Down Under Dive Club

On February 18, the Down Under Dive Club (DUDC) went on a Lemon Shark Dive. Below we have an account from Jeri Curley.

On the 18th of February in the year of change 2017, six intrepid divers braved the sunshine to dive under the water with Lemon Sharks. We met up at o'dark thirty and headed down to Jupiter Dive Center to board the Republic IV, the boat that would take us into the deep blue. The one foot seas were daunting as we watched the horizon anticipating our destination. Armed with cameras, we jumped into the water at a site named Lemon Drop and waited. As the first large form dissolved out of the hazy distance, our hearts leaped. It was indeed a Lemon Shark. Then another showed up and another. About five Lemon Sharks and a little Nurse Shark circled us for the entire 40 minutes of our dive and then followed us up to our safety stop.

Traveling to Tunnels, another dive site known for large critters, we encountered a sad sight. A Kemp's Ridley turtle floating on the surface, a large bite out of his rear. Karen whose PhD dissertation involved the study of sea turtles, determined that the event had likely occurred quite recently. (Note: She does have a permit from Fish & Wildlife to handle and study sea turtles) Captain Mike made the appropriate calls with LAT/LONG location, condition of the turtle and its species.

We headed on to Tunnels, a little sadder at our close encounter with the circle of life. Tunnels, as always, was full of life. Caribbean Reef Sharks circled us and we encountered very large Nurse sharks sleeping under ledges. We also encountered a Green Sea Turtle. Despite the cool water, he had an absolutely fun day!