[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen August arrives, away goes all the wetsuits; water temperatures are in the 82° F to 84° F range. Weather is typically calm, winds light with predictable scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Visibility is 100-plus-feet, which is great for taking photographs in the morning before the afternoon thunderstorms pop up. August is typically a slower month for diving, as folks start to get ready for school to start. Still seeing good schools of grey snapper, lots of large schools of cero mackerel patrolling the walls and reefs along with spotted eagle rays on the wall. The lobster are back on the reefs but not as much out in the open as the season opens August 1st. Please note, you are not allowed to take lobster, or any species of fish while using artificial air, i.e. scuba tanks; exception being lion fish with a Hawaiian sling or the ELF tool (Eliminate Lion Fish).
Safety tip for August:
A safety stop is a decompression stop that is not required by either the dive tables or your computer because you are still within model limits. Studies have show, that as little as two minutes reduces detectable bubbles in the body by a factor of five.
Fun tip for August:
Review the coral tab under the library tab on the website and see who can identify the most species of coral.
Diver tip for August:
Too long a surface interval is not good for your health, dive early and dive often.
August is un-crowed diving, un-crowed beaches and endless dive sites on South Eleuthera, a great time to squeeze in some vacation time before school starts.