Northeast Florida Diving News

Been a while!

2009-12-03T13:45:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted a diving report in a while! Water is cool out there now but still hovering around 68-72 in the 110' and deeper mark in and near Elton Bottom.

Some big fish came out of those areas this week. Dr D had a HUGE cubera snapper 66# gutted! A monster!

Jacksonville Offshore Diving Report - HL Culverts, Ledges, EF

2009-10-11T13:46:00.004-04:00

Headed out of Mayport yesterday to do a few dives and try to get some fish. We first stopped and picked up some live bait at the twin wrecks 6 miles east of the inlet so we could do some bottom fishing too. Not much there - we found our best bait at the BB culverts.

We motored out to the Harm's Ledge area to start. We hit some culverts first. Visibility was about 40 ft and the water was just perfect. Tommy came up with 2 fat gag groupers and a nice scamp. We fished there a bit too with not much to show for it except for a couple short grouper. We didn't see any keeper snapper at all.

We moved in the same area and did a couple more ledge dives just to the south. The vis was great but we didn't pick up much except for a few flounder. We moved back inshore to the EF area and hit the Red Rock ledge. Tommy shot a nice snapper; I didn't see too much except for a few flounder. Visibility dropped to about 15 ft here.

Our last dive was the EF culverts. Grouper were all over the outer edges but they would not let us close enough to get a shot.

A great day diving, we didn't catch much of anything on hook and line though.

Jacksonville Party Grounds Diving Report

2009-10-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

2 of us dove yesterday with pretty good results. Hitting the areas in and near CH and EF we had visibility from 20-30ft, little to no current but the jellyfish were pretty thick in the water column.

We brought home around 10 nice flounder, 5 red snapper to 15 pounds, 1 gag around 12 pounds and a 30lb Amberjack for the smoker.

Offshore Mayport Dive Conditions

2009-09-29T15:46:00.002-04:00

Vis is still great. Got a good report from someone in 80' of water said they were only 30 ft below the surface and could already see the bottom. Lots of grouper, mangrove snapper and flounder to go around. Go get them while conditions are good!

Good diving, good fish, good vis

2009-09-27T20:09:00.001-04:00

The vis and fishing continues to be good off of Jax. Reports of 25-35ft have been coming in with sightings of snapper everywhere. Most divers and fisherman have been easily catching their limit from 6 to 40 miles offshore.

Water warming up!

2009-08-31T17:49:00.001-04:00

Well a few reports came in from the weekend and it seems the diving conditions are improving. Bottom temps of 72 with 10-30ft of visibility came in from 75-120ft of water. The 21 bottom area is a little cooler in the mid 60's still.

Jacksonville diving still blacked out

2009-08-19T21:06:00.000-04:00

No good scuba diving reports have came in off of Jacksonville. Everything I am hearing is cold water and no visibility.

Normally a hurricane swell makes things work but maybe Hurricane Bill and it's swells will help move some things around and improve our dive visibility.

Just in time for lobster season...

2009-08-10T11:14:00.001-04:00

The thermocline is here! Temperatures on the bottom were from 57-63 from 9 to 50 miles offshore of Jacksonville this weekend. Visibility was 10ft at best and blacked out in other areas. Yuck! I will be staying topside until this clears out.

Jacksonville Snapper Report

2009-08-03T21:02:00.002-04:00

Well we had another great day of snapper fishing offshore of Jacksonville this past weekend. I have been fishing here for 10 years and I can't remember having this consistent of a catch week after week before.

We caught some great baits about 6 miles offshore. The GPS numbers to the twin wrecks where we catch bait off of the mayport inlet are:

N30 24.434
W81 15.695

There seems to always be some bait here when the water is warm. Tinker Mackeral, Cigar Minnows, Sardines and recently we have been catching live squid too.

From there we went to 105ft of water and caught a limit of genuine red snapper in an hour. We tried to catch some mangrove snapper and grouper but we couldn't get past the snapper and didn't want to take a chance at killing any trying to find something else. With a full fish box we headed in with smiles.

Jacksonville, Florida Spiny Lobster Mini Season report

2009-07-31T08:26:00.002-04:00

We headed out on Wednesday for the opening of lobster mini season off of Jacksonville. We had some high hopes of catching our limit of 12 spiny lobster each as last week we saw quite a few on our scouting dives. Rick, Dan, Andrew and I headed out on Rick's 26' Twin-Vee named Cookin' Out. Nice name Rick!

We worked the party grounds offshore of Jacksonville pretty hard. We found the lobster but most all of them had eggs. I think we snared probably 30 bugs total but were only able bring home 6 with most of them having eggs. They were some big lobster too! Hopefully in a few weeks they will drop those eggs so we can get back out and get them.

We worked the SS, TW, AH and HL areas. There are bugs out there just wait for the main season to open and watch out for the eggers.

Visibility was around 30 ft all day.

Jax Diving Conditions

2009-07-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

From Randy - Being that it was our first attempt to dive offshore I wanted to take my daughter and her husband to a apring saturday to make sure they remember everything.....

So we went to Alexander springs in the Ocala National Forest.

So sunday, we head offshore jacksonville to East Fourteen bottom.....Doesn't look real good. A lot of jellies and the water seemed to be full of whale snot......

Anyways, jumped in and headed down the marker jug line and about 60 feet into it the water temp went from 81 at the surface to 65. Keep going thinking I saw the ledge and just about ran into the bottom...Vis was shitty to say the least, low light...a lot of snot in the water and jellies and sharks everywhere. Never did get to see the ledge I wanted to see but did managed to see a small hard bottom outcropping with 2-3 juvenile Gags on it.....

I heard that vis was better up north and probably down in the 16 17 bottom.
---------------------------

I did get good vis reports out a bit deeper in 90'.

Jacksonville Jellyfish

2009-07-06T08:09:00.001-04:00

We didn't dive this weekend but fished up to 25 miles out. The jellyfish past 10 miles were just ridiculously thick from 10-40ft from the surface. I couldn't imagine trying to dive in those conditions!

Jacksonville Water Visibility

2009-07-04T00:14:00.002-04:00

I heard the visibility was great today in 70-100ft of water off of Jacksonville today. Get some diving in while it is good!

30' of visibility out of Jacksonville - Scuba Diving

2009-06-22T14:25:00.001-04:00

Froim Davus:
"Jax VIZ was OK OVERALL from 50' down but was flawless up top with a big thermo temp hit at 50' and below with 30' viz on the bottom ---NNE out Mayport in 90'. Shot a real fine snapper and flounder before gagzilla broke the crimp on my 300 lb mono and made off with my spear...I had my hands on him twice too before he wrapped around and out cropping and got leverage My dad was with us and was feeling up for a dive, let him use my 2nd tank and gear and he added a real nice flounder to the box with spare gun, but could not locate my gag with spear Good to see him get a dive in though, it has been a while. I never used too lose many fish, but this is the 2nd spear I have had taken in a year, and at the same spot===1st time a large gag holed up with it and I had no choice but to cut the line. I think I am replacing my lost powerhead really soon. Ready to go again. Hopefully viz will hold with this thermocline"

Bahamas Fishing Regulations

2009-06-17T11:38:00.001-04:00

I figured it would be a good idea to post the latest Bahamas Fishing Regulations in case you can't find them:

1. What’s new in the Fisheries Regulations in The Bahamas?

There have been important changes to the bag limits or quantities of fish that a Non Bahamian fisherman can have onboard his vessel. These bag limits are no longer expressed in terms of quantity per person, but quantity per vessel. In addition the harvesting of conch has been restricted and fishermen are required to have the head and tail intact on any fish retained.

2. How much fish am I allowed to keep?
The catch limits in the new Regulation are expressed in terms of amounts that may be aboard the vessel at any time. They are not per day limits, or per trip limits. The new bag limits are:
6 pelagic fish (Dolphin, Wahoo, Kingfish or Tuna)
6 lobsters
20 pounds of demersal fish
Fish that is used for food during the visit, or otherwise removed from the vessel, cannot be counted since it is no longer aboard the vessel.

3. Am I allowed to eat any of the fish I catch?
The recent changes include a requirement to keep the head and tail intact. This is to enable an inspector to properly identification and count the fish caught. This does not prevent you from consuming fish you catch.

4. Can I clean and fillet the fish I keep?
The recent changes include a requirement to keep the head and tail intact. This is to enable an inspector to properly identification and count the fish caught. This does not preclude the cleaning of fish caught, does not prevent you from consuming any fish caught or from cutting a fish into 2 pieces to facilitate storage. It does preclude you from cutting of fish into fillets for storage.

5. What should I do if I catch a demersal fish (such as snapper or grouper) more than 20 lbs in weight?
Inspectors are allowed to use their discretion in regards to “just over the limit” fish. You should avoid difficulties by either, practicing catch and release for larger sized fish, or targeting smaller sizes

6. Can I still use a spear for fishing?
The rules regarding use of a spear were not a part of the recent changes to the Fisheries Regulations. Sports fishermen visiting The Bahamas were, and still are, limited to angling by with a hook and line held in the hand or attached to a rod and reel. The Fisheries Regulations still prohibit sports fishermen from the use of a spear, trap or net (other than a landing net), unless such use is specifically authorized. The authorization to use a spear is easy to get.

7. How do I get permission to engage in spearfishing?
A person wishing to use a spear should put this on their application form for the sports fishing permit. Permission may be granted by the officer issuing the permit for the use of a spear with a hand held sling, referred to as a Hawaiian sling in The Bahamas, or a pole spear. When permission is granted for the use of a spear, this must be endorsed in writing on the permit by the issuing officer

8. Where can I go spearfishing?
Spearfishing is not allowed within 1 mile of the coast of New Providence or the southern coast of Grand Bahama Island. It is also prohibited within 200 yards of the coast of any Family Island.

9. Can I use a spear gun?
The use of a spear gun for fishing is not allowed in The Bahamas.

10. How many fishing reels can I have on my boat?
There is no limit to the number of rods you may have onboard the vessel. You are limited to the use of six or less at any given time. The use of more than six rods moves you to another category of sports fishing vessel. The fee for such a permit is $10,000.00 per year.

11. Can I use an electric reel?
Yes.

12. I own a home in The Bahamas. Do I still need a sports fishing permit?
Any person who is not a Bahamian needs a sports fishing permit if they wish to engage in fishing from a vessel that is not Bahamian owned.

13. I intend to fish from the shore or a dock. Do I need a sports fishingpermit?
No, because you will not be using a foreign owned vessel.

14. Can I use a cast net to gather bait fish?
The use of a net must be specifically authorized. If you wish to use a cast net to gather bait, you must specify that you want to use this kind of gear on the Sports fishing Permit Application Form. Once approved the issuing officer will include the use of the cast net when he issues the Sports fishing Permit.

15. I intend to rent a boat when I visit The Bahamas. Do I need a sports fishing permit?
You will only need a sports fishing permit if the boat you rent is not Bahamian owned. Even when fishing from such a boat, a Non-Bahamian person must observe the sports fishing catch limits.

16. Can I still gather conchs while in The Bahamas?
Sports fishermen are no longer allowed to gather conchs. Conch can still be enjoyed in restaurants, and purchased from Bahamian seafood dealers.

17. How much fish can I take home when I leave The Bahamas?
Any person leaving the Bahamas is allowed to take with him, for non-commercial purposes, a certain quantity of fishery products as a part of his personal baggage. The limits are:
6 pelagic fish (Dolphin Wahoo or Kingfish)
20 lbs. of demersal fish
10 pounds of lobster or conch

18. Do I need a sports fishing permit to go after bonefish?
This depends upon whether or not you are using a Non-Bahamian owned vessel. A sports fishing permit is required if you are fishing using a Non-Bahamian owned boat

19. Is there a catch limit for bonefish?
There is no catch limit for bonefish. Catch and release is strongly encouraged.

20. Do I have to use a local fishing guide?
There is no requirement that you use a Bahamian guide. The Department of Marine Resources encourages the use of Bahamian fishing guides as this provides an enhanced fishing experience.

21. Can I sell some of the fish I catch in The Bahamas?
Visitors to The Bahamas are not allowed to sell or trade any fishery products. This constitutes commercial fishing and would be a serious violation of the law.

Slight thermocline moving in off Jackonville

2009-06-14T22:07:00.002-04:00

I haven't been scuba diving but have seen a few reports. There seems to be a slight thermocline heading north towards Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Canaveral and Sebastian are seeing blacked out conditions at the bottom. Fortunately the visibility is a bit better up here. Let's hope it stays that way.

Reports of 10-15' feet of Visibility at the SS reef area. Similar visibility at MG but there were a lot of jellyfish to contend with.

Guana Cay, Bahamas Spearfishing

2009-06-13T00:42:00.002-04:00

We recently took the Snapper Slapper on a week long adventure in Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. It was a great trip - freediving only. Check out details: Guana Cay, Abaco Spearfishing Report

Quick Jax report and then I am off to Abaco!

2009-05-27T21:58:00.000-04:00

A couple reports came from 25-40 miles out. 10-20 feet of visibility! I guess the front that blew for a week has the water clarity a bit stirred up offshore of Jacksonville.

Oh well because I am off to Guana Cay, Abaco for a week of spearfishing! Look for some exciting reports and pics when I return.

Great Water Visibility off of jacksonville

2009-05-19T10:46:00.003-04:00

Divers are reporting up to 70' of water visibility off of Jacksonville and Mayport. Get out there while we have the clear water!

Mixed Visibility Reports from Jacksonville and St. Augustine

2009-05-03T20:00:00.002-04:00

Well I have some mixed reports from a few divers and spearfisherman from Jax and St. Augustine.

Up to 25 miles out of St. Augustine there is no visibility. That's all the details I have.

Out of Jacksonville late last week was 5' visibility with a lot of Jellyfish in the water column near HH and FA. But Saturday someone was on JW (Jax Wreck) freediving and had 10-15ft of visibility which for that close to shore it isn't too bad. They also said they were able to get a few Red Snapper as well.

Plenty of Grouper and Snapper, water visibility not so great

2009-04-20T12:12:00.002-04:00

Got a report from the weekend. Snapper are everywhere in around 80ft with flounder all over the bottom as well. Visibility was 10-12ft after the choppy weekend but should settle down towards next weekend.

It's time to be diving off Jacksonville!

Go to the bahamas in your boat!

2009-04-16T16:49:00.001-04:00

I have posted some good info and getting to Abaco, Bahamas by boat. Check it out - http://digitalfathom.com/abaco_bahamas/abaco_vacation_by_boat.html

Jellyfish still all over Jacksonville!

2009-04-14T21:22:00.002-04:00

A few good spearfishing reports came in this weekend from off of Jacksonville. Lots of grouper, flounder and snapper but to get to them you'll need to wade through the jellyfish. Reports are that they are thick all over the bottom from 70-100ft of water. The reports came in from the south end of the aprty grounds at SS, CH and PVI was hoping they would be gone by the time the water warmed up!

Finally a dive report from Jacksonville!

2009-04-06T08:48:00.002-04:00

From SpearBoard -
Me and a buddy put in at Mayport and headed out to 90'. Had 71degrees on the bottom. Vis was 40ft on the 1st dive, tide must have changed during our surface break. vis on dive 2 and 3 dropped to about 25ft. No current to deal with. Saw some nice snapper and grouper but they stayed outta range. Finished with 12 nice flounder biggest 6lbs smallest 3lbs and 3 AJ's. They were begging to join us on the boat. Left alot there and only covered a small area of the spot. Bumpy ride out and a nice ride in.

Good news and bad news

2009-03-31T18:36:00.002-04:00

Well lobster season is just about over and I haven't seen a live bug in a few months. The good news is that the water is warming up off of Jacksonville and I will be diving a lot more pretty soon. Stay tuned for spear fishing and scuba reports from Jacksonville and St. Augustine.