http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , United States , Florida , Riviera Beach en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 02:28:05 +0000 Sat, 25 May 2013 02:28:05 +0000 I dove solo but Linda Rob and Patrice were in the water. The fist part of the dive I help Linda and Rob to look for the long nose batfish but none of us could find it. We hope it is still around so they can document it. I photographed a blenny on a bottle. I would love to get back to it and snoot it. I spend a lot of time whatching a squid sleep. It was pretty big almost a ft in length. I have ne http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-775697.html There have been a couple of weeks since I arrived from Hi and I was dealing with our photo exhibit at The Blue Wild Expo. I was definitely looking forward to get wet. I emailed Linda and Judy to find out viz latest report and late findings. Linda was looking to photograph the Costasiellas and the long horn batfish. Judy and I were in a whatever mode. Deb reported 9 Black American seahares th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-775692.html The last few dives I dove as a spotter and without a camera because Steve39s luggage was lost at custums. We managed to put together a Nikon D200 for me to shoot stuff around. I was eager to find something to photograph.I explored the north side of the fishing pier. The viz was amazing. But I was concerned the fishing lines from the fisherman were I bit to close to me and I didnt have a knif http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-763940.html I went to get a different shot of the red eggs. While looking for the banded jaw fish I saw a huge banded in a hole and six different pairs of dusky jawfish. I am not sure if they had eggs because one of each pair wouldnt come out. That area is hot for jawfish at the moment. I also saw a few bumblebee shrimp and a tiny juvenile black scorpion fish. Diane marked 2 baby octos covered by shells in http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-763927.html One of the rules of underwater photography is to take a test shot after you set up your gear. Well. I skipped that step and I tested my camera just before the dive to find out that I put an empty battery in it. Very amateur. Lucky there was half empty one in the box of spares in the car and I could take about a 100 shots in my dive. I just had to pick and choose my shots. I headed south just off t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-760015.html My Capt wants me back on the boat tomorrow so I decided to sneak in another dive good viz or not. The water looked clear at the beach but once I got in it was very particulate. Oh well I will practice navigation today. I went to see Sandras striated froggie in front of the playground. It wasnt so pregnant and wasnt doing anything interesting so I snapped a few shots but didnt make any http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-759276.html Viz was awesome like a 100 ft. I tried to shot some garden eels feeding but I failed the feeding part maybe someother day since they seem to be everywhere these days. I followed a spotted eagle ray and a school of blue tangs they are so pretty. Then I moved on and I checked the dark browngreen froggie that was still in the pen shell. I deleted all those photos they all look the same. I think th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-759193.html I started my dive by the first piling where the new nudi has been seen. I most turned every single piece of debris there was around with no luck. I saw eggs put no nudis. I found a very pretty crab with bright yellow eyes with heart shape. It was missing a claw and I saw the wrasses trying to eat it. I took a shot and covered it with a bottle to protect it. I moved on to the area where I saw the c http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-759154.html The viz at the bridge finally improved. I felt like an inexperienced diver. My oring exploded I forgot my mask in the car I didnt have a pocket to carry my new gadgets. What a mess. Every one was in the water and I was still trying to sort myself out. I headed west slowly just enjoying being in the water. I saw a clear shrimp with orange belly very pretty but I had communication problems wi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-759036.html The visibility under the bridge has recently improved and a small group of us was highly motivated to go find out if there was some action. Steve Lureen and I dove the East side while everyone else dove the West. I saw a good number of juvenile fish of every species in the sandy area off the beach. All the grass is gone due to the fresh water released from the lake. Just like Judy mention earlier http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-758972.html I dove west with no compass. Mine mysteriously disappeared from my housing. I saw some hovering gobies nudis everywhere but the find of the night was 3 Debs shrimp on a red sponge. 2 were smaller than the other ones. I did a short dive. Leaving 2000psi on the 100c for the next day. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-757653.html I didn't write a log today so Im just posting photos. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-757534.html Today I had a very relax dive. Judy showed me a tiny tiny seahorse and a nudi that looked like a Nodosa with no eggs. I had Steves close up lens because I lost mine and couldnt get used to it. I moved west and found hovering gobies everywhere. One of them looked pregnant and I watched a few come out of the same hole. I lost Linda and Deb because I stayed behind trying to shoot the gobies. T http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-757223.html This is the day I almost got hurt by someone at the parking lot and I got scared and ended up calling the police. It was sunday and it was raining. It was going to be a cold dive. My dive buddy misunderstood me and didnt pick up my tank so I thru a fit and I wanted to leave. I am happy I didnt because I saw 4 dwarfies on my own and a few more were shown to me. I saw a bunch of flabellinas http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-757002.html The aroma of Debs fresh brewing coffee woke me up. Hmmm it was going to be a great day. It was sunday morning. We chit chatted like good girlz we are. We discussed how to address the aggressive behavior of divers trying to see our subjects. Steve was still half awake. I threw him and his gear in the back of my truck and headed to the west side of the bridge. When we got there our group was alr http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-756809.html Lately I have been having a weird feeling of being lost in the crowd. I feel like taking the same pictures of the same critters with the same lens on similar cameras has become a routine all the photos look the same and its boring after a while. The fact that everything that I shot today I have never seen before made this dive the coolest dive of the weekend.The morning light was stunning. I w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-738184.html The night was calm and beautiful. I dont dive the East side so much so I wanted to explore. I saw a decorator crab with white eggs. All my photos are blown. A few seahorses here and there. A little fish with a blue spot I never seen before but it ended up being a juvi of a common fish. I photographed a pinnaple thing looking like. Very small Flabellina size. I thought it was a nudi a fi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-738151.html Bored of froggies blennies seahorses batfish searobins jawfish nudisI was in a mood for something different to shoot. I didnt make it far. I spotted a school of 30 or so Snook. I waved bye to my buddy and signaled him that I was going to stay with the fish. I heard a dolphin giggling around. I looked up but didnt see any thing and after a while I heard a splash and a silhouette of a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-737395.html Well not much to say today. Viz was under 5 feet and I didnt see anything interesting not even a diver. Some schools of shinies disoriented barracudas that were getting way to close to me Enough to make me nervous. A big mantis. Lots of nudis and skeleton shrimp. But no dioper no photos. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-725829.html It was my first dive after the Caymans and my eyes were used to see color so I couldnt find anything in the first hour. Besides I had lost my diopter and I was using one that I believe is defective. I saw a crab hiding under an anemone that was sticking out of the bottom in an unusual way. I saw my first mating crabs a crab with shiny green claws a flatworm on a bright orange starfish and a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Riviera-Beach/blog-722979.html