Go deep, stay long

Heading out of Manasquan inlet the air was a little crisp, with clear skies and the slightest hint of wind. With mirror flat seas, it was another day on lake Atlantic. There was a clear consensus among the divers: This sure beats work! Some of the divers had 32% mix so we stayed inshore and hit the Pinta.

The Pinta was a freighter carrying a cargo of hardwood. She collided and sank in 1963. We arrived on site quickly, and the crew expeditiously tied in. Obviously every one was excited to dive as they hit the water as soon as the pool was open. The clear surface water of last week, has been replaced with a tea brown soup. However, this was only on the top 20 ft. Once below this layer the vis opened up to a dark 20 ft. Once we switched on our lights, it was actually quite bouncy castle for sale nice (in a Jerseyesque way). There was little to no current on the wreck and the bottom temp was up to a toasty 43 Deg.

The wreck’s structure has opened up since my last visit. We spent our time checking out the inside, poking in every crevice we could find. We scared a few fish off in the process. A few large tog were about, with an occasional seabass. Lobsters, on the other hand, were few and far between. On the way back to the anchor I noticed a large brass valve above the diesel engine. I’ll bring tools on the next dive. Our hour was up, and we ascended the line. The safety stop was a warm 58 degrees, but we were in the tea water. You could barely see your gauges.

The surface interval was spent talking about the dive, the areas everyone had checked out, and how much the wreck has deteriorated. Before long everyone was ready for round two.

This time I jumped in with a few tools in tow. I passed Capt Mark on the way down the line. He was signaling something that I could not quite make out. I was pretty sure it involved a crowbar (one tool I did not have). I signaled OK, and continued my decent. After a false start locating the engine, I arrived there just in time to see Mark approaching, crowbar in hand. I guess we are committed now. The two of us proceeded to work on the steel bolts that were now weakened by rust and time. Video of the event might have been humorous: watching divers try to stand on a crowbar at depth. Between all the prying and pounding, the valve finally came free, and I nearly drained my bailout filling the lift bag to coax it off the bottom. On the way up we did an extra long hang to compensate for the work at depth.

Once on the surface we found that other divers had also found mementos of the day: s

Between the 12 ft seas and Northeasters, it’s been tough to get out diving this spring. This weekend the weather finally cooperated, and the Independence II made a run for it. Blue sky, flat clear water, who could ask for anything else? OK, maybe a few degrees warmer.

The NOAA buoys read 3 ft seas. When we headed out of Manasquan inlet the ocean was flat. Those buoys need to be checked! There was a slight swell, but not more than a foot, and that was inshore. When we arrived at the Stolt, the ocean was mirror flat. There was a slight current at the surface, and you could see the light penetrating deep into the water.

Rumors of 44 degree water had been circulated. Maybe on the surface, but not on the bottom. Lets talk about 41. At this temp, the suit is fine, but neoprene gloves are just not adequate. Dry gloves would have worked better. A clam dredge a little bit away was having it’s way with the bottom vis.

Well it is what is its, and we make due with what we have. My buddy and I jumped in and headed down the line. On the top of the wreck the vis was 30 +, but on bouncy castle for sale the sand it dropped to about 10. The line was tied in at the top of the Stolt. We headed down to the bottom for a look around. Lobster would be nice, anything else is a bonus. My buddy looked under the wreck, while I looked under debris around the wreck. No joy! I did see a small Monkfish and a good size cod, but my knife was not up to the task.

Next thing I know my buddies gone inside the wreck. In 10 foo vis, I’m a bit nervous, but followed after him. The wreck is still opening up. Light can been seen from most holes. It turns out the vis inside was a bit better than out side. At one point my buddy was on the other side of a bulkhead from me. I could see his light through a line of vacant port holes, but I could not see how he got in there. After a few tense minutes on my part, he appeared waving his light, asking if I was OK. I’m fine, and glad to know you are! We poked around in a few more rooms. While I tried to pry a few tiles off the wall/floor, he was digging in the silt.

By this point my computer was wracking up Deco, and at this temp, I was not interested. We both signaled up, and headed for the line. By the time we arrive I was looking at a 20 minutes hang. I could feel my fingers, but they were cold! This was going to hurt! By the time we broke th surface it was a 70 + minute dive. We opted out of the repeat performance. The other divers kept the second dive short.

We headed home in flat seas. A few lobsters in the cooler, and a group of divers happy to start the season. You could not have asked for a better day, top side, or a better group of divers! A great day of diving!

Tolten November 5 2006

Waiting for Buoy Dive

A fine day on Lake Atlantic.

While we were loading our gear, the morning air was still but crisps. The sunrise was painting the high thin clouds with deep shades of orange and red. What a great day! Our trip today, aboard the Independence II was scheduled for the Tolten. This was another one of those wreck that I’ve never been on. Each time I’ve scheduled, I’ve been blown out. Captain Dan also had some numbers he wanted to check out if we had time. Today held promise. We cleared the inlet into near flat seas. The occasional one foot roller went by. The ride out was smooth but cool, so we headed into the heated cabin. We were a couple divers short of a full boat, but this made for more room in the cabin, and more room for catch in the cooler.

We were quickly out to the wreck, but found a fishing boat anchored in place. They offered to share the wreck, so we tied into the bow. The seas were still flat, and the surface was very clear with no current. Once we were tied in divers quickly hit the water and dropped straight down. There was no current, no waves, and 40-50 ft of visibility! Sweet!

The Tolten was a 280 ft freighter sunk by a torpedo in 1942. She’ lies in 90+ ft of water with 15-20 ft of relief. As we hit 40 ft the beacon became visible. At 50 ft the outline of the bow came into view. I leveled out at 60 ft to take in the view, and get my bearings. We were tied into one of the two chains at the bow. The winch and engine used to lift them was exposed bouncy castle for sale with the gears clearly visible. To the right and left were large davits. Beyond this section a large debris field could be seen. There was plenty of ambient light on the wreck. A light would only be needed to look for bugs.

The wreck was covered with fish. A large Schools of Scup was swimming just off the port side. The school would turn in unison lighting up the water with the reflection off their silver sides. Cunners were ever present, nipping at the wreck here and there, watching our every move to see what we might stir up. As we crossed over the top of the wreck a large 4+ ft Jack glided slowly by. Seabass were here and there, and an occasional Tog would poke out from around the corner. Sea robins and skates swam about on the sand with a winter flounder here and there. Even a school of Atlantic Spadefish stopped by briefly. Off in the distance a few Spiny Dogfish would sneak around.

Since I beat Bill into the water for once, I figured it was my best opportunity to look for bugs. Normally there aren’t many left when he is around. There were quite a few on the small side. Before long, Bill swam by and waved. I pointed him to a larger one beyond my reach, as I continued to work on a 4 lb’er I had cornered. As it turns out they both had eggs, and I was empty handed for the dive.

During the fight, I had overstayed my time, and paid the price in deco. Hanging on the line was easy with no current, but the water temps seem to be warmer on the bottom or maybe it’s just deco. Either way the temp read 57 degrees. During the surface interval, some of the high clouds cleared letting the sun through to warm us up. Other divers had better success, and the cooler was filling up with some good sized bugs. We regretted that Louis was down in Florida diving the Ghost Fleet. This left us to our own meager lunches. Next time we’ll have to put in a real order.

I grabbed my pole spear and headed back for the second dive. The sun was higher in the sky now, and some of the clouds had cleared. Light on the wreck was better, and vis seemed better also. I leveled off 10 ft from the wreck and headed aft. This time I was in search of Seabass. A few of the larger ones were coaxed into my catch bag by the time I reached the boilers. These two cylinders stood some 20+ ft tall. Normally they are good place for fish to hide. I continued aft along the large prop shaft. On the port side of the rudder I ran into a large cube 5 foot on a side with a chain attached to the top. Off to the one side leading away from the wreck was a chain pile.

Passing around the stern and heading back along the prop shaft, I passed over a large Monkfish. I had to think for a moment. Catching a Monkfish is not something to take lightly. First, my bag was already populated with a nice sized Tag that continually reminded me that he was not happy to be there. Then there were a few seabass sharing his angst. With Monkfish, there is an issue of many large sharp teeth, slime, and large size. Not to mention the unpleasant task of cleaning one. At first I started to swim away and look for more seabass, but then I noticed that I was running low on NDL, and headed back. After a few minutes, the engagement ended, and I swam back to the bow with my bag clipped off and a large unhappy Monkfish impaled on my spear (note to self: bring a stringer). When I hit the surface, Bill grabbed the spear, and we dropped the Monkfish into a bucket with some ice. Cleaning will have to wait until I get home. (The neighbors are going to love me.)

The rest of the divers got aboard adding more lobsters to the cooler. Scott pulled the hook and we got underway. Since it was still early, Captain Dan headed out to check out the numbers. With the flat calm conditions, we could easily do a buoy dive to check them out. A few of us stayed in gear ready for a quick look-see. Unfortunately, the numbers didn’t pan out, so we headed back. All in all, it was a sunny day with flat seas, 57 degree water, and 50 ft of visibility. A great day!

September 9 Night Dive on the Independence II

Summary: Fantastic night dive! The air was 78 degrees. The water was 64 degrees top to bottom. The bottom vis was 50ft. 35 or so lobster came up, many in the 3-5 lb range, and a few scallops for good measure.

Details:

With a full boat and a little trepidation we set out on the Independence II for a much anticipated night dive on the undisclosed lobster spot. Getting out of the inlet was slow going, but once clear the seas dropped down to the 2-4ft NOAA was forecasting. The major concern was the 12 ft seas over the weekend. Last week there was over 50ft of vis. What affect would the rough seas have on the bottom vis and temps? Capt Dan kept telling us, “I leave the diving to you , you leave the DRIVING to me”.

The boat looked like a page from rebreather world. There were Megaladons, Inspirations, Evolutions and a Kiss or two. That was only half the boat. The rest was filled with doubles and a couple of singles. On the way out Dan passed around a drawing of the wrecks layout. There was a quick discussion that the tie in would be on the boiler. When we got to the wreck the crew deployed the new laser guided shot line to hit the boilers. It must have worked, because Mark had us tied in within minutes.

The plan was to do an early dusk dive for orientation, then a night dive after the surface interval. Groups of divers quickly dropped in, and we watched them descend through the clear water. If the surface vis was any clue, the bottom should be nice. As I was gearing up, Mark returned with a report: 50+ ft of vis and 64 degrees top to bottom.

My plan was to keep the first dive short, and save the bottom time for the second dive. I soon rolled in and dropped down the line. There was no current on the line as I passed other divers on their ascent. I could not resist the urge to yank on a few fins on the way by. At the 60ft mark I could see the beacon below me. This was going to be a good dive! At 70 ft the wreck was visible. The sand was at 120+, so I leveled off at 100 ft, and started to reconnoiter. The layout was clearly visible, and easy to navigate. The sun was high enough in the sky that lights were not necessary. I was amazed how much this looked like the drawing Dan passed around.

The Fluke seem to know that they were just out of season as the swam around the wreck openly. Then again, it is their spawning season. Some real doormats were chasing each other around the wreck. One or two winter flounder were also about. A few large Seabass made me regret leaving my spear at home. Of course Ling are a prerequisite on wrecks of this depth, along with the Ocean Pouts peering out from under the wreck. Even a few Tog made an appearance. Sea Ravens, Sea Robins, and some Porgies rounded out the predominant fish population.

Detecting a slight current, I headed into it toward one end of the wreck. Passing the bow, I headed out into the sand for a few scallops. After grabbing a couple, I passed a few scattered pieces of debris, with telltale antenna. While I’m not the best lobsterman, I can try, and grabbed a pair on the smaller side. Heading back over the main wreckage, claws could be seen in every nook, or at least those that did not have Ocean Pouts. My plans had changed, and the short first dive turned into the contingency plan dive. Just didn’t want to go up. The light was fading, and the lobsters were getting bolder.

I hit the surface with the last of the crew. With two captains aboard, Dan was able to splash and enjoy a dusk dive with Louis and Carrie while the rest of us did our surface interval. They returned laughing! Why? It was just that nice a dive, and they had a good number of crustaceans between them.

Did I mention that this was a catered event? During the surface interval we were treated to a large deli tray complements of Louis. Quality deli meats and cheeses, potato salad, pickles, cookies. Just the thing to keep your energy up for the second dive. Now it was time for round two.

I splashed right after Bill T. I wanted to get a couple of lobster, so I could not leave him on the wreck for long. The sun had set and it was now quite dark. The beacons could be seen almost immediately. We dropped down the line quickly. I was right behind Bill, but not closed enough. He was already bagging a bug as I hit the bottom. They were everywhere! The small ones were roaming around like ants, ok ants with claws. You didn’t want to touch the bottom for fear of hurting them. The bigger ones were emerging, and could be cornered away from the safety of home. Eels were also about hunting in the dark. Many fish were sleeping about the wreck, with the exception of the Fluke which were now in full hunting mode. More could be seen now than during the day. Did I mention that Lobsters were everywhere? It was an amazing dive.

After grabbing a few, and trying to coax a few larger ones out of hastily chosen crevices, it was time to head up. The hang was surreal. You could not see divers, just lights. Below they were flickering as they passed around the wreck, and were obscured by the rising bubbles. There was no current. We hung by the line motionless counting down the minutes.

I climbed aboard and began to get out of my gear as Dan and crew were banding and sorting out the lobster bags. After the last few divers came up, we ran through roll call. Scott pulled the hook, and we and headed back. What a great dive!