23 Jun 2021
Once again, today’s morning boats were quite full and when I made my reservation the only opening was on the boat headed for Spiegel Grove, one of the local wrecks. Wrecks aren’t my favorite, but if my options are dive a wreck or not dive at all, I’m taking the wreck. Besides, the 2nd dive will be at a shallow reef with pretty fish, and there’s a good chance the current will be too strong and we’ll end up just going to one of the reefs anyway.
While we were waiting to board, we found out our captain had called in sick. Initially they tried to find another captain to cover but were unable to, so everyone on my boat was shuffled onto one of the other 7 boats. I got my shallow reef dive after all!
Dive #3 – Nine Channel
Molasses reef is a collection of reefs interspersed with sandy channels and we actually criss-crossed into several different dive areas where I found this memorial plaque:
Schoolmaster:
A not-so-hidden Graysby:
This little guy was a much better hider:
Snooks!
Spanish grunt (plus some French, Bluestriped and Smallmouth grunts):
My favorite Stoplight parrotfish again:
Redband parrotfish in various phases:
Christmastree worm!
and another!
Yellowtail snapper:
A school of grunts hiding from the current:
Lettuce sea slug!
I was so excited to find one, then I spotted another!
and another!
and another!
Turns out once you know what to look for, they’re kind of everywhere. I stopped counting after a couple dozen (but I kept on taking their pictures).
Creole wrasse- another fish that had no interest in being photographed, which is unfortunate because they were such a pretty color and had cool markings!
Winch from the Slobadana, a wooden schooner which sank in 1887:
Smooth trunkfish!
Smooth trunkfish’s smooth underside!
Seriously, these guys are flat on their bottoms- how strange is that?!
And finally, I spotted and got some good pictures of my new nudibranch, Tritonicula hamnerorum:
Dive #4 – North Star
This is the terminal phase of my favorite red-bellied Stoplight parrotfish:
Lettuce sea slug!
Either a Hind or a Graysby, hiding in a crevice:
Neon goby! These little electric blue gobies were everywhere, and rarely sat still long enough for me to snap a picture!
oo, Barracuda!
Trumpetfish:
Usually when I spotted my nudibranch, there would only be one or two per sea fan, but every now and then I’d find a fan completely infested with them!
Those stringy white things draped over the sea fan are nudibranch eggs!
I love these little guys!
Lane snappers:
Bicolor damselfish:
Yellowhead wrasse and Stoplight parrotfish:
Blue chromis! I love how grumpy these guys look!!!
Yellowtail snapper:
Yellowtail damselfish:
Scrawled filefish:
Blue tang:
Dive #5 – Wreck of the Benwood
A shallow wreck sitting at about 20-30′, the Benwood sank in 1942 after running into the USS Tuttle, was salvaged and then used as target practice before being dynamited when it posed a to be a navigation hazard.
The ship’s had a rough life, but is now home to lots of fishes!
Redband parrotfish (terminal phase):
Sharpnose puffer:
Mostly Mahogany snappers:
Sand diver:
another Sand diver:
My nudibranch!
Blue parrotfish (I have no idea why he’s got fuzzy lips):
A sea of grunts!
I swam through them 🙂
Yellowhead jawfish:
These little guys were cute, but quick to disappear down their hole if you got too close too quickly!
This one let me get close enough to see the subtle pattern on its side:
Brindled goby:
Colon goby:
Trumpetfish, trying to hide:
Another blue Sergeant major, guarding his nest:
Hogfish
Pederson Cleaner shrimp:
Dive #6 – Hard Bottom Cave
Spiny lobster:
Hogfish:
another hogfish, rooting around for food:
Neon goby:
Blue chromis:
I think this guy is a Blue chromis as well, but I’ve never seen one with so much black!
Juvenile high hat!
this little guy would not stay still for pictures!
Scrawled filefish:
(L-R) juvenile Redband? parrotfish, juvenile Striped parrotfish, juvenile Clown wrasse:
Blue tang:
Yellowhead wrasse:
