It is sad but true; spearfishing here in the Stuart area has been a total bust for the last few weeks. The Army Corps of Engineers, in its wisdom, has decided to send billions of gallons of Lake Okeechobee water down the St. Lucie River into the Stuart area. This has been causing the water to be green and brown and visibility to be all but nonexistent except for the bottom ten feet or so. This influx of fresh water has been a disaster to the lagoon and nearshore marine environment. At Sailfish Marina of Stuart, where we keep our dive boat, we are seeing fresh water plants floating by on a daily basis. I have heard that inshore there is not a lobster, crab, or live oyster to be found. It is my opinion that the water from the center of the state could be better used rather than just dumping it to the east coast (and west coast).
Ok, I will get off my soap box. So what are we doing during this challenge? Our boat Heartless Bitch and the Gillbilly have been running south to Jupiter to find clearer waters. Others have been finding some success shooting fish and finding lobsters on the deeper ledges and reefs off the Martin County coast. However, even there it is a swim through cloudy water until you get close to the bottom and find about thirty feet of visibility. Hopefully, water conditions will improve over the next few weeks. Water clarity is not as bad further north in the St. Lucie and Indian River County area. So a drive to the north may provide some relief to the “brown water blahs”.
Please feel free to call the shop with any questions, diving needs or to book a spot on Gillybilly and let’s get some fish or lobster.
FORECAST BY: Christy Campbell
StuartSCUBA
Stuart, Florida
Phone: 772-600-8288
Email: info@stuartscuba.com
Website: www.stuartscuba.com