Reef
Report
Sunday, July 28th
Spiegel
Grove with Horizon Divers in
Key Largo
There's
something to be said about
getting up before the sun to
spend the morning diving. It
starts with yawns and coffee
(for some of us) and then
the morning sun shines on
the Atlantic Ocean and the
energy shifts to something
magical. It was a perfect
day for diving the Spiegel;
the sun was shining, the
water was flat calm, Lake
Atlantic. Our captain and
crew, Gabe and Luke, took
great care in getting
everyone on board and
quickly getting us out to
the wreck. We settled in for
our two-tank double dip on
ball number 5, right at the
center of the wreck
Dive
1: The USS Spiegel Grove
Seas
>1', Depth 65' - ~100',
water temp 90F, visibility
60', surface current ~2
knots, bottom current >1
knot. Our group
entered the clear blue water
and was greeted quite
quickly by the stunning
wreck below - we could see
the wreck at about 10'. The
groups took their time on
the first dive, exploring
the deeper sections and swim
throughs. There were
schooling bluestripe and
yellowtail snapper, and more
than a few large barracuda
hanging out around the top
of the wreck. Bright yellow,
green and orange cup corals
adorn most of the wreck and
looked to be thriving
despite the warm water. A
few divers spotted a group
of reef sharks circling the
wreck below deck
level!
Dive
2: The USS Spiegel Grove
Seas >1', Depth 65' -
~100', water temp 90F,
visibility 60', surface
current ~2 knots, bottom
current >1 knot. The second
dive we explored the
shallower sections of the
wreck, weaving in and out of
the many swim throughs and
doors, there's so much to
discover! On this dive there
were a few large pompanos
circling the uppermost level
amidst a small group of
yellowtail jacks. We spotted
a small goliath grouper
hanging out below the crane
section of the wreck and a
little lionfish hiding among
the coral along the bridge.
Again, our group spotted the
reef sharks making their
rounds, but keeping their
distance from the divers.
All in all, it was a
beautiful day of diving on
the Spiegel!
~ADA
Safety Officer, Amber
Laureano
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