Windows of good weather are rare in February but can open quickly. Friday morning we had 18-knot winds and 6-foot seas, but winds were predicted to have plummeted to variable and flat today. It's supposed to blow again by Monday.

Going online has become the best way to get weather information. You can go to www.sptimes.com and click on the weather icon for the latest Doppler radar map and satellite image. From the links on the left, click on "Buoy Report" for the National Data Buoy Center's Florida map. Click on "42036", the west Tampa buoy, for a list of wind and sea observations from the past 24 hours. Click on "Latest Marine Forecast 1" for the National Weather Service's five-day forecast, or click on the triangular graph icons in front of wind speed, wave height and others for a five-day plot of buoy observations.

If you can't get online, listen to a VHF radio for a weather report.

Right after a blow the visibility usually will be limited in 60-foot depths. Expect the water temperatures to be a few degrees cooler than at the 42036 buoy.

- Chad Carney teaches scuba and spearfishing and runs charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 423-7775 or e-mail info@mobilescuba.com.

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