5-18-14While attempting to collect underwater imagery today for an upcoming production effort, a large female Bull Shark (or possibly a Sandbar Shark) decided to circle us a several times. The brief video clip shows some footage from two different camera divers; Joe Kistel (using a full-frame camera) Ed...
Read MoreOffshore Jacksonville Lionfish Harvest Success
4-27-14We had a successful day of harvesting invasive lionfish thanks to a dedicated team of conservation focused participants. Over 150 lionfish were removed from three different artificial reef sites offshore Jacksonville Florida. Two of the reefs visited were sunken vessels known as the Spike and the Powerful, and...
Read MoreLionfish Blast Video Project Teaser Clip
Holy cow! Participants in the Northeast Florida Lionfish Blast tournament have already brought in close to 1200 invasive lionfish. We went out on a scouting trip this past weekend in preparation for a filming trip later this month. We decided to put a video teaser clip...
Read MoreSt. Johns River Reef Site Investigation
Two 200' by 200' zones have been permitted for future artificial reef material placement just south of the Interstate 95 bridge. The CCA is spearheading this project and the hope is two create two modest sized artificial reefs (one at each permitted location) in the relatively near future. In an effort to better understand the environmental parameters of each location the TISIRI team decided to send out a diving team to get a first hand look at the river bottom. Joe Kistel and Ed Kalakauskis were the investigation divers while Larry Davis was on board for equipment, imagery, and data collection support.
Read MoreNorth Florida Lionfish Rodeo Underwater Pictures
This past Saturday a Lionfish rodeo tournament took place offshore Jacksonville Florida. The goal of the event was to remove as many invasive lionfish as possible from the reefs offshore Jacksonville. TISIRI participated in the event and captured some photos of the marine life encountered at the reefs we are trying to protect. The Reefs visited were the Casablanca Reef and the BR Freighter. See a few of the marine life pictures captured during the dives below.
Read MoreJacksonville 2013 Reef Pre-Deployment Survey Results
TISIRI identified and surveyed an area of seafloor within the boundaries of the Floyds Folly area (Permitted Area SAJ-2007-261) on 7-8-2013. The Floyds Folly area may also be referred to as “FF” in the remainder of this document. Results of the survey efforts suggest the area is adequate to place the anticipated concrete artificial reef materials. Divers that participated in dive survey and data collection efforts included Joe Kistel, Ed Kalakauskis, Nate Tucei, and Dane Shields.
Read MoreReef Clean Up Efforts; Pictures and Video
We visited a reef known as the school bus barge reef that rest roughly 12 miles east of the Mayport jetties. The barge sits in about 65 feet of water and is a popular fishing location due to its proximity to the inlet. Our goal was to remove entanglement hazards from the reef including fishing line and rope. Divers used scissors and snips to carefully remove line from reef structure and coral growth. Below are some pictures and video of the efforts.
Read MoreFirst North Florida Reef Investigations of 2013
Winter months bring cold water, unpredictable weather, and great white sharks to north Florida. Regardless of these less then encouraging variables underwater reef investigations continue. TISIRI visited two reef locations; a natural ledge reef and a artificial concrete reef habitat deployed in 2011.The first reef visited was a 5 foot tall natural ledge system at an area known as Hospital Grounds to local offshore enthusiast. The ledge sits in about 100 feet of water and is home to a great diversity of sea life. We encountered large red snapper, gag grouper, and amberjack. A few pictures of the reef are below
Read MoreJacksonville Spike Reef; Three Years Later
Kistel and Davis reported excitement having been able to revisit the reef. They reported fish everywhere including schools of tomtates and beeliners so thick in the ship that you could not see light coming through the large openings on the other side. Other fish species observed included spadefish, barracuda, gag grouper, and unfortunately lionfish. Kistel stated there was no shortage of invertebrate life as well. The hull appeared encrusted with barnacles, coralline algae, and even some stony coral. Other critters included plenty of sea urchins and even scallops.
Read MoreNorth Florida Lionfish Harvest Trip
In an effort to combat the invasive lionfish epidemic, TISIRI and Offshore Dive Charters continue to execute lionfish round up events. Our most recent effort included fifteen divers visiting three different reefs offshore Jacksonville Florida. The goal of the event was to capture as many lionfish as safely possible. Awards were granted to lionfish harvesters in several different categories. See picture of the harvest efforts below:
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