Over 60 fish were weighed in over the weekend including this record black grouper – 75.8 lbs – impressive!  See below for the tournament results or go to www.FloridaKeysOpen.com for more information and pictures.

Team Competition – Pelagic
Champions: Jose Santeiro & Miguel Guinovart with 27.1 points

Menʼs Individual Competition – Pelagic
Champion: Miguel Guinovart with 27.1 points

Juniorʼs Individual Competition – Pelagic
Champion: Steel Rocket with 16.2 points

Team Competition – Reef
Champions: Miguel Guinovart & Jose Santeiro with 155.3 points

Menʼs Individual Competition – Reef
Champion: Miguel Guinovart with 99.9 points
2nd Place: Jose Santeiro with 55.4 points
3rd Place: Jeremy Foell with 35.2 points

Juniorʼs Individual Competition – Reef
Champion: Steel Rocket with 49.8 points
2nd Place: Dane Ralph with 29.2 points Travis
3rd Place: McMillan with 24.8

Biggest Pelagic Fish: Kingfish              27.1 lbs.              Miguel Guinovart
Second Biggest Pelagic Fish: Cobia                   16.2 lbs.             Steel Rocket

Biggest Reef Fish: Grouper              75.8 lbs.             Miguel Guinovart
Second Biggest Reef Fish: Amberjack         40.2 lbs.             Steel Rocket

This year’s DEMA Dive Industry Trade Show was once again the cornerstone of communications and innovation in the dive business.  It consists of 4 days of meetings, presentations, product and destination displays, and what’s new in the industry.  There were some real highlights this year that every diver should know about especially if that diver intends to come to the Florida Keys.

First, there is the Florida Keys “Wreck Trek.”  The Florida Keys Pavilion was a sight to behold as you entered the display resembling a ship wreck on the bottom of the ocean.  Port holes displayed underwater scenes typical throughout the Keys to give the visitors the feeling that they were inside the wreck peering out of those port holes.  The Florida Keys have something to be proud of.  Not only do the Keys have the longest barrier reef in the continental US but they have some of more magnificent ship wrecks in the world.  There are wrecks with historical significance that tell the story of the Keys fascinating past while providing a glimpse of the “Keys culture”; relaxed but adventurous.  Then, there are the wrecks, as artificial reefs, that have been purposely placed along the Keys to help preserve the reefs by reducing the diving pressure on them.  These are some of the more popular dives along the Keys because they are an adventure in itself.

I was awestruck when I went down to the pier to see the USNS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg before it was sunk on May 27, 2009.  It sat there awaiting its next mission, all 520 feet, a little rusty, but majestic all the same.  The two radar towers standing out above its decks, that any diver knows, will become ideal habitat for a wealth of marine life.  Underwater, it’s massive structure, will draw some of the biggest marine inhabitants around like 600 pound goliath groupers and great barracudas.  This has become the second largest artificial reef in the world and when you add the Eagle, Benwood, Bibb, Duane, Thunderbolt, and the Adolphus Busch, you get an impressive line-up of ship wrecks and artificial reefs spread throughout the Keys and National Marine Sanctuary.

Second, you will notice many of the great dive shops that service the Keys, all working for your business and interested in promoting the Florida Keys as a vacation destination.  These shops were all participating in lodging and diving giveaways to entice newcomers to the Keys.  They also gave out Florida Keys Wreck Trek Passports.  These passports are to used by the divers to record their experiences diving the many ship wrecks of the Keys.  Many of the shops offered specials to the divers when the passports are presented in the dive shops in proof that they attended the DEMA show.  Past DEMA promotions include a Dive & Drive because of the accessibility of the Keys.  The Florida Keys’ Overseas Highway, from north of Key Largo to Key West, is now an All-American Road.  The Keys highway — U.S. 1 — is the only All-American Road in Florida. It’s the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program established by the U.S. Congress in 1991. Only 30 other roads in the nation have earned the prestigious title.  Under the National Scenic Byways program, roads can be recognized as All-American Roads based on their archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.  To earn All-American Road status, a thoroughfare must possess characteristics of national significance and features that don’t exist elsewhere, making it a visitor destination in itself.

Third, DEMA is the perfect venue to get involved in some worthy causes related to the marine environment.  Corals have declined nearly 80% in the Caribbean in the last 30 years, so we are becoming involved with coral restoration program in the Keys.  The Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) is a non-profit conservation organization targeting the restoration and survival of the Florida Keys coral reefs.  Ken Nedimeyer heads up the operation in the Keys and will now be expanding their efforts to the Middle Keys.  Ken and his crew run a three day workshop covering activities such as:  learning to maintain coral nurseries, tagging and transporting corals from the nurseries to the restoration sites, planting and measuring corals, follow-up and monitoring the coral colonies.  Captain Hook’s has been selected as the dive shop that the CRF will be working with in the Middle Keys.  We are excited to be selected for this effort and we will be getting the dive community involved along with the Marathon High School Dive Club.  We hope that many of you that are reading this article will want to get involved with this effort.  Please contact us at info@captainhooks.com if you are interested in getting involved.

Fourth, this show above all other shows provides all of the dive professionals the pulse of the dive business.  It is a gathering of people and companies that are interested in taking the next steps to enhancing your experience underwater and to bring more individuals into the wonderful marine world .  Manufacturers of dive equipment and accessories are displaying the latest technology and most innovative products at this show to give them a retail boast when they reach market.  There are the dive destinations, chamber of commerce, city governments, island governments and tourist associations that provide information about the different dive vacation spots around the world.  If you are a dive professional make sure you go, if you are not maybe it’s time to become one.

The Dive Team at Captain Hooks Marina & Dive Center

Since the 1950s, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center has been the place to get everything you need for a day on the water. Charters for fishing, diving, snorkeling, dive instruction and certification; bait and tackle; scuba equipment and air tanks; boat rentals. You can find them on the web at www.CaptainHooks.com

Courtesy of Captain Hooks Dive Center - Marathon, FL

A huge loggerhead banks to the right around a gagged ledge and rises to the surface to take a breath.  Jawfish are popping up out their burrows and then back in again, all in unison.  A nurse shark is foraging over the reef with all its senses in play to find a tasty meal.  Diving in the Florida Keys is about exploration and the excitement of seeing an underwater world that many never have the opportunity to see.  As divers, we are fully aware of the advantages we have over others that do not dive.  But as divers, do we really know what it takes to understand all of the fascination from our underwater world.  As beginning divers, we worry about our equipment, how long it has been since our last dive and how many underwater experiences we have had.  We miss more than we see, even though we don’t realize it, because whatever we are seeing, we are seeing it for the first time.

Divers that get the most from their underwater environment are divers that are comfortable in the water.  That is why it is critical to dive and deliberately strive to improve your diving skills and abilities. The more comfortable you are, the more the underwater world exposes itself to you.  Instead of look…what was that??? It becomes did you notice how that fish moved as it passed over the shelf?  Was that an aggressive move?  Is it territorial?

At the University of Michigan, there a was a professor that could stay underwater for an unbelievable amount of time on one tank of air.  Most of us thought he was some sort of prenatal mutant and some us thought he must have become the stuntman for Kevin Costner in Waterworld. He did have an absolutely awesome underwater photography collection.  His underwater abilities helped him pursue his passion and in turn work his dream and all of his students were better off because of it.

Good divers do the right things in the water and can spend more time in the water because they are not compensating for their lack of knowledge or skills.  They breathe easier and flow better in the water.  Their buoyancy is handled effortlessly and they can do more than one thing; like study their environment; or spearfish; or shoot beautiful photos.  They are simply more comfortable.  Good divers dive more than other divers but more importantly good divers dive with the intent on becoming better divers.

Here is where the Florida Keys come into play.  It is an easy location to start your diving career and any continuing diving training, instruction and development that you may be interested in.  There are a number of reasons for this and the combinations of these reasons make it an unbeatable place to learn and enjoy the marine environment.

First, the Keys have possibly the finest set of career dive instructors and dive professionals around.  Many of the instructors are well beyond the minimum requirements to train and instruct and have many more hours instructing and several certifications more than the average instructor.

Second, most of the instruction is tailored to individuals and not large classroom settings, so the soon-to-be diver gets that personal attention that makes them better in the water right from the start. Many of our divers become friends with us and return to increase their skills many times over.

Third, its the lay of the land and the ocean that makes it great to learn.

You can’t dive 24/7, so why not spend your non-diving time in sunny weather in a real fun place.  It’s in the USA and you will be helping the economy, trust me.  When it is time for the ocean, the Keys are shallow, with great sites that are both scenic and functional to become a first-time diver. Then you can improve your skills by taking on the added challenges of navigation skills, underwater photography, fish identification and more, without worrying about your depth.  Then, when you are ready there is plenty of deep water and structures to dive on with some of the best wrecks and sites in any ocean.  So make your next diving destination the Florida Keys!!!

If you are going to the Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association (DEMA), the premier diving trade show, be sure you stop by the Florida Keys Pavilion at Booths 1270 and 1271 for more information.

Fair winds and dive safe,

The Dive Team at Captain Hooks Marina & Dive Center

Since the 1950s, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center has been the place to get everything you need for a day on the water. Charters for fishing, diving, snorkeling, dive instruction and certification; bait and tackle; scuba equipment and air tanks; boat rentals. You can find them on the web at www.CaptainHooks.com

Curious Barracuda - more like a big dog, but kind of unnerving!

First, it was the whale shark in Vaca Cut.  Incredible.  Then, a great opening to lobster season.  Most of our divers were happy with the size and the number of bugs they were catching.  Scuba and free divers all around the Middle Keys with their catches were putting our local restaurants to work, cooking up the catches with great local recipes. Nothing better.

At Captain Hook’s, we held a “Mity Mite” Fishing Tournament between Mini-Season and Lobster Opening Day for the American Cancer Society.  Over 200 fish were caught and released right off our dock for the six nights of the tournament and we raised over $2500 for the American Cancer Society.  A special thanks to everyone that made it a success.

August was good and even great in some respects.  As the month progressed we enjoyed some of the great weather with the winds down and the visibility up. It is usually one of the best months to dive here in the Keys.

We did some amazing dives on the Thunderbolt.   It is an unbelievable sight when descending down to the T-bolt and the whole wreck starts to appear in front of your eyes.  It’s massiveness takes hold, and the view is incredible, almost as if the wreck is coming up to greet you, and it’s BIG.  It never grows old, and it feels like it’s our first time every time we go down on the wreck.  The large goliath groupers were with us the whole way watching our every move.  On our most recent T-Bolt dive, thirteen cudas decided to keep us company at our safety stop on the way up to the buoy.  If you hadn’t noticed, I counted them, even with the eyes in the back of my head.

On some of our other dives, our guests had wonderful opportunities to swim with hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.  Captain Bob, on one of his spearfishing adventures, saw the largest loggerhead he has ever seen in the Florida Keys.   Pods of dolphin cruised in to check us out, while other divers swam with nurse sharks and sting rays.  The divers all left the ocean with smiles on their faces.

The coral spawning was predicted to happen on the 4th of September. This prediction is based on the moon and the tides and occurs around this time every year.  We were scheduled to go down for some night dives, but had to cancel them due to some severe lightning and storms in the area.  We were all very disappointed that we missed it.  We are hoping we have better luck next year.  The one thing that amazed our night divers was the bioluminescence with light firing from the ocean surface in all directions.  It always seems to bring out the child-like curiosity in our divers.

The month of September and October bring in some of the best diving opportunities.  The winds are calm, the visibility is very good and the water is still warm.  The diving experience is more peaceful with the amount of traffic on the ocean down from the summer months.  Our dive boats are not as full, and it is truly an opportunity to get to know your crew and fellow divers on a more personal basis. The hotels are running specials at this time of year, so you can’t beat it. Good diving and good value!

A special note:  If you are a serious diver, don’t miss the DEMA show it is around the corner, Nov 4, 2009, in Orlando.  It is a trade show, so you may have to come up with some credentials to get in, but if you get the chance, take it.  If you’re in, please stop by the Florida Keys Booth and say Hi.  We will be giving prizes out everyday along with many goodies regarding the Florida Keys.  We would love to meet all of you that follow us on the “From the Water” show.

Fair winds and dive safe,

The Dive Team at Captain Hooks Marina & Dive Center

Since the 1950s, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center has been the place to get everything you need for a day on the water. Charters for fishing, diving, snorkeling, dive instruction and certification; bait and tackle; scuba equipment and air tanks; boat rentals. You can find them on the web at www.CaptainHooks.com

I remember when I first saw the whale shark up close.  It sort of breached with it’s dorsal fin and tail fin coming out of the water in a sharp turn.  I yelled to the people on the dock, “there’s the whale shark…”  I could tell by the looks on their faces that they didn’t believe me and then it happened again.  Everyone on the dock was amazed.

Over the summer, a pattern started to develop.  The whale shark would appear in Vaca Cut when the outgoing tide from the backcountry to the Atlantic Ocean started to increase from slack tide.  Many presumed it was because the bait was coming to the shark and all he had to do was swim against the current and open his mouth for a happy meal.

There are few things we learned about having a animal as magnificent as the whale shark around.  Our curiosity and drive to learn and be a part of a unique situation as this  is, is not always healthy for the organism we are interested in.  Unfortunately, over time the shark was being hurt by boat operators that were unaware of its presence or from operators that were over zealous to get a closer look.  Some of the time when the shark surfaced in Vaca Cut, we noticed that it was entangled with monofilament line, often wrapped around it’s tail fin.

Do you know how difficult it is to photograph a 30-foot shark when you are not prepared to take the shot.  First, there is the running for the camera.  Then there is those surface shots that yield a tail or dorsal fin and “the shadow” but nothing else.  Then there is the perfect picture but when you look at it on your computer screen with much anticipation, you realize it’s not much to brag about.  If you jump in with an underwater camera in Vaca Cut, it suddenly becomes a survival mission instead of a photography event.  I have a new respect for the professionals that do this for a living. We haven’t seen the whale shark in about two weeks but it sure did add to the excitement for the summer.  It was an experience that I will never forget.

Since the 1950s, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center has been the place to get everything you need for a day on the water. Charters for fishing, diving, snorkeling, dive instruction and certification; bait and tackle; scuba equipment and air tanks; boat rentals. You can find them on the web at www.CaptainHooks.com

honey spots with visibility as low as 5 feet.

Would this yield more lobsters for the regular season?  It sure has.  With visibility improvements this week, the back bay has yielded more lobster than normal for opening day of lobster season and continues to yield good lobster catches.  Several families have indicated to us t

hat they have reached their limit in the first hour of diving.  One family told us they had 24 lobsters in the first 15 minutes and went back to their vacation rental to have a great lunch and dinner.

Hawk Channel and the Atlantic reefs are still yielding some nice lobster.  Remember, the trend in past years has been that the lobster move to deeper water as time passes and are more challenging to get.  Be certain that you are prepared to dive the deeper reefs with the training necessary to stay safe and make sure you do not exceed recreational diving limits.

Since the 1950s, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center has been the place to get everything you need for a day on the water. Charters for fishing, diving, snorkeling, dive instruction and certification; bait and tackle; scuba equipment and air tanks; boat rentals. You can find them on the web at www.CaptainHooks.com