Summer with the
SeaBunnies!
Here we go again! Another summer and it’s a blowin’ !! We have hurricanes and a
horrible case of red tide! Sure has limited our diving and beach fun! But our
Bunnies persevered and had some good times!
Peggy Gatliff organized a Shark Tooth Dive with Florida West Scuba School in
Venice on the Hammerhead boat off Venice Beach. Lisa B, Peggy, Tony, Tony's
niece and two kids, Frank Pernicano, and Dave Butler were aboard for four hours
in the water fanning the gravel for megladon teeth, dugong ribs, tiger shark
teeth, and ear bones.
Mark Renz from Fossil Expeditions came along and added to the information of
their finds, but the best find of all was the “Suntan Terrace” on Nokomis Beach
where Adrianne, Debbie Pernicano, Vicky Jensen, and Scott, Trevor, and Derek
Boing were found! Not to mention their pack of doggies! They actually had a drum
circle at sunset and belly dancers and crowds of people gathered for the
celebration of the setting sun. The best spent money was on the new blender with
a spiket for margaritas at the tiki bar! Thank you Gatliffs.
Since we all love east coast diving, trip leader, Deb Holtz put together a great
plan for the upper Keys. Despite a well organized trip, our group of eleven
Bunnies and their guests watched as Hurricane Dennis approached the Keys that
weekend. As a last ditch effort, Lisa Tatro and Lisa Boing headed out at 2am
Thursday morning from Pinellas County to Key Largo and caught an 8am charter on
the Scuba Doo to the 510-foot Speigel Grove wreck before the hurricane came.
As both of them pulled down the buoy lines, the current was ripping, but Lisa T.
managed to get down to 80 feet, camera in hand, and wrapped her legs around the
wheel house to take a few shots. The ship was an awesome sight as Lisa B. stayed
at 50 feet to inspect the plaque giving honor to those who helped sink this
large, yet laying on its side, artificial wreck. Huge schools of black grouper
swam in the deep blue catching a bite of bait.
Lisa B. got in one more much easier dive on the Benwood wreck and taking photos
of a couple of sharks and a large midnight blue parrot fish milling around. Upon
getting back to the boat, they both passed on an afternoon dive as the lack of
sleep and breakfast, combined with Dennis's wrath was upon them.
When they returned to the Ocean Suites, Mary Bergin had arrived and they took in
some sushi before retiring at a lovely condo on the water. Mary diligently hit
the homework and while the Lisas indulged in some early naps.
25 mph wind from Hurricane Dennis made diving on Friday impossible so Mary
headed back up Route 1 while the Lisas made the most of the slow moving
hurricane and took in some shopping and a couple of tiki bars on the way home.
When life hands you a lemon – make a margarita!
On Monday, Lisa B.'s husband come in to to her he had heard that the Speigel
Grove had uprighted. She didn't believe it until she found it on the internet!
It was true!
The minute Rita heard the Speigel Grove was upright, she was frantically calling
all her favorite dive shops in Key Largo. Even though the dive site was closed
for a short time – authorities wanted to make sure the ship was stable – all
dive operations were booked solid for diving on it. Finally, Rita was able to
secure two spots on a six-pack. But only to her horror, when she called the day
before leaving to check on sea conditions, she found out the dive operator
booked her for the wrong weekend!! Rita was afraid if she didn’t dive the wreck
now, it was gonna’ tip back over to its side and she will have missed it!! So
that operator found another six-pack boat who just happened to have a
cancellation! The “Dual Porpoise” was booked for Saturday afternoon on the
Grove. Relieved, they set out for the keys!
The boat ride out to the Grove on Saturday was calm, exchanging dive stories
with some good ol’boys from Georgia who do mostly cavern diving. Rita talked
about the dozen (or so) dives she has already dove on the sideways Speigel
Grove. But an upright Speigel Grove is a whole different dive they were all
looking forward to doing. The Dual Porpoise pulled up to the bow mooring line
and the current was ripping. They had to hold on to the line as they jumped off
the boat. Hand over hand down the mooring line trying to conserve air in the
ripping current and get down as fast as they could. Then down to 50’ and looking
– where’s the wreck? Sure enough, there behind them – was a standing Speigle
Grove – it didn’t even look like the same wreck! The wreck is much deeper now
with the deck starting at about 79’. Experts say the reason it stood up is while
it was on it’s side, the currents caused a ridge in the sand beneath it, where
they tied lines in a previous attempt to try to upright it. With the shifting
currents and strong tides caused by Hurricane Dennis, the Grove just nestled
itself into that ridge and snuggled itself in an upright position. It is
definitely a different dive, as Rita didn’t even recognize it when she got down!
They checked out the front compartments, before going around the side, going in
and finding the hallway that goes down the length of the main deck. This wreck
was originally set up to be sunk upright and all their preparations are still
there. The guidelines down the hallways are intact. The rooms are clean for good
exploring. Keep in mind debris shifted so some stuff is hanging down and some
passageways lead to dead ends. Rita used up all her bottom time inside the
forward main deck. The next day, Sunday morning, she was booked with another
dive operation for another go-around on the Grove. This boat was late getting to
the Grove and sure enough there were numerous boats already on the wreck. They
dive operation was so upset that the only open mooring was the stern, and it is
much deeper than the bow. Rita was happy since she dove the bow the day before.
This time, no current and the line down to the wreck was easy going. They
finally reach the landing dock at the stern and were already at 100’. The ease
of diving this vast open area was much appreciated as the viz was beam to beam
(about 80’). The cranes crossed over top and were an excellent photo opportunity
as they were covered in growth. They worked their way around as much as they
could at that depth, but it wasn’t until they made it midship and found the
bronze plaque dedicated to the organizers of this artificial reef. Now, Rita
finally believed it was the same dive!! She highly recommends booking a dive
trip to this wreck as soon as you can!!
Mary T wasn’t gonna’ let red tide get her down. She took off and dove the Middle
Grounds one week. It was good to see clear blue water with lots of American Red
Snappers, Hogfish, Grouper, and AJs. All is alive and well in the Grounds and,
as always, everything was big. She came back with lots of fish. Groupers weighed
15 to 20 lbs each, Hogs 10 to 15 lbs each, Snappers 6 to 12 lbs each, and AJs 10
to 25 lb
In between hurricanes, Rita took off for the Caribbean. Even though Rita has
been to the Cayman Islands numerous times, this was her first time staying and
diving the East End. The diving on that side is outstanding! Just picture the
complex walls that you find in Cozumel, combine that with pristine coral found
in Bonaire, and the visibility of Cayman waters - that's what diving the east
end is all about! Because that part of the island is so off the beaten path,
there is only one dive operation, Ocean Frontiers,
http://www.oceanfrontiers.com
specifically dedicated there. So when you're diving, it's just your group in the
water (unlike the crowded waters of Cozumel). The walls were fantastic with
canyons, tunnels, swim-thrus, arches, all dropping off to 6000'+. Unfortunately,
she didn't have camera (technical problems) but the photography opportunities
were superb! Even the shallow second dives were phenomenal - exploring tunnels
filled with schooling tarpon!
She stayed at a 2bedroom/2bath oceanfront condo at Compass Point. The dive boat
was docked below and she just had to walk out of the condo wearing swimsuit and
step on the boat. The gear was already on and set up. They even provided the
towels! After leisurely diving, she just walked off the boat! They took care of
her gear - washing, storing it and bringing it back on the boat the next day!
This was a true vacation! The water temp was a consistent 82 degrees. Seas were
flat.
Remember, Grand Cayman was severely hit by a Class 5 Hurricane Ivan last
September. We all saw the pictures of what a Class 4 Hurricane Charlie did to
Punta Gorda and elsewhere in Florida. And you know that the whole island of
Grand Cayman was closed to visitors for months after Hurricane Ivan. Well, I'm
happy to report -- the island doesn't look too bad considering what it's been
through!! I'm not going to make light of it -- there is damage -- many hotels
are still closed and will be for some time (all construction materials have to
be shipped in). But most hotels are all up and running! Seven mile beach is as
beautiful as ever! The turtle farm is fine and "Hell" is still there! Downtown
Georgetown still bustles with tourists (there were four mega-cruise ships when I
was there). The roads are cleared, but you will still see fallen trees
throughout the land. All debris have been hauled off to landfills (remember
Hurricane Andrew??) but those areas are in the interior and fenced off.
What surprised her was the villages. Most all the locals' homes were fine -
maybe a little roof patch-up here and there. But the huge mansions were a
different story! You know multi-millionaires like to hide their money in Cayman,
they also like to built huge mansions there too. It was astonishing that they
would spend all that money to built these 8,000+ sq feet vacation homes, but not
install hurricane glass or shutters! I'd drive down the road and see these
enormous homes that were perfectly intact, except that ALL the windows were
blown out! The roofs, columns, all exterior were fine - but the interior is lost
because of cheap windows! Not very smart!
She is happy to report -- all the reefs are fine. But the diving remains
fantastic! If you haven't made your vacation plans for this year, or you're
thinking about next year - think about the East End.
The SeaBunnies had their 5th Wednesday get together at Rusty Bellies. It was a
great get together with 25 Seabunnies and friends!
We welcome our newest Sea Bunny Member Claire Mulcahy! Lisa Tatro brought Claire
to her third function at our latest fifth Wednesday, and we voted her in. Lisa B
has been hard at promoting the Seabunnies club and enticing new members and
getting former members to get active again. This has been a great year so far!
Upcoming events are a fossil expedition again with Mark Renz. More details to
follow at our meetings, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month.
BUNNIE
BOARD:
GROUPER
Lisa Tatro 6.1 lbs
Lynn Jones 6.5 lbs
Mary Taylor 50 lbs
HOGFISH
Mary Taylor 3.5 lbs
Lisa Tatro 5 lbs
SNAPPER
Lisa Tatro 3.2 lbs
Mary Taylor 5.3 lbs
SHEEPSHEAD / TRIGGERFISH/ FLOUNDER
Lisa Tatro (Trigger Fish) 2 lbs
AMBERJACK / BARRACUDA / COBIA
Mary Taylor AJ 18 lbs
LOBSTER
Mary Taylor (Slipper Lob)
¾ lb.
Lisa Tatro
(Slipper Lob) ¾ lb.
SAVE OUR SEAS
Mary Taylor - Total points = 1
Lisa Tatro - Total points
= 3
Lisa Boing - Total points = 5
Rita Fitzpatrick - Total points = 14
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| ST. PETERSBURG UNDERWATER CLUB |
The 2005 St. Pete Open
"The World's Largest Spearfishing Tournament"
Congratulations to all the participants of the 2005 St. Pete Open! We had
250 shooters and participants who came from all over Florida and many parts
of the country to be a part of the tournament. Several legends of the sport
including Jay Riffe and Ditmar Biller came from as far as California to be a
part of this years event.
We even had a reporter from one of the largest European spearfishing
magazines fly all the way from Greece to cover the story!
The following is a list of the first place winners:
Grouper- Chris Hill -
91.2 lbs
Snapper- Chad Palan -
18.1
Amberjack- Ken Jones - 82.7
Hogfish- Douglas Strott, Sr.- 16.7
Cuba/Cobia- Jeff Steele - 54.3
Lobster- James Ravioli - 8.8
Sheephead- John Hermes - 7.6
Freediver's- Chad Palan - 130.3 points
Women's- Sheri Daye -
44.3 agg.wt
Junior's- Gina Hedrick -
31.8 agg wt
The 2005 St. Pete Open went off without any problems! Well Almost! Well it
did go pretty smooth thanks to preparation and a great volunteer crew. There
were so many who went beyond the scope of volunteering and we want to give a
HUGE THANKS to all of them!
We would also like to thank our very generous sponsors who helped make the
40th annual tournament a huge success!
As usual, the 2005 St. Pete Open was full of big fish stories and the
stories of the one's that got away. What tournament wouldn't be great
without big fish stories? Some of the stories that were told were of people
going out more than 100 miles by boat trying to get a big fish. Some people
driving across the state trying to find their top fish and one guy that
drove 30 minutes from his house and walked to his spot and was done by 8:15
in the morning and claimed a glass trophy. I heard that he got to the tiki
hut at noon to start some early drinking activities.
For the second year in a row the St. Pete Open had another world record fish
shot in it. Last year a world record mangrove snapper was shot during the
tournament and this year it was a monster black margate that Gary Sanchez
shot. Way to go Gary!!
Sundays award presentation was heavily attended and saw the distribution of
nearly 50 thousand dollars worth of trophies, prizes and gift certificates!
The St. Pete Underwater Club also raffled off the St. Pete Open's original
artwork painted by famed wildlife artist Thomas Krause on Sunday and gave
all the proceeds to the Fishing Rights Alliance to help promote and defend
the rights of all spearfisherman.
In addition, the new tournament location at the Holiday Inn Sunspree resort,
near the Skyway bridge proved to be an outstanding new venue for both the
tournament and the competitors.
Many participants turned the event into mini vacations as the resort was
filled to near capacity with competitors and their families.
Now that we have the kinks worked out of our new tournament location, expect
next years tournament to be even bigger and better!
Next Island Party-?
This party is free food and beverages to all 2005 St. Pete Open
participants, advertisers, volunteers and helpers. Check out our site at:
www.spearfishingspuc.org for
date and time.
P.S. You don't need a boat to get to the island. We will have a water taxi
service.
New SPUC Officers for 2005
and 2006
President: Dennis O'Hern
Vice-President: Scott Hooker
Secretary: Ritchie Zacker
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| ROWDIES |
SUNCOAST REEF ROWDIES
Competition time is here! We have been preparing since August 1, 2004
through the end of this month – September 30, 2005. We are a diverse group
and not everyone competes in everything. We have Shells, Fossils,
Spearfishing, Man-made artifacts, Save our Seas and Photography categories.
We really haven’t made a big group effort for the “save-our-seas” category –
this is one we could improve on guys!!
What great finds will be entered with the fossils found in the water of the
Brandon Shell Pit, diving off Venice, or the Peace River. Our first trip to
go to the Peace River had to be abandoned because the water was too high –
so plan “B” - off to the Brandon Shell Pit we went. We make an interesting
group in all kinds of sun gear. Bunnies joined us on this one. I know Pat
found a nice horse tooth.
Shells we find all over from the Gulf to the Bahamas. UNGH – you have
to clean them up.
Red tide was devastating this year. This certainly affected the spearfishing.
It killed everything in its path. Steve and Ruth will have some entries, I’m
sure. They have reported mass killing of everything from Goliath Grouper to
crabs and coral. It is terrible.
This year we will see how the new photography rules for competition have
worked out. What’s new this year? It’s the expansion of digital photography
from one small category to designating digital as a type of photography
along side of 35mm photographs. Rowdies have been taking pictures all over:
we went to crystal river with the manatees, Ginnie Springs in the
caves/caverns, drift diving over to Boynton Beach, and of course, out in the
Gulf. (Lori and Ed are going to Boynton Beach a second time this month –
what a time for me to get a virus that won’t go away!) I’m sure there will
be some Southern Open Derby photos entered and Pat’s Isla Mia trip to the
Bahamas in July this year offered many great “photo ops.” Some of us have
had other trips that might yield photo entries also. You can just do “top
side” if underwater isn’t possible. Almost all of us enter photos.
Judging for all but the Photography will be in October – the suspense goes
until our December Holiday and Awards Banquet to see all those winning photo
entries.
If you are interested in any of these activities – join us. If you just want
to dive with a family oriented group – join us. If you want to have a
dive/travel related program each month – join us. We are a really nice group
of people – join us!
Let’s get wet!
Sonia
OCEAN PALS
04/05
The following photos are of the Ocean Pals Poster Contest for 2005. Sonia
and Ken Smith coordinate this affair for the FSDA. The photos were taken by
Sonia. The event was held in Ft Lauderdale.
1ST PLACE NATIONAL - 1ST PLACE FLORIDA |
1ST NATIONAL - 1ST FLORIDA |
1ST NATIONAL - 1ST FLORIDA |
3RD PLACE NATIONAL - 3RD FLORIDA |
3RD PLACE NATIONALS - 3RD FLORIDA |
3RD PLACE NATIONALS - 3RD FLORIDA |
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