Inclement weather forecasts and up-and-down buoy reports kept many close to shore for the long weekend, but the wind and seas were half of most predictions.

One forecast Thursday correctly called for the average 5- to 10-knot winds. Next time I'll give this one more credibility. Go to www.intellicast.com and click on "wind contours" under Current Weather. Click on the U.S. map in the Orlando region to bring up most of Florida. Color-coded maps with wind lines called isobars, wind speeds and high- and low-pressure areas are shown for two-day forecasts at 6-hour intervals. There are great radar and satellite imagery maps on the Sailcast page. Always check many forecasts, looking for consistency and especially agreement with real data from buoys and C-MAN stations.

We went free-diving in 30 feet of water five miles offshore instead of the Middle Grounds and were delighted to find top-to-bottom visibility and no trace of angel hair. The Treasure Island artificial reef had many 2- to 3-pound mangrove snappers and sheepsheads, but the gags around the culvert stacks were undersized. After firing only once and spearing a snapper, a nice 8-pound gag blitzed in to see what was happening. There also is a lot of bait and many nice hogfish on small ledges and rubble bottom within sight of land.

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

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