Launch "Inverted!" - A Look Underwater

[ricki]

This was inspired by the thread .. "Your locals" at:

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2304086

and our seasonal lack of wind in SE Florida but improved diving conditions. Tons of kiteboarders out there ride over truly remarkable underwater conditions routinely, ranging from reefs to wrecks to ?

So, show us your launch along with the "inverse" side. It may help to distract some of us that are in extended wind waiting mode.


For starters there is ... Ocean Ridge, FL, USA.

The buildings shown below have appeared in quite a few Kiteflix videos including "Psyche Rock" at: http://kiteflix.com/dvd_vhs.html

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Beach.sized.jpg
The launch.

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Cowfish_001.sized.jpg
The launch INVERTED ... I think these cowfish were about to have at it perhaps along with four others but this damn diver kept killing the mood. Some fish were into orgies way back or more aptly "milt" parties, it is interesting to see at the rare times you catch them in action.

I had no idea this concrete rubble artificial reef was even here in the sand flats inside the reef about 1/4 mile further offshore. I went out today and just ran into it by accident. Viz. wasn't that good but it is interesting to learn what you are blasting over when the wind is on. There is a whole world of oceans and conditions out there, what does yours look like?

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Spade_Fish.sized.jpg
Nobody here but us Spadefish ...

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Porkfish.sized.jpg
Porkfish, what a name ...

So, come on folks, what does the UNDERSIDE of your launch look like?

[ricki]

A real local spot, Delray Beach, with normal seasonal wind (none!) ...

It was great all through May though!

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Del1.sized.jpg
The launch.

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/uw1.sized.jpg
A pair of boilers from the Delray Wreck, the riding area, inverted!

[ricki]

Heading off Ft. Lauderdale and kitesurfusa.com, launch inverted ...

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/1_G.sized.jpg

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/4_G.sized.jpg
A barge wreck that has largely been forgotten.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/3_G.sized.jpg
The view skyward from within. Looks like an astral bikini!

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/5_G.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/7_G.sized.jpg
An artificial reef constructed almost 40 years ago of concrete aerojacks.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album23/6_G.sized.jpg

[ricki]

A real local spot, Delray Beach, with normal seasonal wind (none!) ...

It was great all through May though!

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/Del1.sized.jpg
The launch.

http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/albun21/uw1.sized.jpg
A pair of boilers from the Delray Wreck, the riding area, inverted!

Tom Leeman put together a video clip about this wreck, the S.S. Inchulva at
http://www.vimeo.com/clip:184274#

184274

more about the wreck appears below:

Title: DELRAY WRECK
Location:On the city's municipal beach, along A1A
County: Palm Beach
City: Delray Beach
Description: The old shipwreck known as the Delray Wreck rests at the bottom of the ocean in 25 feet of water about 150 yards offshore the south end of Delray's municipal beach. The wreck is broken and scattered into five sections and has long been one of the most popular diving spots in South Florida. The S.S. INCHULVA was grounded and wrecked by a fierce hurricane on September 11, 1903. Under the command of Captain G.W. Davis, the 386 foot steelhulled British steamship was bound for Newport New, Virginia from Galveston, Texas carrying wheat, cotton, lumber and a crew of 28 men. The storm struck about 5 p.m., tossing the ship and causing the cargo to shift. Steering became impossible, so Captain Davis put out both anchors, but to no avail. The anchors parted and the INCHULVA grounded and was ripped apart. Nine crew members were lost. Dawn revealed to the battered crew that land and a town were just a short distance away. by noon, all the men except Captain Davis and two mates had landed on shore in a small hastily-built raft. They found hot food and coffee at the Chapman House, a local hotel, where many of Delray's residents had taken shelter during the storm. The nine seamen who lost their lives were buried on the ridge overlooking the ocean where the ship had gone down. The surviving crew members were treated, paid and sent to New York. Before leaving for their homes, each crew member signed the guest register of the Chapman House. Under their names they wrote, "Shipwrecked in the S.S. INCHULVA, September 11, 1903, landed on a raft September 12th and received every kindness and attention at the hands of Mrs. Chapman." Captain Davis, his Chief Officer, a 2nd Officer and a seaman from the ship were brought before the Naval Court held at the British Vice Consulate at Jacksonville on September 19th. The Court exonerated the Captain and the crew from all blame.

Discovering a lot of this information came as something of an accident. Linda Reeves, a Florida author describes this and events around the sinking in her book, http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=18432

http://www2.xlibris.com/books/www/books/18432-REEV-thumbnail.gif

[BigR]

So, show us your launch along with the "inverse" side. It may help to distract some of us that are in extended wind waiting mode.


Ours in Tampa is too mucky, nothung to see :( unless you go 3 miles offshore

[ricki]

Ours in Tampa is too mucky, nothung to see :( unless you go 3 miles offshore

Three miles, that is fair game then. Some guys heading out probably get into the neighborhood at times. I am not sure what you can see there though. We did a coral reef survey 20 miles off Tampa Bay in the early 80's, something related to the Port of Tampa. The water was surprisingly warm for December and the viz. and hard bottom community pretty good. There was the pea soup fog to complicate getting back to the mother ship though. So, if anyone has some shots, let's see them.

[ricki]

I was just out at the wreck doing some light training for a free diving course this weekend with Martin Stepanek, http://www.martinstepanek.com/. The viz downward was about 8 to 10 ft. still even after several days of offshore wind. All that beach restoration must have brought in a lot of fines. Anyway, the waves have exposed more of the wreck, at least the two portions that I had a look at, the boilers and the hull section to the NW. The boiler was exposed another 2 to 3 ft. while the hull section was excavated another 2 to 4 ft.. It is likely that once the normal onshore wind returns the excavation will fill in somewhat particularly around the hull section. So, even though viz. is kind of poor it might be worth a look Saturday. It would be good to checkout the other sections of the wreck and see what has changed there too. This applies to other wrecks and reefs in the area, they have likely gained a few feet of exposure, for now. Maybe someone can even grab some shots this weekend if it clears up enough. It would be good to learn what else has shown up after the storm.