Winter officially begins on Monday, but I'm sure most divers feel like it's been here all month!
Dive computer data for mid Decembers in 50-110 feet shows some very interesting temperature ranges. In 1998, a strong El Nino year, we had 72 degrees.
In 1999, it showed 67. In 2000, an unusually cold year, it was 63. In 2001, it was an unseasonably warm 72. Last year, 64 was reported.
And this year, I have no December dives at all! One cold front after another, every three or four days - it has skunked us, including this weekend. One lucky friend reported low 60s this week except for the warmer Middle Grounds waters, which were fed by the Loop current and reached the 70s.
The cold fronts have scattered fish and bait, making spearfishing a challenge. But when the grouper, hogfish and medium amberjack can be found, spearfishing has been hot. Visibility, however, has been equally challenging, even in deep water less than 20 feet horizontally.
The first verification of poor weather on our coast comes from two NDBC buoys off the Louisiana and Alabama shores. These buoys report the weather we will have in the next 24 hours.
