Florida panhandle shipwrecks

[Clay Coleman]

I'm back from Pensacola, FL. I thought the big dive would be wide angle on the Oriskany. However, I found all sorts of cool macro stuff (lots of toadfish) on shipwrecks in shallower water, including a nudi I'd never seen before. Nudibranchs are rare to non-existent in most parts of the Gulf of Mexico, but the spectacular-looking "Florida regal sea goddess" is apparently fairly common off the Florida panhandle. I am planning more dives to the area.
http://claycoleman.tripod.com/c20bdd30.jpg
P.S.: The Oriskany was ok. It's a great big ship, limited (40') vis, 13 boats (including ours) over it. See http://claycoleman.tripod.com/id191.htm
Clay

[sorvju-f]

I'm back from Pensacola, FL. I thought the big dive would be wide angle on the Oriskany. However, I found all sorts of cool macro stuff (lots of toadfish) on shipwrecks in shallower water, including a nudi I'd never seen before. Nudibranchs are rare to non-existent in most parts of the Gulf of Mexico, but the spectacular-looking "Florida regal sea goddess" is apparently fairly common off the Florida panhandle. I am planning more dives to the area.

P.S.: The Oriskany was ok. It's a great big ship, limited (40') vis, 13 boats (including ours) over it. See http://claycoleman.tripod.com/id191.htm Clay

Great colour nudi!

Your webpages are full of UW-art!

May I ask you how many times have to visit underwater to get gallery like yours?

Jukka

[Clay Coleman]

Hey, thanks, Jukka! My web site is a big mess, as I am constantly deleting photos and adding new ones. Most of the images currently on it were taken within the last few years. I wish I knew how many dives I've made, but I started in the "dark ages" before anybody thought of keeping a log. -Clay

[Jonathan Bird]

Nice stuff Clay! Love that nudi! 13 dive boats on a wreck? WOW! Did you actually see the wreck, ir just a bunch of bubbles?:eek:

Jonathan

[Clay Coleman]

13 dive boats on a wreck? WOW! Did you actually see the wreck, ir just a bunch of bubbles?:eek:

Jonathan

The wreck is HUGE. Some of the divers were tekkeis, so we didn't see those folks on the wreck as we only went as far as the flight deck (138'). Still, it was crowded around the conning tower. Our mooring line had a rubber chicken tied to it to make it easier to board the right boat. My buddy (David Breidenbach) and I plan to go back soon. We'll skip the Oriskany and concentrate on the Russian Freighter/San Pablo wreck, which was full of good macro subjects. I got a report this morning that a whale shark was seen off Pensacola as well. -Clay

[allison finch]

:p

Ahhhh the Russian freighter. I started diving in 1969 in Pensacola with Skipper's Dive Shop. We dove the "Freighter" almost every weekend. Caught many red snappers in my spearing days there. Now, my hunting is strictly with a camera.