Diving

 

My 1st Dive Video in Barbados

Location: Carisle Bay 
Dive Sites: Pieces of Eight and Carisle Marine Park
Depth: 12-22 meters, average 15 meters
Temperature: unrecorded on both dives....
Bottom time: 50 minutes and 74 minutes respectively
Camera:  Go-pro 3, Black edition with red filter
Dive Boat:  The Dive Shop, Highway 7, Bay Street, St. Michael, Barbados

Marine life sited:  Hawksbill and Green Turtles, seahorses, parrot fish, pipe fish, blow fish, flounder, frog fish, pin fish, squirrel fish, green razor-fish,wrasse, yellow stripped grunt, grey angelfish

Coral: brain coral, sponges, sea fans, sea grass, feather black coral, wire coral, lettuce coral, pencil coral and finger coral.

View on full screen at youtube:   http://youtu.be/Z-VgYKw0bRg

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After 15 logged dives in Barbados!

Dive sites covered with day diving:  `The Boot`,  Carisle Marine Park, Frier`s Craig, Lobster Reef, Asher Reef, Bottle bottom.

Dive sites covered night diving:  Carisle Marine Park, Lobster Reef, Frier`s Craig.

Average bottom temperature:  26 degree Celsius

Average air temperature: 30 degree Celsius (without humidity).

Average bottom time: 60 minutes

Longest bottom time: 83 minutes (Carisle Marine Park)

Turtle sightings:  over 100, both hawksbill and green turtle (more common)

Most common marine life:  large, small fish (Bajan slang).

Ship wrecks: 6, with one more I know of to go.

Camera:  GoPro 3 flooded...Called, complete refund, will likely purchase the same camera as it did take excellent photos and is much cheaper than purchasing a dive housing for another camera.

After 25 Dives in Barbados!

Still diving without a wetsuit.  Bottom temperature is approximately 28 celcius;  average bottom time = 65 minutes; great visibility  just over 20 meters. 

Dive Sites Dove:

Pieces of Eight: Off Hastings, 60-120 feet, Barrier reef, drop off on both sides of the reef, many barracudas, snapper and cavalea.

Caribee Reef:  Off Caribbee Hotel- 20-60 feet, shallow reef, lots of marine life, turtles.

The Boot:  Off Sandy Beach -40-60 feet, drift dive, many turtles, sometimes eagle rays, small derelict coast guard boat sunken here.

Bottle Ground:  Carlisle Bay- 45-100 feet, anchorage for wooden sailing vessels, many antique bottles.

Highwire:  Off Dover- 70-120 feet, underwater cables suspended over this reef- otherwise not unlike other reefs here, but deeper. Many small fish, large turtles, trumpetfish, lion fish

Lobster Reef:  Off Drill Hall, 30-80 feet, Inner reef, some sting rays, many turtles, many small fish, sea horses.

Friar's Craig:  Off Asta Hotel- 30-90 feet, 170ft freighter sunken July 2nd 1985- now broken into three pieces from surge. Heaps of coral and small fish.  Some turtles.

Asta Reef:  Lots of marine life, barracuda, angel fish, stingrays, turtles.

Carlisle Bay Marine Park:  100 feet from the dive shop, can be done as shore dive.  5 sunken ships.  Please see story of ship wrecks for more detail. 

Sandy Lane:  off Sandy Lane Hotel- 70-140 feet, barracuda and small fish.

After 40 Dives

Old Fort:  Off Needhams Point - 30-90 feet - Small reef, cannon balls.

Stavronanika:  Off Fitts Village - 25-135 feet - 365 foot ship wreck - Sunk November 22nd, 1978, after the Greek freighter ship caught fire 15 km off of the coast of Barbados. The Captain and his family died after the fire started in the engine room.  All those on the deck survived. 

Bell Boy Reef:  West Coast - 50 feet - 29 degree Celsius - many types of coral, fewer fish, 



Favorite Dive Sites Thus far:
Carlisle Bay - 5 ship wrecks - shallow dive - good photography
Asher Reef :  Many turtles, good vis, healthy reef
Stavronanika: Deep dive, yet good vis from outside, large ship wreck
Lobster Reef:  Healthy reef, many fish 

HUMAN MADE ARTIFACTS UNDER THE OCEAN

Berwyn Shipwreck- Carisle Bay

TURTLES

Hawksbill Turtle

Hawksbill Turtle

SEA TURTLE

SEAHORSES

Longsnout Seahorse- 2.5-4 inches in length, max 6 inches- found in 1-40 feet of water

Longsnout seahorses

FISHES

French Angelfish- 1 -5 inches- swim in reefs, often in pairs- commonly found in Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean, also in Brazil and Gulf of Mexico- often unafraid, can be closely observed but hard to photograph as move quickly.

Trumpetfish, 1.5-2.5 feet in length, max 3 feet;  depth- 15-80 feet; inhabit coral reefs, change color and position their bodies to blend with background.  Often drift in vertical position, head down, paralleling stalks of sea rods.  May attempt to camouflage themselves by hovering just above larger fish as they move about the reef;  Generally move when think they are detected.

Whitespotted Filefish- 10-15 inches in length, max 18;  often curious, can be approached if moving slowly and cautiously. -two phases, one with spots, one without, changes; move about reef tops in pairs, often each partner displays a different color phase,

Blue Tang - 5-10 inches, max 15; found 10-60 feet depth; more circular than surgeonfish but skoal with them;  
Ocean Surgeonfish- 6-12 inches; found in 15-80 feet of water; change colors, blueish gray-dark brown and pale or darken drastically.

Peacock Flounder - 6-15 inches, max 18 inches, depth 2-40 feet. can darken  or pale and change color dramatically to match bottom.  Inhabit sand, coral, and sea grass areas

Longlure Frog Fish- 3-5 inches, max 8 inches- depth 10-60 feet;  large vaiety of color phases, including shades of deep red, pink, orange, yellow, green and tan, can change color, pale or darken to match background.

Parrot Fish

Spotted Drum- 6-9 inches, max 11; depth 15-100 feet; feed in open at night;

Smallmouth Grunt- 7-9 inches, max. 10; depth 8-50 feet; drift in small schools, near bottom in the shelter of coral formations; often around Elkhorn and Staghorn coral.



Southern Stingray- 3-4 feet, max 5.5; depth 1-80 feet; size refers to diameter of disk, excluding tail; inhabit sandy areas. lie on bottom, often covered with sand;

Honeycomb Cowfish- 7-15 inches, max18; depth 20-80 feet; vary from shades of blue to green to yellow. can darken, pale or change color; swim about reefs blending with background

Foreye Butterfly fish - 3-4 inches, max. 6 inches- 10-60 feet - often in pairs

Flying Gunard; 6-14 inches, max 18; depth 1-35 feet; shades of gray to yellow brown body with white spots.  Can pale or darken dramatically.  Blunt snout; inhabit sand, coral rubble and sea grass, often near shallow patch and fringe reefs; reaction to divers- shy, swim away.



Smoote Trunkfish- 6-10 inches max 1 foot; depth 15-80 feet; dark body covered with white spots, area of pale honeycomb markings on central midbody; swim above reefs, occasionally over sand; normally solitary but occasionally swim in small groups.

Sharptail Eal- 1-2.5 feet, max 3.5 feet; depth 5-40 feet; usually hide during the day and forage in open at night;  can move beneath the sand;

Spotted Moray- 1.5-3 feet, max 4 feet; depth 6-40 feet; constantly open and close mouth to breath not as a threat.