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Florida man saves stranded divers during Bahamas fishing trip

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For Florida man Carl Grassi, landing a 380-pound swordfish after a seven-hour fight on standup tackle was a tremendous accomplishment, but he surpassed that catch a couple of weeks ago.

Grassi, two of his Coral Springs neighbours and their significant others were running south of Bimini in the Bahamas when Grassi spotted a stranded scuba diver.

Had Grassi not seen the diver, the man and his dive buddy would have almost certainly died.

“It was really freaky,” Grassi said.

What made it so were the decisions that led to the divers getting into trouble and led to Grassi and his friends finding them.

Grassi and his wife, Kristin, Chase Greene and his wife, Adriana, and Adam Baker and his girlfriend, Nikole Martz, had taken Baker’s boat to Bimini for a couples weekend. Before heading home, they decided to do some free diving for lobsters and snappers at a spot known as Turtle Rock a few miles south of Bimini.

“When we got there, the current was ripping. It was maybe 5 mph,” Grassi said. “We were in the water five minutes and we got out because it was too dangerous.”

Grassi suggested they head another 10 or so miles south to a spot with less current where they could free dive and have lunch.

As Baker headed there, Grassi’s wife asked why they had gotten out of the water. Grassi told her of the time he dove in a strong current there and had to “swim like crazy” just to get to a rock that he could climb on to get out of the current and be picked up by the boat.

“It was pretty scary,” said Grassi of the experience. “I no sooner get done telling the story and on the horizon I see something in the water a quarter of a mile away. We’re not even two miles south of Turtle Rock.

“I said, ‘Adam, turn this way.’ Then I see it’s a guy and he’s waving his arm, so we head over. He was wearing a BC and he’s holding a BC.”

The men asked about the extra BC and the diver said his partner had taken it off so he could swim to their boat.

“We said, ‘What boat?’ Their boat was a mile and a half to a mile and three-quarters away,” Grassi said.

After giving the diver Gatorade to drink and making sure he was OK, Grassi and his friends began searching for the other diver, veering left and right towards the divers’ boat.

“Half a mile into the search, we found his buddy waving a fin in the air,” Grassi said. “Because he wasn’t wearing his BC, the only things sticking out of the water were his head and his fin. When that guy got into our boat, he was shaking.”

The men, who looked to be in their late 50s and had been stranded for an hour and a half, said they’d been diving for 25 years.

They had anchored their boat and made their dive, but instead of following the anchor line back to the boat, they came up a quarter of a mile behind the boat.

The strong current pushed them farther away and they didn’t have enough air in their tanks to submerge and swim to the boat.

After the divers watched three boats drive by without seeing them, the one diver decided to try to swim to their boat with just his mask and fins; he wasn’t diving with a snorkel, which made his swim attempt exponentially more difficult.

“It’s just little things like that,” Grassi said, “that make a bad situation worse.”

After the men had more water and Gatorade, they got back in their boat. As Baker pulled away, Grassi looked back and saw them hugging each other and crying.

“They were just thankful to be alive,” said Grassi, who was thankful his training as a fisherman enabled him to save the day.

 

Source: articles.sun-sentinel.com

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Spooktacular Underwater Adventure: Oyster Diving’s First Halloween Scuba Party at Mercers Lake

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halloween

Last Thursday, Oyster Diving transformed Mercers Lake into a hauntingly unforgettable underwater realm for their inaugural Halloween Scuba Party. Approximately 20 intrepid divers plunged into the darkness, weaving through a mesmerising scene of spectral decorations, glow sticks, and eerie underwater pumpkins.

halloween halloween

After the thrilling night dive, participants gathered to feast on a ghoulish spread of pumpkin soup, chilli con carne, and decadent fudge brownies, perfect fuel for the frightful festivities.

halloween

With a resounding success, Oyster Diving is excited to announce plans for this event to become an annual tradition. Next year, look forward to a fully licensed bar and live music, promising an even spookier celebration under the moonlit waters.

halloween

Join us next Halloween for an experience that promises to be a haunting delight!

Find out more about Oyster Diving at oysterdiving.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction


Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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