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

"Flipper"

Died 1972 Grassy Key, Florida

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.

It may shock most of you to learn that Flipper was a female, although a male stunt dolphin, by the name of Mr. Gipper, did all of Flipper's tail-walking (Mitzi never could master that trick). Nevertheless, the dolphin who nudged wayward boats to safety, knocked guns out of poachers' hands with well-timed leaps, pleased the local kids with all her tricks, and warned Bud and Sandy whenever danger lurked, was a lady.

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 made the film and the TV series a hit, and she became a big celebrity at Grassy Key. When she died of a heart attack, she was buried beneath a dolphin statue in the School's courtyard. The DRC maintains the grave, and in her honor they always make it the first stop on the tour. A small plaque reads:

Mitzi left no children but Mr. Gipper did. His daughter, Tursy, is also a fine tail-walker.

Zipper, Flipper's evil twin will be a subject of another article.

Post Script:

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

Theme to "Flipper" (The TV Series)

(Beginning of Show)

They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
no-one you see, is smarter than he,
and we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
flying there-under, under the sea!

(End of Show)

Everyone loves the king of the sea,
ever so kind and gentle is he,
tricks he will do when children appear,
and how they laugh when he's near!

They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
no-one you see, is smarter than he,
and we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
flying there-under, under the sea!

Download "Flipper Theme" at: http://www.scubatampa.com/sound/flipper.mid Flipper is now a page at: http://www.scubatampa.com/flipper.html

Crystal River

Manatee at 3 Sisters

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!

Additional info on manatees at: www.scubatampa.com/manatee.html and www.scubatampa.com/manateefacts.html

See:  www.scubatampa.com/calendar.html
and www.scubatampa.com/classes.html for additional information.

Former students may go diving on training days for tune-ups and fun ($15.00 per person, plus cost of dive, if applicable)

Safety and Training

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

Wildlife Commission OKs Rule Changes for Spiny Lobster Harvests

Captain John Russell

813-966-6525 Cell Phone 24/7

scubatampa@earthlink.net