Go deep, stay long

Dive Report for the Dina Dee II on June 3,06

52 degree and incredible Vis!

The first stop on this weekend’s dive aboard the Dina Dee II was to the Off-shore Tug. The wreck lies in 90 ft of water off Barnegat Light. It is a broken up steel wreck with a mid sized boiler and engine. The bow and stern protrude from the sand, and there are deck plates poking out here and there.

While the skies were overcast, there was plenty of light as we approached the bottom. We could see the beacon at 40-50 ft. Soon we could see clam shells on the sand. When we hit the bottom, we could see the engine from the bow where the anchor line was tied in. Vis had to be in the 40-50 ft range! Seabass and Tog were all over the engine and boiler. Everywhere a piece of wreckage jutted out of the sand, fish would congregate. Lobsters were abundant, but were either small or had eggs. A couple legal ones did come up, but not in my bag. A few winter flounder swam by taunting me as if they know they are out of season.

I entertained myself with the enjoyable vis bouncy castle for sale and large Seabass population. Bottom time goes quickly at that depth, and before long we headed back to the line. One last Seabass made the mistake of peeking out from under the anchor as we headed up. On the safety stop a few dog fish swam over to check out the equipment lines and divers. While they are common up north, I have not seen them off Barnegat Light before.

On the second dive, we went to the Inshore Tug. While only a few miles away, the vis dropped significantly. From the surface down to 30 ft the water was filled with larval critters. They blocked of much of the light on the bottom. Once on the bottom the vis was about 20 ft. The wreck is a grouping of wooden pieces strewn about the sea floor. It has been broken up over the years by clam dredges. Unless you know your way around, a reel is required even in great vis. We hopped from piece to piece. Some were covered with Seabass, and lobster here and there. Dog fish swam about on the bottom here, sometimes a little too close. After coaxing a few Seabass into my catch bag, we headed back to the boat.

Back on the boat, several of the group were surprised I did not get the large Monkfish that was on the one piece. Honestly, I just didn’t see it. The captains breathed a sigh of relief at the news. We got underway as the sun finally started to come out. Another great day of diving!

Dive Report for the Dina Dee II on May 21 06

After the early morning shock from the alarm clock, I dragged myself over to my computer to check the marine forecast. The night before NOAA was calling for 2-4 ft seas, but the NOAA data buoys were showing 6 ft. The forecast had changed overnight, and was now calling for 3-5 ft, and the buoys were still showing 6 ft. I jumped in the car expecting to be blown out at the dock.

We had a full boat, and Captain Roger figured we would poke our nose out and see what the conditions were like. With a south wind, the conditions would be immediately apparent. It was a little lumpy, but not the 6 ft I was expecting. There was an underlying swell around 4 ft with some small chop on top. We agreed the conditions were acceptable, and continued our trip to the San Saba (aka Magnolia).

Roger dropped the hook right next to the prop shaft about 30 ft from the boilers. A quick wrap around the shaft, and the ball was on its way. The vis was in the 20 ft range with a temperature of 50 deg at 80 ft and 53 on the surface. There was enough light to see by once your eyes adjusted. I headed off down the shaft toward the bow.

Seabass were darting in and out of the wreck, and several large Tog were nibbling on the growth encrusting it. As usual Cunners were omnipresent. Some would swim right up to my mask. I was a little fearful of them nipping at my only exposed skin, my lips. After bagging a few large Seabass, and one of the larger Tog, I figured I’d just look around. By this point I was off the shaft, and running a reel which made it difficult to hold a pole spear.

In several places there were piles of rusted screws which appeared to have been contained in boxes. The hardwood was still in the sand around the pile. I kept hoping bouncy castle for sale they were Magnolia bars for which the wreck was nicknamed. There are several high points about the wreck with many hull plates lying in the sand. Small lobster where hiding in a few holes. One big one was seen, but found to have eggs. Several regulation size lobsters came up, but not in my bag.

Back on the boat, several divers mentioned large Seabass around the boilers. They also mentioned a gill net snagged in that area. Since I did not see the boilers on the first dive, I headed that way on the second dive. There were large schools of Cunners around the top of the boiler along with several large Tog nibbling away. I didn’t see the Seabass on the boiler, or the gill net for that matter, but did find a raised deck plate with large Seabass hiding beneath. One made the mistake of poking it’s nose out and finding its way into my bag. Several others cowering inside, but I was unable to get a clear shot.

When I got back onboard Captain Bob was getting ready to do his dive and pull the hook. He just took a short look around, grabbed a lobster or two, then popped the hook. Heading back the seas had calmed down a bit with indications that Sunday would be an even better dive.

Pinta 02, 2006

Independence II pulling in.

Summary:

It’s great to be back in the water! We headed out on the Independence II with a full complement of passengers and crew for a Season Opener Dive on the Pinta. Vis was in the 20ft range. The bottom temp was 42. The surface temp was 44. The sky was clear, warm, and sunny.

Details:

Inland on Saturday night, the wind died down around dinner time. Driving down to the marina on Sunday morning, there was not a breath of air. While the forecast was for 4-6 over night, dropping to 2-4 by Sunday afternoon, I was anticipating much better. When we arrived at the shore, there was a strong north west wind blowing with white caps on the bay. Not a good sign, but Capt Dan opted to take a peek and see how the conditions were. This was a good call as the ocean had only 3-5 foot of chop with a southeast swell. By the time we tied in, the chop was already dying down. By the surface interval we were in 2-4. The residual swell from the southeast was still holding.

Like most Season Openers, people had the standard issues: missing hoses, overhauled gear, leaking o-rings and the ever popular dry suit shrinkage. Most were easily worked out as we all tried to get back into our regiments of donning gear. I had new seals in my suit, so I was just hoping to stay dry. One by one we hit the water, and you could hear people exclaim “boy that water is warm”, or something like that. On the way out Capt Dan told us the sensors showed a 44 deg surface temp. My log from last year indicated 38 degrees in May. 44 degrees would be warm by comparison, but the bottom may be cooler. Soon the report came back from Terry that it was 42 on the bottom. Not bad for April 2.

This was my first time to the Pinta. She is about 200ft long on a sandy bottom in 85 ft of water just south west of the mud hole. She went down in 1963 after a collision with the freighter City of Perth. The Pinta was struck forward of the bridge which looks to have cut her in two, or nearly so. Both sections lie on the port side about 30 ft apart. The cargo of hard wood boards is now strewn across the sea floor.

Terry tied us into the aft section right at the break in the hull making navigation easy. Arriving on the wreck, I tried to tie of my reel, but it jammed immediately. This was not an issue since there were other lines headed off in all directions. Being an intact wreck, I was quickly able to orient myself and find the bow and stern.

The wooden cargo seems to be holing up better than the ships steel hull. Looking at the wood. there did not seem to be much breakdown or marine growth. My first thought was that someone had recently dumped planks onto this wreck. Only after I surfaced and talked to the Capt Jay did I find out that this had been the ships cargo. All of the crevices must make great hiding places for fish and lobster.

The hull is not holding up as well. There has some gaping holes making penetration easy. Most of the upper structure was covered with a flowing array of anemones and hydroids. They were grouped in matching colors almost giving a camouflage look to the hull. Other patches of the hull appear to have a fresh coating of mussels. Groupings of larger mussels appear here and there lower on the wreck. In the debris of the stern section there appears to be the engine complete with valve springs. One mast still juts out of the bow section horizontal to the sand. This is also covered with anemones and mussels. Here and there you find a rope or line hanging from the wreck with masses of mussels encrusting it. I was tempted to bring some home, but figured mussels inshore would not have the best flavor.

After two passes around the wreck, the cold got to my hands, so we headed for the line (bring your drygloves next time dummy). The sun’s heat was welcome over the surface interval. Wet black drysuits were steaming in the warmth. Those in the know turned their gloves and hoods inside out to dry. While we sat soaked up the sun, Capt Dan told us of all the great trips they are planning for the year. We talked about BTS and the Doria displays. Many stories were exchanged before we suited up for the next dive.

The seas were even calmer now maybe 1-2ft. There were still swells that caused some surge on the bottom. There seemed to be more light on the bottom this time, and more fish about. Swimming about the wreck we saw mostly Cunners. In the washout by the bow there was a group of small Ling. I caught a glimpse of one small Tog in the stern section. Here and there were signs of excavation, but no good size lobster were found. Large hermit crabs and Sea Ravens could be seen here and there. After about 40 minutes the cold got to my hands again, so we headed up. At least I stayed dry!

Terry quickly pulled the line, and we headed back to shore. A great day to dive!

Dive Report for the Spring Tide Nov 19, 05

Summary:
Surface 45 deg air, 56 deg water, vis clearing to 20 ft.
Bottom 58 deg, 30 ft vis, dark but better, tog, seabass, pollock, mussels.

We finally reschedule our Algol trip from last month, and headed out for the final 2005 club dive of the South Jersey Dive Club. Today we were on the Spring Tide with Captain Ron, and the Bartman. Earlier this year we tried for the Coney Island, but ended up on the Algol. This time we headed for the Algol, and ended up on the Coney Island. Both are good dives at nearly the same depths, so it was not an issue.

The air was a crisp 18 degrees as I drove through the pine barrens. Mercifully, by the time we reached the shore, the mercury was back to 34. Carrying 120lb of gear onto a dive boat with ice on the deck can be dangerous. The air warmed up to the mid 40s once we were out on the water. The wind was light in the morning, but kicked up to 10-15 in the afternoon. Many of us were huddling out of the wind to keep warm.

The water on the other hand was 58 on the bottom and 56 on the surface. There was little to no current. Dropping down the anchor line was just that, a straight drop. The coffee color on the surface has cleared up to some extent. The granny line could be seen from the surface and the equipment lines were visible from the other side of the boat. Dropping down to the deck of the Coney Island, the bottom vis bouncy castle for sale was a good 30 ft, but still on the dark side. We were tied in just forward of the wheel house by one of the railings. The beacon on the hook could be seen from the other side of the ship.

The first dive was a sight seeing trip. The HID lights cut through the dark and scared most of the fish inside the wreck. There are a lot more holes in the deck now. Time is starting to take it’s toll on the structure. The roof of the wheel house is almost completely gone.

The Coney Island

Large mussels were here and there on the deck and vertical surfaces. There were a few tog, but not many. Half way through my dive I was surprised by a large tog swimming out of a hole in the deck. My guess would be that he was over 3 ft. As we were armed only with lights, he was quite safe. Several large pollock could be seen darting into holes here and there. Occasionally a seabass would swim by, but nothing very big.

After circling the deck it was time to surface and face the cold air. The wind had picked up and there was now some surface chop. Not much, but more than when we arrived. While off gassing during the surface interval the Bartman was sorting through his mussels, while I assembled my pole spear for the next dive. On a clear day like this you could see why they called this the parking lot. There were dive flags everywhere. The Algol is a short distance away, and other wrecks where not much further. We could identify most of the dive boats without binoculars.

By the time I hopped in for the second dive, Bartman was already on his third bag of mussels. I was hoping for one of those pollock. I figured that big tog would be smart and hide. They don’t get big by being dumb. I did not see him at all on the second dive. The pollock were deep in the hold. After finding a large enough hole in the deck, I tried to approach one, but he was having no parts of it. It was too dark to not use a light, but the light was chasing him away. After a couple of tries, reason got the best of me, and I headed back above deck. There had been some smaller pollock by the stern so I headed that way. They too were having no parts of this encounter, and ducked into holes in the deck. I consoled myself with a large winter flounder, and headed up.

Bartman was headed in to pull the hook as the last diver boarded the boat. Changing into dry cloths felt great. Just a short nap latter and we were back at the dock. Another great day of diving!!!