| Current Conditions Gulf of Mexico | |
| Hot!
Gulf temps are in the 80 - 85 degree area. Bring
a bath robe! We have been having some of the best vis in
years for this time of the year. 30 to 50 feet on average
with day of 75 feet! Fishing in shallow has slowed a bit. As the water warms, the fish will move to deep cooler waters or move north to cooler waters. Also it is important that baitfish be present, as the fish you want will be following the bait. I went diving on last month of off Hernando Beach in about 30' feet of water. The water temp was 85 degrees and vis was in the 35 foot plus area. Some current due to the moon phase, but not too much to handle. We were diving patch rocks and reef, 2 to 3 feet in height. We surface fished before we dove and caught 15 or so Grouper and kept 3. Most of the 30 foot diving in that area is marked with old stone crab traps. TIP! Stone crab season starts in October of every year. A week before opening. The commercial trappers toss out their traps. They usually will work the bottom north/south dropping traps on every break they record. Most of these guys have been around a while and know the Gulf bottom really well. I get some of my best shallow water numbers by checking the bottom near traps. Each trap marker buoy is colored differently to ID the commercial trapper's traps. After a while you can figure out which buoys to look for based on your previous results. Additional info at: www.scubatampa.com/faqsgdive.html |
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"Flipper" |
Two hours
south of Miami on US 1 is Grassy Key, an island in the
heart of the Florida Keys. At mile marker 59, on the Gulf
side, stands a 30-foot concrete statue of a mother and
baby dolphin. This marks the entrance to the Dolphin
Research Center (DRC) http://www.dolphins.org, a facility devoted to education
and public awareness. It is also the final resting place
of the most famous dolphin ever -- Mitzi, better known to
the world by her stage name, Flipper. Back in the early sixties, the DRC was known
as Santini's Porpoise School. Milton Santini, a pioneer
in dolphin husbandry and training, ran it. Mitzi, was
Santini's first pupil, and was picked to star as Flipper
in the original movie (with "Branded star"
Chuck Connors), which was filmed at the School.
Mitzi left no children but Mr. Gipper did.
His daughter, Tursy, is also a fine tail-walker.
See my tribute to Mike Nelson at: http://www.scubatampa.com/fla.html. Some of the best tributes on the net to Sea Hunt can be found at: http://www.diverlink.com/seahunt and http://www.mnsi.net/~bjackson/page2.htm
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Crystal River |
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Manatees!
There are still Manatees at Crystal River. But the heard
has moved out to sea. There are 50 or in the park all
year round, but you have to look a little harder to find
them. I always find manatee! |
![]() Manatee |
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| Calendar | ||
![]() Crystal River ![]() Manatee at 3 Sisters ![]() Don't make me do it! |
See: www.scubatampa.com/calendar.html |
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Safety and Training |
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ZEAGLE RECALL: Flathead VI, 50D, Envoy, DS IV Regulators Zeagle Systems, Inc. is recalling 931 first stage scuba regulators sold between January 20, 2003 and May 19, 2003. If you have one of these regulators it is essential to take it to your dealer for immediate repair. Do not attempt to dive with this regulator again until the regulator has been inspected by an authorized Zeagle dealer. The first stage regulators
affected are the following models:
The serial numbers are stamped on each first stage body. Zeagle regulators that have been serviced since January 20, 2003 may also be affected. These first stage regulators may have a defective high-pressure seat that could cause the first stage to over-pressurize. If this occurs, the air supply to the diver could be interrupted, making it impossible for the diver to breathe from the regulator. This type of failure is most likely to occur upon initial pressurization of the regulator and is unlikely to occur underwater. If you own one of these regulators, take it to your authorized Zeagle dealer for a free inspection and repair. Call 1-800-771-5568 or contact any authorized Zeagle dealer for information on obtaining a free repair. Zeagle Systems, Inc. is located at 37150 Chancey Rd., Zephyrhills, FL 33541. Further information is also available on Zeagle's web site at www.zeagle.com See also: US Consumer Product Safety Commission: (Recalls in General) http://www.cpsc.gov/ (Scuba Recalls) http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/recalldb/prodpr.asp Cyber Diver News Network: http://www.cdnn.info/recall/recall.html |
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Wildlife Commission OKs Rule Changes for Spiny Lobster Harvests |
| Associated Press June 2, 2003, 11:59 AM EDT TALLAHASSEE -- Harvesting of spiny lobsters in Florida waters will be subject to new rules approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The rules, approved Thursday, lower limits for recreational spiny lobster harvests because of concern about rising harvest rates, particularly in the Florida Keys. The new rules are designed to reduce the number of traps while also cutting down biological and environmental problems, the FWCC said. The regular recreational harvest season for spiny lobster runs from August 6 through March 31. New rules will eliminate the old 24 lobster per vessel limit allowing instead only a six lobster per person per day limit. Commission members also changed a special two-day spiny lobster season in Biscayne National Park. At the request of park management, the spiny lobster limit will be reduced there from 12 to six per person, per day. Another important rule change will prohibit taking spiny lobster from illegal artificial habitat. Lobster fishermen sometimes dump bathtubs, dumpsters or other large objects overboard where they then attract hundreds of spiny lobster. The new rules take effect in early July. Copyright (c) 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Visit Sun-Sentinel.com |
| Cool Web | |
| COOL WEB SITES |
Star
Wars Kid ~ You have to watch these in order, these are
so stupid and funny that you should fall off of your
chair like I did.... 1) http://iamtheonewho.com/videos/Star%20Wars%20Kid.wmv 2) http://iamtheonewho.com/videos/Star%20Wars%20Kid%20Remix.wmv 3) http://miamirice.net/video/starwarskidreloaded.wmv Nitrox Calculator ~ Here's a handy dandy calculator for Nitrox Users. http://www.scubatampa.com/pvcalc.html Previous Newsletters ~ Previous Newsletters go to: August 2002 Newsletter, October 2002 Newsletter, November 2002 Newsletter, December 2002 Newsletter, January 2003 Newsletter, February 2003 Newsletter, March 2003 Newsletter, April 2003 Newsletter, May 2003 Newsletter |
| Contact Us | |
Captain John Russell 813-966-6525 Cell Phone 24/7 scubatampa@earthlink.net |
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