D ayo D ive C lub

Underwater Times DayoDiveClub

Club News and Reviews February 2013

MEET THE MANATEEWinter is the Ideal Time to Make the Acquaintance of Florida’s Most Iconic Marine Mammal

Are they cute, or so ugly they’re cute? Whatever your answer, chances are you’d like to swim with a manatee. Their slow moments and passive behavior make these gentle giants easily approachable. In addition, they are one of the largest marine animals you can easily and safely observe in their natural setting. Though their numbers have declined from their historic population levels, manatees can still be found in Florida’s coastal waterways, as well as rivers such as the St Johns and Suwannee. There are a number of refuges such

as Blue Springs State Park in Deland where manatees congregate in colder weather, creating a corresponding crowd of topside visitors who gather to catch a glimpse. But there are far fewer opportunities to approach these

animals in the water. Those of us in the Orlando area are fortunate to live within easy driving distance of two of the best-bet locations for a face-to-face meeting: Crystal River and Homosassa Springs.

Photo: Walt Stearns

PAGE 1

Photo: Walt Stearns

The town of Crystal River is the self-proclaimed capital of manatee encounters. There, in the body of water known as Kings Bay, a resident population of manatees provides a

year-round chance for an encounter. Populations swell in the winter months, as more manatee move in from the colder waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These animals are attracted to the

comparative warmth of the spring water that seeps into the bay from a number of subterranean vents. Kayakers and vigilant boaters may sight a manatee poking it’s head up for air anywhere within the broader waters of the bay, but swimmers and snorkelers hoping for a closer look will gravitate to a freshwater outflow known as Three Sisters, which is located on a canal on the bay’s eastern edge. The area surrounding Three Sisters is a close to a guaranteed manatee encounter as you will ever find, but this fact also guarantees a lot of human traffic, both in the form of private boaters and commercial tour operators. On a busy winter weekend, it’s not uncommon to have a dozen or more boats anchored up near the spring outflow, with as many as 30 to 40 snorkelers vying for a glimpse. Though the though of joining such a fray might seem daunting, most encounters run smoothly when everyone follows the rules and guidelines. And for those who don’t, the Fish and Wildlife service and assorted other law enforcement agencies usually on hand to dish out everything from warnings to citations. Book your trip with one of the major charter services such as Bird’s Underwater or American Pro Dive and you well be well-briefed on procedures, and should have no problems with the water cops. - Pierce Hoover

Photo: Walt Stearns

Photo: Walt Stearns PAGE 2

Photo: Walt Stearns

Those who bring their own boats or rent a motorboat or kayak for the day might want to bone up on the various don’s and don’ts before setting out on a manatee hunt. As an alternative to the crowd scene at Three Sisters, you might also want to consider Homosassa Springs, which is just 10 miles to the south down Highway 19. The Homosassa River is shallower and smaller than King’s Bay, which means the manatees are concentrated into a smaller area of clear water. The manatee population at Homosassa tends to be more seasonal, and as a result operators offer Homosassa tours primarily in the winter months. There are a couple more chances for divers to encounter manatee in the wild, but these are less conveninet, and far from guaranteed. In winter months, manatee will sometimes come into the spring basin at Weeki Wacheee, and divers who have signed up for an early morning dive may have the chance for a one-on-one encounter. Another site that has drawn manatees fro many years is the warm-water discharge of the Florida Power & Light plant in Riviera Beach. On high tide at the Palm Beach inlet, clear water will sometimes reach all the way to the discharge area. This area has become so important as a wintertime manatee haven that even though the plant is

now shut down for reconstruction, FP&L has installed auxiliary heaters that kick on whenever water temperatures drop below 65. On rarer occasions, divers on the Blue Heron bridge site have also enjoyed a swim-by from a lone manatee or a pair, but the animals rarely linger when sighted. If you are fortunate enough to swim with a manatee at any of these sites, please be respectful of their boundaries, and know the regulations and etiquettes of engagement.

Resourcesbirdsunderwater.comamericanprodive.commanateetoursusa.commanateeswimtours.comriversafaris.commanateetours.net

Photo: Walt Stearns

PAGE 3

Photo: Walt Stearns

Dive Trips

Troy Springs PAGE 4

The Urge to SubmergeWhere do you want to dive this year?

That was the question posed at the club’s January meeting. There were some good suggestions offered, but the calendar is still wide open. So if you have a favorite dive you’d like to share with others, or someplace you’ve heard about and always wanted to go, be sure to share your thoughts on the club’s Facebook page and check back to see what’s on the agenda. Here are some of the ideas suggested so far:

Manatee Encounter - An overnight or day trip to Crystal River or Homosassa to view manatees. Winter or early spring would be best, suitable for everyone because it is a snorkel trip.

Night Dive at Blue Heron Bridge - Best if planned for a day when high tide and a full moon come together. Shallow, and enjoyable for all.

Keys Camp and Dive - Diving the central keys from Bahia Honda campground, with a possible Key Largo stopover. Best in late spring or mid-fall when air temps are mild. A variety of diving options for all levels.

Panhandle Trip - Road trip to Destin for an offshore trip and jetty dive, or Pensacola for the Oriskany. Possible stopover at Vortex Springs on the way. Best suited for divers with Advanced cert or higher.

Lauderdale Beach Dive - Overnight or weekend trip to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, possibly added to a wreck dive out of Pompano Beach. Late spring to early fall is idea.

Shark Tooth Hunt - This could be a boat or beach dive from Venice. No pretty reefs, but a chance to find a giant megalodon tooth and other goodies. Easy diving, but lower viz.

North Carolina Wrecks - A road trip to Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, NC. WWII wrecks and lots of sand tiger sharks. Best in summer and for advanced divers who are comfortable in open water.

Rainbow River Drift - A day trip to Dunnellon for a drift down the clear spring-fed Rainbow River. Conditions are always good, but tubers and boat traffic heavier in summer. Good for divers and snorkelers alike.

Liveaboard to the Dry Tortugas - This one’s already a go on the MV Spree for July 1. Check with Dayo Scuba for more details.

Photo: Walt Stearns

GEAR TIPS

Shoot Simple

PAGE 5

Five Simple Tips for Taking Better Underwater PhotosThere’s a ton of instructional material

available for underwater photographers who want to hone their skills and aspire to “pro” status. But most of us just want to pull the trusty point-and-shoot out of the BC pocket and grab some decent snapshots of our dive buddies, or maybe capture a few souvenir images of an elusive eel or a gregarious grouper.The good news is that you don’t have

to spend thousands of a complex camera rig, or spend years practicing to get these shots. The latest crop of compact digital cameras is up to the task - provided you follow a few simple guidelines.First, and you’ve probably heard this

before, is to GET CLOSER. Even clear water is like looking through fog, and the more water between your camera lens and the subject, the hazier the photo. As a general rule of thumb, if you can’t reach out and touch it, it’s too far away... bull sharks being the possible exception.

If your camera has a zoom control, set it to the widest view. Even better, see if there is a wide-angle lens adapter made for your waterproof camera or camera housing. The wider the lens, the closer you have to get, but this means less water between subject and lens, and a clearer photo.Those pro photos you admire in

the magazines are often shot with extremely wide angle lenses, and

though the optics make things look farther away, that shark filling the frame may actually be less than two feet away.Tip number two is to SHOOT

SHALLOW. Unless you slept through that lecture in dive class, you may recall that colors disappear with depth - first reds and yellows, then everything else until all that is left in deep water are blues and purples.

The top photo was shot from a distance of about five feet. The one on the right was from two feet away. Notice how thecolors and details get brighter and clearer when the subjectis moved closer.

PAGE 6

When you see vivid reds and oranges in a deep-water photo, it’s because the photographer is using large, expensive strobes to bring back the colors.Which brings us to tip number three:

TURN OFF THE ON-CAMERA STROBE. Yes, there are times when that small built-in flash might seem to help, but in general, it causes more problems that it solves. For one thing, because the light source is positioned directly in line with the lens, it will light up any and all particulate floating around_ the dreaded “backscatter.” That’s why the pros use those long extension arms to get their strobes up and away from the camera. Small on-camera flashes also create hot spots by throwing a lot of light on some areas while not reaching out to others. The result is usually washed out details combined with indistinct dark areas.Unless you plan on investing in a lot

of expensive hardware and big strobes, your best bet is to USE THE SUN as your primary light source. To do this, make sure you are not shooting into the sun, but rather with it to your side or behind you. Often, the best results are achieved by putting the sun over your left or right shoulder, where it can illuminate the subject with a flattering angled side light. Putting the sun directly behind can create harsher shadows or put glare on a face mask.

And, if our brain has room for one more simple tip, remember to GET LEVEL WITH YOUR SUBJECT. Most shooters tend to be fairly good about this when photographing other divers, but when they turn the lens of wildlife, they are more likely to shoot down on the subject.Shooting down can not only create a

more cluttered background, as it brings the reef or bottom into the shot, but it can also confuse the camera’s light

meter, causing a shot to be too light or too dark. The opposite holds true if you shoot up at a subject, which may be turned into a dark silhouette against the surrounding water.By now, you probably have more

advice that you will remember the next time you pull out the camera. The trick is to review your images after the dive, see what you might have done differently, then make changes the next time round. - Pierce Hoover

Sun behind the diver. Things are dark and indistinct, and diver is high in frame.

Sun over the shoulder. Colors are brighter and the shadows show more detail.