The MV Spree

This is looooong overdue

There are certain moments when I am reminded of how lucky I am to be diving. One of those moments is when I step foot on the MV Spree. It is easily my favorite live aboard I have ever been on. And I am lucky enough to be able to work on it. This year I worked on it as a Dive Master. I didn't get to dive as much as I did when I worked on it last year filling tanks and working in the galley. But it is by far my favorite job on the Spree. That is of course unless CP is busy one trip and I get the chance to be the photo pro. Not that I could possibly ever fill his shoes, but it would be fun.

This year I got to stay on the Spree for 2 weeks straight. The first trip we did was an exploratory trip that was chartered by a dive club and it was somewhat of a new experience for us. Originally the charter was scheduled to go back out to the Dry Tortugas, but was changed with mixed emotions and reactions to a Keys Krawl. Meaning instead of heading west to the Tortugas, we would head north and hit wrecks and new reefs (new to us).

My excitement of diving wrecks has certainly changed over the years. I used to really look forward to diving wrecks and would go whenever I could. But over the years I began to see them for what they are. Purposely sunk hunks of metal on the bottom of the ocean floor. I realized the draw to these wrecks is the life on the wrecks. Which is why they are sunk in the 1st place. To create artificial reefs. There it is, the word that sums it up and I cant get past. Artificial. Give me a natural reef over a sunken junkyard any day. But I digress…

After hitting several wrecks and a few reefs with less than stellar conditions and situations. We took a vote and decided to head back to the Tortugas in hopes to catch what was left of the coral spawn.

The morning we were at the 1st dive site in the Tortugas I couldn’t wait to get in the water. All the passengers were out of the water and I was gearing up ready to get in when a pod of dolphins came across our stern on the surface. Which was a nice welcome back sight. I was going to wait for CP, but he decided he needed to feed again. So I told him I would meet him down on the reef. Got down to the reef and started making my way up current along the sand next to the reef. When I noticed a dark shape over my left shoulder. I turned and the pod of dolphins were swimming by me, checking me out.

I almost forgot to breathe. It was the first time I have ever seen dolphins while underwater in the 9 years of diving. And with no one else around, it was just me and the dolphins in the open ocean. Several of them turned and looked directly at me, while I was trying to swim up current to keep up with them and still take pictures. It was truly a dream come true. Something that I will never forget.

We spent the rest of the remaining 2 days diving the Tortugas. Which in my opinion is some of the best diving you can do without leaving the country.

For a more accurate and better written dive report. Check out the MV Spree’s dive trip report.
The next few days we spent at dock in Robbies Marina waiting for the next charter.

It was some good down time and gave me a chance to go diving on CP's boat with CP and Chris "The Chef Extrodiare on the Spree" (Dont let his age or goofy looks fool you, hes a great cook).

Also to take some black and white shots of the boat yard.



You can see the rest of the boatyard gallery here


And the rest of the Tortugas gallery here.

Coral Spawn at the Flower Gardens

Once year since the beginning of time, the coral spawn after the full moon in August. Since I have been diving I have heard stories of divers who have dove the Flower Gardens during the Coral Spawn. I knew that this was something that I must see someday.

When Capt Frank from the MVSpree gave me a call and said they had an open spot in the galley for their annual and last coral spawn trip (The Spree is moving permanently to Key West next year). I couldn't book my flight fast enough.

Last time I was on the Spree I was filling tanks in the Dry Tortugas. This time I would be working in the galley helping out master cook Steve. It didn't matter what position was open, I wanted on the boat and I couldn't believe I finally had the opportunity to dive the spawn. And get paid to do so!

We arrived a few days before the spawn and I got to dive the Flower Gardens for the first time. For being in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and has been claimed by Texas as their own Caribbean Reef Diving, the diving was great. I saw a lot of the same species that I saw on my Caribbean trips. But with the exception I finally got to see my first Manta Ray! They are absolutely beautiful and graceful. And such a humbling experience to see something so large and peaceful underwater.

The coral usually spawn 7 or 8 nights after the full moon in August. The majority of the spawn will happen on one night. But one or two nights before, a few coral heads will spawn a little. But typically there will be one big night that all the coral spawn. Scientist are still learning about how they coordinate their yearly spawn. Each species will release their sperm and eggs at the different times.