Open Ocean | Coral Caverns | Incredible Walls | Ocean Blue Holes | Inland Blue Holes | Geographical Reef Study

The Open Ocean

   Living in the open ocean are the large pelagic fish known for their "speed." The foremost residents are the tunas, sharks, billfish and dolphin.

   They all have streamlined bodies and the ability to produce short bursts of extremely high speed. Some sailfish have reportedly been timed at 70 mph. And, these fish use their speed to hunt down slower fish that share their environment.

   The basic food for the giants is essentially made of sprats, flyingfish, squid and cuttlefish. And though they are relentlessly hunted and caught, they still thrive in great numbers.

   Besides swimming in an ecosystem that divers rarely see on the coral reef, floating through bottomless depths of the deep blue ocean can be a magical dive experience in itself.

Click on any of the graphics while exploring this section in order to see an enlarged version.

The Cable Dive
One or two people
running time: 15 minutes
maximum depth: 200 feet
in water time: 30-60 minutes
multi-level profile

   This dive is on the AUTEC Ocean Haul Down Tower. It was designed to pull objects down to 6,000 feet to be released as tests were performed measuring it's ascent speed, effect under pressure and detectable noises.

   The dive starts where the cable enters the water. The cable runs diagonally out over the wall. We pull ourselves along the cable for 10 minutes, thirds on air, or 200 feet deep, whichever comes first. By this time we will be well out into the Tongue Of The Ocean, following only the cable, sometimes seeing big pelagics. On our turn around, you will get a fantastic view of the wall. We will continue back up into the shallows to the tower which is 20 feet deep. There are lots of fish under this tower. A fantastic yet eerie dive!

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Ocean Drift
One or two people
running time: 15 minutes
maximum depth: 100 feet
in water time: 40-60 minutes
multi-level profile

   For this dive, we will take the dive boat out past the wall into 6,000 feet of water. The anchor line is thrown over for us to descend down and hold on to as the wind blows the boat to shore. While drifting in 6,000 feet toward the wall, there's a good chance we will see big pelagics swimming by. You'll get a great panoramic view as we approach the wall and will also see many false walls of beautiful and diverse corals as we drift shallower up the reef. The dive will end in 15 feet of water.

   You never know what you are going to see!

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The Buoy Dive
One to four people
running time: 35 minutes
maximum depth: 40 feet
in water time: 60 minutes

   The D.N.M. or Deployed Noise & Measurement Buoy is in 6,000 feet of water, out in the tongue of the ocean. It consists of a huge bottom mooring and over a mile of polypropylene line stretching up within a couple hundred feet of the surface. The last two hundred feet is steel cable that is hooked to the buoy which floats on the surface.

   Our dive boat will be tied to the buoy. Another line will be used as a guide (sometimes the current is very strong). There can be dolphin and wahoo fish as well as silky sharks to visit with which is definitely a sight to behold, however, sometimes there is absolutely nothing out there, so it is a gamble. Best time of the year to see these big pelagics is March, April and May.

The Open Ocean | Coral Caverns | Incredible Walls
Ocean Blue Holes | Inland Blue Holes | Geographical Reef Study