Tag Archives: turtles

British Virgin Islands, wide angle

Have you been to the Cistern dive site in BVI?

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Megan exploring Cistern Point
Megan exploring Cistern Point

The first dive we did in British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) in 2018 was at the  Cistern point off of Cooper island. We dropped down behind the boat and swam to the mooring line.  We dropped to the bottom which was at 27 feet at the mooring ball.  The area around the mooring ball was mostly sand. It looked like the cat. 5 hurricane last year had beaten up most of the hard coral. But the hard coral is slowing making a come back.

The soft corals are ok, but a bit sparse. It was a sunny day to start, but later in the dive the sun started to go behind the clouds, meaning that I had to turn up the strobes a bit .  I found quite a few large lobsters in various overhangs. They looked to be in the 5 + pound range.

Megan diving with lobster
diver with lobster

There were several dips in the ocean floor. I dropped down to see the various animals hiding in the hole in the reef. The fish seem to be making a bit of a come back. We saw several scrawled file fish. I saw one queen trigger fish.  I saw quite a few box fish and one adult barracuda.  We saw three large tarpon near a cave mouth. Inside the cave were some silversides and there were two lion fish hunting the silversides.

Later in the dives we got reasonably close to the tarpon.

Three tarpon swimming over the reef
Three tarpon swimming over the reef; its actually 15 feet of fish:  3 X 5 foot tarpon

Late in the dive we found a turtle. I took quite a few shots of him and got a few with my daughter Megan in the picture.

Megan and the turtle
Megan and the turtle

Near the end of the dive we found one spotted moray who was pretty well hidden.

At the end of the dive an eagle ray that was easily 6 ft across came through the site. He was missing a tail.

A large eagle ray swimming away from us

I swam hard for both the turtle and the eagle ray.  The turtle wasn’t too hard to catch.   The ray was pretty fast and it was hard to get close to him.

I was a bit tired after the dive since the swim back to the boat was through some surge and the wind had picked up and was blowing us away from the boat.

The new housing and strobes worked well. I took over 200 images on the one hour long dive. Maximum depth was 42 feet. Viz was maybe 50-60 feet, less at the beginning and end of the dive. Better in the middle of the dive.

Bahamas, Uncategorized, wide angle

Have you been diving in the Exumas Cayes in the Bahamas?

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Farmers Caye in the morning
Farmers Caye in the morning

The Exhumas are a group of islands that are part of the Bahamas that begin about 30 miles of the southeaster tip of New Providence island where Nassau is located.  The Exhumas are a beautiful chain of coral islands.  On one side is the Atlantic Ocean, on the other side is the Gulf.  On the Gulf side it is easy to sail in 20+knot winds and the water is still relatively calm.  On the Atlantic side, with the same winds whip up the seas and it is easy to have 5-6 foot swells.  

By staying on the gulf side of the islands, we managed to move relatively effortlessly without getting beat to a pulp by the seas.  The diving on the gulf side, well it was relatively shallow,  but the sea life was relatively diverse.  

red tipped sea goddess nudibranch

Red tipped sea goddess nudibranch, of course shows up while I have a wide angle set up on the camera. 

The creatures also included a rather large slipper lobster, who I thought was as large as I had ever seen. 

slipper lobster
slipper lobster

For diving, it was important to be at the dive site ready to dive either on slack high or slack low tide.  Most sites are near the channels between the islands.  if you try to dive the sites without being on slack tide you are going to be doing a serious drift dive with currents ranging from 2-5 knots. Given that we were not particularly well set up for drift dives it meant that we had to time our dives well to be on slack water.  Of course in between we were able snorkel and saw eagle rays, green sea turtles and even swimming pigs and native iguanas. 

Most days early morning and sunsets were spectacular. 

sun rise Farmers Caye
sun rise Farmers Caye
Bahamas, wide angle

Hurray it’s shark week again

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Grey reef shark
Grey reef shark swimming overhead

In my opinion, apex predators are very interesting.  From what I have observed they are curious and will investigate what they think might be food.  If there is food in the water they will take an easy meal.  

This is why you wear the suit-
This is why you wear the suit

Sharks unlike people do not have hands which might otherwise allow them to tactically check out potential meals.   So what do they do, they taste potential entres with their mouths.  Now that might seem bad, it can have a bad effect on anyone the shark chooses to sample.  

Grey reef shark at shark junction
Grey reef shark at shark junction

So I keep thinking they sure are interesting but I ill try to avoid becoming a meal,  

 

Bahamas, Belize, Mexico, wide angle

Do you ever grow tired of seeing turtles underwater? nah

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I am not sure what it is about turtles that always fascinates me when I am diving. Sometimes it strikes me that turtles remind me of grumpy old men swimming under water. I guess I can relate to that. Other times I am amazed at just how quickly they can swim and leave me in the dust, even when I am wearing fins.

Some dives are just magical

Over the years, I have seen hawksbill turtles, green sea turtles, Ridley’s turtles and even a leather back turtle.  I was amazed when we were sailing to see an enormous leather back turtle surface directly in front of our catamaran.  I had no idea that a turtle that probably weighed half a ton could immediately dive down with seemingly very little effort and at a speed that took it out of the center of our catamaran.

 

I especially like to see sunlight reflected off the shells of green sea turtles because their shells reflect so many colors. So here is to the turtle, I tip my hat so to speak.

Grenadines, Uncategorized, wide angle

Have you ever seen an electric ray?

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This fellow reminded me of sleeping on a hammock
This fellow reminded me of sleeping on a hammock

I have been diving for quite some time and have done hundreds of dives in blue water.  And yet, it was only recently that I came across an electric ray.  Not an electric eel, but an electric ray.  According to my fish book they are uncommon to rare in the northern part of Caribbean such as in the Bahamas and Florida.  They are more common in the southern Caribbean.  They tend to be unconcerned and won’t move when approached by divers, but if touched can produce a mild electric shock of between 14 and 37 volts.

From doing a little research it appears there are over 60 species of rays world wide, but far fewer are electric. The electric ray I found was what is known as a lesser electric ray.  I looked, but the could not find a “greater electric ray”;  who says naming protocols are logical?

The better known electric ray is the Torpedo fish. The really odd part is that the ancient Greeks used electric rays to numb the pain of childbirth and operations. In his dialogue Meno, Plato has the character Meno accuse Socrates of “stunning” people with his puzzling questions, in a manner similar to the way the torpedo fish stuns with electricity. Scribonius Largus, a Roman physician, recorded the use of torpedo fish for treatment of headaches and gout in his Compositiones Medicae of 46 AD.

I think I’m glad I can quite happily stop by the local pharmacy and find my choice of aspirin or other pain relievers.  Which brings me to my next rumination?  Is there such a thing as finding too many interesting creatures under the sea?  That is, is there a point where there is too much of a good thing?  I think it is kind of like asking can you take too many vacations?  Not  a chance….

Grenadines, Macro, Uncategorized, wide angle

Where are the turtles? Tobago Caye of course

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In the Grenadines, the government has created a marine park in and around Tobago Cayes.  Although the park is not particularly large, it is well placed.  The marine park is bounded by several small islands and the depth of the water in much of the park is relatively shallow.  With  shallow water and a white sand bottom, this creates some amazingly pretty turquoises water.

Sailing in to Tobago Cayes with just a hint of the turquoises water that we will see
Sailing in to Tobago Cayes with just a hint of the turquoises water that we will see

We had barely had time to anchor and we spotted several green sea turtles surfacing for air, only to return to the bottom to feed on turtle grass. We arrived in the afternoon and after lunch we were picked up by a local dive shot to go diving.

I did two dives with a macro set up.  The first dive was horseshoe reef.  With alot of newby divers we had some challenges, particularly since the current changed twice in about a half an hour.  I did manage to get a few interesting critter shots.

This banded shrimp almost reminded me of an old west gun fighter with her guns drawn; I guess you could call her "Two guns". I say her, because I think if you look closely you can see eggs.
This banded shrimp almost reminded me of an old west gun fighter with her guns drawn; I guess you could call her “Two guns”. I say her, because I think if you look closely you can see eggs.

After the second dive I switched the camera to a wide angle set up for the next morning when we would go to the marine park looking for green sea turtles.

If you have to anchor somewhere, Tobago Cayes is pretty spectacular
If you have to anchor somewhere, Tobago Cayes is pretty spectacular

Unfortunately, no diving was allowed near the island where the turtles were, but on snorkel we were successful in finding sea turtles with which to swim.  Below is a video from our swimming with green sea turtles at Tobago Cayes.

Bahamas, swim throughs

Have you been to Littlehails Laird?

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Grunts under elk horn coral
Grunts under elk horn coral

As a dive site, Littlehails laird has an abundance of marine life.  There were quite  few grunts of various species.  But while it is know for a variety of grunts we were fortunate to see a turtle swim through the site within minutes of getting to the bottom.  Like most hawksbill turtles he reminded me of a grumpy old man.  In my mind I could hear him saying:  ‘oh bother another diver trying to follow me, quick I will show him I can out swim him in a matter of moments.”  And, of course he was right, but not before I shot about a thirty second video climp of him swimming over the reef.

Moments later, a gray reef shark swam by as if to say welcome to the reef.  I did not manage to get the video light on before he had disappeared over the reef.  It must be nice to go up in down in the water column without worrying if you have exceeded a maximum ascent rate.  In something under 10 seconds he had gone up and back down 30 feet in the water column.  It must be nice to be able to do that.  Divers are limited to 30 feet up in a minute.  So there is no way of safely trying to follow a shark, we can just wait for them to make another pass.   Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, but the anticipation is what makes it fun– at least for me.  I’m usually thinking, is there a way to position my self so that if the shark or turtle or other wildlife that has just passed me will come back just to see me, at least out of curiousity.

Uncategorized

A Merry Christmas

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Christmas tree worms feeding in Curacao
Christmas tree worms feeding in Curacao

I always enjoy the infinite detail of Christmas Tree Worms.  I hope all have  a very merry Christmas.

Bahamas, wreaks

Have you seen the Sea star?

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Silversides swimming over the Sea star
Silversides swimming over 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.

sea star stairway

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.

From the cargo bay looking towards the bot
From the cargo bay looking towards the bot

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.

Bahamas, Cayman Islands, wide angle

Have you been diving at the chamber?

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It was a bit surprising to find a lion fish hiding in the hyperbaric chamber that was sunk off the coast of Grand Bahama
It was a bit surprising to find a lion fish hiding in the hyperbaric chamber that was sunk off the coast of Grand Bahama

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.

This is the only other chamber I have come across at the bottom of the sea. Won't work as a recompression chamber, but does have historic significance.
This is the only other chamber I have come across at the bottom of the sea. Won’t work as a recompression chamber, but does have historic significance.

(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.

 

Bahamas, Mexico, swim throughs, Uncategorized

Do you like swim throughs?

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A short video clip from a swim through known as the “caves” in the Bahamas:

Swim throughs can occur several different ways.  The Caves in Bahamas is an example of coral growing so high that it creates walls that sometimes meet and cover the corridor that otherwise winds through the reef.  The swim throughs I have been through have ranged from wide enough for 3 divers to go through side by site down to swim throughs where I have to fold in close to the camera housing the arms holding my camera strobes out to the side of the housing.

swim through fins-1

The Caves in Freeport Bahamas’ dive site starts out easily wide enough to accommodate a diver so it is a dive in which we follow the leader.  If you are not the leader of the dive, you have to hope that the divers in front of you do not kick up the sand too much otherwise the visibility gets real spotty really quickly.   Fortunately my dive buddy who went in front of me did not kick up the bottom much at all.  The Caves does get pretty narrow at points.  There were a couple of places in the canyon where I had to  turn sideways just to get the camera in its underwater housing through the narrows.  The narrows did feel pretty narrow. It is not too uncommon for swim throughs to have narrow points.  If you are not the first through, you have to hope that who ever is in front of you doesn’t balk and then try to turn around, or that someone from behind doesn’t bolt and try to  swim over you.

swim through

(If you look closely you can see the diver closest to the camera is actually swimming over the diver in front; not a good idea, even if it is close to the exit).

As a dive site, the caves also has a good amount of fish life on the reef. I saw a school of goatfish which was quite large both on an individual basis and based on the number of individuals in the school .  Of course the fish life is what keeps me going back to see more creatures underwater. You never know when a plate sized angel fish or a turtle might meet you in a swim  through.  For me, the potential of a meeting of an interesting creature never gets old.

We have just finished swimming through a swim through
We have just finished swimming through a swim through
wreaks

Have you seen the Papa Doc wreck in Grand Bahamas

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The Papa Doc replacement with fish

Not far off shore from Grand Bahama lie the remnants of an old transport vessel that some would be militia thought they would sail over to Haiti to lend support to the rebels in the Hatian revolution of 1968. Well to say they did not get very far would be an understatement. Now they left port in a storm, but they only made it less than a few miles before the ship foundered and sank. For a while the Papa Doc wreck was a site that divers could easily visit since it sat in about 50 feet of water. Years underwater were not kind to the Papa Doc which dissintegrated over time. All that remains today of the Papa Doc are a couple of engines and other small remnants that are largely buried under the sand. Occassionally the sea gives back a rare find such as a bayonnet, but that is infrequent.  The engines, however, remain and are worth inspecting.  On our dives we found small pederson shrimp and even a flamingos tongue on the engines. Both the shrimp and the flamigos tongue were relatively well hidden in the engines so it took some time to spot them.

Eventually a local dive shop Unexso, sank a tug boat on the site where the Papa Doc had previously sunk. (A word about Unexso, they are an awesome shop. They have an experienced and knowledgeable staff that is very concerned that the divers who dive with them, have a safe and enjoyable trip. As an older diver, I always want to dive nitrox, oxygen enriched air, because on repetitive dive days over the course of a week I always feel better on nitrox than I do on just good old air. No there is no scientific proof that nitrox will make you feel better on repetitive dives, but my antidotal experience is that it is a huge help for me. Regardless, when I asked for nitrox at Unexso, it was available and we tested it and the volume of gas in the tanks to make sure each tank was exactly what I wanted.)

Eventually in the place of the Papa Doc, Unexso sank the Badger tugboat on the site of the Papa Doc.  The Badger tugboat is largely still intact. The wheelhouse is in relatively good shape and has become a haven for snappers and black margot. Coral and some sea fans are starting to grow on the wreck. Fish such as squirrel fish hide in the recesses in the wreck. I played “peak a boo” with couple of squirrel fish for bettter part of 3 minutes just trying to coax them out to take their picture.

It took a while to get both squirrel fish to venture into the image
It took a while to get both squirrel fish to venture into the image

Around the tugboat there are some patch reefs and some large expanses of sand and broken coral. Spend sometime looking at the sponges on the patch reef because there often are spinny sea stars and a few golden crinoids are present. Often times near the sponges there are arrow crabs which are also interesting to watch. Underneath some of the coral heads are fairey bassetts which are a beautiful purple and gold fish.

In the sand you may find a significant number of blennies and some jaw fish who have dug holds in the sand and quickly retreat into the sand.

This blenny was one of several hundred that make their home near the Papa Doc
This blenny was one of several hundred that make their home near the Papa Doc

I looked for quite some time for a jawfish with eggs in its mouth, but did not find a single one. I guess I will have to go back again and re-explore the site.