Summer is certainly upon us as the seas have been on their best behavior the last couple of days and the late afternoon rains keep on coming. On our first dive on Flower Gardens we had top to bottom visibility with about 45-50 feet of horizontal visibility and a light north current. Seas were 1-2 foot. Water temperature was 78 degrees until the last 20 feet where a cold water thermocline lowered the temperature to 74 degrees. This colder temperature, while certainly not the most appreciated by the divers, seems to enliven the reef’s inhabitants. Reef fish were extremely active throughout the dive. Numerous sea turtles include hawksbills and loggerheads were seen throughout the dive.
For our second dive we headed north to Breaker’s reef. A wall of green water, no doubt caused by the outflow of rain water from the inlets, dropped visibility down into the 20s. As we drifted north this green water dissipated and the clear water return taking with it the cold water. We enjoyed encountering many more sea turtles, free swimming morays, and taking time to get a manicure from the scarlet shrimps.
