To start the day, we were pleased to find out that NOAA was wrong again. Instead of 10-15 KT winds and 3 foot seas, we found a gentle breeze and a 1 foot swell. that pretty much stayed that way the entire day.
The NE Sailor was easily the best viz I've seen yet this year. About 20 feet of clean, calm water. Bottom temp was 50 on all 3 dives.This was my first visit here since Hurricane Sandy, and it looks to me like the bottom's been rearranged, with a large portion of decking and debris pushed off to the side, and a chain pile that's been flattened down a bit. Or maybe I'm just confused....
Sea Bass harvest drops from 15 fish to 3 fish per person on July 1st, but the word must have got out to the Sea Bass a few days early, because they were out in mass on the NE Sailor. Know the expression "Shooting fish in a barrel?" That pretty much sums it up. There wasn't a Sea Bass in every hole. There weren't 2 Sea Bass in every hole. More like 3,4 and even 5.
Our second stop was a rock pile that Paul called "Offshore of the offshore rocks." I'm sure every other dive boat captain has their own silly name for this low lying natural reef. But I doubt if they've visited it yet this year, because it looked more like a Lobster breeding ground than a natural reef. From my personal examination, I'd say 3 of every 4 lobsters were eggers. That means I had to pull 12 bugs out of their holes to find 3 keepers. But I gently put the mommies back, knowing that in 4 or 5 years, I'd be back to visit their kids. I also found a nice size Fluke in the sand who I gathered up to bring home to meet the family. I named him "Dinner for 5."
Last stop was another natural rock pile. We've pretty much stopped asking Captain Paul where we are, because the names we get become more and more meaningless. I think this was the "East of the West on-shore rocks," or maybe the "West of the East off-shore." One thing it definitely isn't is home to half a dozen lobster, several large fluke and a few more sea bass.
The best way to end any dive in NJ is to return to the boat and find the ladder just hanging off the boat like a ladder leaning against your house. As opposed to bouncing up and down, that is. On the short ride back into Belmar, we saw several pods of dolphins. You never get tired of that.
Remember, Sea Bass limit drops to 3 fish after June 30th, so fill up your freezer's this weekend.
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