The upside down wreckage of the Rapa Nui Reef 67 feet deep off the Deerfield Beach Pier looks like the dark basement of a house crushed by an earthquake. But maybe not for long. Plans are reportedly …
Bisbee’s Black & Blue Starts Today!
19 Oct 20106:06 PM
Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament kicks off today in Cabo San Lucas. Now in it’s 30th year, the event is one of big game fishing’s grandest – and richest – tournaments.
It is also one of the most recent to convert to a “circle hooks only” policy when fishing with natural baits. This is a signifcant move in that several studies have shown survival rates after release are much higher for billfish caught on circle hooks as opposed to standard J hooks.
The fishing runs from Wed, Oct 20th – Friday, the 22nd. You can follow live scoring here and check in on the action with live video here.
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![](mailto:?subject=Organizers Not Giving Up on Rapa Nui Dive Site&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/11242681_10152750655661710_105051262564212438_o.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2857 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/11242681_10152750655661710_105051262564212438_o.jpg?w=300" alt="11242681_10152750655661710_105051262564212438_o" width="300" height="169" /></a>The upside down wreckage of the Rapa Nui Reef 67 feet deep off the Deerfield Beach Pier looks like the dark basement of a house crushed by an earthquake. But maybe not for long.
Plans are reportedly in the works to cut openings for divers to access the hull of the 150-foot-long barge that crushed 14 Easter Island-like statues affixed to it during the problem-plagued June sinking. Broward County recently deployed 500 tons of limestone boulders dubbed 'Mount Deerfield' just north of the site. And philanthropist Margaret Blume of Boca Raton and artist Dennis MacDonald of Pompano Beach are considering placing more statues, called moai, in a sculpture garden in the sand around the barge.
Right now, Rapa Nui-- the Polynesian name for Easter Island--isn't much of a dive. Swimming beneath the barge is dangerous because it's only being held up off the bottom by the brittle remains of the statues and their concrete base. One strong storm, and the rusty hulk will plop into the sand.
But this project was not a complete failure. The goal of creating new marine habitat is already happening. Algae coats the overturned hull, attracting bait fish and the grunts and gray snapper that eat them. A reliable observer reported two Goliath grouper swimming around the wreckage. And when I dived it with Jeff Torode, operator of South Florida Diving Headquarters, a feisty triggerfish-- backed by a posse of its buddies-- attacked his GoPro as he shot video.
With the planned enhancements, Rapa Nui could become as enjoyable for divers to visit as it is now for fish. Visitors could easily explore the underwater artwork and Mount Deerfield in a single drift dive. And there are other scenic reefs --both coral and manmade-- in the immediate vicinity that warrant making a day of it.
"I would like to improve it as a dive site," Blume, who put up $500,000 for the June deployment, said. "I really hope we will do something wonderful even on a small scale. You can't give up too easily." https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/organizers-not-giving-up-on-rapa-nui-dive-site/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Follow Guy Harvey Outpost on Instagram!&body=Join GH Outpost on Instagram by following @GuyHarveyOutpost!
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-11.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1348" title="Guy Harvey Outpost on Instagram" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-11.png" alt="" width="426" height="640" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/follow-guy-harvey-outpost-on-instagram/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Outpost to Open St. Pete Beach Resort&body=
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutposttampabay.com"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1109" title="Guy Harvey Outpost, A TradeWinds Resort" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/logo_ghostpete1.jpg" alt="" width="356" height="335" /></a>
Third Location for Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts Program
Miami, Fla. (FEBRUARY 16, 2012)— Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts and Marinas today announced plans for opening its third resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida, with the rebranding and renovation of the popular TradeWinds Sandpiper Suites to reflect the hospitality company’s emphasis on marine conservation and outdoor pursuits. To be branded the Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Resort, the 211-room beachfront resort represents the company’s first Florida property, complementing its two projects in the Bahamas Out-Islands of Bimini and Rum Cay.
“The Tampa Bay/St. Pete area is a perfect fit for our first ever Guy Harvey Outpost in the U.S.,” remarked Guy Harvey in announcing plans for the conversion. “Not only does the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation support a number of marine research organizations and conservation initiatives in the area, but there are a seemingly endless amount of outdoor activities in the Tampa Bay region to keep our Outpost guests busy.”
<a href="http://www.guyharveyoutposttampabay.com"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1110" title="Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Resort" src="http://guyharveyoutpost.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/tradewinds1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="365" /></a>
“Florida has some 1,200 miles of beachfront but only one where the Gulf meets Tampa Bay. One great beach and two amazing bodies of water make for endless water sport activities and a great resort setting to use as your base camp,” commented Mark Ellert, Outpost president. “Conde Nast Traveler magazine selected St. Pete Beach as one of the top six Florida resort destinations in its latest edition, so we’re in good company with our decision to put a flag here.”
Designated a “Blue Wave” beach by the national non-profit Clean Beaches Council, St. Pete Beach meets the council’s highest criteria for water quality, cleanliness, safety, maintenance and conservation efforts. The Guy Harvey Outpost is situated at the center of St. Pete Beach.
In converting to a Guy Harvey Outpost, owner and manager of the property TradeWinds Island Resorts intends to further its commitment to bringing conservation and recreation together. “The resort was the first to receive the coveted ‘Two Palm Florida Green Lodge’ designation for our ongoing conservation initiatives,” notes Keith Overton, president of TradeWinds Island Resorts. “By teaming up with Guy and his Outpost hotel brand, we’re boldly underscoring our company’s commitment to his vision that the future of sustainable tourism sits at the intersection of conservation, education and recreation.”
Water sports are virtually unlimited in the Tampa/St. Pete area, notes Captain Ned Stone, Outpost Programs Director. “You’ll run out of time before you run out of things to do in the area.” Ticking off the many water sport pursuits, Stone adds “there’s world class offshore and backcountry fishing, scuba diving on mysterious wrecks, dolphin encounters, a life-time of back country kayak and stand up paddle boarding, kiteboarding and surfing.” https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-to-open-st-pete-beach-resort/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Swim With the Largest Fish in the Ocean with Shark Team One&body=There's a bulldozer coming slowly toward you as you float in the warm waters off Mexico's northern Yucatan Peninsula-- and it's ALIVE.
Brown with lots of white spots, its gaping maw the size of a front-end loader, a 15-foot whale shark is cruising only six feet away. And despite your wildly-thumping heart, the shark doesn't really care that you are there; it's concentrating on sucking up zooplankton on the surface. Its small eye darts in your direction, but the shark never alters its slow, steady course.
If you join Guy Harvey Outpost's Whale Shark Expedition to Isla Mujeres, Mexico Aug 5-11, led by Angela Smith's Shark Team One, you are virtually guaranteed a repeat of this scenario multiple times per day. Your group of 10 explorers will shoot photos and video of the largest aggregation of the endangered animals known to science; learn to identify individual sharks; and contribute to a research data base compiling numbers, sex, behavior, and size information. You may also get to extend this exercise to include manta rays which are frequently seen swimming with the whale sharks.
"It's crazy good swimming among sharks that big!" Smith said. "We'll get a lot of time in the water because it's a private charter. I want [guests] to go away feeling they became shark advocates because they helped and learned things about shark conservation."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/whaleshark3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4606" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/whaleshark3.jpg" alt="whaleshark3" width="720" height="468" /></a>
Smith, an award-winning film and video producer and marine conservationist, founded Shark Team One in 2013 to advocate for, protect, and study endangered sharks around the world. Expeditions to locations such as Mexico, Belize and the Bahamas enlist citizen scientists to observe, document and create public awareness of the sharks' plight.
In Isla Mujeres, visitors may only snorkel with whale sharks; scuba gear is not permitted because of disruptive bubbles. Flash photography also is prohibited, so Shark Team One photographers will learn how to make the best of natural light.
After each day's snorkel adventure, participants will enjoy a beach lunch and head back to town for optional shopping and cultural tours or just relaxing at Hotel Playa Media Luna, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge that will serve as base camp. Dinner will rotate among various local restaurants.
If this sounds fun to you (and it should!!!), book your reservations now at the <a href="http://guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/expedition-adventures/whale-shark-expedition/">Guy Harvey Outpost web site</a>! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/swim-with-the-largest-fish-in-the-ocean-with-shark-team-one/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=A Hemingway Returns to Bimini&body=
John Hemingway, grandson of the legendary <a title="About Ernest Hemingway" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway" target="_blank">Ernest</a> (John's dad was Ernest's youngest son), touched down in <a title="About Bimini" href="http://www.bahamas.com/out-islands/bimini" target="_blank">Bimini</a> yesterday via <a title="TOA web site" href="http://www.flytropic.com/" target="_blank">Tropic Ocean Airways</a>' new seaplane service, which is due to takeoff at the end of this month. While on island to research and write an article for <a title="SI web site" href="http://www.showboats.com/" target="_blank">Showboats International</a> magazine, John will be hosted by the <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a>, a favorite haunt of his famous grandfather. John's planned activities for the week include a snorkeling excursion on <a title="About Dive Bimini" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/diving.htm" target="_blank">Dive Bimini</a>'s M/V <a title="About Bimini Blue" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/our-boat.htm" target="_blank">Bimini Blue</a>, a backcountry fishing trip with guide and boat-builder Ansil Saunders, and a tour of <a title="Sharklab web site" href="http://www6.miami.edu/sharklab/" target="_blank">Doc Gruber's Sharklab</a>. Also on the schedule, a visit to the site of the <a title="About the Compleat Angler" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compleat_Angler_Hotel" target="_blank">Compleat Angler</a>, Papa Hemingway's home away from home during his years in Bimini (the hotel/bar tragically burned to the ground in 2006) .
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hemingway312.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1154" title="John Hemingway arrives in Bimini" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hemingway312.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="298" /></a>
Upon touchdown yesterday, John was greeted by BBGC GM Mike Weber. John was asked about his previous trips to Bimini and whether or not he has his grandfather's passion for fishing and boating:
"There have been A LOT in my life. The last one was about 2 years ago, before that in 2005. Most of my visits were in the 60s and 70s. I go fishing whenever I can, mostly saltwater, but I've also fished on lakes and fly-fished. I love sailing, and honestly wish I had a boat. When I was a teenager in Miami I had a Laser and would go sailing just about every day after school. I lived on San Marino Island with my grandfather's brother Leicester Hemingway.
Look for more updates from John's trip later this week!
<a href="http://guyharveyoutpost.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/hemingway2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1155" title="BBGC GM Mike Weber, right, welcomes John Hemingway back to Bimini." src="http://guyharveyoutpost.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/hemingway2.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="421" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/a-hemingway-returns-to-bimini/){kind=link}
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