Dive with Greg II - Honey, I'm home!

What really pisses me off is that I theoretically could have stayed for an
extra day, since Continental was only able to get me as far as Houston on
Monday
night, their "mechanical delay" forcing me to miss my connection home and
not make it back until late Tuesday evening.

DWG II, like DWG I, was an overwhelming success. Sure enough, like I
promised Lee, the weather gods were kind and we were blessed with flat seas
and a clear sky after a rainy Friday night.

Al & Cindy and Andy joined Janna and me on Splashdown for 4 dives Saturday.
Viz was a bit murky, but aquatic life was as good as anything in the
Caribbean. Current was a good 1-1.5 knots. When I finally got my turn to
tow the flag on dive 3, it actually towed me. Notable sights: a couple
turtles (one hawksbill, one loggerhead); the biggest southern stingray I've
ever seen - looked like a bleached manta, though the poor guy had no tail;
two nurse sharks (one sleeping halfway in a crevice); several green and lots
of spotted morays of all sizes; reef fish galore. After 4 hour+ dives, plus
surface intervals and a long lunch break, we finally got back to the dock
around 7 p.m. just in time to see black clouds and a major lightning storm
descend on us. Hung out at Two Georges for several beers while we got our
tanks refilled and stayed grungy. Andy cleaned up at his hotel, then
followed us south.

Met up with LD & wife, RS & wife, and MS(G) at Bonefish Mack's in Pompano
for lots of beer and food. Magilla arrived later, fortunately after we had
already eaten all our dinner. Then it was back to the hotel to crash by 1
a.m. for a little nap before waking up at 5 a.m. and heading down to Key
Largo. Nice sunrise. No traffic.

Andy was the only rec.scuban hardy enough to join Janna and me for the
perfectly boring morning Key reef dives with (under new management) Silent
World. 40' on the first, 25' on the second. Managed to lose Andy and Janna
on dive 2. They did the right thing and surfaced to look for me, but didn't
find me because I decided to get a bit of solo time in. It's hard to get
much solitude on Dive with Gregs. Fortunately they soon gave up looking for
me and descended again, figuring they'd trawl for my body after the dive.
Just after we finally re-met in a happy encounter, Andy and I managed to
spot a couple Caribbean reef sharks while Janna poked around the minimal
coral heads oblivious to the deadly beasts and the dangers of the deep that
Andy and I fearlessly faced down.

Came back to the dock and picked up all the rest of the gang. LD, LB, RS,
MG & D, A & C, MS(G) and M. DWG II was underway!

Two afternoon dives at the Spiegel Grove. Viz was so-so, water was warm,
current was strong. Started out at the bow, hitting the sand at 140'. Then
we got carried away with haphazard penetration for a while until Janna got
LOA around 40 min, so we picked any old line to ascend on. Suunto made me
do 8 min of "deco" at 10' after 1 min at 75' and 1 min at 40' even though I
was on 30%. Cochran didn't make Janna do any deco even though hers was
still set to air, but she did it anyway. Finally surfaced at someone else's
boat, fortunately upcurrent. Did a fin-assisted drift back to Silent World
as all the dive boats we passed along the way excitedly yelled at us,
thinking we were one of theirs. It was a parking lot out there.

Then we found out that (under new management) Silent World ran a tight
schedule, even though DWG II had bought out the entire boat. After a
too-short surface interval (during which the boat ran out of drinking water)
we were given a strict return time that limited those of us who got off the
boat last to a 35 min dive. This time Janna and I stayed somewhat close to
the line, above 90' due to our 36%, and made it back to the right boat at
the right time. Four nameless rec.scubans whose names I won't mention, but
who included one cop, one fed, one old goat, and one cavey gorilla, somehow
ended up at the wrong boat and had to be shamefully rescued while Al took
their pictures for posterity.

Back at the dock, LD and MS(G) revealed their secret stashes of ice-cold
beer, and LB ended up shotgunning the Miller Lite that exploded on the
ground after being chucked from MS(G)'s truck about 100' away. These feds
will drink anything nowadays. Drank beer while we decided where to go to
drink beer, then ended up at Lorelei on Islamorada for some too-loud music
and too-bright sun to drink too many beers to wash down conch fritters, a
nice sunset, and some good conversation. Gradually the DWG II divers took
off until only MG & D were left with Janna and me, and we too finally gave
in around 9:30 p.m. to leave MG & D for our long and trafficky drive back to
our hotel north of Miami.

A tiring trip, but a fulfilling one. Can't wait until DWG III!

Greg Mossman wrote:

An excellent report on Dive With Greg II.

Susequent Events:

Magilla spent the night at the home of LB and JB and headed north the
next morning.

Earlier in the week, RS, the wife of RS, mentioned that grouper was her
favorite fish. Whatever restaurant we were in at the time didn't have
any available, but LB and his wife JB, did. MS(G) was in the
neighborhood, returning tools borrowed the previous day and was
included in the "Which fish really tastes best" event held Monday
afternoon. Contestants included Red Grouper, Mutton Snapper and Hog
Fish. Hog Fish is not easy to come by. Small ones are easily speared,
but nobody I dive with takes the easy ones. By the time they get big
enough to make a meal for more than one, they've gotten a lot smarter.
They don't normally bit on hook and line. As a result, chances to dine
on Hog Fish should not be missed.

The consensis, as near as I can recall is that, while the fish had
different texture, all three were more or less equally good. It was a
clear and decisive tie. A future Which fish really tastes best event
is already in the planning stages. If there's suffcient interest, a
larger number of people can be accomodated. Think mid July. RE & RS
can provide the dates.

RS, LB and MS(G), after serveral drinks of various types, retired to
the lake behind the house where the minnows operate a larger than
normal scale cleaning station. You haven't lived until you've had
minnows plucking at the hair on your . . . well, hair wherever you
have hair.

JB, as usual, headed off to bed relatively early and RS, RS and MS(G)
departed for their respective domiciles not long after.

Just another day in paradise.

RS & RS flew back to KY on Tuesday and LB headed for our nation's
capital for a "Keep the world safe for future generations" meeting on
Wednesday which is where this message originated from.e

"Scott" wrote

"Which fish really tastes best"

> Red snapper, ling cod, king salmon and halibut.
>
> Duh.

Not being a seafood lover, I can totally support the idea that trolling
for Cod Ling is most fun.

Curtis

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:127qbcj3ks7goa4@corp.supernews.com...

Since you have obviously never been to a run populated by bikers (different
than bikies);

"Honey I'm Home" is a competition wherein the competitors park their
motorcycle on one side of a plywood wall with a window sized hole in it.

On the other side of the wall is a bed.

You take your boots off, lay on the bed and wait for the chosen babe to sit
next to you, and then the MC hollers "Honey, I'm Home!"

Whoever gets their boots on, jumps through the window and gets their bike
started first (no rice burners, and no electric start allowed) wins.

Seems like a game lawyers would excell at, but it just isnt so.

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:127soe5op196qa8@corp.supernews.com...
> "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:Rc6dnbElJtbqiOPZnZ2dnUVZ_sSdnZ2d@wavecable.co m...
>
> > You take your boots off, lay on the bed and wait for the chosen babe to
> > sit
> > next to you, and then the MC hollers "Honey, I'm Home!"
> >
> > Whoever gets their boots on, jumps through the window and gets their
bike
> > started first (no rice burners, and no electric start allowed) wins.
> >
> > Seems like a game lawyers would excell at, but it just isnt so.
>
> Yeah, somehow we lawyers might figure out that it's better to lay on the
bed
> with the chosen babe than to jump through a window and start a bike. Duh.

When her ole man comes home?

You guys aint very smart.

"Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:msKdneVv17yG9-PZ4p2dnA@wavecable.com...

>> Yeah, somehow we lawyers might figure out that it's better to lay on the
> bed
>> with the chosen babe than to jump through a window and start a bike.
>> Duh.
>
> When her ole man comes home?
>
> You guys aint very smart.

Of course we are. I simply pretend I'm dead, then when he reaches for his
shotgun, I grab for my ankle piece. Or I try in my best lawyerly voice to
convince the schmoe that I'm a traveling mattress repairman innocently
testing out the springs.

"Scott" wrote

> Red snapper, ling cod, king salmon and halibut.

Salmon, any salmon, sucks.

You've obviously never had hog fish or it would be on your list.

"Grumman-581" wrote

> I would be rather partial to the lobster that I saw yesterday...

Should have said something the other night. There are 12 of them in the
freezer.

> Got any plans for any dives tomorrow? I assume you've made it back
> into town? I'll probably be heading back up the coast within the next
> couple of day...

I got back around 5 this afternoon. Tomorrow's a work day and, given how
much I've goofed off lately, I probably should do some. Saturday's spoken
for, I have a mandatory birthday party to go to. Sunday's open at the
moment, but a plan may be in the works.

Lee

Lee Bell wrote:
> Should have said something the other night. There are 12 of them in the
> freezer.

You catch so many of them that you can keep a stock of 'em in the
freezer?

> I got back around 5 this afternoon. Tomorrow's a work day and, given how
> much I've goofed off lately, I probably should do some. Saturday's spoken
> for, I have a mandatory birthday party to go to. Sunday's open at the
> moment, but a plan may be in the works.

Oh well... Catch you next time I'm down this way...

"John Francis" wrote

>>>Red snapper, ling cod, king salmon and halibut.

>> Salmon, any salmon, sucks.

> Then you've never tried beach-smoked Arctic Salmon

I'm a warm water diver, remember?

Lee