Dive Report: Datura Ave, North Side of 2nd Reef Line

Photos:
http://www.geocities.com/tiswango/1018daturan/

Team: Andrea, Charlie, Matt

Conditions
Seas; Flat, building to 1 ft
Air Temp: 82
Water Temp: 82
Sunny
Visibility: 30ft
Current: none
Surge: Minimal
Depth: 17ft
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

We scored a rock star parking spot at 8 AM and headed over to Mulligan's for breakfast.After we fueled up we went back to gear up. Andrea would lead, Charlie would be number 2 and I would be the third guy to practice following. Something I'm not very good at. While we were getting up I watched an instructor prepare a discover scuba student for a beach dive. He explained that if she did well they could got catch some lobster. I bit my tongue. As we performed our equipment checks I watch another two divers head in, one with a Mares pneumatic speargun and the other dragging lobster gear.

The calm seas made for a quick swim out to the snorkel trail. Visibility was great so we found it with ease. The hunting team was hovering around the ballast pile. I assumed the gun was loaded so we hovered slightly away and watched them. He was poking the gun into the holes and I began to wonder, "He's not going to try to shoot anything there, is he?" After all my fish counts, I know there are no game fish except...... "POP!"... I hear the gun go off. Out from a hole swims a 10 inch Red Grouper with a hole in is back. This grouper had lived in the ballast pile for the past 6 months. I turned on the PA system in my regulator, "WTF" I shouted. "Its not NEAR legal size! What are you thinking?" I was enraged!

The lobster buddy was kneeling in the sand in the PADI training position. The spearfisherman reloaded his gun and looked around for the grouper. The buddy just raised his hands at me gesturing "I don't know?" I weighed my options. I wanted to shut his gas off, but if he drown, that would be hard to explain to the judge. There was the James Bond, pull the mask off move, but I didn't want to wrestle with this guy. I hovered, motionless 2ft away and starred this guy down. Charlie was right on my wing doing the same thing. The fish's fate was sealed, if he bagged it, I would swim out and call FWC with his license plate number. They would have been there and waited for him.

The shooter lost the fish and felt my presence. He turned towards me and kept trying to ask me a question. I was motionless. Finally he game me the thumb, which I returned and we surfaced. I asked, "What is the legal length to spear a grouper in the state of Florida?" He responded, "I don't know?" But tried to cover himself by asking, "How did I know it was a Grouper?" I told him it was a 10-12 inch juvenile Red Grouper also known as a Strawberry Grouper for a reddish skin and white dots. There must be 24 inches are greater to shoot, and this one wasn't close. He replied, "I didn't know how big it was, it was hiding in the rocks." New topic, I asked, "How far to you have to be from the beach or pier to spear in the state of FL?" He replied, "I don't know?" I replied, "300 ft, so you need to be out on the second reef line and head South." Last question from me, "Does Ignorance of the law excuse you from following it?" This was the most classic response, "I've been spearfishing for over three years!" Charlie finished up with, "I think you need to put that spear gun in your car until you learn the laws regarding hunting." They humbly thanked us for the information, submerged and swam off with the gun. I floated on the calm surface for 5 minutes to relax and try to get back into the mindset for a happy dive.

We submerged on the trail and I found the grouper panting in a new hole in the rocks. We swam off East to begin our dive. I found a Sharptail Eel out feeding during the day. He swam right next to a crab with his arms up out in the open. They looked cool together, but I couldn't get the photo to capture the moment. We headed North on the second reef line to see the vast amounts of coral up there. We found four patches of Staghorn coral. I've never seen any there before so that was exciting. I found another upside down coral head, but this one had a lot of damage. I flipped it back over, but there isn't much tissue left to recover.

Andrea lead the way with the camera snapping photos of fireworms, juvenile Yellowtail Damselfish also know as Jewelfish and a rough head blenny (look close at photo datura093.jpg). Charlie and I ran some drills, we switched to deco bottles, passed the bottles back and forth, and Charlie ran a valve drill as I purged my reg over head by his ear.

We came right back to the snorkel trail and I saw the Red Grouper out swimming around. He has a serious wound and some skin flapping about. He was shot on the top of his back. At least it wasn't low and in his guts. I'll check back on him in a couple of weeks and see if he is still there.

While watching Andrea shoot a few more photos, I had this urge to take off all my gear and put it back on. Getting it off it easy. Getting back into it, with hoses and cords everywhere is a big pain! I could not have done with out Charlie's assistance. I have not done that since my Dive Master class over two years ago.

--Matt