Diving with AUE-Mike - Amazing!

[SpearMax]

Alot of you know AUE-Mike from Spearboard. He is Mike Barnette - a fish biologist who works for NOAA. Mike told me he currently travels around the world visiting fishing fleets to inspect their catch methodology with a view to protecting sea turtles. What good noble work!

I first met Mike a few years ago at the Florida Dive Show where he was lecturing on deep wrecks. He is the author of a fantastic book called "Shipwrecks of Florida." Below are the front and back covers of Mike's book. Go out and get it as I believe it is one of the best books on this subject.

[SpearMax]

Mike and I have been discussing his coming over and diving some deep wrecks in my Palm Beach County, Florida area for several months. Yesterday, it finally happened. Mike and 3 members of his team dove off my boat. I watched them while driving the boat as this professional team of tech divers using Megladon Rebreathers dropped to a wreck in 230 feet called the Korimu. The current was 3-4 miles per hour which is pretty strong even for our area. They spent about 15-20 minutes on the bottom exploring the ship. Their deco was around 40-60 minutes I recall. They said the drop was perfect right in the midship area.

[SpearMax]

Then, it was my turn to drop in on the same wreck. As I hit the deck I spotted a nice mutton Snapper on the port gunnel within around 1 minute of arriving. I stoned that fish and strung him up on the gunnel which provided some respite from the raging current.

All in all, it was a great experience for me and I was happy to help out a really good guy - Mike Barnette known as AUE-Mike here on Spearboard. :thumps:

[dagodiver]

It is such a treat to watch Mike and Joe diving as like you said they are so professional.! Great report.!


Dago.

[aue-mike]

They spent about 15-20 minutes on the bottom exploring the ship. Their deco was around 40-60 minutes I recall. They said the drop was perfect right in the midship area.

I shot my bag from the wreck at 28 minutes with a runtime of 80 minutes. I will post a couple pictures tonight; couldn't really get the shots I wanted as you couldn't hold position due to the current but I got a few nice ones. Still a fun dive! Thanks again Tony.

[Slay Ride]

"I shot my bag"

That just sounds dirty there boy.

Glad you guys had a good time. Looks like the ocean surface cooperated nicely for ya. And diving within site of land....................man I can only imagine. It's just not fair.

[Johnoly]

Heard currents have been ripping all weekend. Did you hit any thermo's down that deep. It's getting to be that time of year for them.

[SpearMax]

I shot my bag from the wreck at 28 minutes with a runtime of 80 minutes. I will post a couple pictures tonight; couldn't really get the shots I wanted as you couldn't hold position due to the current but I got a few nice ones. Still a fun dive! Thanks again Tony.


Mike, I can't wait to see your photos with that great camera you had. Glad you corrected me on the bottom time and deco time as I was just estimating from memory. Let's also do that deeper wreck sooner than later. I am curious about that one. Tony :cowboy:

[Blueblood]

Tony, very nice report. Sounds like it was a great experience. Are you diving hypoxic mixes now?

[aue-mike]

FWIW, I added a few pics to the AUE website...

http://uwex.us/072307a.jpg http://uwex.us/072307c.jpg

[jeepshapes]

nice pics mike

[Mobile Diver]

Great stuff, as usual for AUE!! Mike's book is awesome. I have always found his numbers accurate. If you want to know where the wrecks are, he knows.

[SpearMax]

FWIW, I added a few pics to the AUE website...

http://uwex.us/072307a.jpg http://uwex.us/072307c.jpg


Mike, I looked at the photos on the AUE website in your link to that and they look great. If current was not so strong, you would have been able to show everything. Let's do it again soon. :thumps:

[100days-a-year]

Tony you may want to reconsider possessing shot fish while rebreathers are aboard.I was told several times by FWC officers they consider it prima facie eveince of a violation and could impound all geat and the vessel as well as issue citations.I looked on the states websites and found no law to either support that position or deny it.It would appear the officers discretion would prevail until a costly court case or internal memo clarified the FWCs position.Similar laws are present in the NMFS and SAMFC websites.

[aue-mike]

Tony you may want to reconsider possessing shot fish while rebreathers are aboard.I was told several times by FWC officers they consider it prima facie eveince of a violation and could impound all geat and the vessel as well as issue citations.I looked on the states websites and found no law to either support that position or deny it.It would appear the officers discretion would prevail until a costly court case or internal memo clarified the FWCs position.Similar laws are present in the NMFS and SAMFC websites.

The regulations are kind of nebulous. My personal take:

Florida state waters:
possession of any fish that has been harvested by a person diving in state waters by means of a rebreather, aboard a vessel fishing or at rest in state waters, shall constitute a violation of this subsection.

If everyone in the boat were diving rebreathers, and there were fish on the boat with no rods, then it would be a rebuttable presumption that the fish were taken on rebreathers and therefore illegal. In this case, there was a set of OC gear onboard (and only one fish), so the LEO would be hard-pressed to pursue a violation, unless he physically saw someone on a rebreather surface with fish, etc. A LEO could still be stubborn about the issue, so your point is well made.

South Atlantic federal waters:
The federal regs are pretty clear on what determines a violation -- Rebreathers and spearfishing gear. In the South Atlantic EEZ, a person using a rebreather may not harvest South Atlantic snapper-grouper with spearfishing gear. The possession of such snapper-grouper while in the water with a rebreather is prima facie evidence that such fish was harvested with
spearfishing gear while using a rebreather.

That is, a LEO would have to drive up on a rebreather diver, in the water, with snapper-grouper in their possession.

Interpret the above as you will...
Cheers,
Mike

[100days-a-year]

That's what the FWC guys all said.That the individual officer would be able to "interpret" the law and the $1-2K I spent missing work or paying a lawyer would not come out of his pocket.
Cut and dried rules like cobia,APs etc..are still f'd up by new FWC guys.They have big turnover for some reason and not all can even identify a lot of common fish.I feel for them,it's gotta suck being thrust into that position.

In addition our common foes like the WC longline guys,the part of H'n'L guys that hate us as well as envirowhackoffs and fisheries researchers in search of the next trumped up charges against spearfishing love pix like that.
Hell I'm sure there's some deeperblue regulars who think we already do use them here.
BTW vis looked sweet.