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We tied up to Buoy number 1 for the first
couple of dives. 2 mantas were spotted, as
well as various numbers of hammerheads,
depending on who you asked. I think the guy
that saw 10,000 may have been narced, but he
was having fun anyway. Water temp was 69,
seas were 2-3 feet, air temp was 71, it was
sunny and clear, and visibility was murky
for the top 20 feet, then gin clear below
that. We moved over to the East bank as
the wind picked up in the afternoon. We
chose not to do a rig dive as the Spree had
been spinning on the mooring on the West
bank. We came across the TABS V buoy adrift
and fetched up on the reef at the East bank.
After notifying Texas A&M and Sanctuary
Staff, we tied up at buoy number 5 On the
next 2 dives, we saw the mother lode. We had
Spotted Eagle Rays, schools of hammerheads,
big big tigers (don’t worry Mrs. Tony, we
brought him home safe), a big goliath
grouper hiding in a coral head (how does a
500 lb grouper hide, anyway?), and the
worlds largest tiger shark, 40 feet long.
Only one passenger who shall remain nameless
saw the 40 foot long tiger shark. I suspect
hallucinogenic mushrooms were involved in
this sighting, but anything’s possible. The
night dive was cancelled. We woke up
Saturday morning to flat seas on Stetson
bank. Water temp was 68, and air temp was
75. Visibility was 70 feet (fantastic for
winter), and there was a mild surface
current for the first dive, but not on the
second or third. We did 3 dives on Stetson,
and saw a hammerhead, Spotted Eagle Rays,
schooling king mackerel, free-swimming eels,
and 10,000 scorpion fish. Well, maybe.
Springtime Portuguese man-o-war jellyfish
were out in force on Stetson, so if you’re
coming next weekend, be sure to bring plenty
of rubber. Captain Frank
M/V Spree
Freeport, Texas |
