HELLO WORLD MISSION REPORT—SOCOMCOZ—03/13/2014 Over the past two weeks HQ has been inundated with troops. Divers from all over the world have been arriving and the staff has been working long hours. The Skinny Shark has been taking two and sometimes three missions a day. Add to that the fact that we have had to rent boats to accommodate all the troopers that have been scheduled in. So to say the least we have been running many Opps. Command has been aware of the Trip Advisor reviews and has prepared for this influx of missions. Our crews have been magnificent. Scout has led patrols in-between training new divers in open water and Nitrox courses. Cubano has taken missions in mornings, afternoons and night missions. The Sargent (Pony) somehow keeps the schedule moving by finding rental boats and tanks. Our supply of 30 air and 16 Nitrox tanks sometimes gets used up especially with three missions a day. The supply depot will rent us tanks when available. ----Francisco keeps the Shark fueled and clean. The weather has been nearly perfect but lately a south wind has made the trips somewhat bumpy as we near the south point. Chan Fran is expert in bringing the boat up to the divers on the surface playing the wind and letting the boat drift to them. As for myself---I have been on many of the missions—primarily as security. Many of the new trainees are here for the first time. When Cubano or Scout takes the point, I usually take a position up on the flank or “tail end Charlie”. Basically a safety valve in case anyone needs assistance. Sometimes the current will take the lead troops ahead—I can position myself as a reference between them and the rear guard—those who are on PHOTO missions, or just stragglers searching out a turtle or a nurse shark. I don’t mind the duty, but it has slowed my S&D (search and destroy) missions. I am always armed even though many of the sites we hit have been cleared of the enemy lions. This fact has been mentioned many times by the returning Pelicans. Statements to the point---“we don’t see any lion fish anymore” bring a smile to my face. It seems that the many missions that we have completed are starting to show results----A DECREASE OF LION FISH---. It was only a week or so ago RUNNER was in country. He scored a number of kills along with Assassin. My kill count declined during his TDY here. I tried to remember the last time I made a kill and it seems that it has been over a week. Sites such as Tunich, Cedral, Francesca, Delilah, San Clemente, San Francisco and the Palancars have had many boats stationed over them showing that high season was well underway. Our patrols on these areas have flushed many turtles, nurse sharks, eels and everything else. The Eagles have started to migrate wherever they go, but still a sighting is not out of the ordinary. Yesterday I arrived at HQ at my normal 0610 hours to find a stack of paper work. I have been delinquent in posting mission reports and a reprimand from command has me now going through all the data. I decided that after the dawn patrol I would have to get my desk cleaned off. --- Tanks gathered and gear on the deuce and a half----now on the Shark heading to Cedral. With many of the photog corps aboard, Cedral is always a favorite as we usually can find more than two or three turtles and nurse sharks. The squad went feet wet and as usual the current was enough to spread the group apart. The still shooters were in the rear while the video troops recorded valuable data that would be deciphered by INTEL once back at HQ. I took up a position in the middle and held that. I could maintain the bubble streams from the group Scout had ahead of me, and still see the troops behind me. I knew that this area was very safe, as I had not seen a lion in many week. After 57 minutes the last of my group was headed to hang ten safety stop. I was last to board the shark in my group. We picked up the Scout and two of his group before going to our SI. 53 minutes after the surface interval we dropped in on San Francisco. Scout detailed the mission. We will start on the edge of the wall and then cross to the shallower reef. FEET WET we headed to the bottom. As the current drifted to the edge, I took a look over. I saw a bunker complex below that I hadn’t been to before. I noted the position of the squad and checked the current. I felt that I could descend and give the bunker a RECON and still keep the squad in sight. I exhaled and headed down. The current slackened as I reached the edge. I checked life support gauges and everything was in the green. I looked up and counted six of the nine troopers. Over the edge I went.---It didn’t take long---just as I crossed the 110 barrier I saw a lone lion—I armed the M7 and sent a round down range---HIT and a kill shot. I drew out the DBF and finished him off. Since I was over the edge I couldn’t see the rest of the squad but I knew where they were. I gave my flak jacket a shot of air and started the slow ascent upwards. Soon the current was working with me and I had to slow my ascent. I counted 7 of the nine troops ahead of me. I gave my rattle a shake and one of the video corps trained her large camera on me just as two hungry queen triggerfish came to the tip of my spear. Before I could use the DBF to free the lion from the spear, one Queen took the kill and started to shake it. The other queen came in and also grabbed hold. Soon each triggerfish was swimming away with a mouth full of lion fish. The videographer gave me the OK sign and we both rejoined the patrol. Feet dry on the Shark, talk tuned to all the turtles and sharks an lobsters that were moving about. I sat in the stern content with the knowledge that I still can ascend to find a lion and take him out. STINGER OUT.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 23:07:42 +0000
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