Participants in last weekend's State FSDA Freedive Tournament in Tarpon Springs had a rough time with low visibility.
The clarity was also bad in the St. Petersburg area. Divers experienced only 5 to 10 feet of visibility on ledges in over 100 feet, and it was much worse as they worked in shallow water.
The visibility has improved in the past week. On Thursday we found more than 30 feet of visibility on ledges in 60 to 70 feet. But there were more fish on the ledges deeper than 100 feet.
Dive masks with the new yellow tints help with low visibility. They enable divers to see details at the edges of visibility. For many years handgun and rifle target-shooters have used yellow tints to help bring out details on cloudy days.
Masks with colored lenses are available in most scuba shops. Seavision of St. Petersburg, an international mask manufacturer, has a yellow-tinted cover than fits over certain mask frames for easy application. This allows divers to use clear lenses on clear days and night dives, and the yellow adapter on cloudy days.
- Bill Hardman teaches scuba, spearfishing and free diving through Aquatic Obsessions Scuba in St. Petersburg and runs daily spearfishing trips. Call (727) 344-3483.
