Andrew and Merry check out something on the bottom.
This is the infamous “pencil” dive! Love the above/below moment!
Lobster dinner on a high adventure trip? This is living!
But why do they look so skeptical? Maybe the camera interferes with their delicate constitution…..
Gearing up.
This guy was alway in a good mood! And always ready to help out! Andrew, you are a good egg!
See what I mean, here he’s unfurling the dive flag as the rest of the crew gears up.
Waiting until you are on deck to take off your mask shows you have experience and common sense. Good job, Benjamin!
Uh huh. Ben is still eyeing the lobsters…..
Another perfect giant stride.
William on the assist.
This rainbow parrot fish is a big boy!
Breakfast buffet–a big spread for our morning at the dock.
We take advantage of the table on the dock to clean the lobsters. Many hands make for lighter work.
I think Benjamin is mopping drool–his eyes are glued to the grill full of lobster…..
Creole wrasse, this photo does not do justice to their vibrant colors!
More lobster dinner action. With extra gravy!
Dave cheesing for the camera.
Ascending….
I couldn’t quite capture it, but Dave can blow some perfect bubble rings!
Dave jumping in for the night dive.
Back from the deep!
Deck scene during the night dive. I love this camera! You can even make out the moon in the sky!
Captain Denny points out the dive area.
We had to rush dinner for the night dive! But it was worth it!
Descending….
Near dark, you can see the lights of the divers on the surface.
In the lower right hand corner, you can see two divers on the surface. They are ready to descend for the night dive.
Every one loves jumping off the side of the boat!
Sargent Majors and Yellowtail Snappers
But we got fortunate, the storms cleared just before dusk. A fabulous night dive was had by all. Though there were plenty of moon jellies to dodge during the dive.
Gearing up for the night dive. It almost didn’t happen, storms were around all day long!
The cheat sheet for the seabase grace was used all week long.
Lovely….
The yellowtail are way too fast to catch like that!
More Ian.
Ian had a brief night dive because he couldn’t equalize.
More evidence, son assists (maybe advising, could it be?!?!)
Quite a look of concentration.
Another of those somewhat rarely photographed moments…..son helping father!
Why don’t you have a hold of the tagline, my funny looking friend?
Ian diving.
Half of our lobster catch fits on the grill at one time!
Crew leader peeping down the hatch!
Beat it! (yust yolking! he never knew the foot was so close! ) Ian, you are a good sport! This photo is payback for all the “tongue sticking out” shots you netted me!!!!!
Free diving.
Jaguar shark (that’s what we call the colorful dive skin) ready to night dive!
Megan and the ship’s varmit!
Into the blue….
Megan is pointing out a yellowtail snapper that looks a little odd.
Good form!
Happy diver!
More gearing…..
And the lady is ready to dive.
Logging dives while the cabin is clear. It’s an unusual peaceful moment. The kids were normally playing rather boisterous card games at the table.
Merry has a perfect landing on her giant stride. This is not her first rodeo!
Long Island Mike watches over the divers. His diving was cut short by an ear infection. Fortunately there is a physician that will make house calls, so he got it looked at and some antibiotics while we were in port for our midweek break.
Post dive routine.
More striding!
William took a hard hit from a moon jellyfish. He’s had a very strong reaction to the contact. But we remind him, “chicks dig scars!” Be sure to show all the ladies back home your war wounds, man!
The moon was out for the night dive. We really lucked out.
Just a cool shot!
The whole gang on the bow, just before we say our goodbyes.
When removing your fins at the surface, you should always have a hold of the tagline. Good job, Ian!
Benjamin worked hard at galley duties, too! But for the life of me, I have no idea why he is pouring pancake batter from a paper plate. Creative cooking, I guess!
Giant stride into glassy waters.
We saw a few rainbows this week!
A safe slow acent is the way to end every dive.
Helping out again, here’s Andrew stirring eggs. And it wasn’t even his day for galley duty. Hope your crew appreciates your effort, because I certainly did!
A storm just missed us, but looked quite ominous.
Here’s what stressed coral looks like. Patches of algae compete for space on the reef where other coral polyps have died off. The water has been hot lately, so this coral is bleaching out too. Notice the paler polyps, they have purged their symbiotic algae that not only give the coral color, but helps the coral gain nutrients/food.
Beautiful sunsets are seen nightly.
Happy crew on the foredeck!
I think this is a happy face?!?! Should be, it’s LOBSTER NIGHT!
William and Kent talking to Dave (see him in the water, visible between the two).
William assisting Phil pre dive
We spotted a few black durgeon on the reef.
A big school of blue tang came swimming by.
Then a couple of big parrot fish decided to swim along as well.
This rainbow parrotfish is a biggie!
Blue tang.
Checking out the tang from a little closer.
More boy scout adventure from the liveaboard Schooner Conch Pearl, in the Florida Keys!
