Posts Tagged ‘Diving’

Dive Flag Awareness Week

Gov. Charlie Crist has proclaimed June 27-July 3 as Dive Flag Awareness Week. “It’s time folks pay attention to what a divers-down flag means and to ‘steer clear,’ and divers need to make sure they present their flags according to the laws,” said Lt. David Bingham, a state Fish and Wildlife Commission watch commander.

A divers-down flag is red with a white diagonal stripe, at least 20 inches by 24 inches, and flown at a high point, observable 360 degrees around a vessel. A divers-down flag towed on a float must be at least 12 inches by 12 inches. Both flags must have stiffeners to hold them open. All vessels must make a reasonable effort to stay at least 300 feet away from the flags in open water or 100 feet away within a river, inlet or channel. Within those prescribed distances, a vessel may operate but must be at idle speed. For more, go to myfwc.com.

During Dive Flag Awareness Week, enforcement details will be expanded around the state with radar guns, and they will issue warnings and citations. “With bay scallop and spiny lobster season just around the corner, we really want to emphasize the importance of engaging all safety precautions.” Bingham said. “If you’re diving, display a flag. If you’re boating, look for the flag.”

Key Largo Shipwreck Studied

About 18 feet underwater off Key Largo lies a mystery ship, one of hundreds in just these waters. It’s cargo, name and destination are unknown. All that remains of the wreck are planks of timber, iron rods and some pieces of coal.

State underwater archaeologist Roger Smith and his team will spend about two weeks mapping the site that has become a bountiful coral reef. In time they will also try to piece together what ship this was, its voyage and whether it should be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. The work is part of an ongoing effort to take an inventory of Florida’s shipwrecks and artifacts, which number around 300 just off Key Largo alone.

Named the “Marker 39″ wreck for its location just two miles off the coast of Key Largo, the remains hold many clues that could help unlock its secrets. A buoy has marked the spot since 1863, which could help date the shipwreck because it could be when the ship ran aground that people realized the area was dangerous.

Since I don’t have a photo of this wreck I thought you might like to see what else you might see when diving wrecks in the Florida Keys. This photo is by Stig Nygaard. Read more…

25th Annual Underwater Music Festival – Big Pine Key

Forty years after the release of their “Yellow Submarine” album, the Beatles are embarking on another underwater adventure. Divers costumed as the iconic quartet are to star in the 25th annual Underwater Music Festival set for Saturday, July 11, in the waters off the Lower Florida Keys. Divers portraying “Ringo Starfish,” “John Lemon-shark,” “Paul McCarpney” and “George Herringson” are to rock the waters of the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef during the offbeat underwater event, which typically draws as many as 600 divers and snorkelers each year. The submerged songfest is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary south of Big Pine Key. It celebrates the colorful marine life that characterizes the Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem while encouraging environmentally responsible diving. As well as watching the Beatles pretenders “perform” beneath the sea accompanied by backup singer “Mako Ono,” finned fans might even spot a replica yellow submarine saluting the album’s 1969 release.

Staged by local radio station WWUS 104.1 FM, the fish-friendly festival features the station’s selections broadcast underwater via Lubell Laboratory speakers suspended beneath boats positioned at the reef. The playlist is to include ocean-themed ditties such as Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” authentic humpback whale song and, of course, the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” and “Yellow Submarine.” Underwater music “afishionados” also plan to jam on aquatic instruments sculpted by Florida Keys artist August Powers. Blending elements of sea creatures and actual instruments, Powers’ creations include a trom-bonefish, manta-lin and drumfish. To draw attention to the underlying message of reef preservation, the musical broadcast incorporates diver awareness announcements featuring tips on enjoying the ocean while minimizing impact on the marine environment.

To participate in the Underwater Music Festival’s 25th anniversary, divers and snorkelers can reserve space aboard boats run by Lower Keys dive operators or launch their own boats from public ramps and local marinas. For information about area dive charters and accommodations, call the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce at (800) 872-3722 or (305) 872-2411, or visit www.fla-keys.com or www.lowerkeyschamber.com.

Wreckfest 2008 – Key Largo

SATURDAY AUGUST 2 – SUNDAY AUGUST 10

Silent World’s Second Annual Wreckfest!

The 2008 Wreckfest looks set to be the biggest wreck diving event in North America with 9 days packed with seminars, VIP guests, equipment demos, give aways and of course lots of diving. We have changed the format this year, with diving in the mornings, and seminars, demos and relaxing in the afternoons to give people the opportunity to socialize between dives. Don’t worry though, we will still be running both boats every afternoon for anyone who wants to dive as much as possible! (Schedule & pricing separate to Wreckfest). There will also be GUE, IANTD, TDI, SDI and PADI wreck, tech and deep diving courses offered during the event at fantastic prices!

We have equipment manufacturers and training agencies sponsoring each day, offering demos, advice, information and education. The diving will cater to all levels from Advanced Open Water through to Trimix and exploration level divers. Boat one will be for the more technically trained diver and boat two will be open to Advanced Open Water and above. Read more…

Have You Slept Underwater Lately…Key Largo Can Help

When guests visit Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, they discover that the name is no marketing gimmick. Just to enter the Lodge, one must actually scuba dive 21 feet beneath the surface of the sea. Jules’ really is underwater. Diving through the tropical mangrove habitat of the Emerald Lagoon and approaching the world’s only underwater hotel is quite an experience. Even from the outside, Jules’ big 42 inch round windows cast a warm invitation to come in and stay a while, relax and get to know the underwater world that so few of us have even visited.

Entering through an opening in the bottom of the habitat, the feeling is much like discovering a secret underwater clubhouse. The cottage sized building isn’t short on creature comforts: hot showers, a well stocked kitchen (complete with refrigerator and microwave), books, music, and video movies. And of course there are cozy beds, where guests snuggle up and watch the fish visit the windows of their favorite underwater “terrarium”. Jules’ Undersea Lodge manages to reach a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure.

Guests sometimes describe their visit to inner space as the most incredible experience of their lives. One couple decided on a career change after visiting Jules’ Undersea Lodge, and they now operate Aquanauts’ Dive Shop. Another couple named their baby after Jules’, when they later discovered their recently conceived child had accompanied them in their wonderful adventure in undersea living.

Although the underwater hotel may sound like the latest tourist fun spot, Jules’ Undersea Lodge, actually began its existence as La Chalupa research laboratory, an underwater habitat used to explore the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico. The authenticity of the underwater habitat is what really sets it apart from amusement parks and other similar attractions. The mangrove lagoon in which Jules’ is located is a natural nursery area for many reef fish. Tropical angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda, and snappers peek in the windows of the habitat, while anemones, sponges, oysters and feather duster worms seem to cover every inch of this underwater world. Guests of the Lodge explore their marine environment with scuba gear provided by Jules’ Undersea Lodge and are given an unlimited supply of tanks. Jules’ Undersea Lodge may have a comfortable futuristic decor, but its sense of history is inescapable. It is the first and only underwater hotel, but is also the first underwater research lab to have ever been made accessible to the average person. Read more…

Florida Keys Anglers Invite Governor Crist to Fish Florida Bay

Groups hoping to show the governor a good day of fishing and the bad algae bloom threatening Florida Bay.

January 10, 2008 Tavernier FL -A coalition of leading angling and conservation organizations today formally invited Florida Governor Charlie Crist to come down to the Keys for a day of fishing and to witness firsthand a destructive algae bloom threatening the region’s recreational and commercial fishing industry.

This is the third consecutive year that a persistent blue-green algae bloom has compromised the health of Florida Bay with potentially disastrous consequences for the region’s fishing industry, including die-offs of fish, and the seagrass and invertebrates upon which they depend. Conservative estimates in October, 2007 placed the extent of the bloom at 300 square miles. Over the summer there were reports of the bloom at the reef line off Islamorada and Long Key, and as far south as Vaca Cut in Marathon.
Read more…

Deep Water May Be Months Away for Legacy

By Capt. Tom Serio
Because government officials and others involved with the recovery of S/Y Legacy have not been forthcoming with her progress, I flew over Legacy in late November to find out her status. She is still in the marine sanctuary just north of Key West, where she was deposited by Hurricane Wilma two years ago, a few dozen yards from Bluefish Channel. The latest recovery process of pulling her out the way she went in has freed her from the bottom and continues. Originally speculated in early September to take three weeks, pulling Legacy to deep water has so far taken three months, with probably several more to go.

This current recovery process (others have been tried but failed) includes creating a channel in front of Legacy by removing the sandy bottom using an auger and pump. The sand is then relocated aft as the yacht moves forward. A series of cables connected to her hull run along the initial path of entry cut in the sea grass (almost a mile long), out to a utility boat, the Helen B. Legacy is pulled several feet at a time by the utility vessel. Miami-based Byrd Commercial Diving is the marine salvage contractor on site. The flotilla of houseboats rafted nearby allows Legacy’s owner and crew to remain close by and keep watch over the recovery.

So instead of official reports on what is happening, we have photos, which indeed speak a thousand words. [To see more, visit http://www.the-triton.com.] Although Legacy appeared to have moved about 1,200 feet by late November, there appears to be at least that much farther still to go. As she inches closer to the edge of the flats, hopefully the water will get deeper and aid in her refloating.

The sand deposits pumped from in front of Legacy appear to be well scattered in the area aft, appearing to create a sandy island. With the concerns of the impact on the local ecosystem, this process appears to be disturbing a large area. Due to sustained wind and/or current conditions, there is a large sand plume leaching out of the yellow containment boom. It was good to see Legacy headed toward freedom, but there will be many questions as to the process and long-term effect on the area. Let’s hope the marine sanctuary as well as Legacy will one day be restored to pre-Wilma condition.

Beginning Divers Find Treasures in Islamorada

You might think that as a beginner or basic scuba diver your choices of truly amazing or exotic aquatic experiences are somewhat limited. Not true, indeed even for the beginning Scuba Diver holding an entry-level Scuba certification the world truly is your Ocean – or River, Lake or Stream for that matter. Some of the most exotic and popular dive sites in the world like Costa Rica, Fiji, Thailand even Australia have sites for beginners as well as the advanced or experienced diver.A little closer to home Florida and the Florida Keys offer some of the most extensive dive areas and different Scuba Diving environments that are easy enough for beginning divers but diverse enough to return again and again. For example Scuba Diving Magazine rated Islamorada in the Florida Keys the number one dive site for beginners. There you can find many dive sites like the fully protected Alligator Reef Sanctuary, this 25 ft dive is located only 3.5 miles off the coast of Islamorada and is ideal for snorkelers and beginner Scuba Divers. Safe and easy and crystal clear, Alligator Reef – don’t worry it’s named for a nearby wreck the USS Alligator not the reptile – is home to the largest variety of fish species in the keys. This is a great beginner dive for fish lovers and underwater photographers alike.

There are dozens of other sites throughout Islamorada where even beginner scuba divers can see large pelagic fish like groupers, exotics like blue parrot fish and even have close encounters with a variety of Sharks.