The 13th is out for the both of us, we'll be at the ORCA Holiday 'partay'. We're both game for a BBQ, or another form of an informal gathering, with friends, family & lots of seafood

I say we have a gathering on the 13th...

The 13th is out for me too. I'll be in the Keys that weekend snorkeling and playing... oh, and my wife Elaine will be with me too. I'm hoping to bring home some creatures for the aquarium. I'm up for the 20th or any other time... be it a beach get together, a BBQ or anything else.

Ron

well there it is we are going to the keys with Ron on the 13th
I up for anything too, I like collecting!!

The 20th is good for us. If we are not moving.

____________
Little Snook
James Steiner

Low tides for Sanibel

December 13, 7:43 a.m. -1.2 feet
December 20, 12:43 p.m. 0.7 feet

December 13 has the best tide for collecting, but December 20 seems to work better for most peoples schedules. At this point, I don't know my Christmas schedule, so I will probably head out on December 13. (and maybe again on the 20th)

Well, the better tides coupled with the front coming through this week means that I am going on Saturday. I plan on hitting the beach around 6:30 a.m. if anyone is interested. FYI, I plan on going to Sanibel first. If things are good (collecting), I may stop by Bunche Beach on the way back.

The beach I go to for this type of collecting is Algiers. I used to find gorgonians and sponges after strong winter fronts. Many times the sponges will have crabs and shrimp (pistol and the occasional peppermint) inside them. Haven't been in a couple of years, so not sure what to expect.

Jeff,

I'd love to join you this Saturday, but we (Elaine and I) will be in the Middle Keys collecting at Bahia Honda one day and Florida bayside the other. The good news for you is, it's going to be warmer here this weekend than in Marathon! Brrr! Good thing I have my winter wet suit!

Ron

I just might join you!

this weekend would be cool for me let me know if your going. ill need directions to.lol

Scott & Alan,

OK, I'm assuming you guys are talking to Jeff and joining him on Sanibel, not joining me in the Keys... right? But then we all know what happens when you assume... you make an a** of you and me... OK. So just in case, if ANYBODY is now or ever interested in joining me (and my wife Elaine) in a trip to the Keys, I'm wide open to it. Heck, I'll even use our 9' inflatable dingy as a ferry and take people out to, and back in from, whereever we snorkel (we don't go more than about a mile off shore, usually not nearly that far). We go once about every other month now that we aren't towing a 26' sailboat (the inflatable fits in the back of our PT Cruiser). We stay in a clean, Mom & Pop type motel, usually in Marathon and snorkel all over the Middle Keys (trying new spots as we find them). This weekend it's Bahia Honda on Fri afternoon and Florida bayside off Marathon on Sat. We found a couple of cool little islands with some coral, feather dusters, sponges and anemones around the edges. Maybe we should organize a long weekend trip in the summer, like a Fri thru Mon. If gas is still cheap (one can hope) and the motel rates get back to rational (for the Keys). It could be fun... and we do it whether anybody else is going or not! If there is any interest, lets start planning and organizing now.

Ron

I wish I could join you, but I have other things planned with the kids this weekend... But I should be able to make sanibel.

For me, this Saturday, 6:30 a.m. at Algiers Beach (aka Gulfside City Park) on Sanibel. Make sure you bring a valid fishing license.

On Sanibel, turn right at the STOP sign. Turn left on Casa Ybel Road. Algiers Lane will about a mile down on your left. When the pavement ends, follow the gravel road to the beach. There is a fee for parking, so bring change.

rofl .. 6.30am ...

I've got the 5:00 a.m. wake up call for Marco. Who has the 5:05 a.m. call?

I'd call from the Keys... far enough away that he can't get to me until he's had time to cool down! But I'll have spent Fri afternoon snorkeling in freezing cold water (67-68 degrees) with a heavy wet suit on, so I'll probably sleep in myself. The later in the day Saturday that we get started, the warmer the snorkeling... I'm not concerned with tides... this time. I'll see if we can bring back some pictures.
Have fun, keep warm and stay safe.
Ron

my phone will be off. I doubt i'll be coming out. I caught a cold & sore throat working outside for the last few nights. Been home yesterday & today trying to catch up on some rest.

So far, it is me for sure, Travis probably and Scott maybe.

I'll have my cell phone on me. As soon as I get there, I'm heading out to the water.

229-0836

alan and i will be there!

OK, 4 of us went. Best shelling I've seen in a long time. I actually gave away 3 large horse conchs and 2 lightning whelks. Tide was soooooooooooooo low that Scott and Alan actually walked out to the sandbar without getting their feet wet.

A list of some of the critters we found (obviously, there were many we did not keep or even collect:

Gorilla Crabs
Stone Crabs (2 types)
Porcelain Crabs (2 or 3 types)
Pistol Shrimp (3 or 4 types)
Stars (linkia and luidia species)
Serpent stars
Brittle stars
Gorgonians (3 types)
Sponges
Octopus (found 2!)

It was really cold but worth the chill. Had a great time.

glad you all had fun...We didn't go to Orlando, Marco has the flu and I'm on bed rest until at least monday per doctors orders. Maybe next weekend we can plan something else as well...we'll be a go then as long as our fam is doing ok.

I posted pics of some of the critters and shells I collected. They are in my gallery (jdhuyvetter) on page 6

www.swfmas.com/v/users/jdhuyvetter/?g2_page=6

Well, Elaine and I made it back from the Keys safe and sound. The weather could only have been worse if it had been raining. Highs on Fri and Sat of 70 and NW winds of 20-30mph. Snorkeling on the Florida Bayside for anemones was completely out… way too rough even in by shore. Ocean side was calm enough in by shore, but out by the small islands and reefs it was still to rough. And did I mention cold? Let’s see, 70 degrees and 20-30mph winds would make for what, a wind chill of about 50 degrees? So we put on wet suits and waded along the shoreline in the calm water. Like Jeff, Alan and Scott saw here, we had exceptionally low tides, especially Friday afternoon. We never got more than 100’ off the beach, but we saw spotted rays, several cow fish (Elaine even saved one that was stranded on a sandbar by a wave), emerald crabs, spider crabs, blue leg hermit crabs, florida hermit crabs, blue crabs, queen conch, west Indian conch, a large (8-9”) ‘regular’ sea star, stripped serpent stars, sea cucumbers, lots and lots of long spined urchins, juvenile sergeant majors, parrot fish and a few 2’-3’ tarpon. Some hermits, some snails, a couple of emerald crabs and a couple of mermaids shaving brush algae came home with us. Also a couple of small red urchins and small spider crabs, but they probably won’t get out of the quarantine tank. Anybody have any experience with the red long spine urchins? Reef safe? Estuary safe (as in a 30g refugium)?

OK, I've identified the urchins. They are Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra lucunter lucunter). Well, just how well can he bore into rocks? Old coral skeletons are fairly soft and in my quarantine tank that's not an issue... but what about the glass? My best guess says no way he can harm the glass, but I'd like to hear otherwise if anybody knows better than my wild assed guess? Over night I can't see that he has harmed anything. And there are some rocks and even some soft corals in there with them.

Ron

They bore into rocks very well. Big holes. Definitely get rid of them.