with the entire dive is just too much and down I go. I cant get my feet underneath me here and I move out to deeper water and stand again but I still cant get the last large step in so I decide to drop my gear and tow it in. I reach for my clip and drop my weight belt but it catches on my crotch strap ....the last straw.... now I am totally done, just done. It isn’t pretty, but I get out. There is no way I am walking back geared up. I start the long and uphill walk to the car carrying the BPW and dragging my tank.
The whole way back I went over the dive and just kept thinking...."I should have just thumbed it from the beginning". I was uncomfortable and getting frustrated from the time we suited up and now I was miserable. I could have just put everything back in the car and gone for a nice breakfast..............................................THE CAR!!!!! Dennis had taken the car and gone for coffee expecting us to be in the water at least an hour. Now I was really just, just, just done. I just should have thumbed the dive from the get go.

Venice Beach

Venice Beach Shark Tooth Dive
Again I trek out in the dark. Seems to be a trend here in Florida, nothing is close. I am going to Venice Beach to try my hand at collecting shark teeth.
I am meeting a local diver who regularly dives this site, Walter. Why are all the shark teeth collecting in Venice? This is the explanation Walter gives “Sea level rises and falls. In the past Florida has been both much larger and much smaller (wasn't there at all) than it's current size. For that reason, you'll find marine fossils (including shark teeth) any where you bother to look in Florida. You'll also find terrestrial fossils quite some distance out into the Gulf. Shark teeth are common because sharks constantly shed their teeth. Over millions of years, billions of teeth were shed. Some of them fossilized. You can dig anywhere in Florida and find shark teeth. Quarries and construction sites (assuming you get permission) are excellent places to find fossils (including shark teeth). Rivers and streams naturally dig and uncover fossils. They are favorite fossiling sites. When sea level was much lower than now, there was an ancient river digging up fossils. That river ran through what is now off shore Venice. “
When I arrive, the sun is out and Walter is already there and assembling his gear. We walk down to the water which is like glass, my assessment at least. It is also fairly clear which is unusual for this area. Near perfect conditions. Woo Hoo lets dive!
Three additional divers arrived and we kitted up and headed into the water. The beach sand was dark with a black tint to it. At the waterline there was an initial drop of about 2 to 2 ½ foot and then the shoreline gradually gave way to a gently sloping white sandy bottom.
We surface swam out about 100 yards and dropped down about 17 feet to the first tooth bed. I had no idea what we were looking for, but everyone else was busy picking things up right and left and I saw nothing.
Well…. not nothing. I played with some very friendly sea perch and had a stubborn match with a teenaged sea robbin. I poked and prodded and flicked this little fish and he held his ground, looked me right in the eye and dared me to do it again. He refused to move, until I opened my goody bag to scoop him in and then he fanned out his wings and took off like a shot. There were huge hermit crabs, their shells about half the size of my fist and sand dollars, they had sand dollars! I could have used them in September but I was still glad to have them now.
I really needed to concentrate. And suddenly, there it was, a tooth, and another one and another one. I was getting the hang of this. A few times one of the other divers would stick something in my hand for my bag that I did not recognize so I would tuck it away for later.
While I found about a dozen “dentist quality” teeth the size of my thumbnail I would occasionally get my fishy attention deficit and stop and play with the local residents. There were these worms that would immediately retract into the sand if you came near them leaving a clear sac (The best description I can come up with is it looked like a condom) floating in the water. Does anyone know what these are?
We made our way along the bottom at an average depth of 17 feet for 62 minutes before heading in as members of the group were starting to chill.
We opted to pack up our gear and head into town for lunch and a lesson in identifying the teeth we collected.
Venice Beach is a quaint old town, originally developed by the railroad as a retirement community for it’s employees. We sat at an outdoor café, had lunch and compared finds. While one of the divers found 2 megaladon teeth several inches long, I did not. But I did find upper and lower bullshark teeth and those of the sand tiger shark among others. Some of the unusual items the other divers put in my bag were the discarded barbs from rays along with portions of their dental plates.
After a quick walk around the town center while enjoying some icecream and conversation I headed home
The dive was relaxing, fun and informative, I will do it again.
Love
Cheryl