Beautiful day, yesterday. Big week, this week.

First, I attended the Escambia County Marine Resources meeting held on Wednesday. All the dive operators in the area were there to discuss the emergency procedures after a diving accident at the Oriskany or any other site in our waters. The idea to to get every one involved in the process including all emergency response personnel like the sheriff's office, EMTs, Police department, the Navy, the hospitals with recompression chambers, three guys named Dan from DAN, the Coast Guard and dozens of others who might have an interest in dive safety. Both dive shops listed on our site were there along with Captain Dave from the Y-Knot. During the meeting, we came up with a gameplan to evac divers from the sites and to facilitate the handoff to the appropriate people. This week, we'll be updating the site with specific information including phone numbers for emergencies along with radio channels and protocols.

Second, Thursday found me and a few buddies with a day off. So naturally we went diving. Our goal was to bring back a few fish and research a few sites we haven't seen in a while to make sure that everyone who dives with us is provided the most up to date recommendations. While we do go to some of the more common sites, with Captain Dave at the helm, the passengers have a huge say in the site selection, and it's my responsibility to make sure you have solid intel.

Dive 1: Advocet:
Depth 115. Visibility: 70. Water Temp at bottom: 70. Current: Moderate
The wreck is about 20 miles off shore and is a broken mass of what once was a ship. Plenty of relief, with lots of little holes to find Shovelnose lobsters and enough overhangs to keep the grouper happy. However, the wildlife must have shifted to another wreck since it was fairly empty of some of the bigger fish. There were plenty of barracuda, scoping us out, but nothing to worry about.

Dive 2: Navy Dive Tender:
Depth: 105. Visibility: 75. Temp: 70. Current: Mild
Great dive! The anchor line draped over the bow--perfect for a nice drop off. All four of us caught a glimpse of a nice Dusky shark swimming just above the sand off the bow. Red Snapper came in from the edges of viz to check us out. A nice helmet conch lay against the starboard stern and as I reached to examine it, a 24 inch flounder caught my eye. A few cuda, and smaller amberjacks circled around the upper structure, and as I drifted past in the slight current.

Dive 3: RT 6 (Cement Pyramid)
Depth 100: Visibility 75. Temp 70. Current: Mild
We came across this by chance and bounced it to see what it was. Four guys; one small pyramid--a little overkill. We swam around, looking at the edges of viz for dark shadows and any fish that might swim towards us. But nothing materialized, so we hung on the anchor line goofing off with Ray's new camera.

Dive 4: Pinhall 1 Reef (Cement Structures)
Depth 100: Visibility 75. Temp 70. Current: Mild
Perfect for dinking around, looking for fish or lobsters. The reef is a series of concrete structures with lots of relief and places to for the animals to hide. It's large enough to do a drift dive over the entire site. But it's easy to get disoriented because it's just a bunch of rubble and not a well defined structure. There were so many Red Snapper, I had to take one for dinner.*

Last Dive: Fish House (Cold Beer/Great Food)
Depth: msl. Visibility: 10 miles Temp: 85
Perfect for drinking a round. Ice cold Red Stripes, flash-fired Calamari and Crab Claws. They have this incredibly honey-curry dipping sauce that goes perfect with both.

*Ray gave me this recipe, and I tried it last night...Filet the snapper but leave the skin and scales on. Season the fish with whatever you want. I used a Jerk Seasoning. Grill over medium heat scales side down and don't turn. Close the grill and when the meat flakes off, it's ready. Serve it without the skin. Perfect.