Blackbeard's Cruises, August 27

Blackbeard's Cruises 2005 (August 27 - September 2, 2005)

Ah.....Blackbeard's! As far as I'm concerned, there's no better value for the diving fanatic. Some call it camping at sea, but I beg to differ. While quarters were tight, the space you do have is comfortable, and was certainly more than enough to allow me to manage all my gear, including my complete camera rig (with it's multitude of accessories and chargers). But "camping at sea"?? Well, I suppose if you have a cook come along with you on your camping trip to prepare all your hot meals and snacks in between meals, I suppose. And hot and cold running water with shower and other "facilities". And full electricity and air conditioned cabins too. I can't remember camping ever being like that.....

We were very fortunate with the weather as well. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Miami on August 25. Our flight into Miami landed the very next evening. While there was evidence of storms as evidenced by some fallen trees and branches, and some minor flooding, everything was a go. We departed port early Sunday morning (the captain delayed departure for a few hours due to some rough seas) and arrived in Bimini around noon. The water was calm, the sky was clear and sunny, and we were ready to dive. And dive we did. 17 dives over 5 days.

The very next week, tropical storm Ophelia blew through. A week earlier we'd have been in a hurricane. A week later, we'd have been in a tropical storm. Seems we timed it just right.

Anyhow, here are some images from the week. The slideshow presents a more complete story for the week - download it!!