Above Cape Ann

Last fall, my buddy Mike Abelson took me up in his Skylane RG to get some aerial shots of Cape Ann. We were able to quickly and easily identify some of the best dive sites around the island. It was a hazy, but beautiful day, and it's always a blast riding in the front seat of a small plane (not to mention hanging out the window, camera in hand). In any case, this video that I finally cut together offers a unique perspective of some of our favorite dive sites. Enjoy!

Folly Cove, Gloucester

       Last month, against our better judgment, Chuck and I decided to dive Folly Cove in the pouring rain. After days of bad weather and massive electrical storms, we didn't have high hopes for the visibility or the overall comfort level of the dive. It also wasn't encouraging that the cove was completely abandoned.     

Proceeding a ridiculous attempt to get into my drysuit in the back of my Honda, I was ready to jump in. Following the western side of the cove to Folly Point, we were surprised and pleased to enjoy excellent visibility and tranquil conditions underwater. The first thing we noticed was a staggering amount of sand dollars resting on the bottom, there were thousands of them. You could hardly find a square foot patch of sand without them.

      On our way out, halfway to the point, we saw a fully grown ocean pout. It was a beauty. Very docile, it allowed us to get right next to it without being spooked. Eventually it lazily swam beside us and then rested next to the wall. The fish had an obvious full belly which probably contributed to it's overall sluggishness.  

 After hitting Folly Point, we were ready to turn around. I looked up one last time and realized that I was completely engulfed by a huge school of Pollock. Completely overwhelmed, I started sucking down air like crazy. The school, hundreds strong, moved as one giant swarm. I briefly attempted to keep up with them, but quickly determined that it was a futile action. As fast as they appeared, they were gone around the point. On the way back to shore we saw our ocean pout friend again, this time resting in the sand. I drove home with my head in the clouds, it was a great day to be a fish-nerd.