# Sat 27 Sept on Chris's boat



## Stressless (Oct 2, 2007)

Had to fly Sunday and Flipper couldn't get out of the soccer coach gig so I signed up and went out with Chris (craasch210), his girl (I think she was on the boat - Missy), and four other dudes. Clay wasn't on this one so we left right on time oke Although Jon and I stood watching Chris get on the moored boat first and could see the engin hatch wasn't on the floor just inside the cabin. Well, Chris stops at the cabin door neither Sniper or I say anything 'cause we assume he saw the 2'x3' hole righ in front of him... Nope a step to no where and SLAMS into the deck!! Oh- F*#k!! Dude!! No :takephoto



We are all wigged 'cause he hit hard and is the Capt but he shakes it off and in 5 mins is all better. :clap Took a beating and came back - Good man. Anyway I hadn't got the camera out to catch that but I got it out right after and started snapping. So like I said without Clay we made the bay in twilight and were were chatting up each other as many of had not met until loading the boat.



Chris, Asking me, "You didn't get a picture of me falling into the engin well.. did you?"























... and rounded the bend just as a Redfish Tourny must have started cause about 15 bass boats went by a warp speed and one helecopter was chasing them across the bay...














Made the pass at a beautiful sunrise and headed to a secret spot just South of the Mass.














Well we made the spot a couple mins later - now Sat was a GREAT day here's a view sitting on a public spot with no clouds or thunderstorms just sea breeze and sun!














We dove in two groups of three and the first dive was in 135' I say this as the rest of the tale will come out.



Chris Sniper and I get in and head to the anchor line, they loaded prior to entering the water and I don't do that so I loaded on the anchor line by now they are 60' down and smoking down so I hit it to catch them -



1. Mistake



I see the "Wreck" off to the left and check depth ~ 95' loose the line and start heading over - don't see either of the other guys...



2. Buddy?



As I'm heading the 50'-60' over I check the compass to make sure I can find the anchor line and my brain is SLLLOOOOWWW - numbers are fuzzy.... WTF.. 



Stop and make sure neutral check the gauges... nothing making sense. Can't add 180 to the heading can't comprehend the heading anyway. (good move) dead recon off the structure back to the line and head up SLOOWWW to 60' 



3. Applied STOP, THINK, ACT wanted to catch the guys but knew something was wrong - mitigated the risk.



So at 60' 2-3 mins pass and my head is clearing can do 1+1=2 kinda stuff make to call to bag the dive but couldn't tell my buddies of the abort.



Loonnng Safety at 20' and back on the boat.



Well, if that's what "Narc'd" is I do not like it. Gonna work on that some. Anyway Chris and Sniper come up with a couple Grouper and Sniper has a nice one. The other guys head over and we compare notes. Some nice fish on the bottom but no AJ's anywhere around in the 50' vis. Water was very comfortable temp ~81F and a tad cooler down. Other guys come up with a couple fish and we're off to the "Secret Spot".



Now Chris had a GPS on the boat but it got rubbed out or knocked off or something so we're going by two GPS's that on a good day make one decent one. Since this is a Sniper secret spot I don't use mine and Chris moves around some and we see good return on the finder. Deploy the anchor, which was a f'ng disaster all day, and get'r hung. So off we go on dive #2 a gentle distance somewhat South of the Mass.



Here's a Clue what we found on the "secret spot"... :letsparty



Took the camera on this one to see all the fish we marked at 75'.... :banghead












Cudas As many as you wanted...























Big ass ornamentals...














So we hit the same spot twice - this time Sniper/Chris and I went down together and when we saw it we were all .. like.. WTF!! big sholder shrugs and stuff... so I wanted to conserve my time and hung around looking for bugs in the tubes - no dice.



Sniper smashed a decent scamp and Chris broke a shaft on a big grouper that was just a tad annoyed with him for shooting him in the head.



We get up and perform a bold maneuver to release the gas from the scamp from the backbone... (Delicious on the grill that way!)














We pulled chocks and went a tad North almost back to the Mass and had lunch and a good interval - chilling and catching some OUTSTANDING weather.














Once there our other 3 sperao's were geared up and ready - 



Chuck












Kennith and Valto












I grabbed my other camera and free dove with them trying it out ...












Blot-o with his sharkshield












Not sure... 














Got done with that dive and not much else to speak of other then all the rest of the fish came off the Tug Sylvia. We couldn't believe it when we got down to her.



So after the third dive my BT was smoked with a no fly time so the guys had fun and we heading the horse for the barn.














We came through the pass just as the sun was setting on the opposite end of the world from the morning and we all felt like a we had witnessed another great day in paradise.














So 18 dives no injuries and some fish in the cooler.



:mmmbeer

Stressless


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## FishinFL (Sep 30, 2007)

Very cool post and pics! We were coming through the pass at sunset too... But I was on the mich ultra re- hydration fix by then. 



I must stick up for Clay this time though..... I pulled into the marina and he was already there, unloading gear.....EARLY. 



Thanks again, Reese


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## kennethmandel62 (Oct 3, 2007)

Nice pics Bob...I was hoping you'd post them. We definitely had a great time. Hope we can all get together and do it again. Jeff's gonna have to make a couple trips back home after he leaves. I think the "Private Spot" was probably the highlight of the day. Great Company: Chris(craasch210), Chuck, Jeff(Sniper Spear It), Vlado(Orion45) and Bob(Stressless).

Also thanks to MBT for helping me get tanks after hours.


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## dkdiver (Oct 15, 2007)

Great post! I am glad you guys had a good trip, especially the way Sniper looked this morning, and this afternoon! oke Beautiful pics!


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## mpmorr (Oct 3, 2007)

Great report Bob, between you Clay and Karon, I just get more and more amazed. Great job.:bowdown


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm :hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad

Sometime afterwe dove the "secret spot", the upper part of my left arm, left shoulder, and part of the right shoulder started itching. Also had a slight headache which disappeared before my second dive. I did not give it any further thought for the rest of the day since I was having a great time shooting fish. Towards the end of the trip I noticed that the left tricep was slighly swollen and a lot harder than my right one. Didn't dwell on it until late Sunday norning. I researched the symptoms and found out that these were similar symptoms to those associated with the bends. However, divers experiencing only itching, skin mottling. and fatigue need not undergo recompression. The only treatmentrecommended is close observation for further symptoms and breathing 100% O2. Also, refraining from diving for two weeks is recommended. So far so good. I decided to call DAN and go over my symptoms with one of the medical staff. Before calling however, I went over all other possibilities for the itching. Jelly fish sting? I wore Lycra skins and a 3mm wetsuit. No chance of that. However, I did have to unwrap a safey line from one of the props. It took me a few minutes to do that. Had my Lycra on but the top half of the wetsuit was tied around my waist. There were a few jellyfish around me while I was under the boat. Some tentacles could have gotten in the wet suit and pressed against me later on. Now, thinking back, did my itching start after the first dive or after the second? Was the redness of the skin due to a jellyfish sting, scratching, or mottling? Maybe all the symptoms were associated with a sunburn (sun poisoning)? Not likely because 1) Ihad a Lycra on the entire day, 2) I'm in the sun everyday, and 3)I can't remember the last time I got a sunburn.I contacted DAN andwent over the entire scenario with one of the medical staff. He recommended I go to the ER at Baptist Hospital. I asked himif I could wait until tomorrow and see if the symptoms subsided. I told him the itchinghad almost disappeared. He said I shouldgo to the ER ASAP just to be on the safe side. Idrove to the ER, was admitted almost immediately, got an IV, an aspirin, BP taken, chest X-ray, EKG and spokewith theduty physician. His recommendation - recompression. Spent the next 4.5 hrs watching football games.While being discharged, I asked the chamber technician how long before I could dive again - 14 days?He stated "No flying or driving over high mountains for 7 days". I remarked "I can live with that".Next, he lowerd the boom - NO DIVING FOR AT LEAST 90 DAYS. :reallycrying:reallycrying:reallycrying I thanked him for all the help and headed home. Got home, had a few drinks, and went to bed. Woke up this morning (Monday) with swelling gone, muscle hardness gone,left tricep area slightly sore when pressed hard.Although I think I'll be OK to dive again in 14 days, I'll haveto abide by the discharge instructions and lay off diving for the rest of this year. I would hate to really get bent and have to explainwhat I was doing diving so soon. My Baptist Hospital experience - The Baptist Hospital ER and Hyperbaric Medicine staffs were extremely professional, courteous, and efficient. From check in at ER to going into the chamber took about an hour. I haveused Baptist Hospital facilities in previous years and I have nothing but praise for them It's a superb health care provider.About DAN - The emergency hotline worked as advertised. Less than 20 seconds waits to speak to the medical staff. Went through all my symptoms, dive profile, medical history, etc. In closing, I recommend DAN insurance for all divers. You never knowwhat can happen.I've been a DAN member since 1991.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Orion45 (9/29/2008)*I'm :hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad:hoppingmad
> 
> Sometime afterwe dove the "secret spot", the upper part of my left arm, left shoulder, and part of the right shoulder started itching. Also had a slight headache which disappeared before my second dive. I did not give it any further thought for the rest of the day since I was having a great time shooting fish. Towards the end of the trip I noticed that the left tricep was slighly swollen and a lot harder than my right one. Didn't dwell on it until late Sunday norning. I researched the symptoms and found out that these were similar symptoms to those associated with the bends. However, divers experiencing only itching, skin mottling. and fatigue need not undergo recompression. The only treatmentrecommended is close observation for further symptoms and breathing 100% O2. Also, refraining from diving for two weeks is recommended. So far so good. I decided to call DAN and go over my symptoms with one of the medical staff. Before calling however, I went over all other possibilities for the itching. Jelly fish sting? I wore Lycra skins and a 3mm wetsuit. No chance of that. However, I did have to unwrap a safey line from one of the props. It took me a few minutes to do that. Had my Lycra on but the top half of the wetsuit was tied around my waist. There were a few jellyfish around me while I was under the boat. Some tentacles could have gotten in the wet suit and pressed against me later on. Now, thinking back, did my itching start after the first dive or after the second? Was the redness of the skin due to a jellyfish sting, scratching, or mottling? Maybe all the symptoms were associated with a sunburn (sun poisoning)? Not likely because 1) Ihad a Lycra on the entire day, 2) I'm in the sun everyday, and 3)I can't remember the last time I got a sunburn.I contacted DAN andwent over the entire scenario with one of the medical staff. He recommended I go to the ER at Baptist Hospital. I asked himif I could wait until tomorrow and see if the symptoms subsided. I told him the itchinghad almost disappeared. He said I shouldgo to the ER ASAP just to be on the safe side. Idrove to the ER, was admitted almost immediately, got an IV, an aspirin, BP taken, chest X-ray, EKG and spokewith theduty physician. His recommendation - recompression. Spent the next 4.5 hrs watching football games.While being discharged, I asked the chamber technician how long before I could dive again - 14 days?He stated "No flying or driving over high mountains for 7 days". I remarked "I can live with that".Next, he lowerd the boom - NO DIVING FOR AT LEAST 90 DAYS. :reallycrying:reallycrying:reallycrying I thanked him for all the help and headed home. Got home, had a few drinks, and went to bed. Woke up this morning (Monday) with swelling gone, muscle hardness gone,left tricep area slightly sore when pressed hard.Although I think I'll be OK to dive again in 14 days, I'll haveto abide by the discharge instructions and lay off diving for the rest of this year. I would hate to really get bent and have to explainwhat I was doing diving so soon. My Baptist Hospital experience - The Baptist Hospital ER and Hyperbaric Medicine staffs were extremely professional, courteous, and efficient. From check in at ER to going into the chamber took about an hour. I haveused Baptist Hospital facilities in previous years and I have nothing but praise for them It's a superb health care provider.About DAN - The emergency hotline worked as advertised. Less than 20 seconds waits to speak to the medical staff. Went through all my symptoms, dive profile, medical history, etc. In closing, I recommend DAN insurance for all divers. You never knowwhat can happen.I've been a DAN member since 1991.


Holy crap Vlado. Have you ran through the days events to understand when it could have happened. I guess it can happen anytime. But for them to stick you in the chamber, they must have thought that it was pretty serious. Glad everything worked out.


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## kennethmandel62 (Oct 3, 2007)

I remember you said you were starting to itch after the second dive....You seemed to be diving safely....I'm thinking it was the 

"SHARK SHIELD!!!!!!!!!" oke

Get better brother!


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

Hey Kenny, 

Re: Shark Shield comment :moon

Come to think of it, you arecorrect as to when the itching started. To me it was such a non event that I wasn't quite sure of the time line. That does lend more credence to my theory that some jellyfish/tentacles got in my wetsuit while I was trying to clear the fouled prop. I really don't think I got bent but I'll play it safe just in case. Thanks for the reminder. By the way, next time stick around longer and you'll see some sharks. You'll also see how well the shark shield works. You guys have fun.

P.S. If you want to see sharks go diving with Jon (Telum Piscis). Based on my previous experience diving with him and by his last post, he seems to attract them quite a bit.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Orion45 (9/30/2008)*
> 
> P.S. If you want to see sharks go diving with Jon (Telum Piscis). Based on my previous experience diving with him and by his last post, he seems to attract them quite a bit.


Haha,

Actually Vlado, this past Sunday's dive was the first time I had seen another shark since you came out with me. But they do tend to follow my boat for some unknown reason. Maybe it's because they can just sense the fact that I kill fish and my boat is just saturated with fish blood.


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

> *Telum Piscis (9/30/2008)*
> 
> Holy crap Vlado. Have you ran through the days events to understand when it could have happened. I guess it can happen anytime. But for them to stick you in the chamber, they must have thought that it was pretty serious. Glad everything worked out.


Jon,

I went thru my dive profiles. Came up in the green on all dives and my highest PO2 was 1.36. No rapid ascents indicated. Extremely long surface intervals, diving Nitrox, well hydrated, etc. Just did not fit a "bends" scenario. As I mentioned in my post, I wanted to wait a day before going to Baptist Hospital but the DAN staff urged me to go ASAP. Once there, the medical staff decided to be conservative and recompress me. Had I not gone thru recompression, I would wait two weeks just in case and then start diving again. However, I'm concerned that ifsomething related happensin the next three months, neither of my insurances nor DAN will foot the bill again. So I'll just play it safe and wait.

By the way, nice mess of fish on your last trip. Catch you sometime after New Year's.


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Sweet report Bob!!!!! And...:moon to you guys for the late comments...although I gotta admit...its true. :doh



Glad to hear yo guys all got some fish...and man...wasnt this a perfect weekend for diving???


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

> *Telum Piscis (9/30/2008)*
> 
> 
> > *Orion45 (9/30/2008)*
> ...




Sounds like a factual statement to me.


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## craasch210 (Oct 4, 2007)

Sorry to hear about your trip to the ER vlado. 

Appreciate you guys coming out. I know the anchor situation was a royal pain, but that will be resolved next trip. Hopefully my partner will refrain from throwing anchor when it isnt attached to the rope. (I'm not saying any names..... Brandy)

Glad you guys had a good time. We will be going out again Saturday. Going to stay deep this time. 

Chris


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

> *craasch210 (10/1/2008)*Sorry to hear about your trip to the ER vlado.
> 
> Appreciate you guys coming out. I know the anchor situation was a royal pain, but that will be resolved next trip. Hopefully my partner will refrain from throwing anchor when it isnt attached to the rope. (I'm not saying any names..... Brandy)
> 
> ...


Chris,

Sh*t happens. You guys have fun this weekend. Watch out for open hatches. oke

Vlado


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## Brandy (Sep 28, 2007)

> *craasch210 (10/1/2008)*Sorry to hear about your trip to the ER vlado.
> 
> Appreciate you guys coming out. I know the anchor situation was a royal pain, but that will be resolved next trip. Hopefully my partner will refrain from throwing anchor when it isnt attached to the rope. (I'm not saying any names..... Brandy)
> 
> ...


Its easy to get out of anchor duty if you throw the anchor away.:banghead:banghead:banghead


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## seanmclemore (Aug 20, 2008)

vlado, glad everthing worked out...sorry to hear you will be missing the late fall/early winter clear viz when it starts moving in...you should be ready for the winter grouper shooting.

heres to practicing narcosis 12 ounces at a time :letsdrink
cheers bro, glad your ok


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Man..that does such Orion!!! So what is your official "re-entry date" back into te water?


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

*As soon as possible after New Year's Day*. Until then, I'm going to miss diving with a great bunch of guys. :hoppingmad

Hope you guys slay the AJ's and Groupers. Meanwhile, I'll be running around the Sound chasing Specks and Reds. See you all next year.


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