FH-13 Compared with Eastern Reefs - August 6, 2011© Photos Posted by Mark Miller © Hi-Res Source
This was an MGFB reef monitoring trip to FH-13. The crew consisted of my sons Paul & Luke along with their friend Alec Newton. We first dove on the Linda Susan (Gerald Corcoran) since it has such high relief. We followed with a Dive on the Great Wicomico Pogey Boat and then the Tiger Shark Shrimp Boat. It was interesting to see the Linda Susan showed great pressure compared to previous visits. The Pogey Boat was doing very well and the Tiger Shark was almost a Desert compared to the other 2 reefs. All are located relatively close at the South End of FH-13. We then ventured out to Rig VK-68, then East to the V-Rig Air Force Tower, then a little further to the Fox Tug. MGFB has been discussing the desire to obtain another reef site to the Southeast of FH-13 and it was desired to compare the conditions in that direction. The observations showed that conditions improved for both water quality and quantity of reef fish. Visibility was good on the Fox Tug all the way down to the bottom, a condition not usually seen in FH-13 these days. It is unknown why the water quality has declined so much in FH-13 in recent years. It was not like this several years back. The recommendation will be to pursue this new reef site where our invested reef material can produce better returns. Total Trip encompassed 91.8 miles, 49 gallons of fuel, and 11.5 hours.
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