Snorkeling & Collecting Discussion Group

[Ron Reefman]

Holy crap, my wife just put me onto this news story that very few people have heard about. Only recently discovered is an old (14 years old) oil rig leak in the Gulf of Mexico! I'm so glad Florida has made laws to keep oil rigs away from our coast, although I'm sure this leak has serious effects on our water down here in SW Florida as well.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...l-disaster-hurricane-ivan-20181021-story.html

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

I was in the keys a few years ago with my wife camping on Bahia Honda (which is is really not the brightest thing to do at the end of July - stupid hot). We actually went around and collected some zoas not too far off Little Money Key (they were everywhere) and we picked up a RFA that was solid white, but in our tank at home it actually turned a vibrant red/purple over the next 4-6 weeks.

 

[OPtasia]

OPtasia you could take a short refresher course. You're still be certified.

If your PDG is old and need hydro or VIP and you don't want to go through the hassle you could rent some gear and go, my friend.

I wish I could, but I have a condition known as intracranial hypertension. It causes unbelievable pressures in my brain and spinal cord and caused holes to develop between my inner ears and my cranium. Literally pushing my brain out through my ears. Fixing the holes required two major surgeries involving four surgeons to fix and pretty much ruined six months of my life in recovery. My ear drums also perforate easily due to this condition and I run a higher risk of bacterial meningitis. I've been specifically warned by my surgeon to give up diving. The most I've risked in the past two years has been surface swimming in an easybreath snorkel mask off of Cancun and Grand Cayman on a cruise.

So, yeah I wish I could. I'll just have to live vicariously through others. I guess I really should let go of my old dive gear. Anyone in the market for a BCD, dive computer, octopus/regulator, fins and a custom built 4x websuit?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I wish I could, but I have a condition known as intracranial hypertension. It causes unbelievable pressures in my brain and spinal cord and caused holes to develop between my inner ears and my cranium. Literally pushing my brain out through my ears. Fixing the holes required two major surgeries involving four surgeons to fix and pretty much ruined six months of my life in recovery. My ear drums also perforate easily due to this condition and I run a higher risk of bacterial meningitis. I've been specifically warned by my surgeon to give up diving. The most I've risked in the past two years has been surface swimming in an easybreath snorkel mask off of Cancun and Grand Cayman on a cruise.

Sorry to read about your health issue. I consider myself lucky that as I'm really closing in on turning 70 (6 months away) I can still snorkel, freedive some, drive a fast sports car on track days and autocross and travel places where being healthy is a benefit (hiking, climbing, etc.).

 

[Ron Reefman]

We did a Sanibel Island beach walk this morning. The Red Tide seems to be going away and yesterday we had our first small cold front passage. The cold fronts down here bring stronger westerly winds and we never get westerly winds other than cold fronts and hurricanes! The west wind creates bigger waves that washes shells and other stuff up on the beaches. There were only 6 cars in the parking lot when we arrived. But then the Red Tide issue is only just cleared up and it isn't 'season' yet, i.e. very few snowbirds are here from up north yet. Because the winds weren't really strong there weren't a lot of good things washed up today, but it was way better than last August when we did a walk during the Red Tide!

This is the beach, and I don't mind that there are the normal hundreds of people everywhere!


We did find one live shrimp washed up, and it's the first time we've ever seen a big shrimp, dead or alive on the beach.


There were hundreds of baby sand dollars and 99% of them were still alive and trying to snuggle down into the wet sand.


Elaine, my wife, found what was by far the best shell of the day, a big Lightning Whelk.


So my collections included this anemone that I only know as a 'sand anemone'. I have 2 in my tank now and they bury themselves in the sand with just the tentacles exposed. They are not photosynthetic, but the do filter feed quite well and I've had them for many months now. They are about the thickness of a ballpoint pen and about 3" long. But like most anemones they can shrink and expand a lot!


I have no idea what kind of anemone this guy is. I've never collected one like it before. So it will be the subject of some serious study and research on Monday.


I found one nice clump of green macro algae and I thought there were a few things living in it so I collected it. The first critter to come out of it was this guy. I'm 95% sure it's a small sea hare.


The last thing I found in the algae, besides half a dozen tiny baby mollusks (you can see a couple near the sea hare above), was this guy. It looks like a worm and it's about 3" long and only about as thick as a fat pencil lead. But the end has some crazy looking... 'tentacles'. My Research Administrator (my retired reference librarian wife) found this name: Synaptula Hydriformis which is in the Apodida order and the Synaptdae family. Once I read what she had found, I agree and it turns out to be a specialize type of sea cucumber. It eats algae and detritus... how cool is that! I have a short video I'll try to load up later.


You can tell how small it is by comparing it to the hole in the sand dollar underneath it. And that sand dollar, collected in the algae clump by mistake, is only about an inch in diameter! You can see the sand dollar better in the shot of the unknown anemone.


I love that we get to just go out and walk the beach and find cool and unusual critters to bring home! I hope you enjoyed the photos and stories.

 

[Ds04384]

We did a Sanibel Island beach walk this morning. The Red Tide seems to be going away and yesterday we had our first small cold front passage. The cold fronts down here bring stronger westerly winds and we never get westerly winds other than cold fronts and hurricanes! The west wind creates bigger waves that washes shells and other stuff up on the beaches. There were only 6 cars in the parking lot when we arrived. But then the Red Tide issue is only just cleared up and it isn't 'season' yet, i.e. very few snowbirds are here from up north yet. Because the winds weren't really strong there weren't a lot of good things washed up today, but it was way better than last August when we did a walk during the Red Tide!

This is the beach, and I don't mind that there are the normal hundreds of people everywhere!


We did find one live shrimp washed up, and it's the first time we've ever seen a big shrimp, dead or alive on the beach.


There were hundreds of baby sand dollars and 99% of them were still alive and trying to snuggle down into the wet sand.


Elaine, my wife, found what was by far the best shell of the day, a big Lightning Whelk.


So my collections included this anemone that I only know as a 'sand anemone'. I have 2 in my tank now and they bury themselves in the sand with just the tentacles exposed. They are not photosynthetic, but the do filter feed quite well and I've had them for many months now. They are about the thickness of a ballpoint pen and about 3" long. But like most anemones they can shrink and expand a lot!


I have no idea what kind of anemone this guy is. I've never collected one like it before. So it will be the subject of some serious study and research on Monday.


I found one nice clump of green macro algae and I thought there were a few things living in it so I collected it. The first critter to come out of it was this guy. I'm 95% sure it's a small sea hare.


The last thing I found in the algae, besides half a dozen tiny baby mollusks (you can see a couple near the sea hare above), was this guy. It looks like a worm and it's about 3" long and only about as thick as a fat pencil lead. But the end has some crazy looking... 'tentacles'. My Research Administrator (my retired reference librarian wife) found this name: Synaptula Hydriformis which is in the Apodida order and the Synaptdae family. Once I read what she had found, I agree and it turns out to be a specialize type of sea cucumber. It eats algae and detritus... how cool is that! I have a short video I'll try to load up later.


You can tell how small it is by comparing it to the hole in the sand dollar underneath it. And that sand dollar, collected in the algae clump by mistake, is only about an inch in diameter! You can see the sand dollar better in the shot of the unknown anemone.


I love that we get to just go out and walk the beach and find cool and unusual critters to bring home! I hope you enjoyed the photos and stories.

This is awesome, I’m looking forward to doing some beach combing on cold windy days up here by St Pete

 

[Ron Reefman]

Here is a video of the worm like critter that we think is a type of sea cucumber. I'm looking for some confirmation before I move it to my reef! I've posted a question in the inverts forum here at R2R.

20181028_195212_637669609487494 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

 

[Ron Reefman]

Here is a shot of the shells we collected. Most of these are for our purposes as volunteers at the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum as Shell Ambassadors. We walk the beaches of Sanibel Island wearing shirts that encourage people to ask us questions about shells (we can't approach people first as that is considered 'soliciting' for the museum and it's illegal on Sanibel). Anyway, if anybody has any questions, ask away.

 

[cracker]

@OPtasia hey , I just caught up with your mention. I'm sitting here in OP. Good to see some locals !

 

[samnaz]

I love that you love being able to go out to the beach and find critters. I only get to make it down to Florida a couple times a year to visit my grandma and most of my time is spent beach-combing. I always wonder/hope the people living there full time appreciate it and know how lucky they are! Being landlocked stuck in MI and missing the sea, it's nice to see your posts and discoveries and appreciation for the beach and the sea life.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I love that you love being able to go out to the beach and find critters. I only get to make it down to Florida a couple times a year to visit my grandma and most of my time is spent beach-combing. I always wonder/hope the people living there full time appreciate it and know how lucky they are! Being landlocked stuck in MI and missing the sea, it's nice to see your posts and discoveries and appreciation for the beach and the sea life.

Thanks for those comments, I really appreciate them. And from somebody who lives very near where I grew up. I lived for many years in the far western suburbs of Detroit and I spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor. If you don't mind sharing, what part of Florida is it that you visit?

One comment that was in my personal profile when my wife meet me online was," I'm in love with Mother Nature, I'm in awe of the Universe and I find every living thing to be special." That's part of the reason I keep a reef tank. The fish are OK, the corals are cool, but I love the unusual and uncommon. Finding some of that while snorkeling in the Keys is pretty easy. But finding it actually on the beach and still alive is great fun.

Sanibel Island beaches are always full of people shelling, and many don't even realize that shells are made by animals, let alone notice that there are live sea creatures that wash up on the beach! So when I can collect a couple and then have people ask me shell questions (I'm wearing a t-shirt that say in huge letters 'I KNOW SHELLS - ASK ME' on the back and that explains that I am a volunteer for the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum on the front), I get to show them whatever live creatures I've collected. Sometimes I get to bring them home for my tank and sometimes they are not fit for an aquarium or are even illegal to collect and I release them at the end of the beach walk. And I get to meet people from all over the country and even from all over the world!

 

[Ron Reefman]

It looks like we will have another weak cold front go through SW Florida over Tuesday and Wednesday.

weather by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

I suspect it will be a mediocre day for collecting live animals on the beach, but it may be a good day for shelling. I'd like to be at the beach at low tide, but I'm not getting up and driving to the beach at 4:00am for a weak cold front. I'll save that effort for a day when a serious cold front goes past and the potential for collecting is better! So I'll be out there sometime just before dawn. Maybe an opportunity to get a good sunrise photo? Oh, and it will be in the low 60's near the water in the morning, so cool but not too cold!

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

@Ron Reefman you need to offer tours, I'd sign up

 

[Ron Reefman]

@Ron Reefman you need to offer tours, I'd sign up

Beach walks are so dependant on weather (cold fronts) for collecting that it makes it hard to do. But anybody who wants to do a beach walk with me any time, I'd be willing to go. If nothing else, beach walks are relaxing and exercise at the same time. And being around the water is always nice. Anybody can send me a PM and I'll work it out with you!

Now doing a snorkel trip to the Keys (also kind of weather dependant) takes more scheduling as it's a 5 hour drive to the Middle Keys for me. But I'd give it serious consideration. Snorkeling and exploring the shallows off the beach and finding cool little sea critters to play with is too much fun. And while I'm in the water my mind is totally absorbed in what I'm doing and the rest of the world can go..... you get the idea. To my mind, this is as close as I'll ever get to truly alien life!

In either late May or early June our local aquarium club, SWFMAS (SouthWest Florida Marine Aquarium Society) does a 'field trip' to the Keys. Drive in on Friday. Saturday morning snorkel a big reef by charter boat, do off the beach snorkeling and collecting in the afternoon and have dinner together in the evening. Sunday some just drive home, some snorkel in the morning, rinse at the motel pool and then drive home and some, like me, snorkel all day, spend Sunday night there and then enjoy a casual drive home on Monday. If anybody wants to join in, just send me a PM.

 

[Ron Reefman]

OK, over the weekend we were on the east coast of Florida around Ft Pierce and Sebring. And while we were gone the weather forecast has moved some. So it now (Tues morning) looks like Friday morning will be the best day for a beach walk. BTY, when I say the 'best day' the air temperature (predicted to be about 60F at sunrise) has nothing to do with it being a good day. It's all about having had a strong west wind and low tide. Currently we plan to be on the beach at 6:30am which is 30 minutes before sunrise and low tide.



Just to share, we went to a Miata Festival at the Summer Crush Winery in Ft Pierce on Saturday (103 Miatas), to Sebring for the Global MX5 Cup race (20 new Miata race cars) on Sunday and on a tour of the Piper Aircraft factory in Vero Beach on Monday. The festival was fun, the MX5 race was good and the Piper tour was our favorite part of the weekend. But no photos allowed at Piper facility. But the top 7 finishers at the race were covered by just 2.3 seconds.

 

[Ron Reefman]

The cool front (not enough to call it a cold front) went through this morning. So I'll be out on Sanibel Island between 6:30 and 7:00am. Bundle up as the temps are expected to be in the high 50's and with a 10-12mph north wind!

 

[Ron Reefman]

We got up at 5:30am and got to the beach at 7:00am. There were no cars in the parking lot. It was cold... OK, Florida cold (58F). We could hear the waves rolling in on the beach from the parking lot. Everything so far is good.

But then we walked out to the beach. A total blow out! Tons of arc shells (blah), lots of pen shells (trash), quite a few cockel shells (nice, but I don't need any. There was very, very little of anything else. And we walked 2 hours up the beach. Not a sponge to be found anywhere and no clumps of macroalgae. We normally see many dozens to hundreds of shore birds, but today there were only a handful. We're pretty sure that is due to the red tide. Even a dead crab on the beach only had a few flies on it. We noticed that when we were out there mid-summer and the red tide was near it's peak... no birds and very few if any flies.

The only live things we found were a big blue crab just at the water's edge that was dug into the sand waiting for the tide to come in. We moved it into deeper water away from the beach. And we found a really big hermit crab that was almost dead from being out of the water for too long. But it's conch shell was a disaster, old, crappy and recently broken as if somebody had stepped on it. I put it in my jar of water and started looking for a new shell for it to use. But there weren't any. So in the end of our walk we set it down with several big broken conch and whelk shells we found. It moved into what we thought was the best conch shell we had picked up (it wasn't really good at all). But it held it and got washed into deeper water with the next wave. We wished it good luck and headed home.

My best find for the morning was a good size clump of worm shell rock and Elaine's best find was a very nice murex and a hand full of small sand dollars (the size of a quarter). That's it. But then that's what makes doing this worth the effort, because you never know for sure just what you're going to find. We're just hoping that the lack of different stuff on the beach was due to the cold front being kind of weak and not due to months of red tide killing everything.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Another weak cold front that did not have sustained west winds, but did have a good frontal boundary and some 1am thunderstorm line went by Saturday morning. But the beach out on Sanibel was just like the day written up in the post above. Quite a few shells but nothing really special and absolutely nothing alive on the beach. We walked for 2 1/2 hours and came home empty.

The good news is the local weather reports are calling for Thursday increasing stronger westerly winds starting up. By Friday they are calling for 20+ to 30+ mph winds out of the west. Sun morning the winds are to have shifted to the northwest and eventually to the north. So 48 hours of 20+ mph winds and even 12+ hours of 30+ mph winds should do the trick. On top of that it's a full moon which means lower than normal low tides (about 1 foot below mean sea level which is more than normal for Sanibel beaches) around dawn when the full moon is setting in the west and the sun is rising in the east about the same time.




That could make Saturday or Sunday at least good beach days (for shelling) and with a little luck, maybe some sponges or macro algae. I'm going to try and get out to the beach before the sun even comes up and do a little bit of beach walking at or even before first light. The shellers that live out on Sanibel get to do that by just getting up and walking out of their condos and onto the beach. We get to start about 30 to 45 minutes earlier as it takes us that long to drive to the various beaches. But we have a friend who lives even another 30 minutes west of us and works full time and he makes the beach walks as often as we do and he seems to be even more successful at it than we are!

Look for a report Saturday or Sunday.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Another weak cold front that did not have sustained west winds, but did have a good frontal boundary and some 1am thunderstorm line went by Saturday morning. But the beach out on Sanibel was just like the day written up in the post above. Quite a few shells but nothing really special and absolutely nothing alive on the beach. We walked for 2 1/2 hours and came home empty.

The good news is the local weather reports are calling for Thursday increasing stronger westerly winds starting up. By Friday they are calling for 20+ to 30+ mph winds out of the west. Sun morning the winds are to have shifted to the northwest and eventually to the north. So 48 hours of 20+ mph winds and even 12+ hours of 30+ mph winds should do the trick. On top of that it's a full moon which means lower than normal low tides (about 1 foot below mean sea level which is more than normal for Sanibel beaches) around dawn when the full moon is setting in the west and the sun is rising in the east about the same time.




That could make Saturday or Sunday at least good beach days (for shelling) and with a little luck, maybe some sponges or macro algae. I'm going to try and get out to the beach before the sun even comes up and do a little bit of beach walking at or even before first light. The shellers that live out on Sanibel get to do that by just getting up and walking out of their condos and onto the beach. We get to start about 30 to 45 minutes earlier as it takes us that long to drive to the various beaches. But we have a friend who lives even another 30 minutes west of us and works full time and he makes the beach walks as often as we do and he seems to be even more successful at it than we are!

Look for a report Saturday or Sunday.

As you know I'm from Michigan but I have been out to Sanibel Island 3 times over the past 6 years. Love the place! The only thing I did not care for was the no-see-ums bugs lol. I had bites all over me and they itched ALL the way home. The thing is you can't see them or feel them bite but that night you sure do lol.

 

[Captain Quint]

I wish I could, but I have a condition known as intracranial hypertension. It causes unbelievable pressures in my brain and spinal cord and caused holes to develop between my inner ears and my cranium. Literally pushing my brain out through my ears. Fixing the holes required two major surgeries involving four surgeons to fix and pretty much ruined six months of my life in recovery. My ear drums also perforate easily due to this condition and I run a higher risk of bacterial meningitis. I've been specifically warned by my surgeon to give up diving. The most I've risked in the past two years has been surface swimming in an easybreath snorkel mask off of Cancun and Grand Cayman on a cruise.

So, yeah I wish I could. I'll just have to live vicariously through others. I guess I really should let go of my old dive gear. Anyone in the market for a BCD, dive computer, octopus/regulator, fins and a custom built 4x websuit?

I missed this reply.

Sorry to read of this and hope the best health possible to you and yours.

You can still go out and 'bubble watch'.