Snorkeling & Collecting Discussion Group

[Ron Reefman]

Also curious what Nick did. When we lived in KW sometimes people would get bit by nurse sharks. They are harmless and tourist were told this and not to worry about them. Believing they wouldn't get bit they would yank on the tails when found hanging out under a ledge. Dumb, dumb people. No respect for them.

They all can bite except for the whale shark that is a filter feeder. I try not to mess around with any animal under water that has any potential to cause me harm. You're just too far from real emergency care if something goes wrong. Heck, I had a small chunk taken out of the plam of my hand by a tiny reef octopus I was putting back in the water after finding it in a shell up on the beach, ungrateful little so and so! ;Nurse

 

[Phildago]

Headed down to the Pompano beach area the end of February for scuba and snorkeling. Do you know any good dive shops in the area ?

Scubatyme charters is awesome. My wife and I went diving with them late November last year and it was great. We had 5 + seas that day and I was extremely impressed with the captains ability to navigate, drop and receive all the divers safely, and the crew was really on top of everything.

 

[Nick Steele]

Please, more details. Not to scare people, but to make people aware, let them know what sharks do and how you dealt with it! I've been up close and personal with a couple of nurse sharks. They were as afraid of me as I was of them. I've been in the vicinity of a few bigger reef sharks, but never really at risk. I think I know what I would do, but you never know until it happens. So what did you do?

Well vis was about 3-4ft couldn’t see my feet it was 5:30 when I got in the water got dark around 7ish. Got out to the reef found a few small lobster. Came up to a large overhang went to look under the ledge on my way back to surface I was rushed by a large shark (I assume a bull shark maybe a bigger blacktip) came within a foot or so. That was the only time I seen it but I wasn’t staying in the water. I kept calm didn’t freak out and calmly swam back to shore.

I have swam around quite a few bigger sharks but never in murky water. I’ve never felt threatened at all besides this one time.

 

[MindDisaster]

Man! I love following the photos and discussion in this thread!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Well vis was about 3-4ft couldn’t see my feet it was 5:30 when I got in the water got dark around 7ish. Got out to the reef found a few small lobster. Came up to a large overhang went to look under the ledge on my way back to surface I was rushed by a large shark (I assume a bull shark maybe a bigger blacktip) came within a foot or so. That was the only time I seen it but I wasn’t staying in the water. I kept calm didn’t freak out and calmly swam back to shore.

I have swam around quite a few bigger sharks but never in murky water. I’ve never felt threatened at all besides this one time.

Thanks for that follow up. That had to be scary. And you were diving from shore and not off a boat? The swim back to shore had to seem like it took forever... or took no time at all!!!

When I first moved to SW Florida and started spending more time in the water and snorkeling, I was concerned and even fearful about sharks. And 20 years later, it's not like I'm complacent about them. I have a very healthy respect for them and what they can do if they want to. But I also realize they aren't after me personally... at least so far. Then I saw a news story about a young boy out surf fishing with his dad in northwest Florida and having a 10' bull shark grab his entire left arm. He grabbed the sharks gill slits and yanked at them. The shark let go momentarily and bit down again and get the boy at the elbow. Now the gills were too far away, so he took his thumb and stuck it in the shark's eye. The shark let go and swam away. The boy got a horrendous number of stitches in his shoulder and elbow, but they saved his arm. If a kid can be that aware of what to do in a situation like that, I thought that I may be able to be as well. I've always been able to think clearly in very high adrenaline situations! But I hope I never have to fine out!

 

[Wolf89]

2Wolf89, not that I am aware of. But maybe others in the area can help out.

We do all of our snorkeling in the Keys and a very little of it near home in Cape Coral. I know there are a few pretty good snorkel and dive spots in and around Miami /Ft Lauderdale. But I think the further north you get there is less and less potential for reefs or corals. But that doesn't mean there aren't spots to snorkel that may have other things worth seeing. I just haven't tried out the area at all.

If you do some research, like checking in with local dive shops along the coast east of Orlando and find any spots, please, please, please come back and share them here. That's a big part of why I started this thread! It's as close as we can come to having R2R open a Snorkeling & Collecting forum!

Thanks. Maybe going to Tampa. Any spots near there I can find coral?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks. Maybe going to Tampa. Any spots near there I can find coral?

I think there are a few snorkel spots along the coast from Tampa south. But it's mostly in spots with rocky coastline and there really isn't much rocky coastline out there! And there is even less in terms of corals. And, of course, ALL hard corals (sps and lps) are illegal to collect anywhere in Florida... and I think most of them are NPS corals anyway.

You really need to get to the Keys and maybe even up along the Miami area coast for good snorkeling and collecting. Of course there are good scuba spots all over the place, especially if you like diving on ship wrecks!

We do most of our snorkeling from mid May through August. By May the water is starting to get warm enough for my Florida blood and it's before the afternoon thunderstorm season really gets started. By the end of June, afternoon storms become fairly common, although they are usually smaller and spotty. July and August the storms afternoon storms are more regular (in general terms) and you start to get into the time when hurricanes get started.

Hurricane 'season' runs for months, but it REALLY peaks from mid/late August through the end of September or early October. But don't let the hurricane hype scare you off. The Keys only get hit once every few years on average and that just makes for a week or two of hype and some bad weather. Big ones like Irma are even more rare, but they are also something to be far away from. We live 2 miles from the water and we were at risk of flooding from Irma. Lucky for us, it came onshore south of us and we had no storm surge at all. So we just lost some shingles and a couple of palm trees... oh, and our huge sea grape listed over about 10 degrees!

 

[Reef-junky]

Done anything cool lately Ron?

 

[Ron Reefman]

We just got home from a week in Gainesville, FL kayaking the various springs in the area. I wish I could have water this clear in my aquarium! BTW, that's not me in the water. But all the springs are in the low 70's despite morning temps being in the low 30's!



We also got to kayak with 7 or 8 manatees at Silver Springs. I need to get the photos my wife took that day.

 

[Chilli]

Nice Thread!

I started this year on the Maldives where I snorkeled and got my owd diving license as well.
Some pix:












It was a great adventure!!

 

[Reef-junky]

We just got home from a week in Gainesville, FL kayaking the various springs in the area. I wish I could have water this clear in my aquarium! BTW, that's not me in the water. But all the springs are in the low 70's despite morning temps being in the low 30's!



We also got to kayak with 7 or 8 manatees at Silver Springs. I need to get the photos my wife took that day.

That looks amazing

 

[ReefGrammie]

What a great thread (and pictures)! I grew up in the Miami area and was a frequent visitor to the Keys. My dad always had a boat and we snorkeled/fished/played in the water all the time. I've been to Sanibel several times, but now we stick with the gulf coast, mostly Destin and Navarre. We also big cruisers and have snorkeled in the Bahamas, Antigua, and Hawaii, and most recently in Belize and Roatan. I think it's amazing to own a reef tank and then go snorkeling in the giant reef tank of the sea! My husband had to drag me out of the water in Belize...I didn't want to get out!! Will be following along. Keep posting those amazing pictures!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Nice Thread!

I started this year on the Maldives where I snorkeled and got my owd diving license as well.
Some pix:



It was a great adventure!!

@Chilli , glad you like the thread and I hope you will continue to add to it!!! Is snorkeling in the Maldives as good as it looks? I want to go there so bad. And in that first photo, are those yellow corals mushrooms or ricordea or what? BTW, spectacular photographs!

That looks amazing

It was a fun trip and Road Scholars does this one several times a year. The Sweetwater Branch B&B we all stayed at was great and the food was so good I put on a couple of pounds despite all the kayaking and hiking!

What a great thread (and pictures)! I grew up in the Miami area and was a frequent visitor to the Keys. My dad always had a boat and we snorkeled/fished/played in the water all the time. I've been to Sanibel several times, but now we stick with the gulf coast, mostly Destin and Navarre. We also big cruisers and have snorkeled in the Bahamas, Antigua, and Hawaii, and most recently in Belize and Roatan. I think it's amazing to own a reef tank and then go snorkeling in the giant reef tank of the sea! My husband had to drag me out of the water in Belize...I didn't want to get out!! Will be following along. Keep posting those amazing pictures!

@ReefGrammie , really glad you like the thread. It's funny about you and your husband having to pull you out of the water. I absolutely love snorkeling and I think my wife enjoys it even more than I do! And I agree 100% about having a saltwater tank and then getting to snorkel and see it in all it's natural state. It's as close as we'll ever get to visiting another planet with real alien life! So a photo or two would be cool. And even more on your next adventure! Of course that assumes you have a camera? Since we only snorkel and don't get more than 12 feet deep, we use an Olympus Tough 1 camera. I got mine for $125 on ebay.

 

[ReefGrammie]

@Chilli , glad you like the thread and I hope you will continue to add to it!!! Is snorkeling in the Maldives as good as it looks? I want to go there so bad. And in that first photo, are those yellow corals mushrooms or ricordea or what? BTW, spectacular photographs!



It was a fun trip and Road Scholars does this one several times a year. The Sweetwater Branch B&B we all stayed at was great and the food was so good I put on a couple of pounds despite all the kayaking and hiking!



@ReefGrammie , really glad you like the thread. It's funny about you and your husband having to pull you out of the water. I absolutely love snorkeling and I think my wife enjoys it even more than I do! And I agree 100% about having a saltwater tank and then getting to snorkel and see it in all it's natural state. It's as close as we'll ever get to visiting another planet with real alien life! So a photo or two would be cool. And even more on your next adventure! Of course that assumes you have a camera? Since we only snorkel and don't get more than 12 feet deep, we use an Olympus Tough 1 camera. I got mine for $125 on ebay.

Excellent on the camera! I've been looking for one. On our last trip in Roatan, our guide strapped on a GoPro and was diving way down with a snorkel/mask getting video of a shipwreck. A little too bold for me (and my age)! I've used those cheapo disposable cameras that take lousy pictures. Will check into that camera! Our next cruise will be New England/Canada in the fall, so definitely no snorkeling on that trip, but we're also heading to the Florida Panhandle in May, so maybe then!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Our next trip is with the Road Scholars and we'll be on 45' catamarans sailing and snorkeling in the British Virgin Islands the first week in August!

The Olympus new is about $380. We like it better than the other tough cameras because it has a bigger lens opening that lets in more light and therefore faster shutter speeds. They are good to about 30 feet deep and have a 3x zoom. There isn't much use for more than that underwater as it gets too hazy. I just took a quick look and saw this one on ebay.

Olympus Tough TG-3 16.0MP Digital Camera - Red for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Olympus Tough TG-3 16.0MP Digital Camera - Red at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Chilli]

@Chilli , glad you like the thread and I hope you will continue to add to it!!! Is snorkeling in the Maldives as good as it looks? I want to go there so bad. And in that first photo, are those yellow corals mushrooms or ricordea or what? BTW, spectacular photographs!

I will do! The next trip to Egypt is booked

The snorkeling in the Maldives is really great! As far as the corals are concerned, there is a lot of dead corals but you can see here and there new corals growing up. The variety of fishes is powerful! Directly at the shore there are swimming very big swarms of tangs, amazing.
In the middle of the picture is a Goniopora, I have no idea what is around of the Goni.

I made a video of the trip where you can see snorkel and later dives:



Also my Threat of this trip:

New Year Diving/snorkeling Maldives

Happy New Year to all!!! I'm relaxing here on a beach house on the maldives. Was yesterday and today snorkeling and shoot some pix I start tomorrow my OWD diving license and hope to see more sps and shark's :cool: The sps I saw here were mostly dead. Except for a few small ones that...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks for the link to your Maldives holiday. Do you have any diving or snorkeling in the plan for the trip to Egypt?

It's the end of January and our first trip to the Florida Keys is still 3 to 4 months away... it's driving me crazy! My new tank and a new holding tank are set up and ready. But the 3 to 4 months will be good for both tanks to settle in before I bring any unusual critters home.

 

[Chilli]

Yes, diving is the main reason for travelling there. I like to finish my advanced OWD licence in egypt.

 

[Oliver d]

Where to in Egypt?dived all over the Red Sea.I can recommend lots of great diving sites from wrecks to deep water drop offs.

 

[Chilli]

Its going to safaga, i have heard there are a lot of nice places to dive. i will also go there with my buddy, he has been there very often.

whats your favourite place there?