The plan was to meet at Sherman Cove Marina at 0800 and motor out into the Gulf .  Todays dive would include myself, diving partner Mike Wade and newcomer CJ Salter.  Our first stop ,  the wreck "Massachusetts" in 27 ft of water.  We didn't expect to take many fish here but rather use it as a warm up for the deeper dives which followed.  It was also a nice starting point for CJ to get her feet wet and stay in visual contact with some structure.  CJ has been scuba diving in the gulf for several years now and was very familiar with the wrecks.  The
difference today would be her approach to exploration (freediving).

    The drive out of the pass was spectacular thanks to the free air show from the local team "Blue Angels".  I had forgot Tuesday was their practice day .  Needless to say, the camera's were out and several photographs were taken.

    We dive on the wreck for 45 minutes during which time we saw several species of colorful tropical fish and small snapper and grouper.  The wreck was teaming with bait fish and dropping into the center of the ecosystem was intoxicating.  Mike hunted for flounder with his pole spear with no luck.  Our drive for game fish drove
us to our next destination the "three barges" in 50 ft .

    Timing couldn't have been better as we were diving with little to no current.  The water was somewhat murky on top but as you descended past 30 ft... the structure appeared and visibility improved to about 25 ft.  There was a 25 ft tag line on the stern of the boat which would be the resting point for our "rookie".  Here she could forget about whatever current there was and concentrate on the tips and techniques Mike and I had shared with her previously.  I was hoping she would be able to break through the poor visibility and see fish.  Having been used to following anchor lines on her decent while scuba diving,  CJ seemed a bit reluctant to dive into the gloom without a visual aid!  Mike and I would continue to encourage her throughout the day as she attempted to get the hang of this new sport.  We saw a school of small amberjack , small grouper and black snapper.  Mike was able to locate a solo 20 lb amberjack which he quickly dispatched.  I took a barracuda to use as burly when we got to deeper water.  We would eventually make it to the 100 fathom curve in search of pelagic game fish.

    Our next stop found us 17 miles offshore at yet another public wreck know as "Navy Boats".  Seas were calm ,  sun  was out and it was a fine day to be stalking fish in the gulf.   We were now in 90 ft water with a 35 ft silt layer.  When you broke through the silt , visibility increased to about 30 - 40 ft.  It was business as usual for
Mike and I  due to our average working depth of 50 ft.  Not so for CJ.....   we knew conditions would be difficult for a beginner freediver  and we tried to encourage her every step of the way.  The challenge for her would be to break through the fog .  To do this we suggested she leave her gun on the boat and Mike and I would stay close.
Current had picked up by this point and all three divers would have a hand on the tag line.  One by one we would take turns dropping into the cloudy water .  From the surface you could see the ever present barracuda slowly swimming by.  If you had any fear of barracuda,  this was not the place for you to be diving.  When a diver began to descend you could see  several  barracuda follow in suit.

    I  was diving well and very relaxed.  On one dive I was 65 ft down swimming in blue water toward the tug boat looking for game fish.  I lined up a shot on a small jack pretending it was 5 times larger.  As I looked up  to begin my ascent  I see Mike hovering about 15 ft above me watching and wondering what I was going to do .  It was
nice to see Mike having fun despite the lack of game fish.  I noticed CJ was spending a lot of time on the surface and I suggested that I dive down and wait for her to come to me.  This seemed to work , giving her a boost in confidence.   She was diving to about 30 ft and would almost make it out of the murky water.  I know many freedivers who have been diving for several years and do not dive below 30 ft.  CJ was hanging in there for a first time freediver.

    Our next stop was a place called the "nipple" where we would be swimming in over 600 ft of water.  Expectations were high and I was looking forward to see if we could chum up any pelagic fish.  All hopes were doused when Mike entered the water and reported a thick layer of cloudy water.  He estimated the layer to be about 50 ft.  There was no way we could see fish coming up a chum line in this water!   Rats!  There were no weeds present either so we decided to head back and fish a couple more public wrecks on our way in.

    During the ride in we came upon a large pod of dolphin frolicking about.  We stopped the boat and took some pictures.  Then I grabbed my weight belt and mask  and entered the water to get a closer look at the beautiful mammals.  As soon as I had entered the water  a large fish approached .....  hey man,  that's a real big fish but it
ain't no dolphin!    A large bull shark swam up to me and it wasn't exactly what I was expecting to see.  I made a hasty retreat to the boat to notify  others who were thinking about swimming with the "dolphins".   Back on the boat we observed several bull sharks circling the boat looking for food.   I decided now was a good time to cut up
that cuda and try and feed the dolphin.  I think the dolphin may have received one piece of fish and the bull sharks ate all the rest.

    It is interesting to note that in Costa Rica yellow fin tuna follow pods of dolphin when they are feeding.  In the gulf of Mexico its the ever present "bull shark".  Personally I'd rather have the tuna!

    After taking several photographs we motored for an hour and made it to our next diving destination.   When we arrived at the "Russian Freighter" there were two other boats anchored .  One boat was working a chum churn  and the other had some young children fishing on it.  We dropped the anchor several times and were unable to hook up.   The two boats that were fishing pulled anchor and left.  Now we could get on top of the wreck and anchor up.  The first diver in the water was our eager rookie CJ.  The tag line went out and she quickly followed with gun in hand.  She had been in the water about 15 seconds and had one band pulled back when I hear a loud "HOLY S#*T"...   I ran to the back of the boat and see CJ swimming fast toward the boat.   I knew instantly what was happening and reached out to grab her gun and pull her up and out of the water.   After getting back to the boat she was able to tell us that as she was loading her gun she glanced to her right and saw the 2 ft wide head of a mature 8+ ft bull shark  an arms length away!!!  I've seen lots of shark but have never had such a large predator in such close proximity.   Mike and I were quick to point out.... if the shark had wanted you ..... he would have had you!   This doesn't change the fact that given their tendency for aggression... they are not to be trusted!!

    CJ had calmed herself very quickly and we were off straight away to try and find one last spot to dive. Fifteen minutes later we anchored up at the Tex Edwards... a wreck not far from the three barges in 65 ft of water.  CJ was again first in the water ( can you believe it???) The visibility here would be the worst of the day with the murk layer running from top to bottom.  I had seen bull sharks here in the past and was not feeling very comfortable with the visibility!  Mike comes up from one dive and claims to have seen a big fish on bottom in the structure.  He request that I go down to take a look see.  I had a gut feeling that he was baiting me to see a bull but he won't confirm my suspicion, he just smiles and says "Let's call it a day". We make a couple of more drops and call it.

    Even though we only managed to put one fish in the cooler...... the weather was great...... the company was great and it was a fantastic day to explore the Gulf.

David Biron
Stickmen Freedivers
Gulf Breeze, Florida