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David "Rainmaker" Mauldin's
Scuba Dive Log

Dives 1041 - 1042: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 23, 2014)The water is still warm for this time of year; 79 - 80 at the surface and 77 degrees at my maximum depth of 52 feet. However, it was a cool and windy day and both Lance and I got chilled on our surface interval and when we exited the water. I made 2 dives and the maximum depths were 52 and 42 feet. The times were 28 and 27 minutes. The lake is down; the depth was 17 feet at the end of the diver's ramp, and 27 and 36 feet at the two training platforms. We hope to make a few more trips before the weather gets cold, but we're not sure the weather will cooperate.

Dives 1038 - 1040: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 14, 2014)Lance and I made these dives on a beautiful late summer day. The water is approaching its high temperature for the year and vis was surprisingly good. We made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 63, 61 and 46 feet. The times were 31, 25 and 23 minutes. The minimum temperature encountered at depth was 76 degrees and it was about 82 degrees on the surface. The depth at the end of the dive ramp was 25 ft. and it was 34 ft. at the first platform. We met a very nice young diver couple from Toccoa, GA; Ben and Tambi. They have been reading my dive log and were surprised to meet me. I was also surprised to meet them, because I had no idea anyone was actually reading my dive log. Lance and I enjoyed meeting and talking with them. After noticing the pro Second Amendment sticker in the back window of their truck, I invited them to the next Cowboy Action Shooting match in Toccoa, to be held on Sept. 13 at 9:00.

Dives 1035 - 1037: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 25, 2014)This was an interesting and fun day. It's not every trip that I forget my dive boots, learn some things about the side-mount system from an instructor, see a student blow-out a BCD and then get pummeled in the water by an over zealous Labrador Retriever that was following the bubbles of its owner. In between all the adventure I made 3 dives. The maximum depths were 48, 27 and 27 feet, and the times were 30, 20 and 25 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 75 degrees and it was about 80 degrees at the surface. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 25 feet, and it was 34 feet at the first platform.

Dives 1032 - 1034: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 17, 2014)Since I have been sick for the past month with what my doctor described as "an upper respiratory infection / bronchitis", Lance and I got a late start for our 10th year of diving at the lake. It was a beautiful and cool day for July, and I saw several people at the ramp and at the dive shop that I hadn't seen in a while. I had a great time making three dives. The times ranged from 21 to 25 minutes and my maximum depth was 41 feet. I didn't check the water temp at the surface, but it felt like low-to-mid 80's. The minimum temp I encountered at 41 feet was 75 degrees. Vis was good for the lake at 15 - 20 feet. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 24 feet and it was 34 feet at the first platform. It was great to be back (and able to dive again)!

Dives 1030 - 1031: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 20, 2013)Because of all the cool rainy weather this spring, Lance and I got a late start for our 9th year of diving together at the lake. It was a good thing we waited, because the water is colder now than it has ever been it at this time of year in the 9 years I've been diving there. It was 77 - 79 at the surface and a chilly 68 - 70 at 30 feet. Since we both got very cold, we made only two dives. The maximum depths were 30 and 25 feet and the lengths were 22 and 20 minutes. The lake is full for the first time in several years, at least 24 feet higher than last year. It was a beautiful early summer day and it was good to be back.

Dives 1026 - 1029: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 5, 2012)It's hard to believe than another year of diving is almost done at the lake, however, the water temperature is actually pretty warm for this time of year. Hopefully, we'll have a few more weeks to dive. This was a beautiful and warm day with hardly a cloud in the sky. I made four dives and the maximum depths were 40, 33, 26 and 37 ft. The lengths ranged from 21 - 23 minutes and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 40 ft. was 75 degrees. This was down only one degree from last week. The lake level is still very low. The depth at the first training platform was only 9 ft. I wore both pieces of my 7mm Arctic wetsuit today and was actually pretty comfortable. I was moderately overweighted with 18 pounds of weights.

Dives 1022 - 1025: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 26, 2012)This was a great day to be at the lake. It was sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in the sky. The water felt cooler, but according to my dive computer, the water temps dropped only 3 degrees between Sept. 13 and today. When Lance and I arrived, there was a huge hole in the ground at the edge of the ramp. By the time we left, there was a small prefabricated building in place that contained both male and female restrooms. Amid all the construction, I made four dives. The depths ranged from 30 to 53 feet and the lengths were 21 - 22 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 53 ft. was 76 degrees. The temp on the surface was about 78. The lake is still very low; the depth at the first platform was 10 feet. No snakes today!

Dives 1018 - 1021: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 13, 2012)Lance and I made these dives on a beautiful, early fall day. The water was warm, the sun was bright and the air was cool. It was a great day to be at the lake. While we were standing in shallow water near the end of the ramp during a surface interval, I saw a fairly large copperhead snake swimming about three feet behind Lance. I calmly asked him to move toward me and he did. It was a scary moment. Later, we saw two of the snakes a few feet from the side of the ramp. While dodging venomous reptiles, I made four dives. The depths ranged from 32 to 51 feet and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth was 79 degrees. Lance and I got wild variations from our dive computers concerning the surface temperature, but it felt like 82 - 84 degrees. The lake is down considerably; the depth at the first platform was only 9 feet.

Dives 1014 - 1017: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 24, 2012)It was good being back at the lake again with Lance. The day was sunny and hot like it is supposed to be this time of year and we had a very good day. We made 4 dives and my maximum depths ranged from 36 to 51 ft. The lengths ranged from 20 to 23 minutes and the minimum temperature I encountered was 80 degrees. I shot my lift bag from a depth of about 40 ft. on the last dive. I never get tired of seeing the bag fill with air and take off like a ballastic missle underwater. I forgot to check the temp on the surface but it was probably about 86 degrees. This is about as warm as the lake gets; the annual cool-down will begin in a few weeks.

Dives 1010 - 1013: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 3, 2012)These were the first dives I've made since my rib injury in Cozumel, Mexico last January. It still hasn't healed properly but it has been hot (beyond hot, actually). Lance and I wanted to go diving, so we went, anyway. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 23 minutes. The maximum depths were 32 - 41 ft. The water temperature at the surface was 82 - 83 degrees and the temperature at 41 ft. was 77 degrees. I had to laugh as Lance and I were suiting-up, both of us trying to get another day's use out of some nearly worn-out gear items we've had for years. It was good to be back at the lake diving with Lance.

Dives 1008 - 1009: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 20, 2012)These were the last boat dives I'll make this trip. The first dive was at Palencar Caves, a deep dive right on a wall that was nearly sheer at times. There's also a beautiful reef. The maximum depth was 102 ft. and the length was 53 minutes. It was the first 100 ft. dive I've made in a while. The second dive was at La Francesca. It was a little sad how the reef has deteriorated during the last few years. Some of the coral appears to be dying, and there is sand all over the reef. The maximum depth was 61 ft. and the length was 54 minutes. We saw several sharks (Nurse and Blacktips) along with turtles and rays. It is surprising how things continue to go wrong on this trip. Today my new $300 strobe (flash) stopped working. It was working fine on the first dive, and wouldn't work properly on the second dive. I suspect that the captain either dropped it or set it down too hard in the boat when I handed it up to him after the first dive, but I suppose I'll never know for sure.

Dives 1006 - 1007: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 19, 2012)I'm pretty sure I broke at least 1 rib yesterday shortly before the second dive. The boat had nearly stopped moving, and I reached over the side to rinse my mask. The boat encountered a wave and suddenly went up, then came down. I fell hard against the boat railing and felt something give in my rib-cage. It is pretty painful. I told them this morning I was hurt, but after they asked me to demonstrate the extent of my range of motion, they let me dive. However, I needed help with my weights, and after each dive I took off my rig in the water so I could climb the ladder without the extra weight. The captain failed to lock one of my weight-pockets into the BC properly, and I lost the weight pocket on the second dive. I just checked with ScubaToys, and a new set of weight pockets for my BC is $60. Live and learn. Anyway, the first dive was made at Maracaibo Bricks. There is a nice wall and a reef with lots of marine life. The maximum depth was 91 ft. and the length of the dive was 52 minutes. The second dive was at Columbia Shallows, and I think it was the first time I've been there. The maximum depth was 27 ft. and the length of the dive was 65 minutes. The water temp was about 75 degrees and viz was about 60 feet.

Dives 1004 - 1005: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 18, 2012)I went out on the 8:00 boat and the first dive was at Palencar Gardens. It is probably my all-time favorite divesite. In addition to a wall, there is a beautiful reef that has towering columns of coral. Some of the columns are over 30 ft. high. The reef is teeming with marine life. The length of the dive was 53 minutes and the maximum depth was 80 feet. Viz was about 60 ft. and the water temp was about 75 degrees. The second dive was at Cedral Reef. For a few minutes, it seemed almost like a shark dive. There were 4 or 5 large Nurse sharks swimming around like they owned the place, which I suppose they do. I'm getting the hang of my new camera, actually looked at the instruction manual on-line for the strobe (flash). It helps to get it set right; now I know what all the knobs and numbers mean. The length of the dive was 57 minutes and the maximum depth was 54 feet. Viz was about 60 ft. and the water temp registered as 77 degrees on my primary computer. I'm really glad I brought my 7/5, hood and boots.

Dive 1004: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 17, 2012)I dove on the reef in front of Blue Angel today and decided to make one long dive to see how much bottom time I could get out of one AL80 tank. The current was pretty bad and I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but I got 101 minutes of dive time. In addition, I got a few good photos. The maximum depth was 22 feet. Viz was about 60 feet and the water temp was 80 degrees.

Dives 1002 - 1003: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 16, 2012)I was back on the 11:00 boat today, and we returned to Cedral Wall and Paradise Reef. Even though I'd dived both sites just a few days ago, I didn't mind. There's very few places I'd rather dive than the wall, and the beautiful reef at Paradise never disappoints. We saw a very large Sting-ray right off the boat. The thing was about twice the size of my dining room table, one of the largest I've ever seen. Then there was a large turtle and a little later a sleeping 8-ft. Nurse shark. Later, at Paradise Reef there was a very large Moray eel, longer than I am tall. I got a half-way decent video of it swimming out of its crevice about 3 ft. away from me. The maximum depth at Cedral was 59 ft. and the length of the dive was 50 minutes. At Paradise, the maximum depth was 42 ft. and the length of the dive was 51 minutes. The water temp was about 80 degrees and viz was about 60 feet.

Dives 998 - 1001: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 15, 2012)This is the kind of day I dream about during a long, dreary north Georgia winter; gliding over my little reef while solo shore-diving with my camera, air and water temperature about 80 degrees. Viz was a little better today, probably about 80 feet. I made 4 dives and made my 1,000th dive in the process. The lengths ranged from 20 to 60 minutes and the maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 993 - 997: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 14, 2012)It was back to shore diving today and I made 5 dives on the little reef in front of Blue Angel Resort. It was overcast but the light was good, which made for ideal photography conditions. I'm getting the hang of my new camera and I got a few pretty good photos. That means only about 80% of them got deleted, as opposed to the usual 90 - 95%. However, I'm finding if I do everything right, a 14 MP camera is capable of shooting high-quality photos. I'm diving a lot warmer in my old 7/5, I'm really glad I brought it, along with the 7/5 hood and boots. The maximum depths of my dives ranged from 20 - 23 ft. and the lengths ranged from 20 to 27 minutes. I got 110 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank and I was pretty happy with that. Viz was about 70 ft. and the water temperature was about 80 degrees. 18 pounds of weight works for this trip.

Dives 991 - 992: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 13, 2012)I went out on the 11:00 boat from Blue Angel Resort and the first dive was at Cedral Wall. It is one of my favorite dive sites in Cozumel since it is relatively shallow and has a wall on the edge of the reef that goes down to blue oblivion. It is very exciting to get right on top of the wall at the edge of the reef and let the current carry me. It provides a sensation of flying, and I never get tired of it. The maximum depth was 79 ft. and the length of the dive was 54 minutes. The second dive was at Paradise Reef and it was like diving in an aquarium. The reef is pristine and full of marine life. The current wasn't as bad on the second dive, and we were able to relax and glide over the reef slowly. The place is a photographer's dream. The maximum depth was 41 ft. and the length of dive was 47 minutes. The water temperature was about 80 degrees and viz was about 60 ft. for both dives. I'm diving a lot warmer in my old 7/5 than I was in my 4/3.

Dives 987 - 990: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 12, 2012)I arrived in Cozumel on Jan. 9 and it was very good to get into the warm waters of the Caribbean after enduring 2 days of dental work in Playa del Carmen. Based on the assumption that a worn-out 7/5 wetsuit is warmer than a worn-out 4/3 wetsuit, I brought my old 7/5 on this trip. My assumption was correct; I didn't get cold at all on my 4 dives on the little reef in front of Blue Angel Resort. I was the only one suiting-up at the dive shop wearing a hood (a nice, thick 7mm), but at my age, who cares? If they were thinking that the old man gets cold, they'd be right. The maximum depths of my dives ranged from 20 - 22 feet and the lengths varied from 20 - 25 minutes. I was seriously underweighted with 14 pounds, have to remedy that tomorrow on the boat dives I signed-up for. I was mainly getting familiar with my new camera, video light and strobe on these dives. I got a few good shots, but still have a ways to go before I feel comfortable with it. But the thing shoots 14 mp photos and has a high-quality strobe, so I should get lucky a few times. The water felt warmer than usual, one dive computer said 82 degrees, the other said 77. It was probably 80 - 81. Viz was okay but not great at 60 - 70 feet. It was good to be back, I've really missed this place.

Dives 982 - 986: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 17, 2011)The air temperature today was about 83 degrees. I wanted to take advantage of the warm weather, since there probably won't be another day this warm for about 7 months. The air temperature was nice, but I couldn't say the same thing for the water. The surface temp of the water was 71 - 72, and that is about the minimum temperature I will dive in (at the lake or anywhere else). I expect the cold weather that is expected in a few days will mean the end of diving at the lake for this year. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 61, 40, 41, 37 and 33 feet. The lengths were 21, 20, 20, 21 and 20 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth was 71 degrees. The level of the lake continues to drop. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was less than 1 ft., and the depth of the first training platform was only 8 feet.

Dives 977 - 981: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 6, 2011)The level of the lake continues to drop. The depth at the end of the divers ramp is now only 3 feet. My primary dive computer read the surface temperature of the water as 77 - 78, but it felt cooler than that. My backup computer read it as 71, so perhaps I should average the two numbers. The visibility underwater has increased, probably because some algae has died from the cooling of the water. Viz was almost 20 ft., about as good as it gets at the lake. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths ranged from 35 to 62 feet. The lengths were 20 - 21 minutes each. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth was 74 degrees, but like the surface temp, it felt cooler than that. However, I was mostly comfortable in my 7mm wetsuit with 7mm shorty with hood, boots and gloves. It was a beautiful fall day at the lake. I probably have 3 - 4 more weeks before the diving ends for the season.

Dives 972 - 976: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 28, 2011)I made these dives with Lance Young on a very pretty early fall day. The level of the lake continues to drop, despite all the recent rain the depth at the end of the divers ramp was only 6 feet. The water was noticeably cooler than my last dives a few weeks ago, but not bad yet. The surface temp was about 78 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 61 ft. was 76 degrees. I wore my 7mm wetsuit with 7mm shorty and hood and wasn't cold underwater, but did get chilled on a surface interval. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 61, 42, 42, 45 and 32 feet. The lengths were 23, 21, 21, 20 and 20 minutes.

Dives 967 - 971: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 14, 2011)I made these dives on what was probably the last 90 degree day until next summer. The season is changing, it is noticeably cooler both on the surface, and underwater. There was a group of 8 or 9 students in the water with an instructor when I arrived, and Bill Routh's two students arrived shortly after I did. It is always a pleasure to talk with Bill. He is friendly, enthusiastic about everything he does and always has a smile for everyone. In addition, the man is a walking encyclopedia of diving knowledge and information. After talking with him a while, I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 57, 41, 40, 35 and 35 feet. The lengths were 21, 21, 20, 20 and 20 minutes. The temperature at the surface was 83 - 84 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 78 degrees. Apparently the level of the lake is dropping quickly. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 7 feet when I arrived, and 6 feet when I left. My back-up dive computer was working properly again after the flooded battery compartment it endured last week.

Dives 962 - 966: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 9, 2011)This was a Friday and I was surprised when I arrived at the lake and saw that 11 divers were already in the water. A group of 8 tech divers were suiting-up with doubles and drysuits, and there was also an instructor in the water with 2 students. And a few minutes later, Instructor Bill Routh arrived with another student. My day didn't start well, I found that my back-up dive computer wasn't working, and I could see some moisture in the battery compartment. I figured the Aeris XR-1 was ruined, and hoped that I wouldn't have any issues with my primary computer (I didn't). I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 55, 42, 40, 33 and 33 feet. The lengths were 20, 21, 21, 20 and 21 minutes. The water temperature at the surface has cooled a bit, now down to about 82 - 83. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 79 degrees. After I got home, I removed the battery from my XR-1 and dried the battery compartment. I installed a fresh battery and not only did it begin working again, but it didn't even lose the dive data from my last dives on Sept. 2! I was impressed. My primary dive computer, an Aeris Atmos-2, now has 962 dives on it and has never given me any problems at all. For the remaining time that I have left to dive, I'll never have any dive computer made by anyone other than Aeris.

Dives 957 - 961: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 2, 2011)Lance Young and I made these dives on a very hot day. It seemed more like mid-July than early September. It felt like it was well over 100 degrees on the diver's ramp, with the sun reflecting off the concrete. It really felt good to get in the water, and I made 5 dives. The maximum depths were 51, 32, 40, 36 and 35 feet. The lengths were 23, 20, 20, 20 and 21 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was about 85 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 80 degrees. Viz was average at 10 - 12 feet. I successfully deployed my lift bag on my last 2 dives. I recently changed from a reel to a spool, and I've had better results. In addition, the spool has no moving parts and is light enough to take on Caribbean dive trips.

Dives 952 - 956: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 30, 2011)This is the best time of the year to dive at the lake, since the water and weather are at their warmest. I intend to take advantage of it in the next few weeks. I was the only diver at the ramp when I arrived, though 2 others arrived as I was leaving. I made a total of 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 52, 40, 43, 32 and 32 feet. The lengths were 20, 21, 20, 20 and 22 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was about 83 - 85 degrees (down just a bit from a few days ago), and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was a balmy 80 degrees. I dived without a hood or gloves for the first time this year. The level of the lake was up 1 ft. from my last dives 4 days ago, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 10 feet. There is a small Largemouth bass with a stainless steel hook securely imbedded in its mouth that likes to hang-out in the vicinity of the second dive platform. It seems healthy and it doesn't appear that the hook is bothering it too much. However, I would like to remove the hook but can't figure out a way to do it. Anyway, I named him (or her) Hooker.

Dives 947 - 951: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 26, 2011)These were the first dives I've made at the lake (or anywhere else) in about 6 weeks, and I was surprised how much the lake level has dropped; 15 ft. to be exact. The depth at the end of the divers ramp was only 9 ft., compared to 24 ft. on July 1. However, the water has really warmed. The surface temperature is now 85 - 86, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 51 ft. was 79 degrees. This is close to the yearly maximum for water temperatures at Lake Jocassee. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 51, 35, 42, 34 and 36 ft. The lengths were 23, 21, 22, 20 and 20 minutes. Viz was about average at 10 - 12 feet. It was good to be back, and this was a very enjoyable day. I successfully deployed my lift bag from a depth of about 25 ft. on each of my last 2 dives.

Dives 943 - 946: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 1, 2011)These dives were made on the Friday preceding the 4th of July. Lance and I thought it wouldn't be very crowded, but we were wrong. We weren't the only ones trying to get a headstart on the long holiday week-end. I made 4 dives, and the maximum depths were 41, 55, 31 and 33 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 81 - 82 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 72 degrees. I dived with only my full-length 7mm wetsuit (without the shorty), and it wasn't too bad. We successfully navigated to the relatively new, fake cemetary that is just northwest of the diver's ramp. It was the first time Lance had seen it. The lake is nearly full, the depth at the end of the ramp was 24 feet. This was a fun day of diving with no thunderstorms.

Dives 941 - 942: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 17, 2011)It was nice to be back at the diver's ramp with Lance Young to begin my 7th year of diving at the lake. We agreed to make just a couple of shallow, check-out dives since neither of us had been diving for a while. I figured that my ears had forgotten everything I had taught them about clearing under water, and I was correct. It took me almost 5 minutes on the first dive just to get deeper than 9 feet, and it took about as long to get above 5 feet when the dive ended. The maximum depth of each of my dives was 32 feet, and the lengths were 28 and 34 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 75 - 76 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encounted at my maximum depth was 71 degrees.

Dives 936 - 940: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 12, 2010)Because of the weather, scheduling conflicts and back problems, this was the first time I've dived in over 6 weeks. It was good to be back at the lake, though it is obvious the season has changed. I was surprised and amused that a fake cemetery, Jocassee Memorial Gardens, has been created since my last visit. About 50 "headstones" (large painted rocks), complete with comical epitahs, paintings and "special effects" have been placed inside a rock border near the frame of the old training platform that is just northwest of the divers ramp. My favorite "grave" said "Here lies farmer Jake, wouldn't leave when they built the lake (squeal like a pig, boy)." I laughed so hard I flooded my mask and nearly lost my reg. The water is very warm for this time of the year, about 78 - 79 at the surface and a balmy 74 at my maximum depth of 51 feet. The level of the lake has dropped 8 feet since my last dives here on August 31. The depth at the end of the ramp was 11 feet. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 51, 41, 46, 39 and 42 feet. The lengths were 25, 21, 20, 20 and 21 minutes. Viz was better than I have seen it all year at 15+ feet.

Dives 931 - 935: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 31, 2010)This was a beautiful late-summer day; very warm, but hardly a cloud in the sky and no threat of thunderstorms. It was also a Tuesday and I was the only diver at the ramp when I arrived, though 3 others arrived shortly before I left. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 61, 53, 52, 51 and 46 feet. The lengths were 22, 20, 20, 21 and 22 minutes. The beginning of the annual "cool-down" of water temperatures is still several weeks away. The temperature at the surface was 86 - 87 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 61 feet was 79 degrees. The level of the lake has dropped about 4 feet in the last week, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 19 feet. Viz was about average at 12 - 13 feet.

Dives 926 - 930: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 24, 2010)My life-partner Carol went to the lake with me and snorkeled, swam and read while I went diving. Naturally, a small Copperhead snake (venomous) showed-up at the diver's ramp, only the 3rd snake I've seen at the lake in 6 years of diving. She kept a safe distance from it, but after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and encountering rattlesnakes nearly on a daily basis in the Mojave Desert, she wasn't really afraid of it. Another woman at the ramp nearly freaked-out. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 61, 51, 55, 42 and 41 feet. The lengths were 23, 20, 20, 21 and 22 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 83 - 84 degrees (it was a cool and cloudy day), and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 79 degrees. I deployed my lift bag / safety sausage from a depth of about 30 feet on my last two dives. I took my time, and there were no problems.

Dives 921 - 925: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 9, 2010)These dives were made on a Monday, and there was only 1 other diver at the lake. Thunderstorms have been so frequent and severe this summer that I no longer automatically go diving on the week-ends. Now I check the weather and go when the threat of thunderstorms is minimal. I practiced some remedial skills today, including underwater mask removal and loss of regulator. I also deployed my lift bag twice. On previous attempts, I thought I'd had the line get tangled with everything that it possibly could (reel spool, set-screw, handle, etc.). However, today I managed to get the line wrapped around my right thumb on the second deployment. This is the first time that merely letting go of the reel didn't solve the problem. After letting go of the reel and finding that I was still on the express elevator to the surface, I noticed that my thumb was horizontal. When I turned it so it was vertical, the line was able to escape and the bag continued to the surface without me. Another lesson learned the hard way. In between expanding my horizons concerning screwing-up lift bag attempts, I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 61, 51, 56, 40 and 32 feet. The lenghths were 23, 21, 21, 21 and 22 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 88 - 89 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encounted at my maximum depth of 61 feet was 77 degrees.

Dives 916 - 920: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 30, 2010)I made these dives on a very hot day, and was the only diver at the ramp. I was 3 for 3 on lift bag attempts, and enjoyed using my little spool-reel which is not unlike a spool that is used for thread. My reel is just larger and made of fiberglass (or plastic). There is nothing for the line to get tangled with as the line comes off the spool. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 52, 51, 36, 34 and 42 feet. The lengths were 23, 24, 20, 21 and 22 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 89 - 90 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 76 degrees. This is about as warm as the water gets at Lake Jocassee. The level of the lake has dropped 3 feet in the last week, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 21 feet.

Dives 911 - 915: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 23, 2010)Because of a pattern of afternoon thunderstorms developing, this was the first time I've dived in a couple of weeks. The water has warmed considerably; the surface temperature is now 87 - 88 degrees which is probably near the yearly maximum. I successfully deployed my lift bag / safety sausage twice from depths of about 30 feet. On the second try, the line briefly got tangled with the set-screw, then the reel fell apart. However, the bag made it to the surface and I was holding on to the line when it did, so I'm counting it as a success. I had to put the reel back together underwater while wearing thick gloves in order to be able to keep the line taut when making my ascent. I'm about done with dive gear that has to be glued back together once per year. I have a simple spool-reel (no moving parts) that I'm going to start using. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 51, 43, 61, 30 and 33 feet. The lengths were 24, 23, 21, 21 and 21 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at 61 feet was 75 degrees. It was so hot today, the cool water at depth actually felt good.

Dives 906 - 910: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 9, 2010)I made these dives with Lance Young, and we had a very enjoyable day at the lake, though we had to make a hasty retreat off the ramp from an approaching thunderstorm after the diving was done. I attempted to shoot my lift bag from a depth of about 30 feet on the last dive. I got it filled completely with air, but left too much slack in the line and the line got wrapped around the set-screw of the reel when I released the bag. The line couldn't come off the reel, and I found myself on the express elevator to the surface. I had to let go of the whole thing, then had to retrieve it on the surface. So far this year, I'm 0 for 1 attempts on the lift bag. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 20, 21, 21, 23 and 22 minutes. The maximum depths were 42, 46, 40, 44 and 39 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 82 - 83 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 72 degrees.

Dives 901 - 905: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 5, 2010)I made these dives with Lance Young. Because of some conflicting scheduling issues, this was the first opportunity we've had to dive together this year. The water has warmed considerably since my last dives here 3 weeks ago, but I still wasn't toasty warm in my 7mm wetsuit. I didn't wear my 7mm shorty over the full-length wetsuit, and I regretted it. Next week, it is back to the full length suit and shorty. The water temperature at the surface was 83 - 84 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 43 ft. was 72 degrees. Visibility has increased a little, but not much. It is about 10 feet. I made 5 dives and the lengths were 21, 20, 20, 22 and 21 minutes. The maximum depths were 32, 36, 28, 43 and 40 feet. I was moderately over-weighted with 10 pounds, next time I'll try 8 or 9.

Dives 897 - 900: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 12, 2010)These dives were made on a Saturday. When I dive on the week-end, I prefer to dive on Sunday to avoid the Saturday crowds. A good crowd on a Sunday in summer is 15 - 20 divers, but with all the students in the water today, there must have been 45 - 50 divers present. With the poor viz, there were quite a few underwater bumps and collisions, and I was involved in a few myself. However, I was pleased to make 4 dives and the last one was my 900th logged dive. I suppose I'll reach 1,000 logged dives this year, probably this fall. That is a milestone that I never expected to reach. The water temp is not bad at the surface, probably 74 - 75 degrees, but it is still bone-chilling cold at 35 feet (67 degrees). The lengths of my dives were 23, 23, 20 and 24 minutes and the maximum depths were 35, 57, 33 and 36 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at 57 feet was 65 degrees. It felt colder. Viz is still poor, no more than 8 - 10 feet, and that is probably stretching it a bit. I used 18 pounds of weight today with my full-length 7mm wetsuit and 7mm shorty (along with hood, gloves and boots) and that seemed about right.

Dives 894 - 896: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 7, 2010)Since this was a Monday, I didn't think there would be any other divers at the lake, however, I was surprised to see 8 - 10 others in the water when I arrived. They were from a local fire department. I noticed that one of the divers had a coil of high-quality mountain climbing rope with him. It was unusual, and I could not imagine what application climbing rope has in scuba diving. When they were ending their dives, I heard the guy with the rope tell the leader, "I dropped my rope!". The leader said, "We have to go. Leave it, the fire department has lots of rope". I made a mental note of the diver's location in the water, and the bottom line is I now have a 25' length of mountain climbing rope, the kind you see climbers tethered to on Mt. Everest. I have no idea what I will use it for, but I think it costs over $2 per foot. In between rope salvage efforts, I made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 41, 57 and 55 feet. The lengths were 22, 23 and 26 minutes. The temperature at the surface was about 74 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 57 feet was 63 degrees. I was moderately over-weighted with 20 pounds of weight, I suppose I'll retry using 18 pounds next time.

Dives 891 - 893: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 23, 2010)This felt like the first day of summer at the lake, about 90 degrees and very sunny. The heated air and sunshine felt very good during surface intervals, the water is still very cool. I'm at my limit in my 7mm wetsuit, 7mm shorty, 7mm hood, 5mm gloves, neoprene socks and boots and I see students diving with only a 4mm or 5mm wetsuit (no hoods, gloves or boots). I don't know how the instructors get them to do it. I made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 42, 46 and 25 feet. The lengths were 25, 20 and 20 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at 46 feet was 63 degrees, up 2 degrees from last week. The temperature at the surface was 68 - 70 degrees (I got a lot of fluctuation on both my dive computers). I was moderately overweighted with 22 pounds, but I didn't want a repeat of last week's dives. Next time, I'll try 20 pounds.

Dives 889 - 890: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 18, 2010)It was nice to be back at the lake on a beautiful spring day to begin my 6th year of diving there. It was also nice to see the lake completely full, it had been low for several years because of the drought. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 24 feet, and 31 feet at the first training platform. Since the water was so cold, I made only 2 dives. The lengths were 21 and 23 minutes and the maximum depths were 32 and 37 feet. It was too cold to go any deeper. The surface temperature of the water was about 68 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 37 feet was 61 degrees. Visibility was only about 10 feet. I was seriously (grab a rock off the bottom and hope for the best) underweighted in my full length 7mm wetsuit and 7mm shorty with 18 pounds.

Dives 885 - 888: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 21, 2010)These were the last dives that I'll make on this trip, which is always a bit sad since I don't know when I'll be back. I'll probably return this fall or winter, but it is hard to say for sure. It turned very windy while I was diving, and the waves really increased. When I got back to the dive shop, I was told that the Harbormaster had closed the port to diving. The Scorpion fish were out today, I saw 3. They are potentially deadly with poisonous spines on their back, and they always look like they are in a bad mood. They can also make themselves look exactly like the rocks they are trying to blend with and are difficult to see. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes. The water temperature remains at 80 degrees, and visibility was 50 - 60 feet. The maximum depths were 21 - 23 feet. I don't think this trip could have gone much better. I got all the dental work done, and got to do a lot of diving. It is definitely time to go home, but I'm going to miss all this.

Dives 881 - 884: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 20, 2010)Since my camera died a few days ago, I figured something special would show up before the end of the trip that I wouldn't be able to photograph or shoot video of. Sure enough, today I encountered a small pod of squid. They are fascinating animals, and I sense a level of intelligence in them that is lacking in most other marine species. They would let me get within 3 or 4 feet of them before they'd start flashing their different colors as a warning to the other squid and then slowly move away. It would have made a great video clip! Maybe next trip. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes. Viz suffered a bit because of the overcast skies and was only about 50 feet. The water temperature registered as 79 - 80 degrees and the maximum depths ranged from 20 to 24 feet.

Dives 877 - 880: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 19, 2010)It was a surprisingly beautiful and calm day. Last night, it was very windy and cool again and I wasn't sure I'd be able to dive today. I missed having my campera today; felt a little naked out on the reef without it (it died yesterday). However, except for what appeared to be a mated pair of moray eels in a crevice and a barracuda, there wasn't much that I would have wanted to photograph, anyway. Today was very relaxing, just glide over the reef and relax, I didn't have a lot of current to deal with. I made 4 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 22 minutes. The visibility approached 100 feet at one point, and the water temperature remained 80 degrees. The maximum depths ranged from 20 - 23 feet.

Dives 873 - 876: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 18, 2010)I didn't dive yesterday since I went to Playa del Carmen on the ferry to have my 4 new dental crowns installed. Altogether, I had 3 root canals and 4 crowns for a cost of about $2,200, about one-fourth of what it would have cost at home. This really wasn't a dive trip, it was a dental trip with some diving done on the side. Today on the reef, my fairly new underwater camera (I've used it on 3 other dive trips, I think) stopped working. As far as the photos on this trip, it was not a big deal. There's very little on the reef that I haven't already photographed or shot video of. But I expect it will be an expensive repair when I get home. I made 4 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 22 minutes. The water temperature is back to 80 degrees and the visibility was about 70 feet. The maximum depths ranged from 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 869 - 872: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 16, 2010)It was a zoo at the dive shop this morning. Blue Angel Resort had 32 people show up for a "Discover Scuba" class, and after the class ended, all 32 people suited-up and went diving with instructors, though none of them were certified divers. I felt sorry for the instructors. The current was running very strong in the wrong direction (for diving on the reef from the dive shop, anyway), so I didn't go far onto the reef, knowing I'd have to make my last dive into the current in order to get back to Blue Angel. For some reason, today was lobster day; they were all over the place. I also followed a snake-like Sharptailed eel around for 15 or 20 minutes while it was hunting. I got some good video footage before my camera batteries died. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 22 minutes. The water felt a little cooler today, and my dive computer read it as 79 degrees. I blame the temperature drop on the strong current coming out of the north. Vizibility was down to about 50 feet, and the maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 865 - 868: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 15, 2010)This was another beautiful day, almost a copy of yesterday. I had a partner for my first 2 dives today. Jeff from Minnesota had just been certified by his instructor, and announced he (Jeff) was going solo diving. His instructor noticed me setting up my gear and asked if Jeff could go with me. I agreed. After 2 dives, he was running low on air, and we made out way back to the vicinity of the dive shop. Later, I made 2 additional dives. There seemed to be moray eels just about every place there was room for one today. It was very relaxing just floating over the reef doing nothing but taking in the beauty of the place, and snapping a photo occasionally. The sinus squeezes I have experienced the last few days seem to be diminishing. The lengths of my dives were 20 - 23 minutes, and the visibility was approaching 80 feet. The maximum depths ranged from 20 to 22 feet, and the water temperature was 80 degrees.

Dives 861 - 864: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 14, 2010)This was an absolutely beautiful day of warm temperatures, sunny skies, almost no wind or waves and very little current. It was a real joy to be diving on my little reef. Visibility was 70 - 80 feet, perhaps a little more. I saw a Shartailed eel, which was my first one this trip. They look just like snakes, but they said at the dive shop that there are no sea snakes in the Caribbean. I also saw several moray eels and a couple of Scorpion fish. I'm going to have a lot of video clips and photos to sort through when I get home. The sinus squeezes continued today on my second, third and fourth dives. I took a 12-hour Sudafed before I dived, and there wasn't quite as much pain and pressure as yesterday. I hope this is temporary. The lengths of my 4 dives were 20 - 23 minutes and the water temperature is still 80 degrees. The maximum depths ranged from 20 to 23 feet.

Dives 857 - 860: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 13, 2010)It was very windy last night and waves were breaking over the seawall just in front of the hotel and across the road. I didn't really expect to be diving today, but the wind had diminished considerably by the time I walked down to Blue Angel Resort this morning. I suppose my allergies or the air conditioning in my room finally caught up to my diving. I had sinus squeezes (pressure and pain above my eyes) on my last 3 dives. I'm glad I wasn't on a boat, I had problems going to just 20 feet, there is no way I could have dived to 90 or 100 feet today. Time to break out the 12-hour sinus congestion pills, I suppose. I made 4 somewhat painful dives and the lengths were 20 - 23 minutes. The water temperature is still 80 degrees and visibility was about 70 feet. The maximum depths were 20 - 21 feet.

Dives 853 - 856: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 12, 2010)There was lots of wildlife on the reef today. I saw at least a half dozen Moray eels, a school of large Jacks (several were over 3 feet long), a medium size barracuda, a Scorpion fish and a few rays. The largest of the morays was about 3 feet long and, as usual, was curled up in a crevice. I was about 18 inches from it and it had noticed me, but it wasn't showing any aggression. So, I took my eyes off of it for a second or two to turn on my camera and strobe. At that instant, a 3-inch long Damsel fish nipped my bare left hand and I thought that I had been bitten by the moray. I must have jumped about 2 feet, then looked around to see if anyone had seen what happened. Thankfully, no one had. Damsel fish are totally fearless and very territorial. If they were the size of barracuda or sharks, there would be no scuba diving when they were around. I made 4 dives, and the visibility was about 60 feet. The length of the dives were 20 - 22 minutes, and the water temperature is still 80 degrees. The maximum depths ranged from 20 to 22 feet.

Dives 849 - 852: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 11, 2010)It was good to get back in the water after two days of successive root canals, but my mouth was so sore that I wasn't sure I could stand to use my regulator. However, I went anyway and had a great day of diving, even though I'm paying more attention to the current now because of the incident on March 8. I hope I don't have another hard, half-mile swim against the current, at least not on this trip. The air temperature has increased, which made the water temperature seem cooler, but my computer continued to read it as 80 degrees. Visibility was only about 50 feet because of overcast skies, but the lack of direct sunlight on the reef and sandy bottom made for some great photography. On my last dive, as I was "letting" the current carry me back to the dive shop, I passed a coral head and counted 4 moray eels inside it as I was swept past it. The current was so strong that I didn't have an opportunity to get any photos, but I waved at them as I went by. I noted the location of the coral head, though, and I intend to go back tomorrow. I made 4 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 22 minutes. The maximum depths ranged from 20 to 22 feet.

Dives 845 - 848: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 8, 2010)This was the prettiest day day I've had so far on this trip. The weather finally almost feels hot, there was little wind and the sea was nearly dead-calm. The current nearly always runs south to north on the little reef I dive on. Normally, I make my first 3 dives into the current, then turn and drift with the current back to the vicinity of the dive shop. It works everytime, but not today. Just as I was finishing my third dive, I felt the current go slack. As I began my 4th dive (a half smile south of the dive shop), I felt the current change directions. At that point, I had only about 1100 psi of air. Besides being a very difficult dive against the current, my main concern was that I'd run low on air beause of all the exertion and have to finish my dive as a snorkler with 70 pounds of scuba gear on my back. It also didn't help matters any that I had a small leak between my 1st stage and the tank. But, it all worked out. I finished the dive with a leg cramp and I'm glad no one checked the air in my tank at the end of the dive. They are used to me cutting it close on air at Off The Wall Charters at Lake Jocassee at home, but I don't think they would appreciate it much at Blue Angel here in Cozumel. I made 4 dives (felt like more), and the lengths were 20 - 23 minutes. The water temperature is still 80 degrees, and the viz was as about 80 feet. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 841 - 844: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 7, 2010)This was another beautiful day of diving on my 77-peso paradise (it costs me 77 pesos per day, or about $6, to dive here). There won't be any boat dives this trip because of the costs of the dental work and the fact I had to pay for a full month's stay at the Safari Inn. Surprisingly, I don't miss boat diving at all. Being on someone else's boat means being on someone else's agenda and for this trip, I don't think it's worth $60 for 2 dives. Today I made my usual 4 dives. I could possibly get 5 dives from one tank, but since I'm diving solo in the ocean, I figure it's not good to push it. Viz has increased a little since the winds have died down, it is now about 80 - 90 feet. The water temperature is holding at 79 - 80 degrees. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 21 minutes and the maximum depths ranged from 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 837 - 840: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 6, 2010)This was another fun day of shore diving on the little reef near Blue Angel Resort. No matter how many times I dive it, I always seem to find something new to photograph, and the marine wildlife available for viewing changes from day to day. I saw a flounder today, first one this trip. They are fun lttle creatures to chase around with a camera. They will always move, but never so fast that I can't keep up with them. I also saw a couple of lobsters, but no morays today. I made 4 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes. The water temperature was 79 - 80 degrees, and viz was down to about 50 feet, probably due to the overcast skies. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet. I have two more days of diving, then it's back to the dental clinic in Playa for 2 days.

Dives 833 - 836: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 5, 2010)This was another day of beautiful weather, low wind, little current and great visibility. It costs 77 pesos (just over $6) to dive on the little reef just offshore from Blue Angel Resort and I've been calling it my 77 peso paradise. I never seem to get tired of diving it, but I know that other divers would. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes. The water temperature is holding at 80 degrees, and the viz has increased to at least 80 feet, maybe closer to 100 feet. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 829 - 832: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 4, 2010)This was a picture-perfect day with warm temperatures, lots of sun and blue skies, calm winds, great visibility in the water and very little current. It was the kind of Cozumel day that I think of often during the harsh winters back home in the north Georgia mountains. I made 4 dives on the little reef near Blue Angel Resort. There was lots of marine wildlife to see; several spotted Moray eels, a Scoprion fish (or Stone fish, I get them confused), a small barracuda, a lobster and the same overly friendly Parrot fish that swam with me two days ago. Add to that the usual cast of hundreds of tropicals, and it all made for a great day of diving. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 22 minutes, and the water temperature was 80 degrees. The maximum depths ranged from 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 825 - 828: (Cozumel, Mexico, March 2, 2010)High winds made for rough seas, and it was difficult making a shore entry and exit. I made the entry with no problems, but got a little scraped-up on the rocks when I made my exit. However, it was worth it. In 4 years of diving on the little reef just offshore from Blue Angel Resort, I've never seen a turtle until today. It swam within a few yards of me and I managed to shoot about 45 seconds of video that looks pretty good. Also, a large Parrotfish got real friendly and swam with me for a while. It seemed to be interested in my fins for some reason. Maybe the bright color reminded it of coral, which is what it eats. And just as I was leaving the water, a large Jack kept coming in close; darting towards me and then leaving. It didn't seem real friendly, perhaps territorial. I made 4 dives and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes each. Viz has suffered with all the wind and waves lately, and was down to about 50 feet. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet and the water temperature was 79 - 80 degrees.

Dives 821 - 824: (Cozumel, Mexico, February 28, 2010)It was nice to be back in the water again after missing two days. There was no diving yesterday because of high winds and rough seas, and the day before that I had my second root canal in Playa del Carmen. This was a beautiful and sunny day, but breezy and cool for Cozumel. Today was spotted Moray eel day, I saw 4 altogether. I sought refuge behind coral heads on several occasions to take a break from the strong current. I swam into the current for my first 3 dives, then drift-dived back to the vicinity of the dive shop on my 4th dive. The maximum depths were 20 -21 feet and the visibility was about 60 feet. The water temperature was 80 degrees and the length of the dives ranged from 20 - 21 minutes. I used 14 pounds of weight, which seems about right for this trip.

Dives 817 - 820: (Cozumel, Mexico, February 25, 2010)After getting a root canal done yesterday in Playa del Carmen, I didn't really expect to be diving today. Also, a cold front moved through yesterday and the winds last night were at least 50 mph. However, I awoke this morning with almost no pain in my mouth, and the winds had diminished considerably. So, I did what any gringo in Cozumel would do who has a cert card; I went diving. The winds were still stronger than normal, and the shore entry was challenging. However, I made it into divable water without getting tossed into the rocks. I've noticed that there is not as much marine life on the reef as in previous years. Other than the little spotted moray eel I saw, it was just me, the usual multitude of tropicals and Fat Albert (the large, OCD, white grouper). I made 4 dives and the maximum depths were 20 - 21 feet. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 21 minutes and the water temp was 80 degrees. Visibility was reduced because of all the wind and wave action, it was probably about 50 feet.

Dives 813 - 816: (Cozumel, Mexico, February 23, 2010)It was great to be diving again in Cozumel. It's been over a year since my last dives here, and I've missed the warm, blue Caribbean water. I made 4 dives on the little reef just offshore from Blue Angel Resort and the maximum depths were 20 - 21 feet. Visibility was about 60 feet. The lengths of the dives ranged from 21 - 24 minutes, and the water temperature was 80 degrees. There is a Stingray "petting zoo" for tourists near the reef and there is a fenced enclosure in the water. Last year, there was a large, white grouper that seemed to have some kind of obsession with the fence. He'd spend hours just staring at it, and I named him Fat Albert. I had hoped that he was still around and he is. When I was making my second dive, he swam by to say hello. He is still as shy as ever and won't let me get too close.

Dives 811 - 812: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 8, 2009)I arrived at the lake on a beautiful and warm sunny day to find that there were only a handful of divers at the ramp. The water really is getting cold, and I was starting to shiver about half-way through my second dive. I made only 2 dives, and the maximum depths were 63 and 61 feet. The lengths were 24 and 21 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 66 - 67 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 63 feet was 66 degrees. Viz was great, probably 16 - 18 feet. The level of the lake has increased about a foot since my last dives on Nov. 3. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 20 feet. This may have been my last trip to the lake for this season. When the water gets this cold, and they start putting up the Christmas decorations in Walhalla, it's time to start thinking about Florida or the Caribbean.

Dives 809 - 810: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 3, 2009)Lance and I took advantage of another beautiful fall day to hang-out on the diver's ramp. Surprisingly, the water temperature is holding steady, and the level of the lake has gone up. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 19 feet. This time last year, I could sit on the end of the ramp and put my fins on. I made 2 dives, and the maximum depths were 61 and 60 feet. The lengths were 24 and 21 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 67 - 68 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 61 feet was 67 degrees. I saw a sure sign today that the end of the diving season is close at hand; when I drove through Walhalla, SC, they were putting up their Christmas decorations.

Dives 806 - 808: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 29, 2009)Lance Young and I had a sunny and warm afternoon to sit on the ramp in our lawn chairs and enjoy the weather, the lake, the mountains and the beautiful fall foliage. We also made a few dives. The maximum depths for my 3 dives were 63, 41 and 38 feet, and the lengths were 25.5, 20.5 and 21.5 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 68 - 69 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 63 feet was 68 degrees. The level of the lake was unchanged from my last dives on October 25.

Dives 803 - 805: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 25, 2009)It was good to be back at the lake after missing about a month of diving due to back problems and bad weather. The water temperature has dropped almost 10 degrees since my last dives on September 25. The surface temp today was 69 - 70 degrees. When I got home and downloaded my dives, my dive computer confirmed what I already knew, that the temperature at depth was about the same as the temperature at the surface. It registered 69 degrees at my maximum depth of 56 feet. Lance Young and I made these dives on a beautiful, relatively warm and sunny day. I made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 40, 39 and 56 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 22.5 and 22.5 minutes. The level of the lake is holding, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 17 feet. I had thought that today would be the end of my diving season at the lake, but I think Lance and I will make a few more trips in the next week or so if the weather cooperates.

Dives 798 - 802: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 27, 2009)The level of the lake continues to rise slowly from the recent rain and the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 16 feet. The surface water temperature seems cooler than the 77 - 78 degrees that was indicated on my dive computer, but it is still pretty good for late September. The minimum temperature I encountered was 76 degrees at 61 feet. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 41, 31, 40, 45 and 61 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 20.5, 21.5, 23.0 and 26.0 minutes. I used 16 pounds of weight with my 7mm shorty and 7mm wetsuit and that seemed about right.

Dives 793 - 797: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 24, 2009)The level of the lake is up 5 feet from all the recent rain, and surprisingly, the temperature of the water is holding despite all the cool weather. The surface temperature was 78 - 79 and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 60 feet was 76 degrees. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 41, 35, 60, 50 and 42 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 22.5, 22.5, 22.0 and 22.5 minutes. I wore my 7mm shorty over my 7mm wetsuit and was moderately overweighted with 18 pounds. Next time I'll try 16 pounds. Visibility wasn't bad considering all the recent rain, at least at shallow depths. At less than 30 feet, it was 10 - 12 feet but at my maximum depth of 60 feet, viz was only 3 - 4 feet.

Dives 786 - 792: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 13, 2009)Lance and I made these dives on a relatively warm and sunny day. The water feels much cooler now than it did only a few weeks ago. The temperature at the surface was 78 - 79 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 77 degrees at 62 feet. I plan to start using my 7mm shorty in addition to my 7mm wetsuit for the remainder of the diving season at the lake. I made 7 dives and the maximum depths ranged from 32 to 62 feet. The lengths ranged from 20.5 to 21.5 minutes for a total of 147 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The level of the lake was unchanged from my last dives on September 8.

Dives 779 - 785: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 8, 2009)Apparently the lake has started cooling. The temperature at the surface was noticeably cooler at 80 - 81 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 78 degrees at 61 feet. The level of the lake has dropped 2 feet in the last week, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 10 feet. I made 7 dives, and the maximum depths ranged from 31 to 61 feet, and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 24.5 minutes for a total of 149.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. While I was resting and snacking after my dives, a nasty little thunderstorm sneaked up behind me and I had to make a hasty retreat for the safety of my car. It was over an hour before the lightning stopped and I could safely retrieve my gear from the ramp. This type thing is to be expected in July and August, but is a little unusual for September. I got a little cold while I was packing my gear, and I suppose this is a sign that summer is officially over.

Dives 777 - 778: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 3, 2009)These dives were made as part of the certification process for Scuba Diving International's Solo Diver course and I made the dives with instructor Bill Routh. He and I were the only divers on his boat, and it was a fun day. All the previous practice paid off. I really didn't have any problems with the course, except perhaps with comprehending the mathematical formulas designed to determine how much air I'll need for any given dive. After completing the home study and classroom portions of the course, demonstrating various underwater navigation skills, and dealing with various simulated emergencies Bill conjured up, he told me that I had passed. The maximum depths of the dives were 44 and 68 feet and the lengths were 38 and 46.5 minutes.

Dives 770 - 776: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 30, 2009)It is hard to believe it is the end of August already. The winters seem to go on forever, but the local diving season seems to pass very quickly. I made 7 dives from one AL80 tank, something I'll be able to do only for a few more weeks. Once the water starts to cool, I'll start using more air. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20.5 to 21.5 minutes, for a total of 145 minutes of diving. The maximum depths ranged from 31 to 55 feet. The level of the lake has increased a little, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 12 feet. The surface temperature of the water was about 83 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 79 degrees at 55 feet. When I got home I noticed that I was pretty much exhuasted, which is not surprising considering that I've dived 4 days in the last week and made a total of 28 dives. However, I'm not addicted. I can quit anytime I want...really.

Dives 763 - 769: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 27, 2009)With the end of the diving season at the lake probably less than 2 months away, Lance and I are doing as much diving as possible. I made 7 dives, and the maximum depths ranged from 31 to 51 feet. The lengths ranged from 20.5 to 21.5 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 84 - 85 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered was 79 degrees at 51 feet. The lake has dropped 2 feet in only 2 days; the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was only 10 feet.

Dives 756 - 762: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 25, 2009)I made these dive with Lance Young on a beautiful late-summer day. Since we were diving mid-week, there were only a few other divers present. I made 7 dives and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 27.5 minutes for a total of 153.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths ranged from 31 to 61 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 83 - 84 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 78 degrees at 61 feet. The level of the lake has increased 1 foot in the last 2 days, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 12 feet.

Dives 749 - 755: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 23, 2009)Today started out very cool and windy, but it was a beautiful summer day by early afternoon. The level of the lake keeps dropping slowly, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp is only 11 feet, down 2 feet in only a week despite some heavy rains. I made 7 dives and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 25.0 minutes for a total of 150 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths ranged from 31 to 52 feet. The water temp at the surface is 82 - 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 79 degrees at 52 feet. These are probably maximum temperatures for this year, the water will begin cooling in only a few weeks.

Dives 742 - 748: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 16, 2009)Today was a day of several "firsts" in my diving career. It was the first time I've made 7 dives in one day, first time I've made 7 dives from one AL80 tank, first time I've switched to my pony bottle underwater and then turned off the valve to my primary tank (simulating the response to a leaking hose or free-flowing regulator) and the first time I've removed my primary mask underwater and put on (and cleared) my spare mask. Thankfully, it all went well, since I was diving solo. I practiced the new underwater skills because I know I'll be required to demonstrate them when I take the in-water portion of the Solo Diver course soon. The home study portion of the class is now finished. The lengths of my dives ranged from 20.0 to 25.5 minutes for a total of 151 minutes from one AL80 tank, and the depths ranged from 30 to 51 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 83 - 84 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 78 degrees at 51 feet. The level of the lake was unchanged from last week.

Dives 736 - 741: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 9, 2009)Lance Young and I made these dives on a hot, nearly cloudless day. The weather is having its effect on the water temperature; the surface temp is 83 - 84 degrees and within a degree or two of its yearly maximum. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 77 degrees at 52 feet. The level of the lake dropped another foot, now only 13 feet at the end of the diver's ramp. I made 6 dives and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 24.5 minutes for a total of 128 minutes from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths ranged from 32 to 52 feet.

Dives 730 - 735: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 6, 2009)The level of the lake continues to drop slowly despite some heavy recent rains. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 14 feet, 22 feet at the first platform and 32 feet at the second platform. I practiced all the underwater skills that I believe I'll need to demonstrate for my upcoming SDI Solo Diver course, including mask removal and clearing, switching to my alternate regulator, detaching and reattaching my pony bottle and shooting my lift bag. Everything went smoothly, which was great since I was diving solo. I made 6 dives and the maximum depths ranged from 32 to 52 feet. The lengths ranged from 20.5 to 22.5 minutes. The water temperature has increased a little, now up to 82 - 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 77 degrees at 52 feet.

Dives 724 - 729: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 2, 2009)Lance and I nearly canceled our diving today because of all the rain this morning, and the forecast of more rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon. However, we took a chance and it paid off. It was a cloudy, cool and pleasant day of diving, with hardly any rain at all and we even had some clearing and sunshine in the afternoon. I made 6 dives and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 23.5 minutes for a total of 130 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths ranged from 32 to 52 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 52 feet was 76 degrees and the surface temperature of the water was 78 - 80 degrees. The level of the lake was unchanged from last week. I successfully deployed my lift-bag 3 times. Deploying a lift-bag while underwater is an important skill that could save a diver's life if his or her BCD is either punctured or otherwise leaks at depth. The "lift" from the bag can enable the diver to get to the surface in the event the BC is filled with water (which could make the diver extremely negatively buoyant and unable to reach the surface). Since lift-bag deployment is a requirement for the Scuba Diving International Solo Diver Course and I now feel that I have mastered this skill, I went by Bill Routh's Off The Wall Dive Shop and talked with him about taking the course. We decided I'd enroll as soon as Bill can get a training manual for me from SDI headquarters in Maine.

Dives 718 - 723: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 26, 2009)The water level is continuing to drop slowly. The depth at the end of the diver's platform was 15 feet, down 7 feet in only a few weeks. However, the water continues to get warmer in the summer heat. The surface temperature was 83 - 84 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 62 feet was 74 degrees. Lance and I made 6 dives and the maximum depths of my dives ranged from 35 to 62 feet, and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 23.5 minutes for a total of 128.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. I think I've finally gotten the hang of deploying a lift-bag underwater. I was successful on all 3 attempts today.

Dives 712 - 717: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 22, 2009)It was nice to be diving mid-week without the crowds. There were only a few other divers at the ramp. I made 6 dives with Lance Young, and the maximum depths ranged from 32 to 55 feet, and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 26.5 minutes for a total of 131.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water has dropped a little because of all the cool weather we've been having, and was 78 - 80 degrees. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 55 feet was 74 degrees. I was surprised to see that someone has repaired the first training platform, and it is now usable. On our last few dives, Lance and I practiced some underwater skills. We each removed our pony bottles, put them on the bottom and then reattached them. We also removed our masks and put them back on, and practiced with our lift bags. I successfully deployed mine 3 times, and I believe Lance did, too. It was a fun day of diving, but we got caught in a thunderstorm just as we packed up and left the ramp. It really wasn't a big deal; that happens at least once or twice per year at Jocassee.

Dives 706 - 711: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 19, 2009)I was surprised when I arrived at the diver's ramp about 10:00 a.m. and saw that there were only a few parking spaces available. A short while later, the parking lot was full. I made 6 dives and the maximum depths ranged from 33 to 53 feet, and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 21.5 minutes for a total of 125.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The lake continues to drop slowly, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 17 feet, 24 feet at the first platform and 34 feet at the second platform. The surface temperature of the water was 82 - 83 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 53 feet was 75 degrees. Viz was very good at about 14 feet. I attempted to deploy my lift bag twice and was successful both times. I feel that I'm getting the hang of it. I used 8 pounds of weight with my 7mm wetsuit, reel, hood and gloves and that seemed about right.

Dives 700 - 705: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 15, 2009)It was nice reaching the milestone of my 700th logged dive. Hopefully in a year or so I'll be approaching 1,000. The level of the lake has dropped a little, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 18 feet, 27 feet at the first platform and 37 feet at the second platform. I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths ranged from 31 to 52 feet, and the lengths ranged from 20.5 to 25.0 minutes for a total of 133.5 minutes from one AL80 tank. I think that is about as good as I can do. The surface temperature of the water was 83 - 84 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 52 feet was 74 degrees. I used just my 7mm wetsuit today with hood and gloves; this was the first time this year I've dived without the 7mm shorty. I was slightly overweighted with 10 pounds of weight. I successfully deployed my lift bag on the first try, but the line tangled on the second try before I even inflated the bag. However, it was a great day of diving with Lance.

Dives 694 - 699: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 12, 2009)Last Sunday's diving was canceled because of thunderstorms, and it was good to be back at the lake with my dive-buddy Lance. We continued to practice deploying our lift bags, and we seem to be gaining some proficiency. Previously, I thought the most important thing was getting air into the bag. Now I realize that a trained monkey could do that; the most important thing is making sure the line comes off the reel smoothly. I made a total of 6 dives, and the maximum depths ranged from 32 to 50 feet. The lengths ranged from 21.0 to 23.5 minutes for a total of 128.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was about 82 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 50 feet was 74 degrees. Viz continues to be fairly good at about 12 feet. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 20 feet, 28 feet at the first platform and 38 feet at the second platform.

Dives 688 - 693: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 2, 2009)Lance Young and I practiced deploying our lift bags on the last couple of dives we made. He did very well; I had mixed results. However, I'm determined to stick with it until I learn how to do it properly. We made a total of 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 40, 37, 31, 32, 51 and 31 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 21.0, 21.0, 21.5, 23.0 and 21.5 minutes for a total of 129.5 minutes from an AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 51 feet was 73 degrees. The surface temp of the water was about 82 degrees. The water is definitely getting warmer and it feels great. With my reel, I was slightly overweighted with 18 pounds, next time I'll try 16 pounds. At about the same time we exited the water, a Bald eagle started flying over the lake near the end of the diver's ramp while looking for fish. At first, I thought it was just a crow with some gray hair, but it was definitely an eagle. It was an appropriate way to end a great day of diving on the 4th of July week-end.

Dives 682 - 687: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 28, 2009)The water is warming from all the summer heat, and it feels good. The surface temperature is now up to about 82 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered (at my maximum depth of 61 feet) was 70 degrees. However, I'm going to keep wearing my 7mm shorty over my 7mm wetsuit a while longer, I still get chilled after 3 or 4 dives. Today I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 61, 32, 34, 37, 31 and 52 feet. The lengths were 22.0, 20.5, 20.5, 21.0, 22.5 and 23.5 minutes for a total of 130 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. Viz was relatively good at about 12 feet. The level of the lake is holding, despite the fact there hasn't been a lot of rain lately. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 22 feet, the first platform was 30 feet and the second platform was 40 feet.

Dives 676 - 681: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 24, 2009)Lance Young and I made 6 dives, 4 in the little cove just north of the diver's ramp, and 2 in the vicinity of the ramp and dive platforms. He brought his new lift bag and reel and on our last dive, he successfully deployed the lift bag on his first attempt. I was impressed! Viz is improving and is now up to 12 - 14 feet occasionally. The water is warming, too. The surface temp is now up to about 80 degrees and the minimum temperature I encountered (at 51 feet) was 71 degrees. The maximum depths of my dives were 40, 32, 31, 33, 51 and 35 feet and the lengths were 21.0, 20.5, 20.5, 21.5, 21.0 and 25.5 minutes for a total of 130 minutes from one AL80 tank. There is monster-size Catfish (about 2 feet in length) hanging around the ramp on the far left at a depth of about 10 feet.

Dives 670 - 675: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 21, 2009)The weather and water are warming to the point that I can now get six 20-minute dives when everything goes right, something I can do only in the heat of summer. Not only does the water have to be warm, but the air temperature needs to be high so I can get warm and stay warm during surface intervals. Today I was able to make 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 32, 36, 40, 33, 60 and 40 feet. The dive lengths were 22.0, 21.5, 21.5, 22.5, 22.0 and 22.0 minutes for a total of 131.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. That's about as good as I can do. Viz is improving; it was 12 - 14 feet in the little cove just north of the diver's ramp. The surface temperature of the water was 75 - 77 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 60 feet ws 69 degrees. The stormy-looking weather must have kept a lot of people home, there were only a few divers at the ramp.

Dives 664 - 669: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 18, 2009)I made these dive with Lance Young on a hot, muggy day. It's taken longer than usual, but summer has finally arrived. I made 6 dives and the maximum depths were 35, 31, 35, 34, 61 and 31 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 21.0, 20.5, 22.5, 21.0 and 22.0 minutes for a total of 128 minutes from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was about 75 - 76 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 61 feet was 67 degrees. Viz has improved a little, now up to perhaps 12 feet. I used 18 pounds of weight with my 7mm wetsuit and 7mm shorty, and right now that is about the least I can get by with.

Dives 659 - 663: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 14, 2009)I made these dives with Lance Young, and we returned to the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. The day was very hot and humid, and I think we were both suffering a bit of heat exhaustion by the time we got our gear set-up, put our wetsuits on and got in the water. The 68 degree water at 45 feet felt very good today. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 45, 36, 31, 35 and 51 feet. The lengths were 20.5, 20.5, 20.5, 22.0 and 22.0 minutes, for a total of 105.5 minutes from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was probably about 75 degrees (this is an average temp of the readings of my 2 dive computers). Viz was about 10 feet.

Dives 654 - 658: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 11, 2009)Lance Young and I made these dives mostly in the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. A severe thunderstorm passed over the area while we were making our final dive, and we could see the lightning flashes and actually hear the rain hitting the surface when we were at a depth of about 20 feet or less. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 53, 35, 30, 31 and 34 feet. The lengths were 23.0, 21.0, 21.5, 21.0 and 21.5 minutes for a total of 108 minutes from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 53 feet was 67 degrees, and the surface temperature of the water was 74 - 75 degrees. I'm still wearing my 7mm wetsuit with 7mm shorty and hood and using 20 pounds of weight. I'll probably try 19 pounds next time. Viz was a little better than the last two trips, today it was probably 10 - 12 feet. The level of the lake was unchanged from my last dives on June 7. Lance and I used baby shampoo for defogging our masks today, and found that it works as just good as the stuff we have been paying $9 an ounce for.

Dives 649 - 653: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 7, 2009)I made these dives with Lance Young. It was nice to be diving with him again, we hadn't dived together since last summer. This was a very warm and sunny Sunday, and surprisingly, there were only 15 - 20 divers at the ramp. The level of the lake continues to rise, and is now only a few feet below full-pond. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 24 feet, the first platform was 32 feet and the second platform was 42 feet. Viz was only 6 - 8 feet. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 24.5, 22.5, 22.5, 23.0 and 27.0 for a total of 119.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 32, 31, 33, 53 and 32 feet. The surface temperature of the water was in the low/mid 70's, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 52 feet was 67 degrees (up 2 degrees from last week). I was slightly overweighted with 20 pounds using my 7 mm wetsuit with 7 mm shorty and hood.

Dives 644 - 648: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 31, 2009)It was great to be back at the lake to begin my 5th year of diving there. Normally, I make my first dives around the middle of May, but this year there has been a lot of rain and cool weather. On the plus side, the level of the lake has increased about 20 feet since last November and is presently down only about 5 feet. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp today was 21 feet, the first training platform was 28 feet and the second platform was 39 feet. I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 47, 52, 33, 31 and 30 feet. The lengths were 23, 24, 21, 20 and 21 minutes. According to my dive computer, the surface temperature of the water was 75 - 76 degrees (it felt about 3 degrees cooler than that), and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 52 ft. was 65 degrees. I wore my 7 mm wetsuit with 7 mm shorty and hood and was slightly underweighted with 18 pounds. Viz was only about 8 - 10 feet, but it was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and I didn't hear anyone complaining.

Dives 639 - 643 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 23, 2009)These dives were made from shore, and will be the last ones I make for this trip. I navigated back to the spot that the pair of spotted drum call home to check on them, and they were still there. I also got some additional macro shots of the nudibranches. The good thing about nudibranches is that they don't move around, and are relatively easy to photograph. I also tried some macro shots of anemones, and the small fish that dart among their tentacles. It is always a little sad making the last dive here, not knowing exactly when I'll return. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes each. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet, and the viz was about 80 feet. The surface temperature of the water was about 80 degrees.

Dives 637 - 638 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 22, 2009)These were the last boat dives I'll make this trip. The first dive was made at Cedral Wall. It is nearly as impressive as the deeper walls, but the maximum depth was only 65 feet. And I got to dive on a beautiful coral reef that is right on the edge of a 3,000 ft. deep blue abyss one more time. We saw several large green morays, one of them was longer than I am tall. One of the others made a little "bluff charge" move with its mouth open. It worked; I shot my photo and got the heck out of there. The length of the dive was 47 minutes, and the viz was about 60 feet. The second dive was made at Paradise Reef. We saw a medium size ray and a couple of smaller ones, along with a juvenile spotted drum and one hairy-looking little creature that I've not seen before. I'm anxious to ID it when I get home. I hope some of the macro photos I've taken the last few days are keepers. The length of the dive was 55 minutes, and the maximum depth was 40 ft. Viz was about 50 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 76 degrees.

Dives 632 - 636 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 21, 2009)I did shore dives today. When I navigated back to the spot where I'd seen the spotted drum previously, I found that it had a mate. They appeared to be involved in some kind of courtship ritual. I took a few photos, then left them alone. When I turned to leave the little pile of rubble that the spotted drum call home, I saw 3 nudibranches clinging to some vegetation. I tried taking some macro shots. The nudibranches were about the size of the tip of my thumb, and are decorated like pieces of fine jewelry. I saw a variety of wildlife on the reef today; a sharptailed eel, a yellow ray, a small octopus, a couple of barracuda, the gigantic grouper that has some kind of fixation with the fence that makes up the sting ray pen, a school of jacks, several morays and the usual assortment of tropicals. When I got back to the dive shop, I mentioned the pair of spotted drum to Matt (divemaster/instructor who works for Blue Angel), and he kind of shrugged his shoulders and said something to the effect that they were just fish. It kind of reminded me of Ronald Reagan's comment, "If you've seen one Redwood, you've seen them all". I made a total of 5 dives. The dive lengths were 20 - 21 minues each, and the maximum depths were just over 20 feet. Viz was about 80 feet, and the surface temperature of the water was 80 degrees.

Dives 630 - 631 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 20, 2009)First boat dive today was made at Palencar Wall. This is one of my all-time favorite places to dive. The place is beautiful, there's always lots to see and my camera even seems to work better there. Today was no exception. Near the end of the dive, a very large spotted eagle ray swam among us briefly. The thing was huge, its wingspan was probably about 6 feet. I got several photos, and they look pretty good. I was within 3 or 4 feet of it, but I'm careful never to swim directly over them. The maximum depth was 103 feet, and the length was 48 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 76 degrees. The second dive was made at Tormentas. The current was really ripping, and probably was the strongest current I've ever been in. Dives like this make a case for every diver to have solo diving skills, because everyone got spread out in a hurry and everybody was on his or her own. It was kind of like riding a roller coaster during a snowstorm. There really wasn't a lot to see or photograph, but it was one hell of a wild ride and was a lot of fun. The maximum depth was 74 feet and the length of the dive was 46 minutes. Viz was probably about 60 feet at Palencar and 30 - 40 feet at Tormentas.

Dives 625 - 629 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 19, 2009)Today's shore dives were complicated by the current. Not only was it ripping, but it was flowing north to south, instead of its usual south to north direction. This meant that in order to get to the reef from my starting point at the Blue Angel Dive Shop, I had to go into the current to begin my dives, instead of going against it like I usually do. That being the case, I didn't venture too far onto the reef. About half-way into my dives, the current changed direction, and began ripping in the opposite direction. Since a good part of my diving day was spent hanging onto rocks and rubble to keep from being blown off the reef, I decided to try my hand at some macro photography. So, I fired up the zoom and the wide-angle lens, and soon found some spidery looking animals to practice on. I don't know what they are (yet), but they reminded me of Granddaddy Longlegs spiders. I made 5 dives, and the lengths ranged from 20 - 21 minutes each. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet, and the visibility was about 60 feet. My primary dive computer registered the surface temperature of the water as 80 degrees.

Dives 623 - 624 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 18, 2009)I went out on the 8:00 a.m. boat and the first dive was made at Columbia Wall. The current was strong (glad it was a drift dive) and the visibility was not good because of all the sand and debris swirling in the water. Viz was probably about 50 feet. However, I love diving right on the edge of a wall that goes down to 3,000 feet. The maximum depth was 102 feet and the length of the dive was 46 minutes. The second dive was made at Francesca, which is a beautiful and expansive reef that is full of marine life. We saw sea turtles on both dives (probably about a half-dozen in all), and at Francesca we saw a couple of enormous lobsters and a parrot fish that was the size of a small shark. Viz was about 60 feet. The maximum depth was 64 feet, and the length was 54 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 79 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 75 degrees.

Dives 618 - 622 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 17, 2009)I made more shore dives today. I successfully navigated back to the little pile of rubble where I'd seen the spotted drum yesterday, and it was still there. I shot some additional video. I also saw a barracuda, a spotted ray, a school of yellow jacks, a couple of squid and a lobster. The current today was moderate. After swimming into it for the first 3 dives, I was a bit exhausted. The water temperature was 79 degrees and viz was 80 - 100 feet. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 20 - 21 minutes and the maximum depths were 21 - 22 feet. I have 6 days of diving left, and I'll be alternating boat-diving days with shore-diving days for the remainder of the trip.

Dives 613 - 617 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 16, 2009)Today's dives were from shore, and I made 5 dives. While I was setting up a video clip of a moray eel, a rarely seen spotted drum just waltzed into my viewfinder. They are beautiful and graceful, and one of my favorite tropicals. They don't seem to swim; what they do appears to be an underwater dance routine. The water seemed a bit warmer today, my primary dive computer registered the surface temp as 80 degrees. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and the viz was about 100 feet. I also saw a sea horse (same one as before, I think), a large grouper, a moray, a lobster, a couple of peacock flounder, a flying gunard and the usual bunch of tropicals. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 21 minutes, and the maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet.

Dives 611 - 612 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 15, 2009)I made 2 boat dives today. The first was at Cathedral and there were massive columns of coral near a wall, and some fairly lengthy swim-thrus. I skipped the last one, since I wanted to get to a shallower depth. I don't really care for dives like this. I'm not fond of overhead environments, and deep dives are short dives. Plus, there wasn't a whole lot to see or photograph. The maximum depth was 106 ft., and the length was 36 minutes. Visibility was about 60 feet. The second dive was made at Delilah, and I don't think I've dived it previously. It is a large, flat reef that seems to go on forever. It was covered with colorful tropicals, but we didn't see any large marine life. The maximum depth was 59 feet and the length was 54 minutes. Visibility was a little better than the previous dive, perhaps 80 feet. The minimum water temperature I encountered today was 76 degrees at Cathedral.

Dives 606 - 610 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 14, 2009)I did shore dives again today, and made 5 dives. I saw several peacock flounder, a spotted ray, a stone fish, a barracuda, the usual cast of hundreds of colorful tropicals and something very large and light- colored at the very edge of my range of visibility. It could have been a dolphin or shark, I'm not sure. Visibility continues to be good at 80 - 100 feet. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20 to 22 minutes and the maximum depths were 21 - 23 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 79 degrees.

Dives 601 - 605 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 13, 2009)I made 5 dives from shore today. I shot video clips of 2 morays and a sharp tailed eel (looks like a sea snake) and plan to use them for a video called "Shore Diving In Cozumel" that I'll produce and upload to YouTube when I return home. Viz continues to be good at 80 - 100 feet. I wore a hood today, and didn't seem to get quite as cold. My primary dive computer read the surface water temp as 79 degrees. The maximum depths ranged from 21 - 23 feet, and the lengths of the dives were 20 - 21 minutes each.

Dives 599 - 600 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 12, 2009)The first dive was made at Columbia Deep. We mainly stayed near the towering columns of coral near Columbia Wall, then veered away to shallower water later in the dive. The maximum depth was 92 feet, and the length of the dive was 50 minutes. After a short surface interval, we made the second dive at Columbia Shallows. The maximum depth was 30 feet and the length was 65 minutes. There was a lot of marine wildlife on the reef. We saw turtles, a sleeping Nurse shark, lobsters, a few morays and a multitude of tropicals. Viz was about 80 feet, and my primary dive computer read the surface water temp as 78 - 79 degrees.

Dives 595 - 598 : (Cozumel, Mexico, February 11, 2009)It was great to be back in the water in Cozumel. I made 4 shore dives on the little reef just south of the Caribe Blue Hotel. The water temperature is a degree or two lower this year, and me and my old 4/3 wetsuit are a year older, and I could feel the difference. The water temperature at the surface was 79 according to my primary dive computer, and 76 according to the back-up computer. The maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet, the lengths were 22 - 23 minutes, and the viz was 80 - 100 feet. I found and photographed a seahorse. I've seen them before, but this was the first one I'd found myself. I also saw a pod of small squid, another pod of what I think were filefishes, a large, sleeping moray eel and a mildly curious barracuda. I used 16 pounds of weight, and was mildly overweighted. I'll try 14 pounds with a hood tomorrow, it should be about right.

Dives 593 - 594 : (Negril, Jamaica, November 24, 2008)Sundivers again cancelled for the day, so I booked 2 boat dives with Negril Scuba Centre. The first dive was made at Cron's Reef. The maximum depth was 82 feet, the length was 44 minutes and the water temperature was 82 degrees. The second dive was at Shallow Plane. It was the second time I've dived it this trip, however, I didn't mind because I wanted to shoot a short video of the wreck. The maximum depth was 54 feet and the length was 40 minutes. The water temperature was 80 degrees and the visibility for both dives was about 50 feet. These are the last dives that I'll make in Jamaica. I was very impressed with the reefs in Negril and wish I'd been able to make more dives.

Dive 592: (Negril, Jamaica, November 23, 2008)The dive operator (Sundivers) cancelled the dives today due to windy and rough conditions, so I booked a shore dive (called a "cliff dive" here) with Negril Scuba Centre. They took me to their dive shop located on the premises of the Negril Escape Resort. The reef we dived on was surprisingly nice with lots of healthy, colorful coral. The maximum depth was 55 feet and the length was 56 minutes. Visibility was about 50 feet and the water temperature was 83 degrees.

Dive 591: (Negril, Jamaica, November 22, 2008)This dive was made at the Deep Plane site, however, I never did see the plane. However, the nearby reef was very nice. There was lots of color and small tropicals. The maximum depth was 88 feet and the length of the dive was 34 minutes. The water temperature was 83 degrees, and the visibility was about 30 feet. The second dive was cancelled due to rough seas.

Dives 589 - 590: (Negril, Jamaica, November 21, 2008)My first day of diving in Jamaica should have been Nov. 19, but there was no diving the first two days because of windy weather creating rough seas. It was very good to finally get in the water. The first dive was made at The Gallery. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the reefs are, however, there was very little marine life because of overfishing. Most of the larger animals I saw were in the fish and lobster traps located in sandy areas adjacent to the reef. The maximum depth was 66 feet and the length of the dive was 49 minutes. Visibility was about 50 feet, and a little better than I expected. The second dive was made at the Shallow Plane site. There is a small plane (probably a 4-seater) in a sandy area near a nice reef. Small tropical fish were all over the wreck. The maximum depth was 55 feet, and the length of the dive was 51 minutes. The water temperature for both dives was a very nice 84 degrees. I used 16 pounds of weight with my 4/3 wetsuit.

Dives 584 - 588: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 6, 2008)I knew it was very late in the diving season when I was driving to the lake and noticed that the city of Walhalla, SC was putting up its Christmas decorations. Because of my and Carol's upcoming trip to Jamaica, this was probably my last trip to the lake this year. It was a great season of diving, and my new Bare 7mm wetsuit (with 7mm shorty and hood) successfully extended my diving time by several weeks. I made 5 dives today, and the maximum depths were 82, 42, 45, 38 and 45 feet. The lengths were 24, 20.5, 21.0, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes. My primary dive computer is still reading the surface temperature of the water in the low 70's, but it feels several degrees cooler than that. My primary computer read the minimum temperature at 82 feet as 67 degrees, but my back-up computer registered it as 64 degrees. Visability was as good as I've ever seen it for dives made from the diver's ramp. It was better than 20 feet, perhaps as much as 23 - 24 feet. The depth at the end of the diver's ramp was 5 feet, and 25 feet at the second training platform. The lake is down about 25 feet, and I'm hoping for a wet winter so that it can return to its normal level by next spring.

Dives 579 - 583: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 2, 2008)I'm starting to wonder about the accuracy of my dive computer concerning its reading of water surface temps. The water is noticeably cooler now than it was 3 weeks ago, but my primary dive computer still reads the surface temperature the same as it did (73 - 74 degrees). Everyone else must think it has gotten colder, too, because except for an instructor and 4 or 5 students, I was the only diver at the ramp. When I stopped by Bill Routh's dive shop for an air fill, he said I was the only customer he'd had all day. Anyway, it is readily apparent that the end is near concerning diving at the lake this year. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 81, 36, 42, 41 and 51 feet. The lengths were 25.5, 20.5, 21.5, 21.0 and 20.5 minutes. According to my primary dive computer (Aeris Atmos2), the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 81 feet was 67 degrees (my back-up computer, an Aeris XR-1 model, read it as 64 degrees).

Dives 573 - 578: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 26, 2008)I had thought today would be my last day of diving at the lake this year, but the water felt no colder than it was last week, and my dive computers confirmed it. The surface temp of the lake was about 74 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 75 feet was 70 degrees. As an added bonus, the level of the lake increased by about 5 ft. for reasons known only to Duke Power Company. The depth at the end of the divers ramp was about 5 feet, and the depth at the second training platform was 25 feet. There were lots of divers today, 2 different dive ops had a total of about 20 divers in the water. It was a warm, sunny day and some fall color was showing. I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 75, 41, 44, 32, 31 and 42 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 20.5, 21.0, 20.5, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes, for a total of 125 minutes from one AL80 tank. I'm going to miss this; spring can't come soon enough.

Dives 567 - 572: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 21, 2008)I tried to pick the warmest day of the week to dive, and today was it. However, the surface temperature of the water continues to drop, and feels cooler than the 74 - 75 degrees registered by my primary dive computer. The water temperature at my maximum depth of 71 feet was 72 degrees. I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 71, 34, 40, 36, 35 and 42 feet. The lengths were 23.0, 21.0, 20.5, 21.0, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes for a total of 127 minutes from one AL80 tank. I wore my 7mm shorty and hood over my full-length 7mm arctic suit, and was a bit underweighted with 17 pounds. I'll probably go back to 18 pounds next time. There were no other divers at the ramp, which is not unusual for a Tuesday afternoon in late October. Viz was pretty bad at about 10 feet. The level of the lake is still holding steady; the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was about 1 ft., and the depth at the second training platform was 20 feet.

Dives 561 - 566: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 14, 2008)I made these 6 dives on a beautifully warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon. I was the only diver there when I arrived, though 2 others did arrive later. The surface water temp registered 77 - 78 on my primary computer (and 74 degrees at my maximum depth of 66 feet), but my back-up computer always reads the temps 4 or 5 degrees cooler. I was a little cold today, and I'm starting to wonder if my back-up computer is the more accurate of the two. I wore my 7 mm shorty and hood over my full-length 7/7 wetsuit, and used 18 pounds of weight. It was still a bit too much, and I'll probably try 17 pounds next time. The maximum depths were 66, 37, 33, 38, 35 and 42 feet. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20.5 to 22.0 minutes each, for a total of 125.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. Viz was about as good as it gets at the lake, 15 - 20 feet. The water level is holding steady; same as last week.

Dives 555 - 560: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 5, 2008)The water felt cooler, but according to my primary dive computer, the surface temperature of the lake remained steady at 79 - 80 degrees. However, I used my 7 mm shorty and hood over my full-length 7 mm wetsuit, and was more or less warm. I was moderately overweighted with 20 pounds, and will try 18 pounds next time. I made 6 dives and the maximum depths were 75, 33, 38, 33, 25 and 40 feet. The lengths of the dives were 27.5, 20.5, 20.0, 20.0 20.5 and 21.0 minutes for a total of 129.50 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 75 ft. was 75 degrees. The water level has remained steady for the last few weeks; the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was about 6 inches, and the depth at the second training platform was 20 feet. This was a very pleasant day with lots of sunshine and just a splash of fall color. Many people were just hanging out in lawn chairs on the ramp just admiring the scenery and enjoying the warm sunshine and blue sky.

Dives 549 - 554: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 28, 2008)The surface temperature is dropping, but very slowly. The average temperature was 79 - 80 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at my maximum depth of 70 ft. was 77 degrees. I made a total of 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 70, 36, 35, 42, 34 and 35 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 20.5, 21.0, 20.5, 21.0 and 21.5 minutes for a total of 125.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. Viz has improved, and at times seems to be in excess of 15 feet. The level of the lake is holding steady, the depth at the end of the diver's ramp was just under 1 foot. Big bass were out in numbers today, some were 8 - 10 pounds.

Dives 543 - 548: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 21, 2008)The surface water temperature really took a dip, dropping to about 80 degrees. This represents a drop of about 5 degrees in only a week. Unless we have a lot of warm weather, I expect that the rapid cooling will continue and that I'll be able to dive at the lake only a few more weeks this year. I made 6 dives and the maximum depths were 62, 40, 38, 41, 33 and 42 feet. The lengths were 22.5, 21.0, 21.0, 21.0, 21.0 and 23.0 minutes for a total of 129.5 minutes from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered at 62 feet was 79 degrees. There was only a few inches of water at the end of the diver's ramp, and the depth of the second training platform was 20 feet.

Dives 537 - 542: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 14, 2008)I was surprised to find that in the middle of September, the surface temperature of the water is still high, averaging about 85 degrees for my 6 dives. The maximum depths were 56, 40, 36, 42, 36 and 42 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 21.5, 22.5, 21.5, 22.0 and 23.5 minutes, for a total of 132 minutes from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered at 56 feet was 80 degrees. Wearing my 7/7 with hood and gloves, I managed to reduce my weights from 12 pounds to 11.

Dives 531 - 536: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 7, 2008)I'm trying to get as much diving done as I can; fall is approaching, and after that, it will be a long, cold winter. However, the water temps seem to have gone up a little in the last few days. I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 52, 39, 37, 32, 32 and 34 feet. The lengths were 21 - 22 minutes each. The average surface temperature of the water was 85 - 86 degrees, and the mimimum temperature I encountered at 52 feet was 80 degrees. Viz was a little better than it has been the last few weeks, about 15 feet. The level of the lake has held steady recently, the depth at the second training platform was 22 feet, and the end of the diver's ramp is at a depth of about 4 feet. Even though it was a hot, summer-like day with no thunderstorms, there were only 5 - 6 divers at the ramp.

Dives 525 - 530: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 4, 2008)Lance Young and I made these dives on a beautiful, warm (but not hot), stormless, late-summer day. Three of the dives were made in the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp, and we visited the little wall we discovered last summer. It is one of our favorite divesites at the lake. I made a total of 6 dives, and the lengths were 21.5, 22, 21.5, 21.0, 21.0 and 23 minutes, for a total of 130 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 33, 46, 44, 30, 38 and 36 feet. The surface temperature of the water has actually increased a little, now at 84 - 85 degrees. The minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 79 degrees.

Dives 519 - 524: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 31, 2008)My life-partner Carol came to the lake with me, and did some snorkeling and hanging-out while I dived. I was surprised at the small number of divers present, considering this was the Sunday of Labor Day week-end. I made 6 dives, and the lengths were 21.5, 21.5, 21.0, 21.0, 21.0 and 26.0 minutes, for a total of 132 minutes of divng from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 42, 39, 36, 37, 32 and 33 feet. The average temperature of the water at the surface was 83 - 84 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 80 degrees. Initially I tried 10 pounds of weight with my 7/7 (with gloves and hood), but was under-weighted. I added 2 pounds, and that seemed about right. Recent rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay added about 4 feet to the level of the lake. The end of the diver's ramp was under about 2 feet of water, and the depth at the second training platform was 22 feet.

Dives 513 - 518: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 24, 2008)This was a warm and cloudy Sunday afternoon, and I was very surprised when I arrived at the lake just before noon to find that I was the only diver there. However, I suited-up and went diving, anyway. At the second training platform (depth of 18 feet), there is a large mirror under the platform, propped up in a corner. I smiled as I saw a 4 - 5 pound Largemouth bass directly in front of the mirror, patiently studying his reflected image. It is hard to judge the expression and body language of fish, but I feel that I detected confusion, frustration and a bit of fear. It was as if the fish was contemplating "flight or fight", along with experiencing a sense of irritation at being unable to figure out exactly what was going on. It would have made a great photo or video clip. Anyway, I made a total of six dives, and the maximum depths were 36, 41, 33, 46, 28 and 36 feet. The lengths were 22.5, 22.0, 21.5, 21.5, 21.0 and 23.0 minutes for a total of 131.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The average surface temperature of the water was 81 degrees, and the minimum temperature I experienced at 46 feet was 80 degrees. Apparently the lake has begun to cool, signaling that the end of the diving season (at least for me) is probably 6 - 8 weeks away.

Dives 507 - 512: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 17, 2008)This was a very nice, stormless late-summer day at the lake. The weather was warm and sunny, but not really hot. I made 6 dives, and the lengths were 21.0, 21.0, 20.5, 20.5, 20.5 and 31.0 minutes, for a total of 134.5 minutes from one AL80 tank (which is a record for me). The maximum depths were 42, 38, 35, 33, 31 and 40 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 84 - 85 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 80 degrees. I used my 7/7 with hood and gloves and 12 pounds of weight, which seemed about right. Viz was 12 - 15 feet. The level of the lake is holding steady but is very low. The end of the diver's ramp is about a foot out of the water, and the depth of the second training platform is 18 feet.

Dives 502 - 506: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 14, 2008)Lance Young and I made these dives on a Thursday afternoon and had the entire lake (at least the underwater part) all to ourselves. I practiced shooting a lift bag (safety sausage) from a depth of about 20 feet while kneeling on the second training platform. The first time, everything went well; I inflated the bag with my reg, and it flew to the surface like it had been shot out of a gun. However, on the second try, the line got tangled as it came off the reel. The line stopped, but the bag didn't. If I hadn't let go of it, it would have taken me to the surface with it. We made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 35, 41, 44, 42 and 41 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 23.0, 21.0, 22.0 and 24.0 minutes. Viz was about 12 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 84 - 85 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 80 degrees. We got chased off the diver's ramp (and into our cars) by a severe thunderstorm as soon as we exited the water. With the high winds and hard rain, we were surprised that we didn't lose any of our gear that had been left on the ramp. It was all there (except for one reg bag I had to chase down), but it was all very muddy and gritty. A kayaker lost one of his boats, but he found it later in the little cove just south of the ramp. All in all, a very adventuresome day.

Dives 497 - 501: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 10, 2008)I have to be one of the few divers who doesn't care for steel tanks. I dived with my seldom-used steel 95 today, and it completely destroyed my buoyancy control and kept trying to flip me over on my back. Also, I was seriously overweighted. If diving with my trusty AL80s is like driving down an Interstate in a Cadillac while using cruise-control, today was like driving a junker that doesn't have power steering down a gravel road full of ruts. The thing nearly beat me to death. I was very thankful for the expert tutoring from my friend and dive partner Lance Young. Maybe someday I'll get the hang of it. We made 5 dives, and the lengths were 22.0, 24.0, 21.5, 20.5 and 21.5 minutes. The maximum depths were 42, 42, 30, 32 and 29 feet. The average surface temperature of the water was 85 - 86 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 81 degrees. I used my 3/2 shorty over my worn-out 7/5 with hood and gloves, and used 6 pounds of weights (which was too much). However, when all was said and done, I'd reached the milestone of my 500th dive.

Dives 491 - 496: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 3, 2008)These were the first dives I made after returning from Costa Rica. Lake Jocassee isn't the Pacific, and it's not in Central America, but it was good to be diving "at home" again. The water level at the lake continutes to get lower, and the water temperature continues to get higher. The diver's ramp is now completely out of the water (and so is the adjacent boat ramp), so there is no longer any motorized boat traffic in the vicinity of the divers. I made 6 dives, and the maximum depths were 40, 42, 27, 31, 26 and 31 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 22.0, 21.0, 21.5, 20.5 and 23.5 minutes, for a total of 130 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The average surface temperature of the water was 85 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 80 degrees. Based on my previous experience at the lake, I believe that these are maximum (or near maximum) summer temperatures. My 7/7 suit was overkill, but being too warm at Lake Jocassee is a difficult concept for me to accept. However, for the next few weeks, I'll probably be using my nearly worn out old 7/5. Today was equipment failure day; one of my 2 dive computers flashed a low battery warning and shut down, the purge valve in my primary mask came loose, and the inflator valve on my BC became balky with a tendency to stick in the "open" position. I dropped it off at Bill Routh's dive shop for repairs.

Dives 489 - 490: (Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, July 19, 2008)We went to Monkey's Head for the first dive today. I'd seen Monkey's Head Island in the distance a couple of times, and hoped that I'd get to dive there. It is a small island, circular in shape and maybe 100 feet in diameter. In the middle of it is a very unusual stone column about 50 feet high, and it is clearly shaped like a monkey's head. The Gulf of Papagayo has some strange stuff. This was a pleasant, glide and relax kind of dive. It was a great dive for what it didn't have; thermoclines, strong current and giant Sting rays freaking out (see dives of July 18 below). I saw one medium-size Eagle ray, but it remained calm. The maximum depth was 66 feet, and the length was 56 minutes. The second dive was made at Argentina (got its name because someone thought the island is shaped like the country). The divemaster led us to Shark Cave, and sure enough, there were two Nurse sharks inside. The sharks stayed inside the cave, we stayed outside the cave, and everyone seemed happy with that arrangement. The maximum depth was 45 feet, and the length was 51 minutes. Visability was a little better than yesterday, perhaps 30 feet. The water temperature was 83 degrees. When we surfaced after the second dive, we found ourselves in a storm with hard rain and choppy waves. We were between 2 small islands, and I couldn't see any other land and could barely see the dive boat. These were the last dives that I'll make in Costa Rica this trip, and it was a fitting end to a great week of some very adventuresome diving.

Dives 487 - 488: (Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, July 18, 2008)First dive today was made at Supresa. The current was the strongest that I've been in, and everyone had to descend on the anchor line. I literally had to hang-on with both hands. Shortly after reaching the bottom, we saw the largest ray that I've ever seen. The thing was huge, and its wingspan was wider than I am tall. The Divemaster unintentionally spooked it, and in making its escape, it swam directly under me doing about 110 mph (or so it seemed). It easily could have nailed me with its barb, but thankfully it chose not to. A little later, I encountered a thermocline and it felt like going from the sauna to the refrigerator, all in about 2 seconds. Just as the dive was ending and I was about to ascend on the anchor line, I spotted a large Morary eel in a crevice. The length of the dive was 40 minutes, and the maximum depth was 86 feet. The minimum temp I encountered was 75 degrees (it felt a lot colder than that). After the dive, the DM apologized for spooking the ray in my direction and asked if I was okay. It had been kind of scary, but I tried to laugh it off. The second dive was made at Tortuga. Even though it is the third time I've dived it this trip, I didn't mind since I wanted to shoot some video of the wreck that is at the site. While we were at the wreck, a large turtle swam by, and I watched it for about a minute. The maximum depth was 69 feet, and the length was 43 minutes. The minimum temperature was 79 degrees. Vizability for both dives was only 15 - 20 feet.

Dives 485 - 486: (Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, July 17, 2008)We went to a site called Estudiantes for the first dive. There are many small, rocky islands in the Gulf of Papagayo, and most of the diving done locally is just offshore from an island. Today was no exception. It really makes sense; divers can get out of the wind and avoid choppy seas, and the islands all have great underwater rock formations that are covered with soft corals. This was a lazy glide and relax dive in shallow water. The maximum depth was only 31 feet and the length was 63 minutes. We saw a couple of large Eagle rays, a small octopus and several small Moray eels. For the second dive, we went back to Tortuga. I spotted the largest Moray eel that I've seen on this trip, and everyone got photos. One of the divemasters also found a small seahorse. They are a rare treat, it was only the second one I've seen. The current picked up, and we got bounced around a bit. The maximum depth was 61 feet and the length was 57 minutes. Visability was about 30 feet today, and the water temperature was 83 degrees.

Dives 483 - 484: (Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, July 16, 2008)Today's dives were made at Playpen and Casita. Visability was not quite as good as yesterday, probably 30 - 40 feet. Both dives were drift dives. We let the current carry us along, and the boat picked us up when we surfaced. At Playpen, we dived near the rocky shore of a small island. There were massive underwater columns of rock that were covered with soft corals. The maximum depth was 54 feet and the length of the dive was 58 minutes. At Casita, the current was really strong, and we got tossed around a good bit. The maximum depth was 36 feet and the length was 58 minutes. We saw several rays, including a large Eagle ray, several small octopus, 3 large lobsters and hundreds of colorful tropicals. Water temperature was a very comfortable 83 - 84 degrees. All the local dives here are made in the Gulf of Papagayo, which is just offshore from Playa del Coco. I used 13 pounds of weights, and that seems about right for this trip.

Dives 481 - 482: (Playa del Coco, Costa Rica, July 15, 2008)These were the first dives that I've made in the Pacific. Visability was not quite as good as I'm used to in the Caribbean, but the abundance of wildlife more than made up for it. We saw a White Tipped shark (my first), a couple of octopi, so many Moray eels that I stopped counting, a Yellow ray, a Spotted Eagle ray and a barracuda. In addition, at times we were practically swarmed by schools of colorful tropicals. There were plenty of colorful soft corals around and even a few small hard corals (they looked like Staghorn). The first dive was made at a site called Argentina. The maximum depth was 81 feet and the length was 54 minutes. The second dive was made at Tortuga, and there was a small wreck to explore. The maximum depth was 71 feet, and the length was 63 minutes. The water felt very warm at 81 - 83 degrees and the visability was 40 - 50 feet. I used my 4/3 full-length wetsuit without hood or gloves and was very comfortable. I was seriously overweighted on the first dive with 16 pounds, and moderately overweighted on the second dive with 14 pounds.

Dives 476 - 480: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 8, 2008)Lance Young and I made these 5 dives in the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. We were fortunate to get 5 dives done, had to make a hasty retreat off the ramp in a loud thunderstorm. We initially sought refuge in nearby woods, but eventually ended up in Lance's car while still wearing our dripping wetsuits. Concerning our dives, the maximum depths were 43, 43, 31, 33 and 24 feet. The lengths were 20.5, 21.5, 21.0, 23.5 and 20.5 minutes, for a total of 107 minutes from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was 79 - 80 degrees (felt warmer than that), and the minimum temperature at my maximum depth of 43 feet was 75 degrees. I'm continuing to wear my 7/7 along with hood and gloves, and was somewhat overweighted with 12 pounds. I'm considering switching back to my nearly worn-out 7/5, at least until the water starts cooling this fall. It is a lot more comfortable than the 7/7, and much easier to get on and off.

Dives 470 - 475: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 2, 2008)I made these 6 dives from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. The water temperature increased about 5 degrees in the past week, now at a very comfortable 84 - 85 degrees at the surface. The minimum temperature I encountered was 74 degrees at my maximum depth of 41 feet. The maximum depths were 30, 33, 41, 40, 30 and 25 feet. The lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21.0, 22.0, 22.5, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes for a total of 128.5 minutes from one AL80 tank. I wore my 7/7 with hood and gloves, but without a shorty, and was slightly overweighted with 13 pounds. Viz was a little better than last week, probably about 12 feet. The water level of the lake has more or less held steady for the last few weeks. The end of the diver's ramp is submerged about 6 inches, and the depth at the first training platform is 6 feet.

Dives 466 - 469: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 22, 2008)I made these 4 dives with Lance Young, again diving in the cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. Visability today was very poor for some reason, probably no more than 10 feet and that is stretching it a bit. The maximum depths were 36, 36, 32 and 39 feet, and the lengths were 21.0, 21.5, 22.0 and 26.5 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 80 - 81 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 39 feet was 73 degrees. I used my 7/7 under a 2mm shorty with hood and gloves, and was a bit underweighted using 12 pounds. I suppose I'll try 13 pounds next time.

Dives 462 - 465: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 14, 2008)Lance Young and I made these 4 dives in the cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. The maximum depths were 43, 46, 36 and 28 feet, and the lengths were 21.5, 21.0, 21.0 and 21.5 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 81 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 43 feet was 67 degrees. I wore my 7/7 wetsuit under a 2 mm shorty and was slightly overweighted with 14 pounds.

Dives 457 - 461: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 8, 2008)The near-record heat is having quite an effect on the water temperature, now up 7 degrees (in only a week) to 83 degrees. My friends Lance and Jane were at the lake, and it was fun diving with them again (first time this year). I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 40, 37, 41, 31 and 33 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 21.5, 21.5, 20.5 and 21.0 for a total of 105.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature I encountered was 67 degrees at 40 feet. I wore my 7/7 wetsuit with hood and gloves but without the shorty. I was slightly overweighted with 14 pounds, next time I'll try 12.

Dives 453 - 456: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 2, 2008)I tried 22 pounds of weight with my 7/7 wetsuit and 7/7 shorty, and it seems to be about right, though it is difficult to descend on the first dive with the wetsuit being dry and very buoyant. The water is warming some, and I may not need the shorty much longer. It does feel good at depth when the water gets cooler, though. I made 4 dives, and the maximum depths were 41, 33, 26 and 30 feet. The lengths were 21.5, 21.0, 20.5 and 28.5 minutes. Surprisingly, the surface water temperature has increased 5 degrees since May 25 (according to my dive computer, anyway), now up to 76 degrees. The minimum temperature at my maximum depth of 41 feet was 66 degrees. There were some monster-size Largemouth bass hanging out under the first training platform.

Dives 450 - 452: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 25, 2008)I brought enough weights to use the 7 mm "shorty" with my 7/7 wetsuit. Last week, I didn't have enough weights and had to do without it. It really made a difference. This was the first time diving at the lake this time of year when I wasn't uncomfortably cold. I used 24 pounds of weight, and was a bit overweighted. Next week, I'll try 22. I made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 32, 33 and 40 feet. The lengths were 23.5, 22.5 and 23.0 minutes. According to my primary computer (Aeris Atmos2), the surface temperature of the water was 71 degrees, and the minimum temp at 40 feet was 64 degrees. However, my back-up computer (Aeris XR1) records all temps 2 - 3 degrees lower than the Atmos2. Even though this is Memorial Day week-end, there were only a few divers at the lake. Perhaps gas being 3.71 per gallon is having an effect.

Dives 448 - 449: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 17, 2008)It was nice being back at the lake to begin my 4th year of diving there. I used my new 7/7 arctic wetsuit for the first time, and seriously under estimated how buoyant it is. With my old 7/5, I need only 6 pounds of weight in fresh water and thought I'd need only 10 for the 7/7. However, I was barely able to descend with 14 pounds, and that was without using the 7 mm "shorty". However, I could feel the difference concerning the cold water. I won't say I was toasty warm, but I didn't get as cold as I expected. I made 2 dives. The dive lengths were 22.5 and 24.5 minutes, and the maximum depths were 30 and 42 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 69 degrees, and the maximum depth at 42 feet was either 60 or 62 degrees, depending on whether I believe my primary dive computer, or the back-up. It felt closer to 60.

Dives 446 - 447: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 27, 2008)The first dive of the day was made at Palencar Bricks. It is a beautiful wall dive with towering columns of coral. I've dived it 3 or 4 times on previous trips and it never fails to please. Today was no exception; I think Palencar is one of my all-time favorite sites to dive. However, I had a moderate O-ring leak in my tank and had to end the dive after only 36 minutes. I almost waited too long, hit the surface with less than 200 psi. The maximum depth was 84 feet and the visability was about 60 feet. The water temp (according to my dive computer) was 75 degrees, but it didn't feel that cold. The second dive was at Cedral Wall. This was the second time this trip that I've dived this site, but I love the moderate-depth wall that is bordered by a very large and relatively flat coral reef. We saw several large turtles and a shark. The length of the dive was 46 minutes and the maximum depth was 80 feet. The visability was 60 - 70 feet and the water temperature was 80 degrees. These were the last dives that I'll make this trip. After two weeks of daily diving, I'm tired and all "dived-out". In addition, the aches and pains are accumulating, and it is time to go home. It has been a wonderful trip, and I'll miss the warm, clear, tropical waters and the spring-like temperatures of Cozumel in January.

Dives 444 - 445: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 26, 2008)I'd planned to make 3 or 4 shore dives, but the current was very strong. After hanging on to underwater rocks and feeling like a windblown sheet on a clothes line, I decided to call it quits after 2 dives. I'd started my dives into the current, and gratefully turned into the current and drifted back to the area just offshore from the Blue Angel Dive Shop. I saw one medium-size Moray eel. These guys always seem to be in a bad mood and on the verge of losing their temper. They remind me of grumpy old men. Even with the strong current, I was sorry to leave the water, knowing that these were my last dives on this little area of reef, rocks and rubble for at least a year. The maximum depths of the dives were 24 and 23 feet, and the lengths were 20 and 24 minutes. The viz was about 60 feet, and the water temperature was 79 - 80 degrees.

Dives 442 - 443: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 25, 2008)The first dive of the day was made at Punta Sur, one of the premier wall dives in Cozumel. Visibility was not good (only about 40 feet) and no large marine animals were seen, but the towering columns of coral and the steep wall still made for a spectacular dive. The swim-thru at a depth of 100 feet was challenging but exciting (I'm not a big fan of overhead environments). The length of the dive was 40 minutes, and the maximum depth was 111 feet. This was the deepest dive that I've made in a while. The second dive was made at Cedral Pass, which has a expansive, flat reef with a few trenches. Visibility was a little better, perhaps 50 - 60 feet, and I saw the largest lobster that I've ever seen. The thing was the size of a small-size suitcase and downright scary. I have no idea how it survived for as long as it has, but it is now residing in a marine park, and hopefully it will be around scaring divers for many more years to come. The maxiumum depth was 53 feet, and the length of the dive was 55 minutes. The water temperature for both dives was 79 - 80 degrees. I've been a bit cool in my 4/3 full-length suit, and haven't been using a hood. Sixteen pounds of weight seems to be about right for this trip.

Dives 438 - 441: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 24, 2008)I made 4 shore dives, taking advantage of a very warm and sunny day with very little wind and almost no current. Visibility improved to 70 - 80 feet and approached 100 feet when the sun was not behind clouds. Marine wildlife was abundant. I saw a small school of what I think were large Trumpetfish, along with 2 of the smaller, speckled rays (about the size of a large frying pan), a Scorpion fish, and 2 Nudibranches. These were the first Nutibranches that I've ever seen. They were quite small, and very beautiful. Since there was very little current, I did one of my favorite things to do when diving; kneel beside a coral head and just see what starts moving. In just a few minutes, I counted 9 different species of tropical fish. Also, to my surprise, a small Moray eel climbed out of a crevice and started moving around. The lengths of the dives were 22, 20, 21 and 26 minutes and the maximum depths were 21 - 22 feet. The water temperature was 80 - 81 degrees.

Dives 436 - 437: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 23, 2008)Today's dives were made at Cedral Wall and San Francisco Wall. The dive at Cedral will be remembered as my "Jurassic Park" dive. It is the type dive that fortunate divers experience only once every year or two. To begin with, the site has a beautiful coral reef that borders a steep wall that drops over 3,000 feet. I dearly love to get right on the edge of the wall, with the coral reef off to the side, and let the current carry me along. It provides the feeling of effortless flying in space. We saw a large turtle on the surface and it descended and swam with us for a while. Then there was another large turtle. Then a couple of very large Eagle rays were sighted. A little later, I saw another diver shooting some video footage of something that was in a large crevice. I swam over to see what it was being photograhed and saw the largest Moray eel that I've ever seen. It had a head the size of a medium-size bear's head, and was not very happy about being disturbed and having a bright light shined into its eyes. I had no idea that Morays got that huge. I watched for a minute and decided to move away while I still could. I've known of 4 divers being bitten by Morays, and 3 of them ended up in the hospital. Just before the dive ended, we saw a couple of large Nurse sharks and a Barracuda. Everyone wanted to talk about all that they had seen when we got back on the boat, and I feel that this was one of the best dives I've ever made. The maximum depth was 82 feet, and the length was 52 minutes.

The second dive was made at San Francisco, which is also a wall dive. It was a lazy, drift and relax kind of dive and again I enjoyed the sensation of "flying" along the edge of the abyss. It is about the most addictive thing I've ever done. The maximum depth was 71 feet and the length was 52 minutes.

The water temp for both dives was 79 degrees, and the visibility was about 50 feet.

Dives 433 - 435: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 22, 2008)I was scheduled to do boat dives today, but decided to wait another day in order for visibility to improve after several days of high winds. Instead, I made 3 dives from shore. Visibility improved to about 60 feet and it was a typically beautiful Cozumel day of mild temperatures and beautiful sunshine. The lengths of the dives were 20, 20 and 23 minutes, and the maximum depths were 20 - 22 feet. The water temperature was 80 degrees.

Dives 430 - 432: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 21, 2008)A strong north wind prompted the Harbormaster to close the local waters to small craft and all recreational use (snorkeling and scuba diving included). So, there was no diving yesterday, or early this morning. Waves were 10 - 12 feet and were breaking over the seawalls and into the streets. The closure was finally lifted this morning about 10:00, and I made 3 dives from shore after Carol and I went snorkeling. The maximum depths were 21 - 22 feet, and the lengths of the dives were 23, 23 and 28 minutes. I saw a small pod of squid, and they were watching me just as intently as I was watching them. I also saw a Moray eel. The water temp was about 79 degrees, and the visibility was 40 - 50 feet. I was surprised that Carol wanted to go snorkeling, because of how rough the conditions were, but we had a good (but very bouncy) time.

Dives 427 - 429: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 19, 2008)Today's dives were made on the reef offshore from the Caribe Blu Hotel. The tropicals were out in force, but I saw only one Moray eel and one Sharptailed eel. One Triggerfish swam with me for 15 or 20 minutes, actually coming close enough to touch my mask on several occasions. The lengths of the dives were 20, 21 and 23 minutes and the maximum depths were 21 - 22 feet. The visibility was about 70 feet, and the water temperature was 80 - 81 degrees. Carol and I snorkeled for about an hour before I made my dives. If she has been in "snorkel school" all week, then today she graduated with honors. She was much more relaxed and confident, and on several occasions I had to turn her around because we were getting too far from shore and into an area where there could be boat traffic. Because of the current and wind, today we got our gear at the Blue Angel Dive Shop (next door to the Caribe Blu Hotel), then walked about .3 mile to the Dive Paradise Dive Shop. We entered the water there, then drifted back with the current to the Blue Angel Dive Shop.

Dives 425 - 426: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 18, 2008)The first dive today was at Columbia Wall. I've been having problems clearing my ears, but didn't have problems today, thanks mainly to a 12-hour Sudafed I took a few hours before getting on the boat. Columbia is a beautiful dive. I've dived there 2 or 3 times since I started coming to Cozumel, and have never been disappointed. Visibility was not very good, but the reef and wall were spectacular, anyway. The maximum depth was 101 feet, and the length of the dive was 46 minutes. For the second dive, we went back to La Fransesca (where I dived two days ago), but it is a very nice reef with lots of little tunnels (nice to look at, but I don't go in them). Everyone else saw 2 Blacktip sharks, but somehow I missed seeing them. The maximum depth was 53 feet and the length of the dive was 54 minutes. Viz was about 50 feet, and the water temp for both dives was about 80 degrees.

Dives 422 - 424: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 17, 2008)Diving today was done at the reef just offshore from the Caribe Blu Hotel. The visibility improved to 70 - 80 feet, and a lot of marine life was around. I saw a large Barracuda, a couple of medium-size Stingrays (28 - 36 inch wingspans), 4 Moray eels and a deadly Stonefish, along with hundreds of colorful tropicals. A few eyebrows get raised at the dive shop when they find out that I'm solo diving in the ocean, but so far, no one has said anything. The maximum depths of my 3 dives were 20 - 22 feet, and the lengths were 20, 20 and 23 minutes. The water temperature was 81 degrees. Carol and I went snorkeling in the same area earlier for about an hour, and her skill level is improving. She got to see a couple of the Stingrays, one seems to actually interact with us a bit. When it sees us, it stops, then comes up a few feet to check us out. Then it swims away. The weather was beautiful. Lance and Jane, wish you were here!

Dives 420 - 421: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 16, 2008)My first boat dives on this trip were made at Horseshoe and La Francesca Reefs. The maximum depth at Horseshoe was 92 feet, and the length of the dive was 42 minutes. The water temp was a cool 76 degrees, and I think I'm going to start using a hood (gloves aren't allowed in the Marine Park) for the remaining dives on this trip. I was a bit under-weighted with 14 pounds, had problems remaining negatively buoyant toward the end of the dive. The maximum depth at Francesca was 60 feet and the length of the dive was 50 minutes. The water temp was 78 degrees. We saw two Nurse sharks, one was about 7 feet long. I used 16 pounds of weights on this dive, and that appeared to be about right. The visibility for both dives was 50 - 60 feet.

Dives 418 - 419: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 15, 2008)We arrived in Cozumel yesterday, and after checking-in with the Blue Angel Dive Shop, I made 2 shore-dives on the little reef just offshore from the Caribe Blue Hotel. I was surprised and disappointed to see that the little reef was in worse shape now than it was a year ago after being devastated by Hurricane Wilma. However, it was great to be diving again in the (relatively) warm Caribbean Sea. The maximum depths for the 2 dives were about 22 feet, and the lengths were 26 and 27 minutes. The water temp was 80 degrees, and the visibility was about 50 feet. I saw one little spotted Moray eel. Before my dives, Carol and I went snorkeling. It was her first time snorkeling in the ocean, and she did well. A medium-size Manta ray (about a 36 inch wingspan) swam directly under us at one point. We also saw a Trumpet fish and a lot of colorful tropicals.

Dives 416 - 417: (Lucaya, Bahamas, October 13, 2007)These were the last dives that I'll make on this trip. The first dive was made at Pgymy Caves. It is a very nice reef with lots of trenches and swim-thrus. In addition to an abundance of fish, we saw one turtle and a lone shark. The length of the dive was 57 minutes and the maximum depth was 71 feet. The second dive was made at The Chamber. On my descent, I could see about a half-dozen sharks directly under me patiently waiting to be fed (the area is very near Shark Junction). I got many more photos, having learned that the best way to photograph sharks is from underneath them, and at an angle (shark shouldn't be directly overhead). I reluctantly ended my dive after 60 minutes, cutting it very close on air consumption. The maximum depth was 48 feet. The viz for both dives was about 60 feet, and the water temperature was 81 degrees. I asked Fred how cold the water gets here in winter, and he said about 72 degrees.

Dives 414 - 415: (Lucaya, Bahamas, October 12, 2007)This was probably the best day of diving I've experienced to date. The first dive was on the Theo wreck. The Theo was a 230 ft. freighter that was intentionally sunk years ago and presently rests intact on its port side in about 100 feet of water. It lies very close (30 - 50 feet?) to a ledge where the water is 2,000 feet deep. Visibility finally improved, and was about 100 feet. There were lots of fish around and it was a beautiful dive. The maximum depth was 101 feet, and the length of the dive was 44 minutes. The water temperature was 82 degrees. The second dive was at Shark Junction. There were about 15 Caribbean Reef sharks swimming among us, very patiently awaiting hand-outs that never came (they normally get fed here, but not today). Gratefully, they didn't take out their frustrations on the divers. From my experience, it seems that these sharks are not the mindless killers that are portrayed in movies. They are quite shy. Fred said that if a diver chases one with a camera, the shark will leave and not come back. I could have stayed underwater for hours, but had to come up after 57 minutes. The maximum depth was 47 feet. The visibility was about 60 feet, and the water temperature was 84 degrees.

Dives 412 - 413: (Lucaya, Bahamas, October 11, 2007)Today's dives were made at medium-depth coral reefs. The winds decreased substantially several days ago, but unfortunately the visibility has not improved. It was about 50 - 55 feet, and that is probably stretching it a bit. The first dive was made at Gal's Grotto, and the maximum depth was 72 feet. The length of the dive was 53 minutes. One small Caribbean Reef shark made an appearance and swam with us a few minutes. The second dive was made at Angel's Camp. The maximum depth was 45 feet, and the length of the dive was 65 minutes. The water temperature for both dives was 84 degress. I used 12 pounds of weight today, and that appears to be about right for this trip.

Dives 410 - 411: (Lucaya, Bahamas, October 10, 2007)The first dive today was at Duncan's Wreck. It is a large cargo ship, perhaps 200 feet long, that is in pieces. There was a large Stingray nearby half-buried in the sand and I got some nice photos. I also was fortunate to get a photo of a Lionfish on the wreck (the first one I've seen). The maximum depth was 90 feet and the length was 47 minutes. The second dive was made at a place called The Chamber, named because an old decompression chamber was sunk there years ago as an artificial reef and mooring point. It is surrounded by a very large and beautiful coral reef. While we were there, a group of 5 - 7 Caribbean Reef sharks (several were 7 feet long) showed up and slowly glided among us, between us, above us and below us. We never knew where the next one was going to appear, and they were close enough to touch (though I didn't). It was very exciting, and I think I was just as excited as the 15 year old boy who was diving with his dad. It was one of my most memorable dives. The maximum depth was 43 feet, and the length of the dive was 56 minutes. Viz for both dives was about 50 feet, and the water temperature was 83 - 84 degrees. I used 14 pounds of weight today, and was still overweighted. Tomorrow, I'll try 12.

Dives 408 - 409: (Lucaya, Bahamas, October 9, 2007)Yesterday should have been my first day of diving here, but all dives were canceled because of high winds. I really didn't expect today to be any better, but Melinda of Grand Bahama Scuba picked me up at 8:45 and took me to the dive boat. Her husband, Fred, said not to expect much, that if the weather system that has caused all the wind had produced winds any higher, it would have a name. He said it was going to be a rough boat ride, and viz was going to be bad. He then said that our boat would probably be the only one that went out today. He was right on all counts. Even though I started taking an anti-seasick med 4 days ago, I got half-seasick going to the first dive site, which was a place called Tunnels. There were a few Caribbean Reef sharks around that were 6 - 7 feet long. This was a medium-depth reef dive, and the viz wasn't much. The maximum depth was 64 feet and the length of the dive was 54 minutes. After a short surface interval (which everyone was thankful for because of the rough seas), we made our second dive at a place called Papa Doc's. The reef has a colorful past. Back in the 1970's, a wooden boat laden with guns and ammunition left Port Lucaya bound for Haiti, where the cargo was to be used to help overthrow the dictator Papa Doc Duvalier. However, the boat struck the reef and sank. Fred said that as late as a few years ago, he was still finding ammunition on the bottom. The boat has rotted away, leaving only the 2 diesel engine blocks. Because of complaints from divers that there was not a wreck on this wreck dive, a few years ago a dive operator sank an old tugboat near the original wreck site. It was an interesting dive, and another reef shark made a brief appearance, coming within 20 feet of me before turning away. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to get a photo. The maximum depth was 43 feet and the length of the dive was 65 minutes. The water temperature for both dives was 84 degrees, and the viz was 40 - 50 feet. I was overweighted with 18 pounds on the first dive, and still overweighted on the second dive with 16 pounds. I'll try 14 pounds tomorrow.

Dives 405 - 407: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 3, 2007)Lance Young and I made these dives in the cove that is just north of the diver's ramp, and we successfully navigated back to the wall we found on September 26. It is an area that we look forward to exploring in the future. Right now, the depth at the wall is about 35 feet. When the lake is at full capacity, the depth will be about 60 feet. The maximum depths of our dives were 36, 43 and 43 feet, and the dive lengths were 23.0, 21.5 and 24.0 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 76 - 77 degrees, and the mimimum temperature we encountered at 43 feet was 76 degrees. The lake has dropped another foot, the depth of the first training platform is now only 5 feet. One boater arrived while we were there and decided that the water level was too low to launch his boat, and left. Because of the rapidly cooling water temperature, I expect to make only 2 or 3 more trips to Lake Jocassee this year.

Dives 400 - 404: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 30, 2007)The weather was nice and warm (about 78 degrees) and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the water is definitely cooling off. The surface temperature was 79 - 80 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 77 degrees. I wore my 3/2 shorty under my 7/5, along with hood and gloves (using 8 pounds of weight), and still got a bit chilled. The Greenville and Oconee County Emergency Response Teams were allowing their members to do helmet dives (tethered to their air supply) at the diver's ramp. I'd never seen this type of dive suit (except in photos), and it was interesting watching the divers suiting-up. Concerning my dives, the maximum depths were 33, 32, 31, 26 and 30 feet. The lengths of the dives were 21.0, 21.0, 20.0, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes.

Dives 395 - 399: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 26, 2007)The beautiful summer-like weather continues, and Lance Young and I took advantage of it. We made 5 dives, all in the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. Because the water level is so low, we made a new discovery. At a depth of about 35 feet, we found a rocky wall that is nearly sheer. Before the lake was created, this feature was probably a cliff on the side of a hill. We didn't follow it all the way to the bottom, so we have no idea concerning its length. The level of the lake has dropped 2 more feet in only 3 days. The first training platform is now at a depth of only 6 feet. If the water drops only 2 more feet, I don't believe that boaters will be able to use the ramp that is adjacent to the diver's ramp. Our maximum depths were 51, 37, 29, 25 and 27 feet. The lengths of the dives were 22.5, 22.0, 20.5, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes. The temperature at the surface was 82 - 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 51 feet was 78 degrees.

Dives 390 - 394: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 23, 2007)This was a beautiful and warm early fall day that felt more like mid-summer, and the diver's ramp was crowded. I suppose everyone wants to get a few more dives before the weather (and water) get cold. My maximum depths were 35, 40, 31, 34 and 33 feet. The dive times were 22.5, 23.0, 22.0, 21.5 and 21.5 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 83 degrees, and the mimimum temperature I encountered at 40 feet was 78 degrees. It should be warm enough but I got a bit chilled, probably because my old 7/5 Henderson has over 300 dives and is wearing out. I intend to replace it next year, probably with a 7/7.

Dives 386 - 389: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 20, 2007)Lance Young and I made these dives on a cool, cloudy and windy day that felt more like late October than mid September. The surface temperature of the lake has dropped 5 degrees in only 4 days, now down to 78 degrees. The minimum temperature I encountered at 54 feet was 76 degrees. The lengths of the dives were 25.5, 21.0, 22.5 and 25.0 minutes. The maximum depths were 54, 30, 32 and 37 feet. The lake has dropped a foot in the last 4 days, the first training platform is now at a depth of 8 feet. Big bass were out in high numbers today, there were at least a dozen hanging out around (and under) the dive platforms.

Dives 381 - 385: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 16, 2007)Someone placed a large mirror (approximately 24 x 36 inches) on the back of the first underwater platform. I'd never seen a mirror image of myself underwater, and it was kind of strange. When swimming toward the back of the platform, a diver will see someone swimming toward him, getting closer and closer, only to find out that the diver swimming towards him is himself. Thanks to whoever put the mirror there; great idea! Concerning the diving, the water temperature is definitely getting cooler. The surface temperature was down to 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 79 degrees. The lengths of the dives were 22.5, 22.5, 23, 22.5 and 25.5 minutes, for a total of 116 minutes from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 36, 38, 30, 42 and 34 feet. The water level of the lake has stayed more or less constant during the last 2 weeks. The depth of the first underwater platform was 9 feet.

Dives 376 - 380: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 9, 2007)Lance Young and I had a very good day of late-summer diving. Surprisingly, the level of the lake increased a foot in the last 4 days, the depth of the first platform is now 9 feet. The maximum depths of the dives were 50, 33, 32, 31 and 33 feet. The lengths were 23.5, 21.5, 22.5, 21.5 and 27.0 minutes for a total of 116 minutes from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was 86 - 87 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 50 ft. was 80 degrees. Lance and I agreed that this is about the best time of the year to dive at the lake. On our last dive, we were entertained by a small catfish that swam along with us for several minutes, darting between us and swimming circles around us.

Dives 371 - 375: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 5, 2007)Knowing that the diving season at the lake will be ending soon (but hopefully not for a couple of months), I took advantage of another stormless summer day and went diving. The level of the lake continues to drop, down another foot in only 3 days. The first training platform in front of the ramp is now in only 8 feet of water. Big bass were out in high numbers today and several of them checked me out, including the largest live bass that I've ever seen. I watched it for several minutes, and decided its length was about 24 inches. Weight probably would be 12 - 14 pounds. Concerning the diving, the lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21.0, 22.0, 21.0 and 24.5 minutes, for a total of 110 minutes from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 31, 36, 25, 40 and 35 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 84 - 85 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 40 feet was 80 degrees. I'm now using only 6 pounds of weights, down from 22 pounds when I started diving at the lake in the summer of 2005.

Dives 366 - 370: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 2, 2007)These dives were made with Lance Young and his life-partner Jane, and it was a very enjoyable day. The water level of the lake continues to drop, and the depth of the first training platform in front of the diver's ramp is now 9 feet (last week it was 12 feet). In addition, the platform in the cove is in only 4 feet of water, and we were actually standing on it during one of our surface intervals. Normally, its depth is about 25 - 26 feet. Concerning the dives, the maximum depths were 42, 34, 32, 33 and 31 feet. The lengths of the dives were 21, 21, 20, 20.5 and 22 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 82 - 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 41 feet was 79 degrees.

Dives 363 - 365: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 26, 2007)Thunder, lightning and whitecap waves on the lake ended my day after only 3 dives. The lengths of the dives were 22.0, 21.5 and 21.0 minutes, and the maximum depths were 40, 31 and 33 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 83 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at 40 feet was 80 degrees. Wearing gloves, but no hood, I was able to reduce my weights from 8 pounds to 7. It was still a bit too easy to descend and I had problems remaining neutrally buoyant at 40 feet, so I'll probably try 6 pounds on my next dives.

Dives 358 - 362: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 19, 2007)It is difficult to figure how crowded it will be at the diver's ramp on any given day. Being a beautiful late-summer day and a Sunday, I expected to have problems finding a parking space. However, there was plenty of parking, and I think there were only 5 or 6 other divers present. Randy Bayne was waiting for his students in Reese Davis's boat, and he and I talked about the Rescue Diver course that I'd recently completed (Randy was my instructor). Concerning the diving, the surface temp has cooled a few degrees since last week, now down to 85 - 86 degrees. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 35, 31, 33, 35 and 30 feet. The dive lengths were 22.0, 22.0, 21.0, 21.5 and 22.0 minutes. The minimum temperature I encountered at 35 feet was 79 degrees. The water level of the lake continues to drop, and it is a long way down the ramp from the parking area to get to the water. In May, the first underwater training platform was in 32 feet of water. Now, the depth is only 12 feet.

Dives 353 - 357: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 14, 2007)Lance Young and I arrived at the lake just after 11:00 and found that we were the only divers present. The 100+ degree weather we've been having has finally had an effect on the surface temperature of the water. According to my Aeris Atmos2 dive computer, the surface temp of the water was 87 - 88 degrees. This is the warmest temp I've encountered in the 3 summers I've been diving at the lake. I made 5 dives, and the maximum depths were 65, 25, 31, 33 and 30 feet. The dive lengths were 26.5 21.5, 21.5, 21.0 and 23.5 minutes for a total of 114 minutes from one AL80 tank. The minimum temperature at my maximum depth of 65 feet was 73 degrees.

Dives 347 - 352: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 10, 2007)Lance Young and I made these dives on a very hot day. The first dive was made in the vicinity of the 3 underwater training platforms, and the others were made in the little cove just north of the diver's ramp. This area is my and Lance's favorite place to dive at the lake. It was a good day to see really large bass, some in the 8 - 10+ pound range. The lengths of the dives were 21.0, 21.5, 24.0, 22.5, 20.5 and 21.0 minutes. The maximum depths were 32, 26, 27, 31, 25 and 22 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at 32 feet was 77 degrees, and the surface temperature of the water was 84 degrees. We were literally swarmed by biting black flies when we exited the water, so we quickly packed up and left.

Dives 342 - 346: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 5, 2007)After the Rescue Diver certification dives last week, it was very nice to get back to my weekly schedule of slow, relaxing dives at Lake Jocassee. Big bass were out in high numbers today; I saw one that was probably over 10 pounds, it looked like a small Caribbean Grouper. The length of today's dives were 24.5, 22.5, 22, 22.5 and 23 minutes for a total of 114.5 minutes from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 35, 35, 34, 30 and 25 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 81 - 82 degrees, and the minimum temperature I encountered at depth was 77 degrees.

Dives 338 - 341: (Lake Keowee, SC, July 28, 2007) These dives were made while attaining my Rescue Diver certification. I actually made 9 dives during a very long, hard day in the water, practicing the rescue of either a panicked or unconscious "victim". The training got very real. However, I decided to count only the 4 longest dives. The dives lasted only about 3 - 4 minutes each, the depths were about 20 feet and the water temperature was about 83 degrees. However, they were among the most stressful and difficult dives that I've ever made. At the end of the day, I was exhausted, had several scrapes and bruises and I was very glad to leave the water.

Dives 333 - 337: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 22, 2007)Today was unusually cool, considering this is the middle of summer. I don't think the air temperature at the diver's ramp ever reached 80 degrees. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 22, 21.5, 22.5, 22 and 23 minutes. The maximum depths were 30, 42, 32, 38 and 38 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 75 degrees, and the surface temperature of the water was 79 - 80 degrees.

Dives 328 - 332: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 14, 2007)When I was driving to the lake and about 1/4 mile from the diver's ramp, a full-grown, gray coyote crossed the road in front of me. They are very shy creatures, and it is not often that I get to see one in the wild. Concerning the diving, the water temperature has dropped a bit because of the rain and cool weather. The surface temperature was down to 77 - 78 degrees. I made 5 dives, and the lengths were 21.5, 23.5, 24, 24.5 and 28.5 minutes for a total of 122 minutes from one AL80 tank. This is a record for me, and it is not one that I expect to break any time soon. The maximum depths of the dives were 30, 33, 42, 32 and 31 feet. The minimum temperature I encountered at 42 feet was 74 degrees. Even though it is mid-summer, I'm still using my 7/5 suit, along with hood, gloves and 8 pounds of weights.

Dives 323 - 327: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 8, 2007)I expected the diver's ramp to be crowded today, but it wasn't. There was plenty of parking, and there were only about a half-dozen divers present when I arrived about 11:30 a.m. This is probably because none of the local dive shops offered classes this week-end, because of the July 4th holiday that was in the middle of the week. Anyway, I made 5 dives and the maximum depths were 45, 32, 40, 24 and 30 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 80 - 81 degrees, and the temperature at my maximum depth of 45 feet was 73 degrees. The dive lengths were 21, 21, 21.5, 21.5 and 23.5 minutes. I was pleased to get 108.5 minutes from one AL80 tank, something I can do only with shallow dives in warm water. I saw Randy Bayne (instructor at Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop), and we briefly discussed the Rescue Diver certification course that I expect to take later this month.

Dives 319 - 322: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 1, 2007)It is starting to feel like summer at the lake; the surface temperature of the water is now 80 degrees. However, after my dives were completed, I got chilled when I peeled off my wetsuit on the ramp during a thunderstorm and encountered 20 - 25 mph winds. The maximum depths of the dives were 32, 33, 24 and 41 feet, and the dive lengths were 22.5, 24, 20.5 and 23.5 minutes. The temperature of the water at my maximum depth of 41 ft. was 72 degrees.

Dives 315 - 318: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 24, 2007)Lake Jocassee certainly is not the Caribbean, but it was kind of nice to be "home". I was pleasantly surprised to see my dive-buddy, Lance Young, assembling his dive gear as I drove up. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and was not expected to be diving again until next month. However, when he went to his doctor recently, he was told him that he could start diving today. We made a total of 4 dives, and the maximum depths were 60, 34, 25 and 24 feet. The dive lengths were 21, 21.5, 21.5 and 20.5 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 79 degrees, and the temperature at 60 feet was 68 degrees. I used a full-length 7/5 suit, hood, boots and gloves, and got cold on the 3rd dive. I used 10 pounds of weight, which was too much; next time I'll try 8 pounds. It was great to be back diving with Lance. He and I have spent many hours on the bottom of Lake Jocassee during the last 3 summers.

Dives 313 - 314: (Roatan, Honduras, June 16, 2007)These were the last dives that I'll make on this trip. We went to West Wall on the first dive, a place that has an amazing amount of marine life. Basically, there were schools of fish all over the place. They practically swarmed us. The depth of the dive was 77 ft., and the dive length was 56 minutes. The second dive was made at Blue Channel, a reef that Monty (the divemaster) said he wanted me to see before I went home. It was a very nice and relaxing, shallow dive site with a beautiful reef, easy swim-thrus, warm, clear water, a large Moray eel and thousands of other critters. It was a fitting end to some of the best diving I've ever done. However, after 13 straight days of diving, I'm very tired and it is time to go home. The maximum depth was 41 feet, and the dive length was 56 minutes. Viz for both dives ranged from 50 to 70 feet, and the water temperature was 85 degrees.

Dives 311 - 312: (Roatan, Honduras, June 15, 2007)First dive today was made at Sea Quest Shallow. I had the rare privilege of being bluff charged by a very large lobster, just as I was snapping a photo. It really surprised me, and I moved back a ways instinctively. Then I laughed. At least it didn't try to eat my camera like the crazy barracuda did about a week ago. The maximum depth of the dive was 42 ft., and the length of the dive was 53 minutes. The second dive was made at Lighthouse Reef. It was a very nice wall dive with lots of vibrant coral and colorful tropicals. The maximum depth was 61 ft. and the dive length was 52 minutes. Viz was about 60 ft. for both dives, and the water temperature was 85 degrees.

Dives 309 - 310: (Roatan, Honduras, June 14, 2007)Today's dives were at the Odyssey Wreck and Fish Den Reef. I've dived both sites previously, but didn't mind going back. My camera batteries failed on the Odyssey when I dived it before, and I was glad to be able to get more photos. Also, Fish Den is one of the most beautiful reefs around. Maximum depth for the first dive was 110 ft. and the length of the dive was 37 minutes. For Fish Den, the maximum depth was 72 ft, and the length of the dive was 60 minutes. The water temperature was 83 - 84 for both dives, and viz was ranged from 60 to 75 feet.

Dives 307 - 308: (Roatan, Honduras, June 13, 2007)First dive of the day was made at Canyon Reef, where there were a lot of narrow swim-thrus in overhead environments that I wasn't real comfortable with. After my octo hose briefly got hung up on a rock, the remaining swim-thrus became "swim-overs" and "swim-arounds". However, on the plus side, we encountered a large Moray eel (about 5 ft. long), and I got several photos. The maximum depth was 71 feet, and the length of the dive was 50 minutes. For the second dive, we did a shallow portion of Hole In The Wall, where there were even more swim-thrus that I detoured around. The maximum depth was 61 feet, and the length of the dive was 51 minutes. Viz was affected by rain last night, and cloudy skies today, and was down to about 50 feet for both dives. The water temperature was 83 degrees.

Dives 305 - 306: (Roatan, Honduras, June 12, 2007)Diving today was at Texas Reef and Mandy's Eel Garden. Texas Reef has a lot of wildlife, and barrel sponges that are bigger than I am. It was a beautiful dive. Mandy's Eel Garden has a multitude of little eels that bury themselves in the sand, then get vertical to feed. They are funny little critters. The surrounding reef contains a lot of diversity and color. Maximum depth on the first dive was 104 ft., and the length of the dive was 53 minutes. Maximum depth on the second dive was 74 ft., and the length of the dive was 55 minutes. Viz was about 75 feet for both dives, and the water temperature was 83 - 85 degrees.

Dives 303 - 304: (Roatan, Honduras, June 11, 2007)Today's first dive was made at the El Aquila wreck. The ship is in 3 sections, and was originally about 300 feet long. The maximum depth was 108 feet, and the length of the dive was 52 minutes. Viz was about 75 feet, and the water temperature was 84 degrees. The second dive was made at Grape Escape, where a dive boat sank many years ago in a heavy rainstorm when the bilge pumps failed (the boat sank very close to shore and there were no casualties). It is surrounded by a very nice coral reef. My maximum depth was 66 feet, and the length of the dive was 58 minutes. The viz was about 75 feet, and the water temperature was 82 degrees. No crazy Honduran barracuda today; just a few curious groupers looking for a hand-out.

Dives 301 - 302: (Roatan, Honduras, June 10, 2007)First dive of the day was at Spooky Channel, and the Divemaster warned that this dive would be "different". He said we'd start out with poor viz, swim to the end of a canyon, use a "hole" to go through the reef, and then we'd be greeted by brillant light and great viz. About halfway through the dive, it seemed like Lake Jocassee, except the water temperature was 20 degrees warmer. However, when we went through the reef at a depth of 80 feet, it was like someone turned on a floodlight. The contrast was amazing; Mother Nature's underwater light show. There were also many creatures around, including a Nurse shark, a barracuda with an attitude and a fondness for bright objects, and many Goliath groupers. Toward the end of the dive, the barracuda singled me out for some special attention. He'd come as close as 2 feet before stopping. I didn't want to turn my back on him, so we'd just stare at each other. When I got back on the boat, Will (the Divemaster) told me that on the previous day, the same barracuda had chewed up another Divemaster's safety sausage (brightly colored, rolled up, and dangling from his BC). Then it clicked; the barracuda had been wanting to get at my brightly colored camera. I'd noticed that he seemed attracted to it, especially when the flash went off. The length of the dive was 56 minutes, and the maximum depth was 91 feet. The viz ranged from 10 feet to almost a 100 feet. The second dive was made at Fish Den. The reef has beautiful color, and lots of colorful tropicals. It is an easy "glide and relax" type of dive. The maximum depth was 71 feet, and the length of the dive was 56 minutes. Viz was about 75 feet. The water temperature for both dives was about 85 degrees.

Dives 299 - 300: (Roatan, Honduras, June 9, 2007)Today's first dive was at Sea Quest Deep. The maximum depth was 69 feet, and the length of the dive was 53 minutes. The second dive was at Turtle Crossing, and true to its name, we saw several large turtles. One swam along with us for several minutes. The maximum depth was 65 feet, and the length of the dive was 49 minutes. The water temperature for the dives ranged from 83 - 85 degrees, and the viz was about 75 feet. The second dive was my 300th dive, and it is a milestone that I was very happy to reach.

Dives 297 - 298: (Roatan, Honduras, June 8, 2007)Today was a very special day of diving, one that may be unique in my diving "career". My heart sank a bit when I got to Coconut Tree Divers this morning and I saw that I was the only person signed-up for the morning dives. I figured the morning boat wouldn't go out. However, I soon found that I was wrong. The net result was, I had a private boat, captain and guide for my 2 dives. The Divemaster was Monty, and he and I got along very well. He wanted to go to Hole In The Wall, and I asked him if I could do a "touch-and-go" to a depth of 130 feet. Surprisingly, he readily agreed. It was a beautiful dive, and my maximum depth was 133 feet. The length of the dive was 50 minutes, and the water temperature was 85 degrees. The second dive was made at Fish Den Reef. We slowly glided over the beautiful reef, both of us totally relaxed and taking in the immense beauty of the place. Monty led me to some of his private places on the reef, and they were spectacular. The best part of the dive was watching a turtle munching some underwater vegetation. It was not bothered by our presence at all, and I got several photos. There were also a couple of large Grouper that swam right up to us, perhaps just curious, or maybe after a hand-out. Maximum depth was 62 feet, and the length of the dive was 60 minutes. Water temperature was 83 degrees, and the viz for both dives was about 75 feet. This is what diving in the Caribbean is all about.

Dives 295 - 296: (Roatan, Honduras, June 7, 2007)First dive today was made at the West Wall. I'd already dived the site once this trip, but my camera batteries died early, so I didn't mind going back to get some photos. The maximum depth was 88 feet, and the length of the dive was 55 minutes. The waves on the surface really picked up while we were diving, and everyone had a great deal of trouble getting back to the boat. The second dive was made at Half Moon Bay Reef. I've noticed that the reefs that are in the vicinity of this one have a great deal of diversity and color. Today was no exception. I got lots of photos, including one of a small octopus. It seemed bothered by all the flash photography and human activity, and I'm sure he was relieved when we had all moved on. Maximum depth was 77 feet, and the length of the dive was 55 minutes. Viz for both dives was 60 - 70 feet, and the water temperature was 83 degrees.

Dives 293 - 294: (Roatan, Honduras, June 6, 2007)After asking everyone on the boat if they were comfortable with making a deep dive, the divemaster said that we were going to Hole In The Wall, which is his favorite dive in all of Honduras. We descended to a wall and found a "hole" that goes through (while going downward) to the other side. When we made our exit on the opposite side, we were at a depth of 117 feet. The view of the wall while looking back up toward the surface was breathtaking. We then slowly ascended, taking in the beauty of the reef. The length of the dive was 54 minutes. After a surface interval of 45 minutes, we made another dive at Dixie's Reef, which is just offshore of Coconut Tree Divers and Half Moon Bay. This was the prettiest reef I've seen so far in Honduras, and I took many pictures. The length of the dive was 48 minutes, and the maximum depth was 66 feet. The viz for both dives was about 75 feet, and the water temperature was 85 degrees. I used 14 pounds of weight today, and that seems about right. I'm using a 4/3 full-length suit with neoprene socks and boots, but no hood or gloves.

Dives 291 - 292: (Roatan, Honduras, June 5, 2007)The first dive today was made at the Odyssey Wreck, and at a depth of 113 feet, it was the second-deepest dive I've ever made (deepest dive is 121 feet). The 300 ft. freighter was quite a sight as we descended and it slowly came into view. Because of the depth, we didn't stay long. The length of the dive was 34 minutes. The second dive was made at Overheat Reef. This is a multi-level reef that is really large and spread out. I wish I could have stayed longer, but the length of the dive was 54 minutes, and the maximum depth was 58 feet. Viz was about 60 feet for both dives, and the water temperature was 84 - 85 degrees. For some reason, even though I'm using the same gear I used in Cozumel, I need less weight to descend here in Roatan. I started with 20 pounds, went down to 18 pounds on the second dive yesterday and used only 16 pounds today. It was still too much.

Dives 289 - 290: (Roatan, Honduras, June 4, 2007)These were my first dives made in Honduras. The reefs are nice; from what I saw today I'd say not quite as nice as Cozumel, but close. The depth for the first dive at West Wall was 103 feet, and the length of the dive was 58 minutes. The second dive was made at Temptation Reef, and the maximum depth was 72 feet, and the dive time was 48 minutes. The water temp was 83 - 84, and the visability was 60 - 80 feet.

Dives 286 - 288: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 26, 2007)These dives were made with Mike Ault. Mike and his wife Susan drove up from Atlanta for the holiday week-end, and I enjoyed meeting them both. It was also good to see Lance Young again. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and hopes to be able to dive again in late June or early July. Concerning the diving, the good news is the water temp at the surface (according to my dive computer) has increased to 73 degrees. The bad news is all the large bass that I saw last week have disappeared. The maximum depths were 55, 52 and 37 feet, and the lengths of the dives were 22, 22 and 21.5 minutes. Mike and I visited the 3 underwater platforms, the Bones family, the sunken fishing boat and the little cove that is just north of the diver's ramp. The water temperature at my maximum depth of 55 feet was 62 degrees. Things are warming up a little, and it really feels nice.

Dives 283 - 285: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 21, 2007)The surface water temperature has gained a degree, now up to 69 degrees. It was 65 degrees at my maximum depth of 42 feet. The lengths of the dives were 21, 21.5 and 21.5 minutes and the maximum depths were 36, 31 and 42 feet. I'm still wearing a full length 3/2 under a 7/5, and today I tried 14 pounds of weight instead of 16, and it was still a bit too much. I'll probably try 12 pounds next time. Even with 2 wetsuits, I was cold and had to get out of the water to warm up between my 2nd and 3rd dive. Today seemed to be the day for bass, they were numerous all around the boat ramps, some as big as 7 - 8 pounds. When I'd stay very still, they'd let me get as close as 2.5 - 3 feet. I never seem to get tired of watching them underwater.

Dives 281 - 282: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 12, 2007)The water apparently is slowly warming; now up to 68 degrees at the surface, and 61 degrees at 37 feet. However, I'm not quite ready to stop wearing my full-length 3/2 wetsuit under my 7/5, along with 7 mm. hood, 2 mm. socks and 5 mm. boots. The lengths of the dives were 22 and 23 minutes, and the maximum depths were 35 ft. and 37 ft.

Dives 279 - 280: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 9, 2007)After enduring the cold water last week, I decided to wear a full-length 3/2 wetsuit under my full-length 7/5 wetsuit. I wasn't quite as cold wearing 2 suits today, but I had to grab a rock off of the bottom of the lake to help me get negatively buoyant. I had 14 pounds of lead, and that wasn't nearly enough. The water temperature doesn't seem to be warming any, according to my dive computer it was 66 degrees at the surface, and 59 degrees at 52 feet. The lengths of the 2 dives were 20 and 20.5 minutes, and the maximum depths were 52 and 36 feet.

Dives 277 - 278: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 1, 2007)These dives were the first of the season at Lake Jocassee, and the first dives I've made since leaving Cozumel, Mexico in January. The maximum depths today were 33 and 37 feet (the water felt so cold that I didn't want to go deeper), and the dive times were 20.5 and 22.5 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 67 degrees, and the temperature at 37 ft. was 59 degrees. It was cold enough to end my day after 2 dives. However, it was a beautiful day with all the spring growth in the woods around the lake, especially the Mountain Laurel (which was bloming). After the lake level was so low last year, it was very nice to see the lake at full level today. Last fall, the first dive platform was at a depth of about 16 feet. Today, the depth at the platform was 32 feet.

Dives 272 - 276: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 18, 2007)These were the last dives that I'll make on this trip, and the best was saved for the very last dive. These were shore dives, and just as I was navigating back to the buoy line near the Caribe Blu Hotel I noticed movement to my left. I could hardly believe my good fortune when I saw that I was only about 30 feet from a very large eagle ray. I moved to within 15 feet of it and watched it for a minute or so, then it changed course and headed west for the Mexican mainland. I decided to head east for the hotel. Also on these dives, I saw a large spotted moray eel, a snake-like sharptailed eel, 2 scorpion fish, a trumpet fish, 2 large lobsters, 3 small yellow-spotted rays and a group of small squid. The maximum depths were 20 - 23 feet, and the lengths of the dives were 20 - 22 minutes. Viz was about 80 feet, and the water temperature was 82 degrees. We fly home tomorrow; I am really going to miss this place.

Dives 270 - 271: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 17, 2007)The first dive was made at Santa Rosa Wall. This was my second dive at Santa Rosa during this trip to Cozumel, but I didn't mind. The wall is so steep and hauntingly beautiful that I feel fortunate each time I can dive there. The maximum depth was 84 feet and the length of the dive was 44 minutes. The second dive was made at Tormentus Reef, and it was my first dive there. The reef has a lot of interesting coral formations, but is a bit sandy. We saw a fairly large turtle when it swam above us. The maximum depth was 55 feet, and the length of the dive was 51 minutes. Water temperature for both dives was 81 degrees, and viz was about 60 feet.

Dives 265 - 269: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 16, 2007)These dives were made on the reef just offshore from the Caribe Blu Hotel. Either the wildlife activity on the reef has picked up a bit, or I'm getting a little better at spotting the animals. Today I saw 3 of the small, yellowish, spotted rays along with 2 moray eels, 2 scorpion fish and a very large lobster. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 22 minutes each and the maximum depths were 20 - 23 feet. Viz was about 75 feet, and the water temperature was 82 degrees.

Dives 263 - 264: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 15, 2007)Seeing the large green moray eel was not totally unexpected; having to get out of the way of the submarine was. The first dive of the day was made at Palencar Gardens. This is the third time I've dived this site, and it seems to get better each time. The maximum depth was 87 feet, and the length of the dive was 47 minutes. Viz was about 70 feet, and the water temperature was 78 degrees. The second dive was made at Chankanaab Reef, and that's where the submarine and the moray were encountered. The sub is operated for tourists, and there appeared to be about 20 of them aboard. I took a photo of the oncoming submarine in about 60 feet of water, and then had to scramble to get out of the way. It was odd to look inside and see dry people, and they seemed to be just as surprised and awed to see scuba divers. The moray was about 5 feet long, and swam with us for several minutes. The length of the dive was 50 minutes, and the maximum depth was 65 feet. The viz was about 75 feet, and the water temperature was 79 degrees.

Dives 258 - 262: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 14, 2007)These dives were made on the coral reef just south of the Caribe Blu Hotel. I see something new every time that I dive there. I'm making progress at finding the hiding spots of things like octopi and the small spotted rays. As usual, the tropicals were abundant. I saw two of the spotted rays, each was about the size of a large frying pan. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 22 minutes each, and the maximum depths were 22 - 23 feet. The water temperature was 82 degrees, and viz was about 75 feet.

Dives 256 - 257: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 13, 2007)The first dive was made at Santa Rosa Wall. The wall is nearly sheer, and probably the most beautiful wall that I've dived so far. The reef is in very good condition, but just a bit sandy. There are some very interesting and challenging swim-thru's. At the end of the dive, we saw 2 very large eagle rays. My maximum depth was 84 feet, and the length of the dive was 54 minutes. The water temperature was 79 degrees, and viz was about 70 feet. The second dive was at Paradise Reef. This is a very flat and shallow reef that has a lot of wildlife. I saw one medium-size sting ray, a small moray eel and a very tiny seahorse that was spotted by one of the divemasters. The maximum depth was 44 feet, and the length of the dive was 57 minutes. The water temperature was 81 degrees, and viz was 75 - 80 feet.

Dives 250 - 255: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 12, 2007)Today's dives were made on the reef near the Caribe Blu Hotel / Blue Angel Dive Shop. I've been searching this area for a sting ray, and I finally saw one. It was small, mainly brownish in color with some yellowish markings. I'd never seen one quite like it. I got very close to it, and it posed for several photos. I also saw a small moray eel, and the tropicals were abundant. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 21 minutes and the maximum depths were 21 - 23 feet. The water temperature was 81 degrees, and viz was about 75 feet.

Dives 245 - 250: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 11, 2007)These shore dives were made from the Caribe Blu Hotel / Blue Angel Dive Shop. I saw one spotted moray eel, and what I thought was a spotted sea snake. However, one of the divemasters at Blue Angel told me that the Caribbean doesn't have sea snakes, and that what I'd seen probably was a sharptailed eel. Anyway, it looked like a snake and was brown with white spots and was about 2 feet long. The lengths of the dives were 20 - 23 minutes each, and the maximum depths were just over 20 feet. The water temperature was 80 - 82 degrees and visability was about 75 feet.

Dives 243 - 244: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 10, 2007) The first dive of the day was made at Palencar Gardens, so far my favorite coral reef / wall in the world. Visability was only about 60 - 70 feet, but the place is still pretty amazing with its coral heads as tall as 3-story buildings and the maze of swim-thru's. My maximum depth was 103 feet, and the length of the dive was 47 minutes. Water temperature was 75 degrees. The second dive was at Cedral Pass, a beautiful reef of moderate depth that has a lot of wildlife. I saw the largest green moray eel that I've ever encountered; it was about 6 feet long and swam within a few feet of me. I also accidentally got on a collison course with a large barracuda when I took its picture, then we both turned in the same direction. I got the heck out of the way and it passed within 3 feet of me, which was close enough for me to see the yellow fishing lure hanging out of the side of its mouth. The length of the dive was 54 minutes, and the maximum depth was 54 feet. Water temperature was 76 degrees, and viz was about 60 feet. The current was mild for both dives.

Dives 238 - 242: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 9, 2007) These dives were made on the reef just offshore from the Caribe Blu Hotel. This little recovering reef amazes me each time that I make a dive on it. There is so much activity; so much going on. It is great to have time to just sit beside a coral head and watch all the activity. Today, I found 2 octopi and a spotted moray eel tucked away in crevices. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20 - 23 minutes, and the maximum depths were 20 - 23 feet. The water temperature was 80 degrees. Viz has suffered a bit due to winds stirring up the waves; today it was about 60 feet.

Dives 233 - 237: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 8, 2007) These shore dives were made on the coral reef just south of the Caribe Blue Hotel. I had been warned that the reef had been "destroyed" by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but I found this not to be true. There is lots to see, including both new and old coral. I also found the hideout of the resident octopus, and managed to navigate back to the spot on a subsequent dive. He was inside a crevice, and very much asleep. I didn't disturb him. I expect I'll be checking on him each time I dive on the reef. The maximum depths were 21 - 23 feet, and the lengths of the dives ranged from 20 to 30 minutes. Thanks to the shallow depths, I was able to get 116 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. The water temperature was 82 degrees. Viz was about 80 feet; maybe a bit more.

Dives 231 - 232: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 7, 2007) My first dive was made at Palencar Bridge. The maximum depth was 78 feet, and the length of the dive was 52 minutes. The water temperature was 81 degrees. We saw a large stingray as soon as we entered the water. The second dive was at Francesca, and the maximum depth was 64 feet. The water temperature was 80 degrees, and the length of the dive was 54 minutes. The current was mild for both dives, and visability was about 75 feet.

Dives 228 - 230: (Cozumel, Mexico, January 6, 2007) I made these shore dives from the small beach area at the Caribe Blu Hotel. The maximum depths ranged from 20 - 25 feet, and the water temperature was 81 degrees. I was comfortable in my 4/3 wetsuit, and the lengths of the dives ranged from 20 - 23 minutes. The wildlife was varied and I really enjoyed the parrotfish that were just about everywhere. Viz was about 75 feet.

Dives 225 - 227: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 10, 2006) I got very cold during these dives and unless I purchase a drysuit, I expect that this will be one of my last trips to Lake Jocassee this year. Even though I wore a 3/2 shorty wetsuit under my 7/5 suit (in addition to hood, gloves and boots), I was shivering by the end of the 3rd dive. The water temperature at the surface was 66 degrees, and 65 degrees at my maximum depth of 41 feet. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20.5 to 21.5 minutes, and the maximum depths ranged from 36 to 41 feet. There were many spotted bass in the vicinity of the 1st dive platform, the largest probably weighed about 8 pounds.

Dives 213 - 224: (Cozumel, Mexico, October 4 - 10, 2006) The 12 dives I made in Cozumel were beautiful and spectacular. The lengths of the dives ranged from 54 to 94 minutes, and the depths ranged from 28 to 103 feet. The water temperature ranged from 76 to 85 degrees, and visability often exceeded 100 feet. I learned how to drift dive, and I found that I really like diving the walls. The deep reefs and walls on the southern end of the island appear to be almost completely undamaged by Hurricane Wilma. However, for the shallower dives, there is a lot of sand on the reefs, and noticeable damage to the coral. I used a 4/3 wetsuit and even without hood or gloves, I was surprised to find that I needed 20 pounds of weight to descend.

Dives 208 - 212: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 30, 2006) The water temperature at the surface has dropped 6 degrees in the last 2 weeks, now down to 76 degrees. I wore a 3/2 shorty under a 7/5 full-length wetsuit, along with hood, gloves and boots. I was warm enough in the water, but got chilled during surface intervals, and when I left the water at the end of the day. The water temperature was 75 degrees at my maximum depth of 45 feet. The depths of my dives ranged from 33 - 45 feet, and the dive lengths ranged from 20.5 - 23 minutes, for a total of 106 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. The battery in my dive computer was changed on September 28. The old battery lasted for 203 dives over a period of about 18 months. I had been getting a low-battery warning when I turned on my dive computer recently, and wanted a fresh battery before my trip to Cozumel, Mexico next week.

Dives 203 - 207: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 17, 2006) The maximum depths of these dives ranged from 33 - 42 feet, and the dive times ranged from 20.5 - 24.5 minutes. The surface temperature of the water was 82 degrees, and it was 78 degrees at my maximum depth of 42 feet. Total dive time on one AL80 tank was 110.5 minutes. While I was packing up to leave, a Copperhead snake that was about 2 feet long was trying to eat a small Catfish that it had in its mouth. The snake captured the fish in the water, hauled it up onto the diver's ramp, then took it back in the water. It appeared to be a standoff, with the fish holding its own. The snake obviously had no intention of releasing it, but after trying for an hour, the 6 inch long fish apparently was too large for the snake to swallow.

Dives 198 - 202: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 10, 2006) The surface temperature of the water surprisingly increased 3 degrees in the past week, it is now 84 degrees. This is the warmest water that I've experienced at Lake Jocassee. The water temperature at 43 feet was 79 degrees. The maximum depths of my dives ranged from 35 - 43 feet, and the dive lengths ranged from 20.5 - 22.5 minutes. Total dive time from one AL80 tank was 107.5 minutes. It was very nice to reach the milestone of my 200th dive.

Dives 193 - 197: (Lake Jocassee, SC, September 3, 2006) The water level is still the lowest that I've seen at the lake. The water temperature at the surface was 81 degrees, which represents a drop of 2 degrees in the last week. The water temperature at 41 feet was 80 degrees. The maximum depths of my dives ranged from 33 - 41 feet, and the lengths ranged from 21 - 22.5 minutes. Diving time on one AL80 tank was 107 minutes. Bill Routh (owner of Off The Wall Dive Charters) mentioned in his monthly newsletter that this is the warmest that the lake has been in September in the last 5 years.

Dives 188 - 192: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 29, 2006) Lance Young and I made these dives together, and we were the only two divers at the diver's ramp. I eliminated 2 more pounds of trim weights, I'm now using only 8 pounds. This time last year, I was using 22 pounds. The lengths of the dives ranged from 20.5 - 22 minutes, for a total of 105.5 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths ranged from 30 - 63 feet. The water temperature at the surface was 82 degrees, and it was 77 degrees at 63 feet.

Dives 183 - 187: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 27, 2006) The level of the lake continues to drop. The platform just north of the diver's ramp (in the cove) is now at a depth only 12 - 13 feet (usually the depth at the platform is about 24 - 26 feet). The cove now also has a small island. The maximum depths of my dives ranged from 35 - 45 feet, and the dive lengths ranged from 20.5 - 25.5 minutes. Total dive time on one AL80 tank was 109 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 83 degrees, and it was 79 degrees at 45 feet. I'm now using only 10 pounds of trim weights, and when I'm not using my hood, I feel that I can drop another pound or two.

Dives 178 - 182: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 19, 2006) The maximum depths for these dives were 40 - 41 feet and the lengths ranged from 20.5 - 22.5 minutes each. The water temperature at the surface was 83 degrees, and it was 79 degrees at 41 feet.

Dives 173 - 177: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 13, 2006) The maximum depths of these dives were 45, 29, 29, 39 and 30 feet. The lengths were 21.0, 21,0, 20.5, 21.5 and 37.5 minutes, for a total of 121.5 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. My tank had about 3200 PSI at the beginning of the dives, and I surfaced with about 500 PSI at the end of the day. The surface temperature of the water was 82 degrees, and it was 79 degrees at 45 feet.

Dives 167 - 172: (Morrison Spring, FL, August 8 - 9, 2006) I made these 6 dives over a two day period with my brother, Capt. Mark Mauldin, who lives in Panama City, Florida. The surface temperature of the water ranged from 69 to 71 degrees, and the minimum temperature at depth (43 ft.) was 69 degrees. This was several degrees colder than we expected, but my dive computer agreed with his concerning the water temperatures. I wore a 7/5 suit along with hood, gloves and boots and still got cold by the end of each dive. The maximum depths ranged from 34 to 45 feet, and the dive lengths ranged from 20.5 to 27 minutes. To see the underwater photos from this trip, click here.

Dives 163 - 166: (Lake Jocassee, SC, August 3, 2006) These dives were delayed because of a hose coming loose from my regulator. I didn't have a wrench to tighten it with (a lesson learned the hard way), so I took the regulator to Bill Routh's dive shop, and he tightened it. Lance Young and I then made 4 dives, and the lengths of the dives were 21.5, 22.5, 21 and 36.5 minutes. I was pleased to get 101.5 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank, especially after the hose leak had resulted in a loss of about 200 PSI of air. The maximum depths were 32, 40, 25 and 24 feet. At the end of my 4th dive, I hung out with about 10 Largemouth bass at one of the underwater platforms. The largest was about 10 pounds. The water temperature at the surface was 82 degrees, and it was 77 degrees at 40 feet. Without my hood, I'm now able to use only 10 pounds of trim weights, down from 22 pounds this time last year.

Dives 159 - 162: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 30, 2006) The water temperature at the surface is now 82 degrees, and I think that is about the maximum temperature for Lake Jocassee. It was 76 degrees at a depth of 46 feet. The lengths of the dives were 20.5, 20.5, 22 and 30.5 minutes, for a total of 93.5 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 46, 33, 25 and 37 feet. The Largemouth bass were really out in high numbers today, the largest was probably 8 - 10 pounds. Visability was a little better than it has been in previous weeks, probably about 20 feet. On the last dive, I went with an instructor and several students on their last cert dive. When they were done, I still had some air and left the group. One of the assistant instructors thought I was a student who had gotten lost and tried (twice) to get me to rejoin the group. After his second attempt, I moved my pony bottle so he could see it, and he realized his mistake (or maybe he thought, "Where in the hell did that student get a pony bottle?"). We had a good laugh over it when I got back to the surface. In the place of my weight belt that I no longer need, I'm now wearing a small waist pack (fanny pack worn in the front) that holds my spare mask.

Dives 155 - 158: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 23, 2006) Previously I've been dividing my trim weights between my BC and my weight belt. However, since I've recently dropped 10 pounds of trim weights, I no longer need my weight belt. I'm now putting all 12 pounds in my BC. The maximum depths were 48, 25, 26 and 42 feet. The dive times were 20.5, 21, 21 and 22 minutes, and the surface temperature of the water was 79 degrees.

Dives 151 - 154: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 22, 2006) I'm continuing to drop trim weights, now down to 12 pounds (from 22 pounds this time last year). The lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21.5, 21.5 and 41.5 minutes. I was very pleased to get a total of 106 minutes of diving time from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 36, 32, 30 and 27 feet. The surface temperature of the water was 79 degrees. Visability has suffered greatly in the last few weeks, probably because of all the thunderstorms. Viz is now down to about 10 - 12 feet.

Dives 147 - 150: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 16, 2006) The water temperature at the surface has warmed considerably since my last dives here a week ago, now up to 83 degrees (and 74 degrees at 35 ft.). The diver's ramp area is getting pretty crowded now, it is often difficult to find a parking space. Lance and I agreed that we need to start arriving later in the day, or choose a day other than Sunday to dive. The lengths of the dives were 22, 22, 21 and 29 minutes and the maximum depths were 28, 35, 30 and 31 ft.

Dives 143 - 146: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 9, 2006) The surface temperature of the water surprisingly dropped 4 degrees in the middle of summer, now down to 76 degrees since my last dives here a week ago. The maximum depths were 34, 25, 30 and 26 ft. The lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21.5, 22.0 and 32.5 minutes. I was surprised to get 97.5 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. I'm now wondering if I can break 100 minutes. Lance Young and I are both reducing the amount of weights we need for diving. I have dropped 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks, and will drop another pound the next time I dive. On the 3rd dive, I saw the biggest Largemouth bass that I've seen at Lake Jocassee. It was about 18 inches long, and I'd estimate its weight to be at least 10 pounds. The water temperature at 34 ft. was 74 degrees.

Dives 139 - 142: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 2, 2006) I made these 4 dives with Lance Young in the cove just north of the diver's ramp. The surface temperature of the water was a surprising 80 degrees, and the temperature at 31 ft. was 74 degrees. The lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21.0, 21.0 and 26.5 minutes for a total of 90.0 minutes from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 31, 31, 25 and 31 ft. At the end of the 4th dive, we hung out with 4 big Largemouth bass for about 5 minutes. The largest was probably 8 - 9 pounds.

Dives 135 - 138: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 25, 2006) Lance Young and I explored the shallow, boulder-strewn west shore of the lake just north of the diver's ramp. There is a cove there where no boats are allowed, and it is our favorite place to dive at the lake. The maximum depths were 31, 25, 30 and 30 ft. The dive times were 22.0, 22.0, 22.5 and 23.5 minutes. Even though these were not deep dives, I was still very pleased to get 90 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. The surface temperature of the water was 77 degrees, and it was 72 degrees at 31 ft.

Dives 131 - 134: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 18, 2006) It was good to be back at my "home" lake and dive site after the trip to Belize, though Lake Jocassee isn't exactly the Caribbean. I made 3 dives and the maximum depths were 48, 34 and 33 ft. The lengths of the dives were 21, 22 and 30.5 minutes. The surface temperature was 75 degrees, and it was 69 degrees at 48 ft.

Dives 120 - 131: (San Pedro, Belize, June 5 - 9, 2006) These 12 dives were quite an adventure; the best diving I've done so far. The maximum depths were 29 ft. to 102 ft. and the dive times varied from 44.5 to 61.5 minutes. The water temperature range was 77 to 84 degrees. A multitude of sea life was encountered, including sharks, turtles, rays, lobsters, moray eels, an octopus, extremely large grouper and parrotfish and an abundance of brightly colored tropicals. The reefs were strikingly beautiful, and visability often exceeded 100 ft.

Dives 117 - 119: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 31, 2006) It's hard to believe the water is warming as fast as it is, but Lance Young's dive computer agreed with mine; it is now 79 degrees at the surface (and 63 degrees at 63 feet). The lengths of the dives were 23, 22.5 and 35.5 minutes, for a total of 81 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 63, 30 and 32 feet.

Dives 114 - 116: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 28, 2006) The water temperature is still on the rise, now up to 73 degrees at the surface, and 64 degrees at a depth of 46 feet. Summer weather has finally arrived, and there were about 30 divers at the ramp. I saw Reese Davis (owner of Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop in Greenville, SC) for the first time since last fall, and we talked for a few minutes. The lengths of my dives were 21.5, 21.5 and 31.5 minutes, for a total of 74.5 minutes on one AL80 tank. The maximum depths were 46, 31 and 36 feet.

Dives 111 - 113: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 25, 2006) The water is rapidly warming at the lake, now up to 69 degrees at the surface. This was a fun day of diving with Lance Young. At the end of our last dive, we came upon a group of 5 - 6 big Largemouth bass. They were in about 10 feet of water, so Lance and I hung out with them for about 15 minutes. The sizes of the bass ranged from 4 - 5 pounds to 8 - 10 pounds. The largest one looked like a small Grouper. The maximum depths of our dives were 47, 31 and 32 feet. The lengths of the dives were 22, 21.5 and 36 minutes. I was very pleased to get 79.5 minutes of diving time from one AL80 tank, the best I've done so far.

Dives 108 - 110: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 21, 2006) The water is now 66 degrees at the surface, up one degree since my last dives at the lake 3 days ago. Just as I began my first dive, a thunderstorm started. It was a bit odd looking up and watching the rain strike the surface while underwater. The lengths of the dives were 21, 20.5 and 21.5 minutes and the maximum depths were 43, 24 and 31 feet. Visability was about 22 feet and the water temperature at 43 feet was 63 degrees.

Dives 105 - 107: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 18, 2006) The water is finally warming a bit, now up to 65 degrees at the surface. It was 59 degrees at 73 feet. I wore my new 2mm shorty wetsuit under my 7/5 wetsuit (along with socks, boots, hood and gloves), and didn't get cold during the dives. The maximum depths were 73, 30 and 27 feet. The lengths of the dives were 22.5, 20.5 and 21.5 minutes. On the last dive (and mainly for practice), I switched from my primary reg to my pony bottle reg while at a depth of about 22 feet. I had no problems, and finished my dive using the pony bottle. It was nice going to the lake mid-week, Lance and I were the only divers there.

Dives 102 - 104: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 13, 2006) I made these 3 dives from the diver's ramp. With the relatively warmer weather, more divers are coming out now. In addition, Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop had a class of approximately 15 students in the water. The maxiumum depths of my dives were 41, 33 and 35 ft. The lengths of the dives were 20.5, 20 and 21.5 minutes. The water temperature at the surface was 63 degrees, and 61 degrees at 41 ft. Visability was about 20 ft. There were several big Largemouth bass in about 15 ft. of water. If the fishermen at Lake Jocassee could actually see how few fish are down there, they'd all probably stay home.

Dives 99 - 101: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 6, 2006) These 3 dives were made from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. The lengths of the dives were 21.5, 21 and 20 minutes, and the maximum depths were 62, 36 and 23 ft. The water temperature at the surface has increased 2 degrees in the last two weeks, now up to 66 degrees. The water temperature at 62 ft. was 58 degrees. On our second dive, I saw a large Catfish (about 1.5 ft. long) that was bluish in color and kind of resembled a small shark. It was by far the largest Catfish I've seen at Lake Jocassee. It was great to reach the milestone of my 100th dive.

Dives 96 - 98: (Lake Jocassee, SC, April 23, 2006) Lance Young and I made these 3 dives from the diver's ramp. The water is slowly warming, now up to 64 degrees at the surface and 56 degrees at 63 ft. The lengths of the dives were 23, 23 and 22 minutes and the maximum depths were 63, 36 and 23 ft. I was pleased with my air consumption. I dived a total of 68 minutes on one AL80 tank and had about 500 psi of air at the end of the last dive. An additional 2 pounds of weight seems to have solved the buoyancy problems I've had since I began diving with my Pony bottle. Previously, I've been popping up like a cork at the end of my dives in shallow water. Today, I easily stayed submerged in 4 ft. of water.

Dives 94 - 95: (Lake Jocassee, SC, April 16, 2006) These 2 dives were made from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. The surface temperature of the water is up 1 degree (to 62 degrees) from my last dives at Lake Jocassee 2 weeks ago. The temperature at 41 ft. was 56 degrees. The lengths of the dives were 25 minutes each and the maximum depths were 31 and 41 ft. (it was too cold to go deeper). Visability was about 20 ft. This was a beautiful and warm spring day, and the air temperature was about 80 degrees. However, Lance and I are both anxious for the water temperature to increase a bit. We were both very cold by the end of the second dive.

Dives 92 - 93: (Lake Jocassee, SC, April 1, 2006) I made these two dives from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. The water hasn't warmed up any in the last 3 weeks. My dive computer said the surface temp was 61 degrees, and 53 degrees at 43 ft. The lengths of the dives were 22 and 20 minutes and the maximum depths were 43 ft. and 37 ft. Visability was a bit better than usual, probably about 22 ft. This was the first time that I've dived with my pony bottle. At the end of the second dive (and in very shallow water), I switched from my primary regulator to the pony bottle reg without any problems. However, I need a couple of pounds of extra weight when I use the pony bottle, toward the end of the dives I was having some buoyancy problems. I wore an exposure suit under my 7/5 wetsuit, but it didn't seem to do much concerning keeping me warm. Lance and I were both very cold by the end of the second dive.

Dive 91: (Lake Jocassee, SC, March 12, 2006) I made this dive from the diver's ramp. Because of the water temperature (my computer said the surface temp was 62 degrees, but it felt like icewater), I almost changed my mind about diving. Usually in this situation, folks say "it wasn't bad once I got used to it". Not so on this day; the water felt colder the longer I stayed in it. By the time I got back to the surface after 21 minutes, I was nearly shivering. I wore my 7/5 wetsuit along with gloves, hood, neoprene socks and boots, but the 52 degree water at 33 ft. was numbing, and it was the coldest water that I've ever dived in. It was an adventure, but Lake Jocassee isn't Key Largo. It will be a several weeks (at least) before I try it again.

Dives 81 - 90: (Key Largo, FL, February 20 - 24, 2006) Eight of these dives were made with Silent World Dive Center and two were made with Capt. Slate's Atlantis Dive Center. Both operations are located in Key Largo. Seven of the dives were made on reefs and three were made on wrecks. Depths ranged from about 20 ft. on one of the reefs to about 100 ft. on the Duane wreck. Visability ranged from about 30 ft. to just over 60 ft. The water temperature ranged from 71 to 75 degrees and I wore my 7/5 wetsuit, along with gloves and hood. The 7/5 was probably overkill, but I get cold fairly easy and I was glad I brought it. These were 10 of the most beautiful dives I've ever made.

Dives 77 - 80: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 13, 2005) These dives were made with Lance Young from the diver's ramp. The water temperature dropped 2 degrees from last week, now down to 67 at the surface. Lance and I both got chilled during surface intervals, and when we left the water to switch tanks. On our last dive, we hung out with a very large bass in 25 ft. of water for about 5 minutes. The fish would let us get as close as 3 ft. without moving away from us, if we didn't make any quick moves. It was about 17 - 19 inches long, and probably weighed 8 - 9 pounds. The maximum depths of our dives were 105, 37, 105 and 27 ft. The lengths of the dives were 30.5, 21.5, 24 and 24.5 minutes. Visability was about 15 feet. Because of the rapidly cooling air and water temperatures, Lance and I aren't sure how much longer we can dive at Lake Jocassee this year. We are thinking of perhaps 1 or 2 more trips. It has been a blast!

Dives 74 - 76: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 6, 2005) I made these 3 dives from the diver's ramp. I visited the 3 underwater dive platforms in the area, along with the sunken fishing boat, the fake skeleton (he still has his can of beer), Catfish Rock (there are still catfish swimming in the crevice) and the boulder-strewn area just north of the ramp. I also encountered some of the biggest Largemouth bass I've even seen. The maximum depths were 47, 52 and 40 ft. The lengths of the dives were 22, 21.5 and 23.5 minutes. Considering the maximum depths, I was pleased to get 67 minutes of diving time from one AL80 tank. The visability was about 15 ft., and the water temperature at the surface (and at 52 ft.) was 69 degrees.

Dives 70 - 73: (Lake Jocassee, SC, November 2, 2005) These 4 dives were made from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. It was a beautiful day with lots of late fall color in the woods that surround the lake. The water temperature at the surface was 70 degrees. There is a thermocline (area where the water temperature suddenly drops) almost exactly at 100 ft. The maximum depth on our first dive was 115 ft., and the water temp at that depth was 66 degrees. It is getting a bit chilly down there. The maximum depths on the other 3 dives were 60, 90 and 45 ft. The lengths of the dives were 25.5, 20.5, 27.5 and 25 minutes. Visability in most areas was only about 12 ft. Lance and I both enjoy diving in the area near the shore just north of the diver's ramp. There are many huge boulders in the area at a depth of about 20 ft. that provide some interesting nooks and crannies to poke around in. Also, we both enjoy just hanging out with the fish and exploring.

Dives 65 - 69: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 30, 2005) I saw Jeff Russell from Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop at the diver's ramp, and we made the first 3 of these 5 dives together. There is a fake human skeleton just north of the ramp in about 45 ft. of water. It has a regulator in its mouth, sunglasses on its head and a cell phone by its side. I felt that the guy also needed a cold beer, so my life partner Carol weighted down an empty beer can with small rocks. I brought the can with me, and on my first dive I placed it next to the skeleton's left arm (he doesn't appear to have any hands). I also got a photo of it, and it has been uploaded to my ScubaBoard and Yahoo photos (see the "My Dive Photos" link above). Jeff was my willing partner in this Halloween foolishness, and we had a good time. Later, we made a dive on the brush pile that is southeast of the ramp and then another dive was made on the navigation course that is south/southwest of the ramp. After Jeff left, I made a couple of dives in shallow water to use the remaining air in my tank. The maximum depths were 61, 66, 67, 33 and 33 ft. The lengths of the dives were 22.5, 26, 28.5, 20.5 and 22 minutes. The visability was about 15 ft. and the minimum water temperature was 69 degrees.

Dives 61 - 64: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 27, 2005) I picked up my Nitrox tank from Off The Wall Dive Shop shortly before arriving at the lake. Bill Routh said that the tank valve had been shipped to me with the wrong size 0-ring installed. I met Lance Young at the diver's ramp, and we made a total of 4 dives. The first dive we made was my first Nitrox dive, and we went to a depth of 113 ft. My buoyancy control suffered mightily because my steel Nitrox tank is negatively buoyant at all times (different from my aluminum tanks), and I forgot to remove some of my weights. As a result, I had to constantly kick hard with my fins to stay off the bottom. By the time the dive was over, I was exhausted. It is a lesson that I won't soon forget. The maximum depths on the other 3 dives were 43, 71 and 45 ft. The lengths of the dives were 24.5, 20.5, 27 and 21.5 minutes. The water temperatures varied from 67 degrees at 113 ft. to 72 degrees on the surface. Visability was about 15 ft. On our second dive, we found an old airplane wing that neither of us had encountered previously. Lake Jocassee is quite a playground for scuba divers.

Dives 58 - 60: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 23, 2005) I drove to Lake Jocassee mainly to drop off my 95 cu. ft. steel tank at Off The Wall Dive Shop for repairs (I have problems getting a seal between the tank valve and regulator when I pressurize my hoses). Since I was at the lake anyway, why not go diving? Also, even though it was a beautiful fall day, the falling temperatures indicate that the end is near for this year's diving at the lake. I brought my camera and practiced my underwater photography skills. Taking photos underwater is like relearning photography. The fish are hardly ever still and it often amounts to trying to hit a moving target. I made 3 dives, and the maxiumum depths were 49, 34 and 29 ft. The lengths of the dives were 21, 27.5 and 25 minutes. Visability was about 17 ft. and the water temperature at 49 ft. was 74 degrees. Harold and Jeff from Bermuda Triangle Dive Shop were there with a group of students, and I enjoyed talking with them. I'm back to wearing my hood, gloves and boots with my 7/5 wetsuit. I'm mostly warm while diving, but I got chilled briefly when I left the water and changed clothes.

Dives 53 - 57: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 20, 2005) These 5 dives were made from the diver's ramp with Lance Young. The day didn't start well. I found that my new Worthington steel Nitrox tank will not connect properly to my Zeagle Flathead regulator. Lance and I had planned to make a 100 ft. dive and thought of scrubbing it since I couldn't use my 95 cubic ft. tank. However, I also had my two AL80 tanks, so I made the deep dive with an AL80. We went to 102 ft., and I had plenty of air. Later, we made 4 other dives to maximum depths of 54, 50, 44 and 42 ft. The lengths of our dives were 23, 21.5, 21, 23 and 20.5 minutes. The water temperature at 102 ft. was 70 degrees, and it was 74 - 75 degrees at 40 - 50 ft. Visability was 12 - 15 ft. While defogging my mask prior to the second dive, I lost my corrrective lens. On the plus side, I found a dive knife (with case) in about 30 ft. of water. I brought my underwater camera and got a few photos of Lance, and also of some fish. Largemouth bass are definitely moving into the shallows; there are many of them at 25 - 35 ft. There were also two elderly men diving from the ramp. One of them mentioned that he has been diving since 1955, and has made over 12,000 dives.

Dives 50 - 52: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 16, 2005) The water temperature at 60 ft. is now down to 75 degrees; noticeably cooler, but still unusually warm for this time of year. These 3 dives were made from the diver's ramp, and the maximum depths were 61, 50 and 36 ft. Visability was about 18 ft., better than it has been lately. The length of each dive was 21.5, 21 and 21 minutes. Considering the maximum depths, I was satisfied to get nearly 64 minutes of diving from one AL80 tank. I saw several big Largemouth bass. The 2 largest ones (probably 5 - 6 pounds each) were hanging out under a dive platform in about 29 ft. of water. They followed me for several minutes after I left the area. I suppose they are moving into the shallower water because of the cooling temperatures. This was a beautiful, warm and sunny fall day; not a cloud in the sky. Also, it felt great to achieve the "milestone" of my 50th dive. I look forward to many more.

Dives 47 - 49: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 8, 2005) The water temperature continues to cool 1 degree per week at Lake Jocassee, now down to 76 degrees at a depth of 45 ft. Visability on these 3 dives made from the diver's ramp was about 10 ft., which is a bit less than I'm accustomed to. This was probably due to siltation (stirring up the lake bottom) caused by a class of 7 students that was in the area. The maximum depths were 45, 37 and 42 ft. and the dive times were 21, 21 and 22 minutes. Lance Young arrived after my 2nd dive, and we made the last dive together. While we were packing up our gear, we discussed making a trip to several north Florida springs early next year.

Dives 44 - 46: (Lake Jocassee, SC, October 2, 2005) I made these 3 dives from the diver's ramp. The maximum depths were 34, 37 and 43 ft. The water temperature dropped one degree from last week, now down to 77 degrees at 43 ft. The lengths of these dives were 20.5 minutes, 22 minutes and 31.5 minutes, for a total of 74 minutes from one AL80 tank. My air consumption is definitely improving; it has been very slow, and at times very frustrating, to make progress. I tried my new Tusa Pano Geo mask today and it did very well, though it took me a while to get the strap adjusted correctly. I also did some work on buoyancy control. I've finally been able to make some progress in this area, too. There were lots of fish (bream and a few small bass) in the shallows, at times I had 20 - 30 swimming around me. I expect some divers have been feeding them. This was a very enjoyable day of diving. Lake Jocassee is surrounded by forested mountains, and the trees are showing some early fall color.

Dives 41 - 43: (Lake Jocassee, SC, Sept. 24, 2005) These 3 dives were made from the diver's ramp. While I was assembling my gear, I saw Lance Young and we made the dives together. I hadn't dived in a while because of an injury, so I wanted to limit my maximum depths to 35 - 40 ft. Each of the dives was just over 20 minutes in length, and the maximum depths were 31, 41 and 35 ft. I managed to get nearly 62 minutes of dive time from one AL80 tank. However I really had problems clearing my ears, probably because it has been almost 2 months since my last dive. The water temperature was 78 degrees at 41 ft.; unusually warm for this time of year. I had a lot of fish around me at one point. I've had them nibble on my fingers and toes occasionally, but today one tried to take a bite out of my left ear. It really didn't hurt that much, but it startled me badly (then I laughed; at least as close to laughing as a person can get with a regulator in his mouth).

Dives 38 - 40: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 31, 2005) I made these dives from the diver's ramp. I wanted to test my new Tusa regulator and practice some basic scuba skills such as buoyancy control, efficient air consumption, mask clearing and mask removal. The lengths of the dives were about 20 minutes each, and the maximum depths were 43, 36 and 31 ft. respectively. The water temperature at 43 ft. was 76 degrees. My buoyancy control is slowly improving, and I managed to get 61.5 minutes of underwater time using only 1 AL80 tank. The Tusa regulator performed well. It breathes very easy, as well as my much more expensive Zeagle model. At the end of the 3rd dive (and in shallow water) I flooded my mask several times and cleared it, then removed it completely, put it back on and cleared it.

Dives 36 - 37: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 24, 2005) These dives were made in the vicinity of The Wall. The first was made with Lance Young and a woman named Becky. After leaving Reese's boat and swimming to the buoy that marks the location of the wreck we call The Junk, we descended about 63' to the bottom. We then followed another line about 30 ft. over to the wreck. We explored the area for about 20 minutes before beginning our ascent. After a 3 minute safety stop we surfaced after 29 minutes. The water has really warmed up in Lake Jocassee recently. According to my dive computer, the minimum water temperature that we encountered was 70 degrees. Viz was about 15 ft.

After a surface interval of 40 minutes, I made a short dive to 24 ft. with Lance, mainly to use up the remaining air in my tank. At that depth, the water temperature was a balmy 79 degrees.

Dives 33 - 35: (Panama City Beach & Vortex Springs, FL, July 19 - 20, 2005) These dives were made with my brother Mark, who lives in Panama city, FL. We made our first dive at St. Andrews State Park near Panama City Beach. The viz was bad and the tide was wrong but since I'd driven so far to get there, we made the dive anyway. We began our dive in the channel outside the jetty. However, because of the very strong current, we finished the dive in the shallows inside the jetty. There was a surprising amount of wildlife around the rocks, including grouper, colorful tropical fish, hermit crabs and rays. Total dive time was about 40 minutes, the water temperature was about 80 degrees, but the viz was only about 10 ft.

The next day we drove to Vortex Springs and made two dives in the gin-clear water. I went into the cavern and then swam under an overhang about 40 ft. to the cavern's rear wall. There is a cave entrance there, but I didn't go into it. This was my first time diving in an overhead environment, and I was okay with it. There were lots of large, colorful fish around (Koi), along with some large bream. Each of the 2 dives was about 21 minutes in length, and the maxium depth was 57 ft. The water temperature was 68 degrees. To see more information about these dives, see the "Trip Reports" section. To see the photos, see the "Panama City Beach & Vortex Springs" album.

Dives 31 - 32: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 9, 2005) These navigation dives were made near the diver's ramp after meeting instructor Amy Mayfield about 10:00 a.m. My first task of the day was navigating to the underwater platform that is north of the ramp and attaching the dive float. After that, using coordinates that Amy furnished, I swam a "box" course and then a "triangle" course while on the surface but with my face in the water. Then I was required to swim the courses again while underwater. My final task was navigating back to the underwater platform and, using the slate that Amy furnished, drawing a small map of the area. When I was done, she told me that I had satisfactorily completed the navigation portion of the Advanced Open Water course. The corrective lens that I installed in my mask the previous day made a lot of difference. Navigation was not difficult once I gained the ability to easily read my compass underwater. I made about a half-dozen "mini-dives" and the total time spent underwater was about a half hour. However, my dive computer counted all this activity as 2 dives, and that is how I'm going to count it, too. The maximum depth was 28 ft. The water in Lake Jocassee has really warmed up recently, it is now about 75 degrees on the surface.

Dive 30: (Lake Jocassee, SC, July 3, 2005) This was the 2nd deep dive for my Advanced Open Water certification. Instructors Randy Bayne and Ben Miller and I descended to a maximum depth of 121 ft. from the diver's ramp. There's an old airplane wing and propeller there that we briefly inspected. No one seems to know exactly how this wreckage got on the bottom, but everyone seems to agree that it was already there when Lake Jocassee was created in 1972. Anyway, it was interesting, but the water was very cold (59 degrees) and we didn't stay long. However, it wasn't really the cold water that got us moving. If we had stayed much longer, I would have been in a decompression situation, and I didn't have enough air to do any decompression stops. As it was, I had only about 500 psi left when I surfaced after 22 minutes. It was eerie being at that depth. Dive lights not only make the darkness bearable on deep dives, they also make the dives interesting and fun.

Dives 27 - 29: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 26, 2005) The first of these dives was a deep dive made with instructor Reese Davis. We descended to 97 ft. and the water got noticeably colder. We dived on the wall that is behind the wreck we call The Junk. I stayed on the descent line at 97 ft. while Reese and another student descended to 120 ft. (my 120 ft. dive will be made soon). I straddled the descent line and held the line in one hand, placed my feet against the cliff and leaned back while I waited for them to return. I passed the next few minutes shining my light around; it was a strange experience. It was exciting, but not really scary.

Later, I made 2 "practice" navigation dives. The depth for each dive was about 15 ft. and the lengths of the dives were about 19 minutes each. I had problems reading my compass, and it is apparent that I will need a corrective lens in my mask before I can pass the navigation part of the Advanced Open Water course.

Dives 25 - 26: (Lake Jocassee, SC, June 25, 2005) These night dives were made as part of the Advanced Open Water course I recently enrolled for. The maximum depths were 63 and 64 ft., and the lengths of the dives were 26 and 26.5 minutes. This was a new experience, and mostly it was eerie and fun. However, it took a bit of getting used to. Without the dive lights that I had, viz was about 2 ft. Generally, I enjoyed making these 2 wreck dives at night but I noticed that everything got more complicated. It was more difficult to keep track of my partner, maintain buoyancy and even navigate back to the ascent line.

Dives 19 - 24: (Key West, FL, June 7 - 8, 2005) These dives were made with Dive Key West (800.426.0707). I was very satisfied with the diving and their service in general, and plan to do more business with Dive Key West in the future.

Concerning the actual dives, I hardly know where to begin. This was my first time diving in salt water, and it was quite an experience. I made 1 wreck dive (Joe's Tug) and 5 reef dives. The reef dives were made at Western Sambo, Middle Sambo, 10 Fathom Ledge, 9 Foot Stake and Number 1 Reef. Viz ranged from 30 - 40 ft., except at Joe's Tug where it was about 60 ft.

The maxiumum depths ranged from 18 ft. at one of the reefs to 66 ft. at Joe's Tug. The lengths of the dives ranged from 25.5 minutes to 60.5 minutes. The water temp was about 84 degrees. The wreck dive had the most azure and spectacular blue water that I've ever seen. While making my descent on the mooring line, a group of large barracuda swam by me.

When all the diving was done, I'd seen one 5 ft. shark, a sea turtle, several small moray eels, a scorpion fish, a few large lobsters, many barracuda and more species of tropical fish than I could keep track of.

In addition, after diving over 60 minutes on one AL80 tank, I feel that I have lost my newbie "ASD" (Air Sucking Dog) status. These dives really left me hungry for more.

All the dives I made at Lake Jocassee preparing for this trip paid off. I had enough experience to adequately prepare me for everything I needed to do. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was getting seasick on the second day. Apparently, Bonine (anti-motion sickness medication) doesn't work for me. Next time, I'll try something else.

To see additional info about our trip to Key West, see the "Trip Reports" section of this page. To see the photos, see the "Dive Photos" section.

Dive 18: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 29, 2005) After getting a ride on Reese Davis' boat, Keith Collins and I made a dive on The Junk (40' wreck in 65' of water). Keith lives in Greenville, SC and was certified in April. Neither he or I have a regular dive partner, and we made plans to do more diving together.

I made a slow, careful descent with frequent stops for equalizing. I felt very little pressure (and no pain) in my ears. I've learned a lot since I began diving in February. At that time, I was having extreme difficulty equalizing ear pressure when descending.

However, what suffered on this dive was my air consumption. I'm not sure what happened, but after being on the bottom for only about 17 minutes at 67 ft., I was down to 1000 psi. It was time to go up. My breathing rate may have been affected by some anxiety brought on by my mask fogging and causing me difficulty reading my gauges, and my inability to find the wall that Reese Davis and I had dived on the week before. I had also felt "rushed" on the dive boat to get into the water, and perhaps this carried over to the dive. After making a 3 minute safety stop at 15 ft., I surfaced with about 500 psi.

Water temp at the surface was 65 degrees, and it was 59 degrees at 67 ft. (my maximum depth). The length of the dive was 22.5 minutes and viz was about 15 ft.

I saw Todd Criswell at the diver's ramp. He was my instructor for the classroom and pool portion of my dive training in February. It was good to see him again, and we talked briefly about the Advanced Open Water course I intend to take this fall.

Dives 16 & 17: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 22, 2005) I met Reese Davis, an instructor and 4 students, and another diver about 1:30 p.m. and Reese piloted the boat to The Wall. I didn't have a dive partner, so I waited for the instructor and students to finish their underwater skills, knowing that they planned to do a certification dive on The Junk, which is located in 65 ft. of water. We made the descent together and briefly swam over to the boat. We stayed only a few minutes, and then began our ascent. After we surfaced, I realized that I had enough air left in my tank for another dive.

Following a surface interval of 18 minutes, Reese Davis, another diver named Renee and I made a descent to the vicinity of The Junk. At that point, Reese lead us to a rocky underwater wall that is nearly sheer. At a depth of 81 ft., this was my deepest dive to date. We soon began our ascent by slowly making our way up the wall. It leveled off at a depth of about 24 ft., and I began looking for fish to photograph. One little bream cooperated. I used most of my remaining air and surfaced with about 500 psi left.

Visability at 81 ft. was about 25 - 30 ft. The water temp at the surface was 67 degrees, but at depth, it was 59 degrees. The length of the first dive was 21 minutes, and the second was 21.5 minutes.

Dives 14 & 15: (Lake Jocassee, SC, May 17, 2005) These dives were made from the diver's ramp. I really tried to improve my air consumption, and mostly succeeded. This was the first time that I 've been able to dive more than 55 minutes on one AL80 tank fill. I'm getting there, but progress is slow. The two dives were 23 minutes and 33.5 minutes, for a total of 56.5 minutes. The maximum depth on the first dive was 35 ft., and 42 ft. on the second. The water temp was 60 degrees and visability was about 12 ft.

I tried some new adjustments on my underwater digital camera. I've been disappointed with the photos I've taken so far, but the results were better today. I got several fair-to-good shots of some fish in shallow water (about 15 ft.).

I also wanted to work on basic navigation, buoyancy and safety skills. I successfully navigated away from, and then back to, the underwater platform that is in the area. Most of the time, I was also satisfied with my buoyancy control, however, things get worse in a hurry when I take photos. When the emphasis is on photography, buoyancy control suffers and I usually crash into the bottom about the same time that I push the shutter. In very shallow water, I also removed my mask, put it back on and then cleared it. This was the first time I'd practiced this skill underwater since I was certified in February. I've got a great mask, and the purge valve works as advertised.

This was a very good day of diving!

Dive 13: ("The Wall", Lake Jocassee, SC, May 8, 2005) I went to The Wall on Reese Davis' boat. There were many students, instructors and divers and Reese had to make 2 trips. I went over on the second run and teamed up with another diver named Fred (last name unknown) for a dive on The Junk. It is a 40' wreck that lies in about 65 ft. of water. Now this was a dive!

Having warned Fred about my ear problems and the need for making a slow descent, he got in the water and descended on the buoy line while I was still on the boat (with the air temp at 82 degrees, everyone on the boat was getting overheated in their heavy wetsuits). I made a slow, careful descent and stopped frequently to equalize. I was surprised how far down 65 ft. was, and how long it took for me to reach the bottom. There, I found Fred and he led us over to the wreck. This was my first wreck dive, and by far my deepest dive to date. It was very exciting. Fred swam inside the boat, while I waited outside. We examined the wreck from bow to stern, then swam its perimeter. After that, we went over to look at a smaller fishing boat in the vicinity. Fred wanted to do some exploring, but I had been using a lot of air. I showed him my air gauge, and we decided to begin our ascent.

We made a 3 minute safety stop at 15 ft., and I spent the time trying to equalize and avoid the reverse blocks that have plagued me since I started diving. Mostly, I succeeded. When we got to the surface, my ears felt a little different (some pressure in both inner ears), but it wasn't real bad. Perhaps I'm starting to get the hang of this.

The maximum depth on the dive was 68 ft., the length was 24 minutes and the water temp was 56 degrees. Visability was a bit better than the last few weeks, perhaps 20 ft.

Dives 11 & 12: ("The Wall", Lake Jocassee, SC, May 1, 2005) I booked passage on Reese Davis' boat and we went to the far side of the lake for an afternoon of diving at "The Wall". This is an area where rock was blasted out of the side of a mountain, and the rocks were then used to create the lake's dam. The result is a nearly sheer cliff that is almost 100 ft. high. It also extends underwater and the whole cove has become a kind of playground for local scuba divers. I went to a depth of 37 ft. on the first dive, and 23 ft. on the second. I took my underwater camera, and toward the end of the first dive, I found a nearly sheer underwater rocky bank that seemed to attract a lot of fish. I swam up and down the little "reef" and photographed several bass and bream. The lengths of the dives were 24 and 21 minutes with a surface interval of 11 minutes between the two. The water temperature was 59 degrees, and viz was about 15 ft. I'm still having ear problems, the vented earplugs I bought from Bill Routh haven't helped.

Dives 9 & 10: (Lake Jocassee, SC, April 20, 2005) These dives were made from the Divers Ramp. The water temp was up one degree, to 56 degrees (from my last dives made here 10 days ago). Even with my 7/5 wetsuit, hood, gloves and neoprene socks, I was very chilled by the end of the second dive. On the first dive, I went to a depth of 42 ft. and the length of the dive was 21 minutes. On the second I went to 29 ft. and the length of the dive was 23.5 minutes. I took my camera and got a few more photos. My buoyancy control and breathing rate are improving, but progress is slow. However, it is getting easier to clear my ears when descending, but I'm having problems with what are called "reverse blocks" when I ascend. Bill Routh at Off The Wall Dive Charters gave me some advice, and also sold to me a set of preformed, protective, vented earplugs for divers (which I forgot to use today). They are designed to mimimize water flowing into the ear, while allowing ear equalization and holding open the outer ear canal a bit. I'll try them next time I dive.

Dives 7 & 8: (Lake Jocassee, SC, April 10, 2005) I made these dives on a beautiful spring day. Lake Jocassee is only about an hour's drive from home, and it costs only $2 for parking to dive there. An area near one of the boat ramps is set aside for divers (no boat traffic allowed).

At 55 degrees (F), this was the coldest water that I've dived in. The visability was about 15 feet, which was a lot better than I'm used to seeing at Lake Keowee. I dove to a depth of 32 ft. on the second dive. I took my new 3.3 megapixel underwater camera and not only did I not ruin the camera, I actually got a few photos. However, I've got a long way to go in the world of underwater photography.

It appears that I'm beginning to get my breathing rate under control. I used only 1 AL80 tank for these two dives (of 25 and 26 minutes respectively), and had about 10 minutes of air left over at the end of the day.

It is great not having to depend on someone with a dive boat (just walk into the water on an old boat ramp), and I expect to do a lot more diving at Lake Jocassee in the future. I'll really be glad when the water warms up, though.

Incidentally, Lake Jocassee is the lake that was featured in the movie "Deliverance".

Dive 6: ("The Hot Hole", Lake Keowee, SC, April 3, 2005) I met dive shop owner Reese Davis at Warpath Landing in the early afternoon on a beautiful spring day. A Clemson college student (Melissa Mednick) was also on the boat. Neither she or I had a dive partner, so we made the dive together.

This was my longest dive to date, and also the most enjoyable. We saw a large group of bass, along with many other smaller fish. Some were curious and swam right up to us for a better look.

I configured my weights a bit differently on this dive and had better results with my buoyancy control. I put half my weights in the front weight pockets of my BC, and the other half in my weight belt. I felt more "balanced" while underwater.

According to my dive computer, we went to a depth of 25 ft. The length of the dive was 28 minutes, and the water temperature was a balmy 72 degrees.

Dive 5: ("The Hot Hole", Lake Keowee, SC, March 26, 2005) This was a "check-out" dive for the gear that I recently purchased. I met Randy Bayne and 3 others at Warpath Landing about 1:30 p.m. on a beautiful spring day. Randy piloted the dive boat to the Hot Hole and took the others on an underwater tour of the area.

I opted for a shallow water dive not far from the boat. Either because of the current (discharge water from the Oconee Nuclear Power Plant) or weighting problems, I felt like I was just floundering around on the bottom. I was thankful that this check-out dive was not on some beautiful coral reef in the Caribbean or the Florida Keys. As it was, I didn't wreck any coral; just knocked some algae off a few rocks.

I'm satisfied with all my new gear, with the possible exception of the Henderson weight belt. The compartments are too small for the lead weights I purchased, and the weights tend to roll out of the compartments and bunch-up in one spot. I've got to get a handle on this problem before I do any serious diving on reefs.

According to my Avocet dive computer, I went to a maximum depth of 26 ft., the length of the dive was 22 minutes and the water temperature was 70 degrees.

Dives 1 - 4: ("The Hot Hole", Lake Keowee, SC, February 5 & 6, 2005) I made my first 2 dives on Saturday, February 5. The instructor, myself and 3 other students dove to a depth of about 23 ft. on both dives. My wetsuit protected me from the worst of the chilling effects of the water, but nobody was real warm. We were asked to perform various skills that we had learned in the pool a few weeks earlier.

On February 6, I returned to the lake for dives 3 and 4. Dive 3 was of similar depth to the first two, but it was the most exciting and enjoyable of the 4. Each student made a simulated "out-of-air, swimming assisted ascent" from a depth of 20 ft. Basically, we took a deep breath and ascended without additional breathing. However, it was necessary to exhale during the ascent, to practice prevention of a possible lung over-expansion injury.

We went to a depth of 39 ft. on the 4th and final dive. The water became noticeably colder. I seemed to have more problems than the others in equalizing and clearing ear pressure, but finally managed to get it done.

During the course of these dives, I got a few bumps and bruises from the rocks, briefly got one foot trapped under a rock, and once got snared for a few seconds by some old fishing line. Remembering my training, I didn't make matters worse by struggling. I looked to see where the line was, and slowly and carefully removed it from my left wrist. My instructor saw what was going on, but was content to be an observer while I freed myself from the line. This is why divers are encouraged to carry knives, and not dive alone.

Each of the 4 dives lasted from 21 to 23 minutes. During these certification dives, I became comfortable with my new skills. If "relax and breathe" can be advice for various pursuits that involve potentially stressful and dangerous situations, diving must be at the very top of the list. I never felt that I was in any serious danger, and eventually developed confidence in my abilities and the gear I was using.