Down Under Dive Club

by Jeri L. Curley

As the temperatures reach triple digit proportion, I thank fate for bringing me to the east coast of Florida where the sea breezes are refreshing and the diving is totally awesome! I am simply going to say YOU MISSED AN AWESOME DIVE! We celebrated our Nation's Birthday in perfect Down Under Dive Club tradition - on a boat diving. Sea Level Scuba booked us on an afternoon dive with Abernethy out of Riviera Beach on a boat aptly named Deep Obsession. We were joined on the boat by our dive buddies from JND Scuba. It was the best dive trip ever. If you haven't checked out the shenanigans on our Facebook page, come to the meeting and hear the stories. Joining us on this trip were Sparticus the Shark Slayer, the Great White Shark with victim partially eaten, several Lionfish Slayers and of course several Mayhem Instigators. I think that laughing hard actually improved our air consumption. On both dives we ran out of reef before we ran out of air or bottom time. We dove Turtle Mound and Flower Garden. Both aptly named because we saw tons of turtles on the first dive - literally (The loggerheads were the size of VW bugs!) and a very colorful reef with lots of colorful fish on the second. I watched one loggerhead swimming toward the reef as another, trying to avoid the first one, glided over a finger of the reef turning abruptly just before he got into photo range! We watched another Loggerhead tiptoeing through the soft coral to rest his head inside a barrel sponge. Craig whispered into his ear that it wasn't a shot glass and the lush hung his head in disappointment! (the turtle, not Craig) It was a great dive and a great time. Don't miss out. Sign up early for our upcoming dives. You won't regret a minute.

See you Down Under!