Well, the official score is Doria two, Dave zero. The front that went thru this weekend blew out our off shore trip. Instead we ended up diving off Block Island. While it was a pleasant weekend of diving, it was a bit of a let down. One of the other divers said that he has scheduled nine trips to the Doria, and is yet to make it there. It’s all part of the mystique.
Posts Tagged ‘wreck diving’
Dave doesn’t do the Doria (again).
Monday, July 23rd, 2007Cape May diving: Indian Arrow and Moonstone
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007I’m just in for the day, so I’m putting up a quick post. The first two weeks of July, the Independence II is down in Cape May to hit some wrecks off south Jersey. With a questionable off shore forecast, we stayed a little closer to shore.
Our first dive was the Indian Arrow. The winds were flat calm when we left the inlet. Unfortunately this also meant fog. Going was a bit slow at first, but we arrived at the site in 2 ft seas. Captain Dan quickly found wreck, and we were set to go in. Surface vis was a little cloudy, but the bottom vis was easily 50+ ft. This wreck is enormous! At first, I thought I was on the bottom, but it turned out to be the top of the wreck, she is turtled in 190 fsw. As my first time here, I started a little tour. First toward the bow till I hit the break. There were a few places here where penetration was possible.Inflatable Water Slide We then circled back to the stern. The huge single prop is an awesome sight. Time is short at this depth, especially with a bottom temp of 44. The decompression was cold until the thermocline at 50 ft. We thawed out by the time we hit the surface. Other divers went inside the wreck picking up lobsters along the way (one was 8lbs). Again this is a huge wreck, a 468′ tanker torpedoed in 1942. There is lots to see.
Our second day out we headed to the Moonstone. She lies in 130 ft of water a little further south. The run out was quick, as the seas were near flat, and there was no fog. Visibility here was a clear 40+ ft with a bottom temp of 50. A much more comfortable dive. We were tied into the stern making navigation a snap. The wooden decking is still in place in some areas. Here in the warmer water, fish were darting about everywhere. Large seabass, and one of the largest Tog I’ve ever seen. He darted by me a few times. I’m guessing he was over 3′. Swimming about this wreck, you can clearly make out many features, deck gun, depth charge wrecks, e.t.c. Peering into one hole, my gaze was met by a large set of claws. After a few moments of indecision/fear, I coaxed the 8lb critter into my bag.
We headed back with a cooler full of lobster and scallops. Two great days of diving!
Trip to the Mohawk on the Independence II, June 5
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007Once again, NOAA could not make up their minds, but they were currently calling for bad conditions. Our original plan involved a long run up to the San Diego. Given the current conditions, and the ever changing forecast, we just figured we would try to get out and get wet. To make a long story short, we hit the Mohawk. The surface looked clear, but with the long period rollers, we knew the bottom would be sloppy.
The surge on the bottom had it’s way with the vis which varied from 10 ft to where’d my hand go. Under these conditions I look for lobster, since you don’t need to see very far to grab one. However better lobstermen than I had returned reporting only shorts.Inflatable Water Slide At this point I figured on tying off and heading into the sand to look for fluke. Fluke season opened last weekend. It was worth a try. Perhaps it’s still too cold (44 Deg), or too early in the season, but I didn’t see any at all.
I gave up after while and tried looking for lobster. There were a few reasonable tog hiding under deck plates, and some rather docile seabass laying in the sand. There seemed to be a lot of shiny lead down there, so the fishermen have been there recently. Again perhaps it’s just been too cold, but the fish were not very active.
On the bright side, it was a great day to practice reel skills. At least the surface water had cleared up a bit. The brown coffee from last weekend was replace with some clean 58 degree water.
Excavation on the Pinta, on the Independence II, May, 30 2007
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007Heading 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
Oregon, Independence II, May 8, 2007
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007The NOAA forecast was for 5-10 knot winds, and 6-8 seas. Something is wrong there. Obviously there was something stirring off shore. (We now know it as Andrea.) When we got to the boat, there was no wind, and the bay was mirror flat. The captain wanted to take a look and see what Mother nature had in store for us. Good Call. Swells were causing huge waves just at the end of the inlet, and it was slow going out. Once clear, there was just a 3-4 swell. Captain Dan made a run for it.
It was a 60 mile trip to the Oregon. After tying down all the gear, we hit the racks for the long trip. As we neared the wreck, the swells seemed to settle down a bit, and the surface water was very clear. There was now a slight breeze, but nothing to speak of. Richie gave us all a briefing on the layout of the wreck. Complete with digging recommendations. As this was my first time on the Oregon, I was more interested in a quick tour. With a water temp of 42 and a depth of 130, this was not going to be a long dive.
Divers geared up and rolled in. By the time the last on hit the water, our crew was back up with a condition report. No current on the bottom, a slight surge, and 20 ft of vis. Richie held up his bag with a few scallops, one 2 lb lobster, and one in the 8 lb range. Nice catch.
When I hit the bottom, I could see a strobe off in the distance. Shortly, John went by with something on a lift bag. I started looking around, but my tour of the wreck was cut short by images of large lobster in my bag (Damn Richie). While there was enough light to sea clearly, I turned on my light and wend searching in each hole. I covered a lot of wreck, but was not having much luck until I noticed a solitary scallop. Hummmm. Off I go into the sand! One more. Maybe two. Where are they? Inflatable Water Slide After a hundred feet, I gave up, and headed back at an angle. I ran into a few piles of debris out there, and checked them out. Just before reaching the wreck there was a hull plate with tell tale antenna. After putting him in my bag, I continued back. My hands were getting cold now and it was time to head for the line. Three scallops, and a lobster. Not great, not bad. As I hit the wreck, I hit pay dirt. A group of scallops laying in a washout. OKay, don’t crush the lobster. Something is wrong here. I go out into the sand and get lobster, I come back to the wreck and get scallops. That’s just not right!
By now my hands were really cold. I headed for the line, untied my reel, and headed up. The water temp reached 48 at the 20 ft hang, and it felt warm by comparison. Dry gloves, got to get out the dry gloves!
The rest of the divers opted for one long dive rather than two short ones, we pulled anchor and headed in. John’s find turned out to be bottles. I hope he shares some pictures once they are cleaned up. We had following seas on the ride back. Another great day to dive!
