So NOAA called the ocean report 3-5ft seas this weekend; however, some of the larger dive boats are able to handle these conditions so….we dive!
Boy we were glad to get out there is weekend…on May 13, Force-E was diving in Palm Beach and we did two dives on Breaker’s Reef. The water temperature was 76 degrees and the visibility was about 50ft. The current was a strong north and this made it easy to cover lots of reef and see lots of neat critters.
We titled today’s dives the Turtle Dive…we had sightings of many different species of sea turtles on these 2 dives: 3 Hawksbill, 8 Loggerhead, and 4 Green turtles.
Do you know how to ID sea turtles of Florida?
Green turtles are your most basic sea turtle. They have beautifully colored shells (greens and browns) that are tear-drop shaped and the shell has smooth ridges. This turtle’s shell is composed of five central scutes flanked by four pairs of lateral scutes. Green turtles have a smaller round head and on the surface of the turtle’s head it has a single pair of prefrontal scales.
Hawksbill turtles have a basic sea turtle body style but have unique differences that set them apart. Like their name says they have a beak-like mouth like a Hawk. The shell of a Hawksbill is very colorful like the green turtle but their scutes over-lay each other. Another unique feature is their saw-like edges on the rear of their shells.
Loggerhead turtles are a different type of turtle. What distinguishes them from other species is their large bodies along with a block head which it got its name, Loggerhead. Their coloration is pale compared to other species; they tend to have a pale yellow appearance.
So now you have a quick lesson in sea turtle ID, so take a look at the photos below and see if you can ID the turtles…
By Force-E’s Nikole Ordway
Do you have a special someone that you like to share your time with? What types of dates do you plan/go on?
We all like the traditional style dates…dinner and a movie…drinks and dancing…order take out and hang out at home…However, have you ever considered a diving date?
My boyfriend and I both work in the scuba industry, so you would think the last thing we would like to do together is dive, but that’s not true. One of our favorite “dates” is to go dive the Blue Heron Bridge together. We are both photographers so we enjoy pointing out neat critters to each other, and afterwards when we are going through the photos we get our fish id books out and chat about the dive. We plan this date during the day sometimes or sometimes we take advantage of the Force-E Free Blue Heron Bridge Night dive that occurs twice a month. The neat thing about diving is afterwards you tend to be hungry so bring a change of clothes and go out to one of the fun restaurants in the area.
Another idea is make it a boat date…get out and dive on a dive boats here in South Florida. You’ll notice that booking a dive boat allows you some time to get away together, like a mini vacation for 4-5 hours! Between the dives, if allowed, sit up on the bow of the boat and watch the flying fish skip across the water or maybe if you’re lucky a pod of dolphins will show up. You can go to any Force-E Dive Center and we can set you up with an awesome dive trip for the day.
Okay what if only one of you is a diver? No problem, give them the experience of a Discover Scuba Diving. So you might have a dive instructor along for this date; however, what a great way to show your loved one the joy you get from diving and who know maybe they’ll be hooked after it. Each Force-E Dive Center has instructors on staff and would love to help you get your honey in the ocean! Bring your camera along to create memories for you to share. My first dive with my boyfriend was on a reef and we had a lot of fun diving together, and we even stopped to pose for an underwater kiss photo! My favorite picture of us by far!
So next time you and your honey are sitting around thinking what to do…grab your dive gear! Go play and discover the ocean together…it will make you fall in love all over again.
We called it Cinco de Slayo because on May 5, 2012 we held an event that did just that!
The day started with a workshop by Lad Akins of REEF. In the workshop we learned about the lionfish invasion, the biology of the lionfish, the negative effects of their presence, and how to collect/catch them, filet them and eat them. He also talked about reporting your lionfish sightings and catches so that we can better understand where they are and the estimated populations on particular reefs. What a great way for recreational divers to help with science.
After the workshop, we jumped on the boat and went out to do two dives on 60ft reefs in Pompano Beach. The ocean was flat, the sun was out, and the water was a pretty blue with visibility top to bottom. First dive we were super excited to get in with all our lionfish gear…we dropped in and the first ledge we looked under had 3 huge lionfish hanging out. This was a great opportunity for us to try different catch techniques. Force-E Instructor, Missy, used a lionfish Hawaiian sling with 3 barbs to shoot the fish. Once she caught the fish she used her underwater scissors to cut the spines off the lionfish. We do this because their spines have venom in them and we recommend using puncture-proof gloves. Lad and Brandon of REEF decided to work as a team to catch lionfish using the bagging method. They work the bags around the fish and can pin it down to remove it from the reef. While they were doing this a small reef shark showed up to check out what we were doing…sorry Mr. Shark we aren’t sharing our catch because we are having a lionfish bbq after the dive!
Second dive was on a reef outside the opening of the Hillsboro Inlet. This dive was a patch reef and the vis was not as good here since the inlet stirs up the water. Found some lionfish on this reef too, so we caught them and add this to our collection for the day. Final count…48 Lionfish!
Once we got back to the dock, Lad showed us how to measure and record the length of each fish then how to filet it. Lionfish is good to eat; it’s a sweet white meat and can be prepared many ways. REEF has a cookbook for different lionfish recipes and Force-E has copies for sell if you would like to try some of them. For the bqq we deep-fried the filets and made fish tacos in honor of Cinco de Slayo!
If you missed our event, don’t worry, we’ll be pairing with REEF again to offer this great event again soon!
Want to learn more about Rebreather Diving? Check out this blog by Force-E’s James Weber
Ever surface from a dive and think to yourself, wow I wish I had more time? In the past we could stay a little longer by getting a bigger tank and then filling it with Nitrox, but still we would end up having to come up way before we wanted to. Now imagine being able to stay down for up to 6 hours regardless of depth.
Force-E is bringing the new Hollis Prism2 rebreather into the mix. This unit fashioned after the units that Navy SEALS use, will allow you this and much more. If you’re a photographer, this technology is for you. This unit allows you to get much closer to sea life since there are NO BUBBLES to scare them away. Look at the shots the pros get, they get them using rebreathers.
Force-E Boca Raton is hosting a Rebreather Explorer Day on June 9th at the Boca Pool. Come try out the unit and feel what it’s like to really be a fish. You only need your Open Water certification and a curiosity of what it’s like to breath effortless under water using the same technology Navy SEALS use.
On April 22, 2012 a group of Force-E divers set out to dive for Sharks on Earth Day. Project Aware encouraged divers all around the world to dive for sharks this year and to make sure they took the PADI Shark Conservation Diver course and sign the petition. It is time to get these sharks the protection they need. Sharks are being wiped out in all oceans. It is estimated that 38 million sharks are killed each year, and at this rate we are driving them into extinction. They might be a great predator but humans have far surpassed their abilities.
Sharks are apex predators which means they are on top of their ecosystem. When we wipe them out we create an unbalance of all the other organisms in this ecosystem: the fish, the reef, and even the macroalgae. Overfishing is the main cause of the rapid decline in shark populations, and the second top threat is bycatch from fishing methods. The demand for shark products, like their fins and meat, has made every species of shark a target.
In 2011, President Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act. The new law prohibits any boat to carry shark fins without the corresponding number and weight of carcasses, and all sharks must be brought to port with their fins attached. Within the US, states like Hawaii, CA, WA, OR, and IL have enacted legislation making it illegal to possess, sell or distribute shark fins. These are all steps in the right direction and we encourage other countries to take a stand.
Worldwide there are countries that realize the value of sharks alive. Countries like Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Bahamas, Australia, Honduras, Colombia, Chile, the Maldives, and Palau have all created shark sanctuaries. In 2011, the Marshall Islands became home of the largest shark sanctuary (four times the size of CA) where no commerical fishing is allowed and no possession of shark products.
So what Can Divers do to Help Sharks…
- Be aware of what you are eating, download the Seafood Watch App for your phone.
- Get a Save Our Seas Florida license plate, which supports ocean exploration, water quality studies and a variety of innovative offshore and inshore research programs
- Get out and dive with sharks, learn the best practices when observing sharks and support countries with shark sanctuaries.
- Push for shark-free marinas
- When fishing, use Catch & Release methods and Use circle hooks
- No not buy shark products: teeth & jaws, shark cartilage pills, shark meat, shark skin used to make leather, and some cosmetics have shark it them.
- Support government bans, know the Florida shark bans
- Join Shark Savers, and the SharksCount program
- Sign the Project Aware Petition
- Join Project Aware’s My Ocean site
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