Phytoplankton bloom off the coast

[46er]

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88340

I think it was from all the Bennies swimming over the holiday weekend.

 

[ecampbell]

Is that what's keeping the fish away?

 

[46er]

Is that what's keeping the fish away?

Maybe. The water temps are good, no upwelling.

 

[smoke_jumper]

I was out Sunday. The ocean was full of life. From sea turtles to large bait balls. The only thing eating though was the pods of dolphins. We barely had any nibbles at all. We kept saying the water was a turquoise color. Now I know why.

 

[PineBarrens Advocate]

I was out Sunday. The ocean was full of life. From sea turtles to large bait balls. The only thing eating though was the pods of dolphins. We barely had any nibbles at all. We kept saying the water was a turquoise color. Now I know why.

By any chance have you been able to photograph any of the Sea Turtles in New Jersey? I would love to see that.....I participated in "turtle walks" when I lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL...seeing the enormous burrows they created to lay eggs and dozens of baby turtle tracks making there way seaward after they hatched was really great.

 

[smoke_jumper]

As a matter of fact we took a video of one that swam right up to boat.

 

[46er]

I have quite a few pictures; unfortunately none living, washed up on the beach. Some are huge. I recall visiting my folks in FL and taking the kids to a turtle rescue organization on the beach in Stuart FL. They had several pools full of turtles that had just hatched in their facility and were getting them ready for release. It was near Bathtub Beach just before Sailfish Point as I recall.

 

[smoke_jumper]

By any chance have you been able to photograph any of the Sea Turtles in New Jersey? I would love to see that.....I participated in "turtle walks" when I lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL...seeing the enormous burrows they created to lay eggs and dozens of baby turtle tracks making there way seaward after they hatched was really great.

Here's the video from Sunday. Note the color of the water too.

 

[PineBarrens Advocate]

Here's the video from Sunday. Note the color of the water too.

Fantastic!

 

[RednekF350]

Two years ago at one of my favorite fishing lumps about 14 miles off Cape May we had the same conditions. the lump rises to within 26'-30' from the surface and is surrounded by water in the 70' depth range. The water over the lump was so clear it was like looking through glass at the bottom.

 

[bobpbx]

Scott, I don't understand what you are saying. Is a lump a hump of sand? If so, why would the water be clear just over the lump?

 

[RednekF350]

Scott, I don't understand what you are saying. Is a lump a hump of sand? If so, why would the water be clear just over the lump?

The lump is a hump of sand Bob. Any anomaly in the bottom draws fish. This particular lump is about 3/4 of a mile long and varies in width. When I troll it the baitfish and sand eels are all over my sounder.
The water was clear everywhere it was just that you could easily see bottom over the lump. The water around it in the 70' depth range did not allow you to see bottom because of refraction and not enough light penetration.

Here is a screenshot of a popular string of lumps known as Five Fathom Bank off Cape May. All of the blue areas are lumps roughly 5 fathoms (30') in depth.

 

[manumuskin]

Here's the video from Sunday. Note the color of the water too.

The Persian Gulf was that color and in the Florida Keys as well.Only two places I"ve ever seen water that blue in the ocean.Looked like a fresh water Blue Hole.The Perisan Gulf and the night sky were the only two things I could ever recommend a trip to that part of the world for.Better yet go to the Tuamotus.

 

[46er]

The Perisan Gulf and the night sky were the only two things I could ever recommend a trip to that part of the world for.Better yet go to the Tuamotus.

You don't have to go that far, take a trip to the canyons for some tuna fishing, plus you get a bonus of the bioluminescence when the water is disturbed.

 

[RednekF350]

You don't have to go that far, take a trip to the canyons for some tuna fishing, plus you get a bonus of the bioluminescence when the water is disturbed.

I did a night kayaking outing in Fajardo, Puerto Rico a few years ago into a lagoon that was densely populated with bio-luminescent algae. As you paddled through the lagoon, you would leave a trail of sparkles through the water. You could grab the water and pour it through your hands and it looked a stream of sparkles. An awesome sight to see.
http://biobaypuertorico.com/

Puerto Rico is a beautiful and still wild place in extensive areas and going there was my compromise for my wife who wanted to go to "an island" in the Caribbean. I told her I wasn't leaving the US of A and going to a place where you have to stay on your hotel grounds or travel with guides and groups to preserve your safety. We rented a Jeep for the week and went anywhere we pleased without issue. The El Yunque National Forest, a true rain forest, was another highlight of that trip.

The best part was the local El WalMarto sold a stellar local rum known as Ron del Barralito. Hard but not impossible to find here.

 

[46er]

I did a night kayaking outing in Fajardo, Puerto Rico a few years ago into a lagoon that was densely populated with bio-luminescent algae. As you paddled through the lagoon, you would leave a trail of sparkles through the water. You could grab the water and pour it through your hands and it looked a stream of sparkles. An awesome sight to see.
http://biobaypuertorico.com/

We had a similar experience when we were in Jamaica and also the Virgin islands. It seems to be more prevalent in warmer water.