Dive Trip Report - May 21, 2014 Belmar NJ

Just thought I'd share the local conditions, since this has been a colder than normal winter and the ocean hasn't warmed up as much as you'd normally expect.

NOAA had predicted 15 - 20 kt winds and 2-3 foot seas. The air was calm and the ocean was like glass. Maybe a 1 foot swell rolling through every 20 seconds. The winds never picked up, which NOAA has also forecasted for the afternoon.

A group of us chartered the Venture 3 in Belmar, NJ. We did 3 dives and 3 different sites. 
Depending who you talked to, bottom temp at 80 ft was either 42 or 44. During safety hang at 15 feet, water temp was 54 degrees. Because of the cold, most of us kept our bottom times between 20 - 30 minutes.

Visibility was about 7 feet on all dives. Our first stop was the remnants of an old wooden wreck in 70 feet, not one of the well known wrecks. Bottom was very dark and there was a bit of current.

Second stop was a man-made reef. Same conditions.

Our third stop was a natural rock pile, and it was much brighter, although the same 7 or 8 feet of vis.

Being my first dive of the year, I didn't bring my pole spear, figuring I just wanted to relax and get acclimated (I haven't been in the ocean since November). There was a ton of sea bass all over the wrecks, and some nice sized ones as well. It would have been easy to fill up a game bag with them. Fortunately, there were also a ton of lobsters, which we did fill our game bags with.

If anyone out there is in the area and is familiar with the Venture 3, we may have a few spots open for next Friday, May 30th.

Lightning over Long Branch

Here's a video I shot in Long Branch a few years ago.  It was shot using a point-n-shoot digital camera, a Canon SD1100.

The half minute clip shows the lightening strike 4 times.  First, as the camera recorded it (which would be 30 frames per second).  Then, I slowed it down to half speed.  Then I slowed it down to 1/4 speed.  Finally, I froze the image on the frame where the lightning hits the ground.

For any New Jersey divers out there, the video is looking over Saint Alfonso's retreat in Long Branch, which is where the "Dual Wrecks" are in 30 feet of water, about 150 feet from the beach.  I don't know if the iron in the wrecks has anything to do with the lightning strike, perhaps someone more knowledgeable about the wrecks or lightning will post an opinion:

As always, thanks for sharing, and DSAO!

Scuba Diving for Lobsters

One of my favorite foods is lobster.  There are basically two types of lobsters commercially caught and served up in restaurants, fish-markets and supermarkets.

When you buy "lobster tail," you are generally getting what's known as a warm water lobster.  As you'd probably guess, these lobsters are generally caught in warmer climates.  Called "Spiny Lobsters," these are found in the waters off of California, Florida, throughout the Caribbean Sea and along the coast of South America.  Africa and the Middle East have their own spiny lobsters as well.

The tails tend to be brownish with reddish hues.  The tails often have spots as well:

Spiny lobster, ready for cooking

The most obvious thing you'll note about the spiny lobster is that it has no claws:

Spiny lobster, just caught

When you buy the whole lobster, you are generally getting a "North American Lobster," often called a "Maine Lobster:"

The North American lobster is a much redder color, and it turns bright red when cooked.  Nature did a kind thing for the color blind, by adding a pair of claws to the North American lobster, just in case you couldn't see the color.

The biggest difference between the two lobsters, from a epicurean vantage point, is that for the spiny lobster, most of the meat is in the tail, while the North American lobster has a lot of meat distributed in its claws.

So why the discussion of lobsters on a scuba diving web site?  Because after getting their basic open water experience, many divers develop underwater interests.  Here on the east coast, a common scuba diving activity is catching lobsters.  Or, as some of us sardonically say, "rescuing them from the ocean."

Lobsters tend to live in shipwrecks, hiding under wreckage, in pipes, in "caves" formed by debris and any other place where they can take refuge from predators.  Since the eastern coastline is littered with shipwrecks, it's a great place to find lobsters.

I've been diving for about 25 years, but I'm still a baby when it comes to catching lobsters.  However, let me share this link to a "how to guide" for scuba diving lobster fisherman, courtesy of Dan Berg, one of our Pinterest followers.  Thanks for following us Dan, and thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise:

http://www.aquaexplorers.com/lobster_diving.htm

The full article to Dan's Lobster Diving Guide can be found by clicking here.

A quick parting word about lobstering: the cold Atlantic coast isn't' the only place where scuba divers find lobsters.  Coming up in a future post, catching Spiny Lobsters.

Thanks for reading - DSAO!  (Dive safe and often)

How do you mount your flashlight?

If you carry your dive light in your BC pocket, you know it's only a matter of time until it disappears.  The best place for a flashlight is snapped to a D-ring on your harness or BC. We've just uploaded our first video that shows how to make a short lanyard for that flashlight, wreck reel or any other piece of equipment you take into the water with you.

Using a stainless steel snap-bolt you can make the perfect lanyard using a scrap of nylon line.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Thanks for watching - DSAO!  (Dive safe and often)