Dive Report from the trip to the Flower Gardens

Let me start off by saying … Manta’s and Turtles and Sharks … oh my!

We left Jacksonville early Saturday morning and spent the night in New Orleans.  Me and my buddy from Jacksonville, Greg Hood, connected with Paul Dovie, a former schoolmate from more years ago than I care to think about, and the three of us left for Freeport early Sunday afternoon

After stopping in Cajun Country in southwest Louisiana for some dinner, we headed on to Texas.  We boarded the M/V Fling in Freeport, TX. on Sunday evening.  After some munchies and the briefings from the captains and the divemasters, we hit the bunks for some sleep while the boat was underway.  6:00 AM Monday and 110 miles offshore later, the divemasters woke us up to some continental breakfast and the first dive of the day.  I skipped the bagels and gave my equipment one last check before diving at the Flower Garden Banks.  Essentially, I brushed my teeth and went diving as the gear was set up the night before.

If you haven’t considered this trip before, you should.  The diving was terrific.  We had great visibility on every dive, with nothing but healthy coral abounding everywhere.  I’ve made lots of dives in other locations where the coral wasn’t nearly as healthy, and in some cases, bleached out.   When diving here, you truly must be aware of every place you put your hands and track your fin kicks so you don’t clobber the coral.  This is not a job … the coral is so healthy, you’ll want to take the extra precautions to protect it.  If by chance you’ve been to the Hen’s and Chickens reef in the Keys … this is its Big Brother.  The coral heads just tower toward the surface from 70-80 feet down.  My favorite critter here … a green frogfish.  He was very cool on the night dive as he had his “fishing” lure out and was shaking it in an effort to attract a meal.

We saw many species of fish, including some whopper grouper, but probably the two highlights were the sightings of the manta ray one afternoon and the sea turtle on a night dive at Stetson Banks.  I’m not sure how many on the trip experienced our visit by a Caribbean reef shark, but it was very cool.  Being a big fan of the smaller stuff, I particularly enjoyed the dives at Stetson Banks.  This is truly one of the most bizarre sites I’ve ever been on.  Just before arriving at the bottom, my first impression was, this sucks.  WRONG!  Although there is no hard coral here, mostly sponges, the juvenile life was unreal.  The landscape is like diving on the moon, because on first glimpse, it appears to be barren rock formations.  But once you get settled and still, that’s when you notice how much life there is here.  We saw peppermint shrimp, decorator crabs, scallops and more diverse small life than I’ve ever seen in one location.  There were times when I just held position for 8-10 minutes because so much was going on, there was no need to swim around.

We enjoyed six different dive locations counting the Flower Garden Banks, Stetson Banks, and one on a working oil drilling platform.  The amount of marine life living on the legs of these “Masses of Metal” is pretty amazing.

A couple of comments about the boat: I must say that although I didn’t like the idea of the “structured” dives (the crew plans the dives) as I prefer doing my own thing as my computer dictates, I was quickly won over.  Doing it their way had me averaging nearly 45 minutes per dive at an average depth of 82 feet.  Two dives went over 50 minutes. My way, I probably would have been impatient and went in sooner and run out of bottom time.  Their way had me just about even on running out of bottom time and remaining air time.  I should note we were using enriched air – 32% and Nitrox computers.  We did 5 dives on Monday, 4 on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday.  We were slated for two on Wednesday but the seas got up that morning, most everyone was pretty tired, so we voted to go on in.

Here’s the scoop on the ten dives:

Six dives at the Flower Garden Banks – 3 different sites

Three dives at the Stetson Banks – 2 different locations

One dive on an oil rig.

Average Dive Time:  43:40

Average Max Depth:  81.5

Total bottom time:  7:23

Between dives the social atmosphere is relaxed.  Between dives you can sun yourself up on the “Melanoma Deck” which has lots of room and some lounge chairs, or hang out inside and watch movies in air-conditioned comfort.  We met some nice new friends from New Orleans, Shawn & “Screamin’ O” Joe, and Kristie and Eddie.  Our trip was booked through Caribbean Dive Shop in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans.  Dave is the owner and was on the trip with us.  He is a most gracious host making it his business to point out the interesting marine life that would be easily overlooked.

Group photo of "Screamin' "O" Joe"  left to right  Eddie, Shawn, Joe, Kristie, and Jimbo

This is a pretty intense cruise as not everyone will be up to 3-nights and 3-days on a boat considerably less in length than the QE2, but for the money, this is a deal!  Your gear stays assembled the entire trip and Nitrox is available.  A table for cameras is provided along with a fresh water rinse tank plus a fresh water shower after your dive.  The cabin bunks were comfortable enough and the food, while not 5-star, was plentiful, hot, and always there … and that’s what matters.  Our cooks, Mike and Jen, cooked up a killer Texas brisket one night that was to die for and another night some very good spaghetti.  Salads, fruit, late night brownies with ice cream, what more would you want.

I’ll definitely go back!

Links:

Gulf Diving

Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Scubaland Adventures

Dave Read

Feeling the need for a little adventure?  Some of the staff from Meridian Divers just returned from a trip to the panhandle of Florida to dive what is described in Ned DeLoach’s Guide to Underwater Florida, “The premiere wreck dive in Florida.”  The Empire Mica. 

Michael Browning, one of our new PADI instructors, organized the trip.  The wreck diving bug bit Michael on a recent trip to Panama City Beach to dive “Wreck-Fest.”  The mention of this area to me caused the question to Michael; “did you guys dive the Mica?”  Although this was not included in the festivities, Michael got busy making some inquiries.  Once the arrangements were worked out, a quick roster was assembled which included Michael Browning and Jim Simmons, Meridian’s Staff Instructors; Mike Winkles, Meridian’s Store Mgr.; Troy LaMay and Chris Bacon.

We left Jacksonville on a Friday evening drive toward the panhandle.  Rising early we met Captain Richard Johnson at the dock at 6:30 on Saturday morning.  Following a three-hour boat ride, remember the Mica is fifty-two miles offshore, we arrived at the dive site.  Our divemaster, Richie, went over the side to tie us in.  Returning quickly, Richie gave us the conditions.  Good visibility, noticeable thermocline, very slight current, and, oh yeah, he saw about five or six bull sharks and two followed him back up the line to the boat.  Whoa!  While we suited up the captain delivered a briefing that included the relative position of the wreck and pertinent information we’d need.  And since we were planning to take a fish or two for dinner, we had spearguns.  Captain Richard then advised that the sharks might try to take our fish and we’d probably be able to fend off a run or two.  But by the third or forth run, the bulls would come in hard and we were advised to not carry the fish stringer attached to our bodies.  Double whoa!  At this point we were thinking of bringing the spears just in case we had to strike up a defense posture. 

At this point I should mention that diving the Empire Mica has been a six-year quest for me.  I’ve had a trip scheduled at least once per year for the last six years!  Something interrupted every trip.  Be it the inability to round up enough divers to fill the boat, family reunions, my real job, or the occasional storms in the gulf, it appeared this time it might actually happen, fulfilling a personal diving goal.  Fully geared up, we went over the side.  Descending to the wreck we noticed the usual accompaniment of barracuda that take up residence on most wrecks in Florida, except these were huge.  A minute or so later, we arrived on the Mica.  What a wreck, at least what we could see.  The entire wreck is covered in baitfish like I’ve never seen.  A massive, moving carpet of fish.  And just then, the first bull shark darts by.  We swam along the wreck in a group, maybe we all felt like there was safety in numbers.  Michael and I were exploring down near the bottom when he saw a nice grouper and launched the first arrow.  Direct hit.  My immediate reaction was to look around for our torpedo shaped friends.  None were in sight.  I gave Michael the ok sign and we headed back toward the ascent line.  Suddenly, swimming right next to us was the largest southern stingray I’d ever seen.  Just as we arrived at the ascent line, Michael pointed toward the side of the wreck.  A jewfish.  We guessed it to be about two hundred pounds.  Man, what a dive!  Sharks, big barracudas, a huge stingray and now a jewfish.  Can diving get any better than this?  Making our slow ascent and necessary stops, we arrived back on board.  After we discussed the dive with the usual eager chatter, Michael then commented about the shot he made on the grouper and my searching for the sharks and having found none.  Troy and Chris were laughing at us.  When pressed for a reason why, we then were told the reason we didn’t see any sharks was because we were below them on the bottom.  The sharks were swimming above us, out of sight.  Whoa!

We made two more dives that day, all on the Mica.  We explored the boilers, the remaining super-structure, and the bow.  The relief from the sand to the top of the superstructure was unreal.  Mike Winkles dropped into a stairwell and explored some of the interior, and, because the sharks were behaving themselves, we even bagged a few more fish.  Everyone on board enjoyed all three dives but the highlight of the trip had to be the manta ray sighting on the second dive.  A young one to be sure but enjoyed by all.  I even swam alongside it for about a minute. 

If your diving urge is for some adventure, try this dive on for size.  However, it is not recommended for beginners or even recently certified advanced divers, because of the depth and the potential for strong currents.  But if you are experienced and have the necessary qualifications, Nitrox is required along with computers, I highly recommend you add some big critter sightings to your logbook entries with a trip to Panama City Beach and the Empire Mica.

The Facts:

Dive Boat: The Voyager.  Like many dive boats along the gulf coast, a former oil industry craft converted for use in the dive community.  Repowered less than a year ago with a big turbo diesel, it is one of the fastest boats of this type I’ve been on.  Not a lot of frills on board the Voyager; this boat is all business.  The entire aft section is covered by a tarp that supplies lots of shade.  With a trip like this, you’ll need it.  The bow is available for those that like to toast themselves on the melanoma deck.  The Voyager is a six-pack captained by Richard Johnson of Aquatech Charters.  Richard’s home page on the web: www.aquatechcharters@yahoo.com or phone 850-871-1799.  Drinks and fruit provided.  Bring your own sandwiches.  A fresh water hose is available back at the dock to rinse your gear.

Dive Site: Sunk in 1942 by a German U-boat about 20 miles off the coast of Port St. Joe, the Empire Mica is Panama City’s largest wreck at 465 feet in length.  The wreck is in about 115 feet of water and to say it is the area’s most exciting dive is an understatement.  We made three dives here and that is not nearly enough to explore the wreck properly.  Historical information and photographs of the Mica are available on the web at http://64.135.15.205/aue/mica.htm

Dive Shop: We used Dixie Divers of Panama City, located at 109 West 23^rd Street.  A well equipped dive store with every thing you could possibly need.  I’m more familiar with the stores in the Panama City Beach area, so this part of town was a learning experience.  But it was conveniently located, less than ten minutes to our accommodations and to the boat dock.  www.dixiedivers.net

The Dives: All three conducted on Nitrox 32%.

1.     Max Depth                 106 ft

        Dive Time                 30:40

        Water Temp              82 surface / 72 bottom

2.     Surface Interval          1:26

        Max Depth                 109 ft

        Dive Time                 24:00

        Water Temp               81 surface / 72 bottom

 3.     Surface Interval          1:51

         Max Depth                 108 ft

         Dive Time                 32:20

         Water Temp               81 surface / 72 bottom

Flower Garden - by Paul S Dovie                                                                  

     This was my first trip to the Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary, but by no means my last.  I had heard a lot about the Flower Garden from different people and had planned in 1997 to make the trip with the Scuba Company at that time owned by John Nuckley.  Things did not work out so it was put off, my mistake. I started to look into making the trip again by looking for shops that book the trip and I found Caribbean Dive shop in Metairie La (Bucktown, USA for those that know the New Orleans area).  There was a trip for the first part of August 2002 that only had a few booked, and I contacted my dive buddies in Jacksonville, Jimbo and Greg to see if they were interested.  I had a bite from both because they could get time off from work, so I booked the trip in April and the wait started.     

     What to pack for the trip came next. I packed my clothes just as if I was going on a four day trip, NO WAY, you will be diving and eating and sleeping. A change of swimsuit and something to sleep in along with the clothes you wear to the boat and plan to wear home will do.  Make sure you have personnel items.  As for your dive gear, a second regular is not a bad idea because you will be 100 miles out in the gulf.

     We arrived on Sunday night August 4, 2002 and boarded the M/V Fling. We found our bunks, which are on a first come basis.  After finding our bunks we set up our gear to be ready in the morning to dive, and got under way.  We all gathered in the galley for a briefing by the captain and divemasters then retired to our bunks for a good nights sleep. 

     When we were awakened, the Fling was tied to the mooring buoy #2 on the West Bank, and a continental breakfast was ready for those who wanted to eat something.  The pool was open and in we went!  Before entering, the divemaster asked for your bunk number and checked to see that your air is on.  The first dive started at 7:01 am and the light was somewhat low but still a good dive.  I did not bring my video on that dive because I do not have video lights.  It is very easy to get turned around when diving the Flower Garden so make sure to get a heading if you plan to swim out a way from the mooring line.

     The first day you will make five dives with a two hour and thirty minute surface interval, with the last dive being a night dive.  On the second day there are four dives planned with a three-hour surface interval and a night dive.  The third day three dives are planned, but it did not work out, as the gulf got very rough. The surface interval will start when the last dive boards the boat. 

Locations were Flower Garden West Bank Buoy #2 and #4, Flower Garden East Bank buoy #6, Stetson buoy #2 & #1

     My bottom times were shorter than Jim and Greg as I was video taping on most of the dives.  I hope to have the video edited soon and loaded up to the web page.  The Stetson is probably one of the best places to videotape because of the abundance of juvenile life there.  You will find many species from Goby to Grouper, Blenny to Angelfish and Butterflyfish to Filefish.  I was able to catch two nice Porcupine fish playing together if that is what you want to call it.  You will not be able to turn without seeing at lest one or more Trunkfish. On the first dive on the Stetson, I found a large Scrawled Filefish and taped him for some time.  One note of caution, the Stetson has a very large number of Sea Urchins, so be careful where you place your hands. When you dive the Stetson, one thing you will notice is the absence of coral, but Sponge is everywhere.  The Stetson is one place I would like to dive for two to three days without leaving the area.  This is one place you cannot take in everything in three days.  

     Conditions at the Flower Garden while we were there was the best that you could ask for.  There was no current to speak of and the surface had a very light role.  While the trip back in on the third day was rough, conditions were ideal.  After being on the boat for three days, it took four days to get my land legs back.  On the first stop to gas up the car, as I was pumping the gas, I noticed that I felt like my head was spinning.  Jim and Greg both had that same feeling. 

I give it 5 stars.