2010 Captain's Log
October 31 Happy Halloween
Divers from the Valley, Canada, and San Antonio ventured out to the Texas Clipper, however, currents from the Rio Grand river prevented them from getting on the ship so everyone opted to head north to the Dolphin rig. Visibility was 50 feet with 85 degree water and choppy seas. The 5 spear fisherman on board were very successful. Seas are predicted be to be rough this week so we look forward to next weekend.!
October 18
Divers from the Valley and San Antonio went back to the Texas
Clipper in 2 to 4 foot seas. Water temperature on the ship was 86
degrees with visibility around 80 feet all the way to the oceans
floor. A large school on ling cod circled the ship much like
sentinels on guard duty. Diver I crew spent some time cleaning up
line and will start cleaning off the shrimp nets soon.
October 16
What a beautiful day on the water. Dead calm seas, no current, 86
degree blue water and lots of red snapper. The spear fisherman had
an absolute ball.
October 10
Today we could see the floor of the ocean surrounding the Texas
Clipper. Visibility was around 100 feet and got better as we went
deeper. Pictures tell a thousand words thanks to Paul Schmeider.
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October 9
Divers from Duggan Diving and South Texas made their way out to the
Texas Clipper with very calm seas and blue water. Spear fishing was
great so many of the divers booked for Sunday's trip as well.
Visibility was around 70 feet with bottom temperature at 85 degrees.
Photo's by Paul Schmeider
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October 7
Clear water made it's way back into the southern gulf with
visibility around 50 feet on the Dolphin rig and Little Sara.
Currents were .25 knots and water temp was around 82 degrees.
October 5
Divers went out to the Texas Clipper in 2 to 4 foot seas. Fresh
water from the Trinity river was still flowing into the gulf with a
moderate current. Visibility was around 30 feet and water
temperature was 82 degrees to 70 feet and then went up to 88 degrees
from 70 feet to the bottom.
October 4
Congratulations to Gerard Newman from Hawaii for completing his NAUI
Course Director workshop at American Diving.
October 3
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! DIVE WEEK
The raffle ticket winners are ta dah !!!!
Jessie Yantes, Devine Texas HID canister light by Halcyon
Gene Rutland, Port Isabel Texas Atomic M1 and Z2
regulators
Mark Haynes, South Padre Island Halcyon Infiniti
October 2
Divers from Dive World went to the Texas Clipper with very calm
seas. The first dive had 40 to 60 foot visibility on the wreck
depending on the depth. On the second dive the water opened up to 70
or 80 feet all over the wreck. We will be diving the Texas Clipper
all week. Call for reservations.
September 27
Congratulations to Vicky Newman, from Hawaii, for completing her
NAUI Instructor Crossover course at American Diving
September 10
Congratulations goes out to Jared Price, from Oklahoma, for
finishing a very intensive 14 day Instructor Training Course!!
September 5
Dive West came back out with us today along with some locals and we headed out to the Iron Reef, Little Sara. Seas were moderate at 2 - 4 feet and there was a slight current moving toward the southeast. Viz was 80 - 100 feet down to 45 feet, from there an upwelling cut the viz down to a few feet.
September 4
Divers from Dive West of Dallas and Houston went on a TONS OF STEEL
Dive to the Texas Clipper and then on to the Iron Island Seana's
Rig. In the morning seas were 2 to 4 feet increasing to 3 to 5 feet
in the afternoon. Water temperature was 86 degrees with a slight
current from the north. Visibility was some 80 to 100feet.
August 28
A group of divers and students made the trip out to the Iron Reef,
Little Sara, and were treated to flat, calm seas, blue, warm water
and large schools of fish. Visibility was 100+ feet and water temps
were 85 F. Divers reported seeing tons of snapper, large cobia,
lookdowns, Atlantic spades, cocoa damsels, triggerfish, butterfly
fish and more. Congratulations to Sandy, Juan and Melissa for
completing open water and to David, Juan and Melissa for completing
Ntirox!
August 22
Sea Sports of Houston dived the Texas Clipper today. Divers were
treated to ideal surface and water conditions in calm blue seas with
100 ft+ of visibility. The current was moderate, but divers stayed
on the guide lines leading to the wreck and were able to negotiate
the moving water.
August 21
Sea Sports of Houston made the trek out to the Iron Reef, Little
Sara. Seas were rough and divers fought strong currents to complete
two dives. Divers reported seeing schools of mangrove snapper, large
barracuda, sergeant majors, cobia, lookdowns and more. Visibilty was
reported to be approximately 50 ft.
August 19
A group of trimix divers dived the Texas Clipper using a 26/17
hyperoxic trimix. Seas were 3 to 5 feet with a strong current on
top. The thermocline was at about 110 feet. Water temp was 86
degrees until 80 feet where it dropped down slightly. Visibility was
around 100 feet. Large schools of Atlantic Rays were seen all over
the ship. Lots of Ivory bush coral are growing very fast.
Photo 's by Daylon Walton
Random Photography
www.daylon.us
August 17
The Finz came out again for a dive to the Texas Clipper and were
treated to flat calm seas. The current was still running strong, but
divers were able to move out of it once down on the wreck.
Visibility was great and was reported to be around 80+ feet.
Numerous species were seen by divers including Spanish hogfish,
squirrelfish, queen angels, barracuda, sting rays and much more.
August 16
Finz Dive Club from Dallas came down for 2 days of diving. Seas were
2 to 4 feet and currents were fairly strong near the surface at
about .5 knots. Visibility averaged 60 to 80 feet on the Iron Reef,
Seana's Rig, and a group of Open Water Students held on to finish up
their certification. Congratulations to Eddie, Richie, Jennifer and
Lindsey.
August 15
Divers from Mammoth Lake went to the Texas Clipper today. Seas were
2 to 4 feet and the current was reduced from yesterday to about .25
knots. River water is still offshore but the visibility held to
around 50 feet under the thermocline.
August 14
San Antonio and Houston divers went to the Texas Clipper today. Seas
were 3 to 5 feet and the current was running SE fro the Rio Grande
river. First dive held 70 foot visibility but as fresh water
continued from the Rio Grande the visibility was reduced on the
second dive to around 40 feet.
August 13
Intrepid divers bucked superstitions today by coming out and diving
the Texas Clipper. Seas picked up a little bit and were in the
2 - 4 ft range. Visibility is still very nice at 80 feet, but the
thermocline has come up to 70 feet where temperatures drop from 86 F
down to 77 F. Thanks to Skip and Dan for coming down and diving 4
straight days with us on the Clipper. Also, Congratulations to Gib
Boza, who added NAUI Instructor to his list of accomplishments
yesterday.
August 12
The Gulf of Mexico looked more like a lake than an ocean today as
seas were nearly flat calm. Divers were treated to ideal
conditions yet again on the Clipper today. It seems the rays that
have taken up residence on the hull of the Clipper are getting used
to daily visits from divers as they have started hanging around more
and more.
August 11
Another great day of diving on the Texas Clipper. Viz was 80 - 100
feet, water temperature is 87F at the surface and 81F at depth. Seas
were so calm divers were able to see the outline of the Clipper from
the deck of the Diver 1. Stingrays, queen angels, wrasse,
damselfish, schools of Atlantic spades, snapper and lookdowns, fish
were everywhere.
August 10
A small group from Athens, Texas joined us on the Texas Clipper
today. Conditions were still favorable, although divers did
report moderate current and seas that were 2-4 feet. Viz was 80+
feet and water is still very warm down to around 85 feet.
Divers saw many Atlantic Stingrays, triggerfish, queen angels,
butterfly fish, and large schools of mangrove snapper and lookdowns.
August 7
A group of divers from Austin and Houston joined us for a another
spectacular day of diving on the Texas Clipper. Conditions were
ideal once again with 80+ feet of viz, calm seas, and tons of fish.
Thanks to local diver Mark Haynes for spotting a nudibranch and
providing photos for the Capt's Log.
August 4
We went back out to the Texas Clipper today and again enjoyed superb
conditions. Calm seas, warm water, crystal clear viz (80+ feet) and
blue skies made for a great day on the Gulf. Large schools of
fish were everywhere and we are starting to see a proliferation of
coral growth. Today also yielded a picture of what appears to be a
tube worm.
August 1
Another ideal day of diving on the Texas Clipper today. Seas were
1-2 feet, water temp was in the 80's and visibility was 80+ feet.
Divers saw cobia, rays, barracuda, queen angels, triggerfish, and
much more. Two divers finished up Nitrox certification and
another two finished up the American Diving wreck survey course.
July 31
Dive World of San Antonio was treated to deep blue Gulf water today
on the Texas Clipper. Visibility was 100+ feet, seas were 2 feet or
less and water temp was in the mid 80's. Schools of snapper,
large barracuda, squirrelfish, bristle worms, triggerfish and queen
angelfish were among the divers' favorites.
July 30
Austin area divers made a two tank trip out to the Iron Reef, Little
Sara today. Visibility was at least 80 feet and water was very
mild at 84 F degrees. Seas were calm and divers reported
seeing numerous blennies, snapper, rockhind grouper, atlantic
spades, butterfly fish, and of course several large barracuda.
July 26
10 divers from the Freeport area and Harlingen area went to the
Texas Clipper today. The wreck was holding tropical fish as well as
our gulf pelagic fish. Water temperature was 85 degrees down to 120
feet. Visibility was at 80 to 100 feet. Next dive is to Little
Sara on Wednesday.
July 25
Divers ventured out to the Iron Reef Seana's rig and enjoyed 80
visibility in 85 degree. Thermocline at 70 feet only dropped the
temperature 2 degrees. The flood waters have left the area and the
blue waters of the gulf stream are back. Tomorrow, divers will head
out to the Texas Clipper.
July 16
Boy Scouts from San Antonio Texas went through a Scuba Diver
Adventure camp with American Diving and all graduated with their
final dive on the Iron Reef Seana's Rig.
July 1st
American Diving and The Original Dolphin Watch is back up and
running. Dive trips will resume on July 3rd with Sea Sports of
Houston. All eco tour activities have resumed today.
June 30th
Hurricane hit Mexico 160 miles south of South Padre Island. No
damage on the Island.
June 27th
Jessie Cancelmo joined American Diving once again today for a dive
out to Little Sara. Seas were calm and visibility was in the 70 foot
range with water temps at 75 in the thermocline. Congratulations to
Brad, Vidal and David for completing their Scuba Diver course today
and Robert for his nitrox certification.
June 26th
World renowned photographer and author of the best seller Texas
Corral Reefs joined American Diving and the Bay Area Divers club on
a Ton's of Steel Trip to the Texas Clipper and Seana's Rig. Water
temperature on the surface was 81 degrees and 72 degrees in the
thermocline. Visibility was in the 80 foot range down to 100 feet of
sea water. For more photo's of Jessie's trip see
www.cancelmophoto.com
June 25th
Boy Scouts of Friendswood, TX came out to the Clipper today and were
treated to excellent conditions on the dive. Water temp was 75
degrees in the thermocline with clear blue water visibility around
60 fsw. Marine life spotted included bottlenose dolphin, wahoo,
cocoa damsels, pompano, lookdowns, queen angels, rockhinds, etc.
June 22nd
Boy Scouts of Friendswood Texas went to the Iron Reef Little Sara.
Where they encountered a school of over 300 Look Downs. Visibility
was around 60 feet and water temperature was 70 degrees in the
thermocline.
June 16th
11 divers went to Little Sara in 1 to 3 foot seas. Water temperature
was in the mid 70's and visibility was around 50 feet.
June 13th
A Scuba Class from American Diving went to Little Sara and finished
their certification under calm seas and blue water.
June 5, 2010
14 divers fro the Naval Air Station sailed out to the Texas Clipper on a Tons of Steel dive trip led by Jay Bruchoet. Many of the divers went spearfishing for red snapper and were quite successful. Top side current was stiff but relaxed on the deck of the Texas Clipper.
June 2, 2010
A group of 10 divers went to Little Sara. 1 - 3 foot seas. Very
large schools of Look Downs were in attendance. Visibility was
around 50 feet.
May 30, 2010
Texas Clipper dive with Sea Sports of NW Houston. A group of
divers ranging from the newly certified to technical wreck
penetration encountered strong currents today. Everyone was up to
the task and safely made two dives on the Clipper. Fish were
abundant as they too sought shelter from the unusually strong
current. Blue water was on the Clipper and divers reported
being able to see the bottom of the Diver 1 from the top of the
Clipper (70 feet) and water temps were in the high 70s at depth and
low 80s near the surface.
May 29, 2010
Sea Sports of Northwest Houston made the trek to SPI for the
Memorial Day weekend. Today's dive was to Little Sara where
diver's encountered schools of lane snapper, lookdowns, octopus and
very large barracuda and a variety of other fish. Water temps
were in the high 70s to lower 80s. Water clarity is getting
good. Blue water is in near shore and diver's reported visibility to
be anywhere from 40 - 50 feet at depths above 60 fsw.
May 28, 2010
Flat calm seas ruled the day on a trip to the Texas Clipper.
Seas less than 2 feet created idyllic conditions for a day on the
water. Below the surface currents were moderate, but nothing divers
could not handle. Water temp was 80 at the surface and around
75 at depth. Visibility varied greatly depending on where
divers were on the wreck. The best was reported to be around
60 ft at a location along the keel of the ship. Thanks again
to Mark Haynes for supplying us with great pics for the log.
May 22, 2010
Just enough of a break in weather in make it out to Little Sara
today. The wind has been blowing, as it usually does this time
of year, but divers braved the 3 - 5 ft seas to enjoy a great dive.
Water temp is up near 80 F now and viz was around 30 - 40 ft.
Spearfishermen shot some Atlantic spadefish, sheepsheads and grey
snapper. Thanks to local diver Mark Haynes for providing
pictures for the Capt's Log!
May 8, 2010
Today we made our way to the Iron Reef, Little Sara. Divers were
treated to spectacular schools of fish including snapper, lookdowns,
spadefish, and jack cravelle. A large barracuda was also spotted
along with butterfly fish, coco damsels, wrasse, and blennys.
Conditions were very good with visibility in the 50 to 60 foot range
with blue water and moderate seas. Water temps were 77 at the
surface and 72 at the bottom.
May 6, 2010
Divers went to the Texas Clipper today and reported conditions as
"fantastic". The divers' splendor was influenced by a plethora of
marine life. Colorful schools of Liutjanus campechanus enacted
springtime dances of ritual mating and delicate bristle worms fell
like snowflakes on technical divers continuing their penetration of
the bowels of the Texas Clipper.
May 5, 2010
Today divers went out to the Texas Clipper and were treated to calm
seas and fair visibility. Water temp was around 75 degrees and
lots and lots of fish were seen on all parts of the wreck. A
group of Technical Divers laid permanent line inside the Clipper and
American Diving's Technical dive team is available to lead wreck
penetration divers on guided tours inside the wreck.
May 4, 2010
A class of Advanced divers made two dives on the wreck of the Deep
Six today. They were treated to large schools of snapper and
Atlantic spadefish. Visibility was around 30 feet above the
wreckage and water temp was 75 degrees.
April 25, 2010
Back out to the Texas Clipper today. Visibility was in the 20
- 30 foot range and currents were running moderately strong from bow
to stern. Divers are still reporting lots of Snapper but are
also starting to see more of the colorful reef fish move back in.
April 19, 2010
Divers made two dives today, one on the Clipper and one on a rig.
Visibility was around 30 - 40 feet, and divers were treated to large
schools of fish. Seas were very calm today.
April 9, 2010
Texas Clipper!! Divers went to the Clipper today and were treated to
very favorable conditions for this time of year. Water was a
pretty green with visibility in the 40 to 50 foot range. Water
temperature was 70 degrees. Divers were treated to schools of
Jack Cravelle, spadefish, red snapper, Queen Triggerfish, as well as
squirrelfish, queen angelfish, butterflyfish, and a squirrelfish.
March 19, 2010
Spring breakers went diving out to the Iron Reefs. Fish were
abundant in the shallow water between 40 feet and the surface. Seas
were 5 feet. Water temperature is still in the mid 60's. Visibility
has improved markedly in the last 5 days to an overall 50 feet
horizontal to the 75 foot depth range. This coming Friday and
Saturday we will head out to the Texas Clipper
March 14, 2010
Local divers and student ventured out to the Iron Reefs off of South
Padre Island. Water temp was a cool 64 degrees and visibility was
around 30 feet. Huge Red Snapper, Sheep Head, and Atlantic Spade
were in abundance from 15 to 30 feet.
Divers and Spear fisherman had a great time in 1 - 3 foot seas.
March 15, 2010
Spear fishing was so good on Saturday that we went out again on
Sunday. Conditions were 1-3 foot seas with the water temperature
rising to 64 degrees. Currents out of the south were a little
stronger out of the south. We were told that visibility on the Texas
Clipper is still marginal.
American Diving
- Call 956 761 2030 for Dive reservations