I always enjoy the infinite detail of Christmas Tree Worms. I hope all have a very merry Christmas.
A Merry Christmas
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Have you seen the Sea star?
Like many places in the Caribbean there have been at times ships that have on their face appeared to be normal cargo ships, while at the same time also being used to smuggle illegal drugs. One such ship was the Sea Star which was eventually apprehended in Bahamian waters. When the ship was sold through a forfeiture sale, it sold for a dollar and was eventually sunk as a purposefully sunk wreck. It is the second largest wreck in Grand Bahama. The person who purchased the Sea Star died in an automobile accident shortly before the sinking of the Sea Star. If you circumnavigate the wreck a plaque with the owners name is towards the ship’s stern, near an external staircase.
As of 2015 the Sea Star has been down since 2002 or about 13 years. It has a fair amount of coral and sponge growth upon it. Much of the hull is in pretty good condition. However, the stern was twisted at a right angle from the rest of the ship when a hurricane came through the Bahamas a few years ago. Given that the Sea Star is over 30 feet wide and its hull was made of steel it must have taken a tremendous amount of force to twist the stern as the hurricane did.
The Sea Star has become home to a significant number of reef fish. Towards the stern there was a sizeable school of blue striped grunts. In the holds there were a number of arrow crabs. I also found an enormous black grouper who was well ensconced in part of the hold.
The day we dove the Sea Star there was a current. Towards the end of the dive we ascended up the stern line up to our boat. The current was quick enough that if you held on to the line the current would hold your body out at a right angle so we all looked like flags blowing in the wind.
For divers who like to dive wrecks the Sea Star is a wreck worth diving. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Have you been diving at the chamber?
As I understand it, the chamber which sits on the chamber dive site off of the coast of Grand Bahama was a working chamber until the doctor who used it decided to retire. Rather than just have the chamber rust out on the island, it was sunk at the chamber dive site. The day we dove it, we discovered that a lion fish had taken up residence. She was quite large and had a brood of small lion fish surrounding her. When I thought about it, it just seemed odd to find a fish in a decompression chamber since they don’t have the same issues with pressure differentials that we do.
The vast majority of divers are well aware that by breathing compressed gas underwater they are at risk for getting “bent” or suffering decompression sickness if they do not follow recognized guidelines for safe ascents or bottom time. In most classes I have attended the mantra of not making rapid ascents, that is faster than 30 feet per minute is repeated at least a dozen times. Most divers I know are very careful not to exceed bottom time limits, that is: “go into deco” because for most boat operators, if you go into deco that is the end of your diving for a day. But does staying within guidelines mean that a diver will not suffer decompression sickness; unfortunately it is still possible to dive within generally accepted guidelines and still get “bent”.
Fortunately, only one of my friends, thus far, has had to make a trip to the decompression chamber. From what his computer showed it was not because he had exceeded guidelines. Instead, it was because he had a broken bone from an unrelated accident that his doctor had not diagnosed. He spent 2 partial days in a chamber at a significant cost, most of which was covered by insurance.
(The chamber pictured just above is from the Kittiwake in Grand Cayman. It is at about 60 feet and is interesting to look into).
In my diving I have made it a point to try to be very conservative in my diving and endeavor to stay out of the chamber. Given the relative small interior size of many decompression chambers, I suspect I could get claustrophobic pretty quickly if I had to spend any time in a chamber. But, given a choice between no chamber and claustrophobia, it’s a no brainer. Take the chamber any time. But, first choice is still to avoid a visit to the chamber if at all possible.
Have you looked closely at sponges?
Sponges come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Generally, they can be classified as by shape as: tubes, vases, barrels, balls, ropes, encrusting, and boring sponges among others. They are multicellular animals whose design usually allows the sponge to draw water into the sponge, which provides the sponge food and oxygen, and then filters out the water. The water exits out of the sponge’s interior through excurrent openings or oscula.
Sponges can provide habitat for a variety of sea creatures. For instance, it is not uncommon for seahorses to hide among rope sponges. 
Other animals, like lobsters, may hide under ball sponges. 
As someone who takes a lot of pictures underwater, it is not unusual for me to look inside as many sponges as I see, just to try to find the various creatures that are often hiding, in, around or just near sponges. 
So next time you are out diving, be sure to look in and around the sponges you see. You never know what you might find.
