This year the mini season falls on July 25th and 26th. Make
sure to always verify dates and regulations at
http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster/. It
begins at 12:01 am on Wednesday and ends at 12:00 midnight
on Thursday. The regular 8 month lobster season is always
August 6 through March 31. Make sure and check with the dive
shop that you are going into an area where lobster can be
taken-most areas of the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary are no
take zones.
Most Florida diver fatalities occur during the lobster mini season, where every unprepared diver goes out at midnight on an overcrowded dive boat with a lot of divers that have not been in the water for a year.
First things first, make sure that you get your equipment serviced soon since the dive shops will get over loaded the closer you get to lobster season, and you will pay more and get slower service. And there is always the possibility that someone in a hurry will not service your equipment properly. So, I recommend that you go diving at least once before the lobster season after your equipment has been serviced to make sure everything is working correctly.
There are a lot of ways to catch a lobster,
but my favorite is with a lobster loop. Lobster
instinctively walk backwards when they feel threatened, so
you place the loop behind the tail and tickle them a bit to
get them to move backwards. Once the tail is in the loop you
pull back hard on the handle so that the loop contracts
around the tail and captures the beast! Always make sure
that you have a measuring device with you to check and make
sure the lobster meets the minimum requirements between the
shell and the carapace. You CANNOT bring only a lobster tail
up from a dive- you must bring the entire lobster up in case
the boat gets stopped and checked to make sure the lobster
is legal. And you cannot take egg bearing females which are
apparent by the bundle of red eggs on their belly.
Also, if you are under the age of 65, you must have a Florida saltwater fishing license and a Lobster stamp in order to hunt them. They can be obtained online at http://myfwc.com/fishing/ for a reasonable fee and you must have them with you.
Finally, once you get to the dock you need to clean them…and I will be glad to tell you how the next time I see you on a dive. Or you can call me at 954-591-1161—it’s just a bit too graphic to put in a newsletter!!
The 2018 ADA Dive cruise is on SALE for the lowest prices of the year!!! Seven (7) cabins have already been booked for the dive cruise for next year since it is such a spectacular itinerary! It's a round trip on the Royal Princess from Fort Lauderdale on November 24, 2018 for seven days and stops at four great dive locations: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize and Costa Maya. And it is on sale now for as low as $664- that’s only $94.86 per day per person for your lodging, transportation, entertainment and all the food you can eat. Try and match that price any other way you can to get to all these dive destinations!!! And if we keep at least five cabins booked in our group you will get an onboard credit for booking through our Princess Cruise Planner.
So how easy is it to book the fourth annual dive cruise in 2018?? All you have to do is call our Cruise Planner, Karen Bradder at 1-800-901-1172 ext. 41643 and tell her that you want to book the Active Divers Group cruise (code TPH) and make a deposit. That’s it, no muss, no fuss and you will be ready for an outstanding trip with ADA!!
We just returned from a 10-day South Pacific cruise and
dive aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin. 
Reservations for diving open up 60 days prior to the cruise date, along with all of the excursions. Get your dive request in ASAP to make sure you get your seat on the boat. Maud, the diving supervisor, told us that we could have the whole boat if we have enough people. The most on any one boat was ten divers.
Almost every island had diving available. The water is very clear. Viz was anywhere from 50 to 100’. We saw lots of sharks, several turtles, and lots of colorful tropicals. There is a notable absence of bigger, hunter-type fish. It’s almost exclusively hard coral, no soft coral, therefore a certain lack of color in the coral, even though the coral was abundant and healthy. The temperature was generally 81 degrees or warmer. Sandy wore skins and a shorty; Tom wore just a shorty. We were both very comfortable. Diving costs $109 for a one tank dive and $215 for a two-tank dive. Equipment is included, and nitrox, when diving through Paul Gaugin, is included. (Note: we did a couple of two tank dives in the Tuamotus through PG that were actually with an outside vendor. Nitrox was not included or available with them. PG does all the diving in the Society Islands.)
The ship can provide every piece of gear except a computer. We used their BCs and regulators. Most people seemed to use all the ship’s gear, and it was of a good quality. Dives were no more than 60 minutes, and we went up and down as a group. Dive groups were no more than five in a group. The inflatable dive boats were carried along with the ship.
The price of the dives, as the price of the cruise, is
high, but it is truly concierge diving. You dive off the
ship’s marina deck in the stern and store all of your
equipment there. The staff takes care of everything. All you
have to do is show up.
Service aboard the Paul Gauguin is truly exceptional with a ratio of nearly 1:1 staff to guests. (250 staff for 330 guests.) The ship never feels crowded and the crew gives you a taste of Polynesia throughout the trip. We never heard any complaints from our fellow guests. There is something for everyone aboard the ship. We were diving nearly every day, but we heard very good things from people who went on the excursions. The ship has a variety of on-board entertainment, including enrichment lectures from a professor of geology and geography, and from an archeologist, to movies about Gaugin, a showing of Mutiny on the Bounty, and craft sessions to make Polynesian bracelets, necklaces, and other objects. Or, you can just relax by the pool or in your room. At night, there was a show. Several of them featured Polynesian dancers and singers. We just can’t say enough good things about this cruise. It was worth every penny.
French Polynesia is a gem. June is a good time of year to be there. Air temperatures are moderate, ranging between 70 and 84 degrees. The waters are a clear turquoise. The blue skies contrast with the greens of the mountains. It’s gorgeous.
Be warned- French Polynesia is expensive. Everything costs more than you expect.
As an ADA Safety Officer, one of our responsibilities is to guide members on the reef and help them find their way back to the boat when the dive is finished.
One
day early this Summer we were diving with Rainbow Reef and I
was guiding a group of nine divers along the reef. I always
take a compass heading when we start out, but for some
reason on this particular day, twenty minutes into the dive
I couldn’t remember whether we had gone northeast or
northwest, so I was unsure of the way back to the boat. I
looked around and no longer saw the silver tanks with the
orange tops which are characteristic of Rainbow. Rather I
saw two nearby divers with HD on their tanks. Time for a
boat check!
So, I left all nine divers down below as I went up for my check. I immediately saw the Horizon Divers boat which explained the HD I saw on the other divers’ tanks. So I spun around my 360, sure to see the Rainbow boat in my circular view. But I got back around to where I started and all I could see was the Horizon Divers boat. It was the only boat in my view. A mild panic set in as I remembered that paragraph in the ADA Safety Officers manual about “boat adrift.” This really can’t be happening, I told myself. Then I thought about the string of nine divers below who were waiting patiently for their Safety Officer to show them the way safely back to the boat.
I turned around the circle again searching in vain for the Rainbow boat. Finally, out of desperation and confusion I yelled over to the Horizon Divers boat, “Where’s Rainbow?” “Directly behind us!” they hollered back. I felt a rush of relief come over me as I realized that I had the unique fortune at that moment to be looking at an eclipse.
I took a compass reading on the Horizon Divers boat
knowing full well that would also be the direction of the
Rainbow boat. I went back down and led my fearless group of
divers (all of whom were oblivious to what just happened)
underneath one boat, then predictably to the second boat not
far away. The orange-topped tanks came back into view and I
started to recognize my fellow ADA divers. I breathed a sigh
of relief as I watched them one-by-one get safely back into
the boat. 
Since I got certified in 2001 to this day, I have meticulously logged each and every dive. As I went to fill in my dive log, sure enough it turned out to be Dive #666. Truth is stranger than fiction, and you can’t make this stuff up.
The lesson in this story for me is to not get so caught up in the beauty of the reef and the Zen of diving that I neglect to remember my compass readings. Beware of Dive #666.
O-Rings! Those little black circular things that keep air in and seawater out. Not much to look at, but very much sought after if damaged or missing. As the dive season gets into full swing, now is a good time to learn a little bit about these very important components.
O-rings come in many diameters and thicknesses, and may be classified in one of two categories, static and dynamic. Static o-rings are so-named because they seal an opening by being compressed between two mating surfaces, and once sealed, do not move or have any surface move across them. A good example is the o-ring seal around the second stage hose fitting to your regulator's first stage. Once the hose is tightened to the first stage, the compressed o-ring in the fitting doesn't move. On the other hand, a dynamic fitting, such as your pressure gauge to hose interface, can swivel 360 degrees and is subject to abrasive forces. Static fittings do not need silicon grease, while dynamic fittings do, to reduce abrasion.
O-rings
are also classified according to their material composition.
The most common is Nitrile, also known as Buna-N. Nitrile is
used in both static and dynamic applications when oxygen
compatibility is not required. When using oxygen or nitrox,
o-rings made of Viton are used. Viton also goes by the
names FPM and FKM. Viton can be used in both normal and
oxygen-rich applications.
A third o-ring often used is polyurethane or PUR. Although the color of an o-ring is meaningless in most cases, PUR o-rings are usually milky white. They are often used in high-pressure environments and are very resistant to abrasion. However, they are sensitive to UV (sunlight).
O-rings tend to deteriorate over time whether the equipment is used or not, so for this reason, it is important to have your regulator serviced according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Although the author has gone several years between maintenance calls on his personal regulator (an Atomic B2), a one, two, or three year schedule, depending on the manufacturer, is a must for proper and safe functioning of your critical equipment. After all, no one wants a dive ruined by a leaky o-ring.
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Yes, you can do it. The dive places for our favorite double-0 agent are still dive sites. In fact, they are great dive sites. Let’s start with Sean Connery, ‘cause he was the coolest. At least, until David Craig came aboard, who is my current preference. Now, if you are young (under 30) you may want to visit your library to pick up these DVDs. Us old timers, have seen these films repeatedly. I have even gone to the premier opening at midnight, I was so excited.
Never Say Never was filmed at the Tears of Allah wreck in the Bahamas. It is 90 feet in length and is loaded with fish. That will get the neurons moving, I hope. Then you have the Vulcan Bomber from the film, Thunderball starring Roger Moore as the intrepid spy. This prop has built up over 50 years of growth, so it is a marvel to dive, better now than when it was filmed.
Both are within 30 feet of each other and in less than 50 feet of water, so take your time and be Jimmy (James) for a day. Bring a lady also, because that’s what Jimmy would do. These sites are a short ride from Stuart Cove’s Dive Center, so plan that vacation now and let me know how it was.
Some basic facts about our ocean environment:
- About 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water
- 97 percent of that water is saline.
- Seawater has about 3.5% of its volume in salt. That's a lot of salt!
A cubic foot of fresh water weighs 62.4 pounds, while a cubic foot of salt water weighs 64 pounds. The difference is dissolved solids, mostly salt. Where does all that salt come from? Rainwater contains dissolved carbon dioxide in the form of carbonic acid. Over time the acid erodes rock and the dissolved salts and minerals flow into the sea.
The scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimate that if all of the salt from the oceans could be spread evenly across the Earth's surface, it would form a 500-foot (166-m) layer. Put another way, placing all the ocean's salt into a cube, would yield a cube approximately 174 miles on a side.
Source: USGS
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