Captain's Corner
CAPTAIN'S CORNER
with Capt. Stu
Director of Charters
SEPT. 2006 -
If last year was South Florida's worst weather ever, then this year has got to be the best! From January 1st until now, the diving has been almost non-stop with near perfect weather!
Even the visit of tropical storm Ernesto turned out to be all bark and no bite. I'm sure that with the start of school, some divers have gotten into the "Off Season Mode." For those of you that don't know, I want to let you in on a little secret. Some of the best diving here in Ft. Lauderdale is in the fall!
There are several reasons for this. First of all, the water temperature stays quite warm for a long time. I know quite a few divers who don't even start wearing a wetsuit until the 1st of November. Secondly, the weather and the visibility have traditionally always been good in the fall. And thirdly, because some people have shifted to "Winter Mode," there are fewer people to contend with. The dive boat is not quite as crowded, hotel rooms are readily available (at cheaper rates), there are no lines to get into clubs and restaurants at night, and dealing with the traffic around town is a breeze! All in all, if I were to plan a dive vacation to Ft. Lauderdale, I would probably plan it for the Fall.
We have been seeing a lot of interesting critters on our dives lately. In particular, two creatures that we used to rarely see are starting to show up on a regular basis. Of late, the number of starfish we see has probably quadrupled from 10 years ago. The other critter we are seeing with more and more frequency is the octopus. In my opinion, the octopus is one of the most interesting creatures either above or below water. Not only can it totally change its color in a split second, it can also change its body texture just as fast. Its skin can go from a smooth pudding like texture to as rough as a tree trunk in the blink of an eye!
Just as interesting as its physical features, is its personality! Yep, that's right! At times, an octopus is not only extremely curious, but it will actually get into a little game of hide-and-seek with a diver. So, enough of me telling you about all this neat stuff. Get on down here to Ft. Lauderdale while the diving is fantastic and see for yourself!