Das Boot - The U-853 off Block Island 9/29/07

"May 5, 1945 : Toward the end of the war, the U-853 had taken up station patrolling the waters of the Atlantic off the east shore of New England. Just off Point Judith, Rhode Island, she spotted the S.S. Blackpoint and torpedoed the freighter, sending her to the bottom. This was a mistake, because the sub was in shallow water, with a depth of 130' and there was nowhere to hide. Ironically, Admiral Dz had ordered his U-Boats to cease their attacks on shipping a day earlier, May 4. U-853 probably did not have this information. A Yugoslav freighter witnessed the explosions of the Blackpoint and radioed the information to the U.S.C.G. The Coast Guard and Navy quickly converged on the area with four warships - the USCG Frigate Moberly, the Destroyer Ericsson, and the Destroyer Escorts Atherton and Amick. Using sonar they quickly located the submerged U-853 some six miles east of Block Island. Depth charging was commenced, and continued into the night. At one point, the white hat of a German U-Boat Captain floated to the surface. At daylight, the navy sent a hard-hat diver down and confirmed the destruction of the U-853. All 55 hands were lost, entombed in the boat. "

September 29, 2007: My best friend from college was getting married, and he asked me to be in the wedding party. Rehearsal dinner was Friday night with the wedding taking place Sunday afternoon. Did I mention that the wedding was in Rhode Island? What to do all day Saturday? Visit my alma mater? Go to Newport? Relax? No. The U-853, a piece of history I’ve been dreaming about diving for years, was just a few miles off Block Island, at a depth of 130’. It was decided that my Saturday would be spent trying for a second time to reach out and touch this sub. Last year we were cancelled as we waited for the boat Captain to arrive at the dock. This year I would try again. With what was supposed to be a joint New Jersey / Rhode Island dive contingent, we chartered the Explorer dive boat out of Snug Harbor in Narragansett, RI. This was an excellent choice. The Explorer is a 42 foot fiberglass Grand Banks expedition trawler built for comfort. Although it can hold up to ten divers, Capt. Sutton chooses to keep the number down to six to keep it manageable.

Like I said, this was supposed to be a joint NJ/RI diving adventure, mainly RI plus me. Two spots still needed to be filled and the Capt. Recommended posting for them on Scubaboard. I had a better idea. I ran the dive past a few of my NJ diving buddies and the spots were taken. As the date got closer and closer, the RI divers numbers dwindled as the NJ divers numbers increased. In the end, it was supposed to be five from NJ and one from RI. That too would change by the time the Explorer left Snug Harbor.

The weather report was calling for clear sunny skies with winds to 15 knots. It was looking like we were going to make it out to the sub. We met at the marina at 4:30 am and began loading the gear onto the Explorer. The sixth diver, Bill D from RI, didn’t make it to the dock. He mentioned to me the night before that he was still on the fence. If he showed, he showed. If not, it would be five instead of six. Capt. Sutton was as hospitable and friendly as they come. He gave us an update on the predicted weather; 15 knot winds with 2-4’ seas, expecting to lie down as the day progressed. He told us that last week there was 25’ viz. on the sub. Things were looking up, and it would appear that the angst I’ve been feeling the past few days when thinking about the dive being scrubbed was all for naught.

The ride out was beautiful. The sun was rising from the east, Block Island was on to our west, and the weather was looking good. We arrived at the site to find one of the three moorings gone. The Capt. maneuvered us over the sub and we hooked into one of the moorings and began setting up. Rob would be the first in, as he would be spending the most time on the sub. He was diving a Meg rebreather and knows this sub well. Scott and I would buddy up, as we were both diving open circuit doubles with 40 cf. bailout bottles. Stephan was diving his KISS rebreather and he would partner up with Yasuko, who was diving single steel 100 with a 40 cf. bailout bottle.

Scott and I splashed in at 8:41 and began our descent. My heart was racing as I was realizing that I was finally going down to the U-853. The conning tower starts at 90’, and I thought we were tied onto it. I was watching my depth gauge anticipating the sub coming into view. 70’… only 20’ to go. 80’…only 10’ to go. 90’… I should see it…I should see….100’. Huh? It wasn’t until my depth gauge read 112’ did I see the sub. We were tied into the bow, which is still intact and is one of the most recognizable parts of the sub since it was made with thick steel to bust through ice. The visibility was a disappointing five feet and there was a moderate current running from the bow to stern. It took just over two minutes for me to make it down to the sub. Before I touched the sub I stopped, took in a breath, and reached out as if I was patting the head of my 4-year old. I laid my hand onto the side of the sub as I felt a wave of satisfaction run through me. Finally. It took me a minute or two to get situated, since I was pretty narced and needed to shake it off. We settled at 122’ on the starboard side of the bow. Scott was motioning something about running a reel, but it didn’t register yet. After a minute or two of settling down I motioned to Scott that I wanted to go to the sand, but then I took a look at my NDL and saw it was already in the single digits. I didn’t even attempt to descend past my max. depth of 123’. I could see the round shape of the torpedo at the bow and saw all the deterioration around the sub. The pressure hull was gone and anemones covered the exposed areas. I took a few pictures using my camera, but there was too many particles floating by to make anything of them. We never ventured too far from the line, maybe 25’, but never made it to the conning tower or first blast hole. I was keeping an eye on my NDL and watched as it ticked town to one minute. Up a few feet to give me a few more minutes of NDL until it ticked down to one minute again, and up a few more feet. After the seventeen-minute mark, Scott and I began our ascent. We made a slow and steady ascent, making several stops along the way. Breaking through the thermocline where the visibility opened up twenty feet or so, we were met with a thick layer of jellyfish. I guess I was too excited to notice them on the way down, but they were everywhere. I’ve seen jellyfish before, but this was like no other I’ve seen. It was a forty foot thick layer of jelly blob.

Breaking the ten-foot mark I had a little incident that Scott helped me with. The ascent line had a small loop hanging off underneath the mooring. This loop was made of black rope, so it blended in with my hoses. It got caught under my chin and behind my tank. I tried ascending but all that happened was my regulator was pulled from my mouth. I was able to bite down and catch the edge of one piece, but my mouth was now filled with salt water and my regulator was dangling on my lip. Before I reached for my backup, Scott pulled the line off and I was back in business. It seemed that the top ten feet were a lot rougher now than they were forty minutes earlier. Sure enough, the 2’-4’ seas didn’t lie down as predicted. We were greeted by at least 8’ seas with wind gusts of 25 knots or more. The mate was waiting on the bow with a hook for me to hold onto as he pulled me to the stern of the Explorer. The waves were making the ladder a little difficult to handle, but with the help of the crew, I was safely on board just as the mooring broke. Scott came on board quickly and the crew went into action. Lucky for us, the Capt. covered this exact scenario during the briefing, and he did exactly what he said he would do. We started the engines and circled the bobbing buoys until all the divers came up and were recovered. Not an easy task with 8’-10’ seas and whipping winds. White capped waves were crashing over the bow as the mates were keeping a sharp eye on the buoy for divers breaking the surface. Credit due to the Capt. and his crew for doing a professional job.

In the end, I had a 41-minute runtime that included just over two minutes to descend, 15 minutes at depth, and the remaining time on the ascent line. I had 54 degrees on the bottom.

Due to the weather, we did not do a second dive on the sub, which was both disappointing and a relief. We hit a crane barge near the inlet just to spend a little more time in the water. Sorry, I didn’t write a report for this.

I want to extend my thanks to Capt. Sutton of the dive boat Explorer, along with his crew. I would recommend them to anyone who wants a truly professional experience and a comfortable dive platform.Stephan, Mike, Yasuko, Scott, and Rob.

Pictures from Dutch Springs

I usually don't write-up dives from Dutch Springs, but I did take some pictures from todays dive. Scott, Yasuko, and I got a 75 minute dive in the cove, after a midwater swim from the helicopter. Here are a few shots.



Trees in the fog








Scott in the steel structure








Yasuko over the trees









Rotor blades (minus the blades) from the helicotper








Mike in the steel structure







Fog in the trees

The Dykes - Aug 4, 2007

The Scuba Connection chartered the Stingray dive boat for Sunday, August 4, 2007. The initial idea was to go to the Alex Mac, a scallop boat which went down a few years ago. After a little trouble hooking the remains of the wreck, we decided to hit the Dykes, which was sunk as an artificial reef in 1983. As usual, there is an excellent write-up on this site on NJScuba.net.

While enroute, we were visited by a bunch of dolphin, who were jumping out of the water fairly close to the boat. We were also visited by a leatherback turtle, which I haven't seen in NJ. While we were finishing up our second dive, we were met by something else I've never seen before in NJ. A sharks fin broke the surface and was cruising on the surface about twenty feet off the stern for a short time. Stephan saw it and decided not to say anything, thinking nobody would believe him. Then I saw it and pointed it out. We had a few bags of mussels hanging overboard, so I wonder if that's what peaked its interest. It was most likely a dogfish shark, but we didn't see more than the fin.

I did two dives for a total runtime of 96 minutes. Viz. ranged from 10'-20'. On the first dive I shot my very first fluke and Scott got a couple of lobsters. On my second dive, I left my spear on the boat and brough down my camera for a few pics. They are posted here on wreckvalley. I love taking pictures of the starfish, anemones, shells, and fish. I just wish I had a better camera.

The tickle stick that Scott used is the soon-to-be world famous "Bender lobster tickle stick". Its simply a 2 1/2 foot piece of thick coated copper wire from Home Depot. It can be folded up, bent, straightened out, or whatever, as needed. Its not called the "Bender lobster tickle stick" because my last name just happens to be Bender, but because it bends...get it? What a play on words. As ridiculous as it sounds, this thing actually works. He caught two lobsters using it on this dive, and it was as versatile as they come. Just watch...next year everyone will be using one. Home Depot won't be able to keep this stuff on the shelves, there will be a worldwide shortage of the materials needed to make it, it will cause mass panic.....you'll see. In the mean time, while you're waiting for this to happen, check out my pics from the dive.

Rockland County - NJ night dive 8/2/07

The Rockland County is a tugboat measuring 105' x 24' and built in 1960. On Valentines day, February 14, 1986, she was intentionally sunk as part of the New Jersey artificial reef program, and sits in about 80' of water in the "Sea Girt reef". This reef is located on an underwater ridge known as the "Klondike", which is known for having a sandy bottom and relatively good visibility.

On August 2, 2007, The Scuba Connection chartered the Stingray dive boat for a single-tank night dive on the Rockland County. The wife and some of the kids dropped me off at the dock, with the intention of visiting some friends and family at the shore while I was off diving. Making the dive with me was Scott, Stephan, Yasuko, Sean, Michelle, Paula, Alex and Alec. My wife gave me very specific instructions; come back with sea shells and star fish for our 4-year old daughters upcoming luau themed birthday party. Seafood was secondary. I made sure to tell Scott what my priorities were so they were quite clear; hit the bottom, scoop up what we can, and then enjoy the rest of the dive. I came prepared, with a homemade tickle stick, which consisted of a 2-1/2' long piece of heavy coated copper wire from Home Depot that could be bent in any direction, but strong enough to hold its shape. This tug sits in no more than 80', so I was diving double 98's filled with 36% nitrox, giving me a bottom time of 55 minutes (assuming I was to spend the whole time on the bottom), plenty of time to gather the needed materials and still have time to explore.

After a longer than expected wait to tie into the wreck, the pool was open. Scott and I splashed-in almost last. Upon hitting the tug, we did just as planned. This was a true night dive. There was no bright moon, no ambient light, and viz. was no more than 10'. There was also a decent current. We hit the sand and began bagging up shells and starfish. I made sure to bring a separate bag for them, since I didn't want any "dinner" to damage these valuable goods. In addition to the shells and star fish, I also loaded up on sand dollars. I've never seen so many, they were all over the place. I was able to scoop up a half a dozen at a time. As silly as this sounds, I love sand dollars. I think they're cool. I found a nice sized vacant moonsnail shell, as well as a small "occupied" one too. I also picked up half a dozen star fish of various sizes. After this, it was time to explore the wreck.

Almost immediately, Scott found a decent sized fluke under the stern. I gave him my pole spear and he nailed it with a nice shot behind the head. We began exploring the tug from top to bottom and all around. Swimming by the portholes, I was surprised to be blown away from the tug each time. The current coming through the tug was pushed through these small round holes, creating quite alot of force. This tug was covered with beautiful Sea Anemones, mussels, hydroids, star fish, and lots of other colorful growth. Knowing my lack of lobster catching abilities, I made sure to bag up several pounds of those ferocious fighting, fear inspiring mussels. Wow, did they put of a fight, but don't worry, I came out of it ok. Scott wasn't so lucky, I think one of them gave him a bloody nose.

After exploring the tug for a while, and not seeing anything worth spearing, I dropped my pole spear and bags by the hook, leaving my free to explore further. Swimming along without my spear, I found a nice sized tog just waiting to be taken to the surface. He was about four feet inside, and the opening was about a foot and a half wide. I returned to the hook to retrieve my spear, lined up a shot, and missed. Before I could reload, the tog shot out of the hole upside down, swam around wildly for a few seconds, and then ran directly into Scott's catch bag. If only it had been opened, he would have swam right in. Oh well. I returned my spear to the hook and continued exploring. About twenty-feet from the hook, about three feet in a two-foot hole, sat what I was looking for...a nice two to three pound lobster staring me in the face. I tried, but he was just out of my reach, so I had to return to my catch bag for my homemade tickle stick. I turned around to head back to the hook for the tickle stick and noticed that Scott was still by the hook. When I went to retrieve the stick, Scott made it clear that he was ready to ascend, since that bloody nose the mussels gave him was getting the best of him. Lobster: 1, Mike: 0.

We were the last divers on the boat and we managed to have a 59 minute runtime. Several nice sized lobsters came up, along with one fluke and pounds and pounds of mussels. The mate went in to pull the hook and we were off, heading back to the Belmar Boat Basin. We got back to the dock a little later than expected, but my wife and kids were wide awake and waiting for us at the marina. The kids were so excited to see the starfish, the wife was excited to see me, and I was excited to dive again on Saturday.

A wreck and a pile of rocks - July 29th, 2007

One of the problems with signing up with a scheduled charter is that you are limited to where you are diving. One way to solve this is to charter your own boat and fill it with good friends and skilled divers, which is just what I did on Sunday, July 29th. I chartered the Outlaw Dive Boat out of Balmar, NJ, which is a six-pack boat. I wish it could have taken a few more divers, since unfortunately, I left out a few divers that should have come along. In the end, the boat was filled by me, Scott Previte, Rob Infante, Stephan Francke, Craig Billings, and Yasuko (aka Fiasco). Our goal was to dive relatively shallow, somewhere in the 75'-90' range, and look for lobsters and other tasty creatures of the deep. Ideally, it would be a three-tank day, but that was up in the air.

I checked the weather report regularly, and was not optimistic that the trip would go out. They were calling for scattered thunderstorms and showers Saturday and Sunday, but the seas were only forecast for 3'-4', which are quite acceptable. The night before the dive, I was so sure that the dive would be called that I kept my cell phone on my nightstand. Except for a few hours of scattered sleep, I was up most of the night. Up and out by 5:00 am for the hour drive to Belmar, with the required stop at Quickcheck for breakfast and lunch, I should arrive at the boat no later than 6:00. Enroute, I was met with heavy clouds, lightning in the distance, and as I approached the shore area, fog so thick it could only be described as pea soup. Scott called to say that he was in the middle of an electrical storm, and at this point I thought it was only a matter of time before we ended up heading to Dutch. As Interstate 195 changed to Rt. 138, there was a break in the fog, and low and behold what did I see above? Blue sky...outstanding!

I arrived at the Belmar Boat Basin to find a packed house. All the party and charter fishing boats were loading up, as well as the dive boats. Across from the Outlaw, the Stingray was loading divers for their "Princess Dive" for a ladies only day under the sea. All six divers arrived and we loaded up and headed out to find flat seas. The 3'-5' seas were still 3-5, but they were inches, not feet. The fog was moderate while heading out, but there was no breeze and no current. The ocean was as flat as I've ever seen....aka....Lake Atlantic. Keeping with our goal, we decided to dive on the Sea Girt wreck, not to be confused with the Sea Girt tug. This was a schooner barge believed to be sunk around 1900, and is about eight miles off the coast. It takes its name only because it is eight miles off the town of Sea Girt. The loss of this barge was never recorded, and it is unlikely its true name will ever be known.

The wreck consists of two parallel wooden walls 3'-4' tall, and the ship's keel in the center. There is a large amount of machinery and other items from the barge, including a winch, big anchor, and a massive chain pile rising at least 10 feet off the sand. The wreck itself is really big, estimated to be about 250 feet long. There is a very good write-up and pictures on the NJScuba.net website at http:/njscuba.net/sites/site_sea_girt_wreck.html.

Descending along the anchor line, there was no current, and the viz above the thermocline was a good forty feet. Hitting the 50' mark, the temp took a nose dive along with the viz, which was now between 10' and 15'. Scott and I hit one of the low walls, which contained compartments each about a foot wide. I was amazed to see that just about each compartment held at least one crab, some two, and occasionally, three. Every few compartments contained what we came for...lobsters. The only problem was that these compartments narrowed quickly and went far beyond the reach of any of our arms. Using my pole spear proved fruitless. There were skates all around in the sand, and a large number of black sea bass among the wreckage, and I was able to nail one mature fish before we turned around. I went to the chain pile, which was massive. So big that I thought it was a part of the wreckage, not a chain. I missed the large anchor said to be nearby. This chain pile was a magnet for black sea bass. I found another mature one with a spear hole already in its side, and decided to make the same choice the previous underwater hunter made, which is "nice fish, I want you". I nailed this one and bagged him, putting him in with the other one I got before, along with a lobster that Scott picked up on the low wall. After 40 minutes, it was time to ascend. I ended with a 46 minute run time, a bottom temp. of 54 degrees, and viz. of 10'-15'.

The surface interval was something to remember. We were visited by dolphin...lots and lots of them. They were all around us while waiting to pull the anchor, and they swam with us for a majority of the trip to our second dive site, which was to be a natural rock formation about two miles to our east. This was Fiasco's first time seeing dolphin in NJ, and she saw more on this one day than I've seen in all my years of diving here.

The second dive was on a natural rock formation, which was hopefully loaded with lobster. Scott and I descended to find this place reminiscent of Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Loaded with life, colorful, and true to Capt. Nash's word, filled with lobsters. There were almost no large fish to shoot, with the exception of two large fluke that I didn't take, and again, skates all over the place. Scott grabbed one legal sized bug which I bagged up, but we weren't able to grab more even though we could see them. To be quite honest, we both readily admit that we suck at catching lobsters. After 35 minutes it was time to go up. I ended up with a 40 minute run time, a bottom temp. of 56 degrees, and a viz. of no more than 10'. On the hang, we were met by Craig and Fiasco, who showed us the three bugs that she caught. She ended up with a bruise on her hand from one of them clamping down on her, but she won and should have a nice dinner as a reward. On the surface, the dolphin continued giving us a show. While waiting for the diver to release the hook, Rob floated out about 200' on a ball and line while using snorkeling gear in order to get close to them, and was able to hear them "talk" to each other. Rob ended his dive with three nice sized lobsters as well. Again, NJScuba.net has a nice write-up and photos at http://njscuba.net/sites/site_rocks.html

As the second dive was ending, the weather was deteriorating fast. The storm clouds could be seen to our west, thunder and lightning were approaching, and then the rain started. The ride back in was a wet and windy one, but I didn't care...I was asleep.

Here are links from mine, Fiasco's, and Stephan's pics on Wreckvalley>>>
http://www.wreckvalley.com/gallery/v/local/wrecks/july29/
http://www.wreckvalley.com/gallery/v/local/wrecks/Sea+Girt+Wreck+7-29-07/
http://www.wreckvalley.com/gallery/v/local/wrecks/Pile+of+Rocks+July+29th+2007/

Brunette Wreck Night Dive 7/25/07

The Brunette was a 274 ton screw propeller freighter, built in 1867 by Pusey & Jones Yards, Wilmington, Delaware. On February 1, 1870, the Brunette was enroute from New York to Philadelphia with a assorted cargo. At 10:00 PM she collided with the Santiago de Cuba. Eleven crew members survived the collision, but sadly, two souls were lost. She lies in a relatively shallow depth of 76 feet a few miles off the New Jersey coast.

When this wreck was discovered by Captain George Hoffman a few years back, divers found crates of brown and white marble door knobs, pocket knives and bottles. All that is left of her now is her propeller shaft, her steam engine and boilers. She was unofficially named the "Door Knob Wreck", until she was positively identified. She rests a close 200 feet away from the Cadet in 70 feet of water. There is an outstanding write up with photos of the brunette, and a great video by Capt. Dan Crowell, on NJScuba.net's website.

On July 25, 2007, I was able to dive this wreck with a group of divers on the Blue Fathoms dive boat out of Clarks Marina in Point Pleasant, NJ. This was to be a single tank night dive, and we left the marina at 6:15, fifteen minutes earlier than planned. The weather was perfect. All that was missing was my camera.

My usual dive buddy was not able to make this trip. I buddied up with Jeffrey McCool, an active-duty career U.S. Army vet who's seen more action than anyone his age should ever have seen during his two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan. Now he is "lucky" enough to be stationed at Ft. Dix training the reservists who are about to be sent over, while his wife and kid are relaxing in upstate NY by Lake Ontario. I think I'll need to pay him a visit for some lake diving!

Anyway, after a quick run out to the wreck site and a speedy tie-in, Jeff and I were the first team in. On the way down, I noticed it was dark. Not night-time dark, but murky dark. Viz. on the bottom was about ten feet. I met Jeff on the bottom by the anchor, and before I knew it, he bagged his very first lobster. This was only his second NJ wreck dive, and he caught a lobster before I could even get myself untangled from my wreck reel line that was wrapped around my fins. Congratulation! This 2-pounder was only about 20 feet from the anchor chain underneath a hull plate. I gave him my bag and in this lobster went. I ran the reel to the bow of the wreck, looking for a "mate" for the lobster in the bag, but had absolutely no luck. There were lots of black sea bass and a few fluke. I took a jab at one doormat sized fluke (flounder?), but didn't hit it well and off it went. I also jabbed a few black sea bass, but none made it into the bag. We went back towards the anchor line and it was time for Jeff to go. He was diving a single 120 while I was diving double 98's with 36% nitrox, giving me a 75 minute bottom time if needed. I met up with another buddy team and we followed the shaft to the stern and the 6' propeller. There on the bottom was another doormat sized fluke (flounder?), but I had no bag. Jeff had his lobster in the bag and I didn't want to carry it, so I had him take it up with him....big mistake. This fish must have known that I had no bag. I gently prodded him along just to see him swim....bye bye tasty treat.....there is always a next time!

After seeing the remaining divers lingering around the anchor line, I figured it was time to go up. I had another 15 minutes remaining at this depth before going into deco, but decided not to be the one to make everyone wait. I finished with a 59 minute runtime, a max. depth of 76', and comfortable 56 degrees on the bottom.

Tolten - July 4th, 2007 on the Gypsy Blood

Rob Infante and I decided to take advantage of the mid-week trip to the Tolten on the Gyspy Blood dive boat out of Brielle, NJ. The Tolten was a Chilean freighter sunk on March 13, 1942 after it was torpedoed by the U-404, resulting in 27 casualties. It rests in pieces at 95' after being wire dragged after the war in order to not be a hazard to shipping.

The weather report called for fairly rough seas in the afternoon, but the speed of the Gypsy Blood should have us on the wreck by 8:00 am and back at the dock by 1:00 pm. The ride out had 2'-3' seas, but at the dive site, we had to wait for a lobster boat to finish picking up and dropping his pots, which added an extra 30 minutes. After the boat left, we hooked in. Rob and I were the first in, since Rob was on his rebreather and was planning a 3-hour dive. Obviously, I wasn't going to stay that long since I was diving open circut double 98's. The weather was picking up and the Capt. said put us on notice that we were only doing one dive so we could beat the storm.

After splashing and descending, Rob found a lobster before I could even tie in my wreck reel. We found two more, but they were undersized and had to remain. Viz. was a very respectable 25', and there was no current or surge on the bottom. There were lots of keeper sized black seabass and Ling, but I was looking for lobster. My pole spear was being used for a 6' long tickle stick. After poking around for a while, it was time for me to leave Rob to his vices, and begin my ascent. I managed to have a 46 minute run-time, but that was nothing compared to Rob's 2 1/2 hour dive.

While waiting for Rob to finish, the seas picked up and made for a fairly rough wait. There were several large rollers with at least 10' from top to bottom. Seawater was splashing into the boat and my stomach was not happy. Rob finally came up and had 3 or 4 lobsters and 4 scallops. A quick trip back to the marina and I was able to make it home for my neighbors 4th of July bbq just as the rain started.

NJScuba.net has a really good write-up on the Tolten with lots of great pictures.

Beth Dee Bob Wreck - May 26

The Scuba Connection chartered the Independence II for a trip to the Beth Dee Bob. The Beth Dee Bob is an 84' clam boat which was lost in a storm about 11 miles off New Jersey on Wednesday, January 6, 1999. All four souls were lost when this boat went to the bottom of the Atlantic, resting upright in 115' of water. The first time I'd been there this was a fairly new wreck, only four years old. My first trip to the Beth Dee Bob showed the wheelhouse in good shape and all of the interior basically intact. The Captains chair was still there, all the electronics were still there, nothing was collapsing, and not much covered the wreck. This time was to be drastically different.

We left Clarks Landing at 7:00 am sharp with nine divers. Sea's were as flat as you could want. Lake Atlantic here we come. The Outlaw dive boat looked like it was heading for the same destination, but the speed of the Independence II gave us a five minute advantage, and as a result, sole custody of this wreck. I assumed the Outlaw tied into the Stolt or Algol, but later learned they were destined for the Granite wreck.

Stephan, Craig, and I teamed up as a team, and were the third team in. Stephan was diving his KISS rebreather while Craig and I were diving double 98's. Craig carried a 40 cf stage bottle, and I was diving my brand new 7' hose. No current allowed us to use a stern line for an almost vertical descent to the top of the wreck at 76'. After getting acclimated, we began our first tour of the wreck. Lots has changed since my last visit. The wreck is now completely covered in anemones and mussels. The most shocking thing is the unbelievable difference in the wheelhouse. The only remains of the Captains chair is a short stump. The doors are collapsed, the walls are falling down, wires and pipes are dangling, debris littered the bottom 3 feet of the wheelhouse, the wheel is gone (a shocker), and every surface is covered with anemones. Stephan and I did a penetration on the first dive from the starboard side through to the port side. I didn't hit the sand on the first dive, but thats because I felt a slight narc at 104' and decided to keep this my max. depth for dive #1. Viz. was a respectable 20'-25' with a bottom temp. of 46 degrees. Lots and lots of sealife surrounded this wreck and I took a few pictures. No underwater hunting today. After a 40 minute runtime, which included a conservative deco schedule, and we were back up on the boat.

During the surface interval, Wes, the ten-year old son of the Captain, was fishing. He caught three Spiny dogfish shark. Too bad we didn't see any on the wreck.

The second dive seemed warmer...eventually. They say that a 1/4 inch doesn't make much of a difference in many aspects of life. Well, a 1/4 inch makes all the difference in the world when that is the amount that your drysuit is opened. As soon as I splashed for dive #2, I felt a chill throughout my midsection. I shot back onto the boat and had the mate check my zipper. Sure enough...it was almost closed, but not completely closed. A tug on the zipper and I was back in and meeting up with Stephan and Craig who were waiting patiently at 15'. The viz. cleared up to at least 30' and it was a degree or two warmer. This time I dropped to the sand and did another penetration of the wheelhouse. Stephan spent a few minutes in the wheelhouse and was tempted to do a little exploring into the crew quarters, but chose to pass on this until next time. My NDL was creeping up to me, so Craig and I decided to do a nice slow ascent, again keeping to Craig's deco schedule.

We were back at the dock at 2:30, giving me more than enough time to get home to the family for the 2-hour drive to Wildwood for the Memorial Day weekend.

I posted a few more pictures on the gallery for the Wreck Valley Dive Club. Here is the link

Mohawk - January 7, 2007. First dive of the year

The Mohawk was a passenger Liner which was sunk by collision, January 25, 1935. She was leaving NY enroute to Havana Cuba with 54 passengers and a crew of 109. She was carrying general cargo when she was struck by the MV Talisman. As a result of the collision, 45 people from the Mohawk perished.

The remains of the Mohawk lie at a depth of about 75-80 feet about five miles off the NJ coast. Since being sunk by the collision, the Mohawk was blasted by depth-charges by the U.S. military, and wire dragged. She can now be described as a large debris field. There are a few points which rise about 15' off the bottom, but most is laying on the bottom with only a few feet of relief.

On January 7, 2007, Scott Previte, Rob Infante and I paid a visit to the Mohawk. This was far from our first visit here. I think this was my third or fourth time on this wreck. My first was at least five years ago when I did my very first NJ wreck dive on board the Seeker. This time we were privileged to be on the Ol'Salty out of Belmar. Normally this boat is not going out in January, but with the unseasonably warm weather we've been having, they posted charters for the weekend.

We left the Belmar boat basin with about 16 divers onboard promptly at 7:00 am to a wonderful sunrise. It looked like it was going to be a great day on Lake Atlantic. We had about a 40 minute ride out to the wreck. When we got out there we found the Sea Lion dive boat tying in on the Mohawk We had company. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the mates on the Ol'Salty was someone I knew a lifetime ago. Greg, it was nice catching up with you after all these years. What a small world.

Rob was diving his Prism rebreather. I was diving my double 98's for their virgin tour of the Atlantic. Scott also had double 98's. I brought both my pole spear and my camera not knowing which I would use. I chose my pole spear for the first dive. Down we went. I had a bottom temp. of 46 degrees, which was exactly the same temp. I had last week at Dutch Springs. Only this time, I didn't have drygloves.

On the bottom, we moved along the wreck line that Scott was running. I found a tube or barrel of some type about half filled with sand. It was clearly part of the wreck. Inside, just waiting to be taken, was an edible, marine, dull-green, stalk-eyed decapod crustacean of the family Homaridae, esp. of the genus Homarus, having large, asymmetrical pincers on the first pair of legs, one used for crushing and the other for cutting and tearing: the shell turns bright red when cooked. Oh, sorry....it was a lobster. At the same time, about twenty feet away, I saw a nice sized Tog, aka Black Fish, swimming freely. I was not sure which was more tempting. I got Rob's attention and he swam over and quickly collected the lobster. Lets face it, he is a better lobsterman than I will ever be. Rob quickly found another keeper, but this one took some coaxing. It was hidden underneath a steel hull plate. Using my pole spear to push it from the back, it popped out right into Rob's hands, which quickly placed him into his catch bag. I did not get the Tog I saw earlier, in fact, I got nothing on this dive.

After a 40 minute runtime, we were back on the boat. Actually, Scott and I were back on the boat. Rob had at least double that with his rebreather. The Ol'Salty warmed us up with cream of chicken and mushroom soup during our surface interval.

On our second dive I chose to leave both my pole spear and camera onboard. All I brought was my catch bag with the hopes of finding a lobster. Scott found one in a tire, but this tire was completely covered and tangled in debris. The lobster was well shielded and we were not able to get him out. Scott found a keeper underneath a hull plate, and he used a piece of debris to try and force him out. This one was too smart for us and we left empty-handed. Then I saw a huge Tog....but I didn't have my pole spear. This guy must have known that I was powerless to get him as he taunted me by swimming within arms reach several times. At the end of the dive I realized that I had nothing.....again. Not wanting to go home emptyhanded, I picked up a few seashells for the kids at home. Wow..I am so good at hunting and gathering. I would have failed as a caveman.

Rob and Scott tried, unsuccessfully, to entice me into a post-dive cigar. I've had really bad luck with cigars. I would like to think that I am smart enough to learn from my past mistakes when it comes to smoking a stogie. I get sick. It was a nice day on the Atlantic. Two dives with a total of 79 minutes (40 and 39) with a max. depth of 77' and a bottom temp. of 46 degrees. What a way to start 2007.

New Years Eve Dive 2006

Dutch Springs opens their doors for a whopping three hours on December 31st so people like me can get in that last dive of the year. The weather held, and we had sunny skies with temps in the low 50's. This was my first time diving my new double 98's. They've been teasing and taunting me for two months now, so I was getting psyched knowing that I was going to actually get to use them. After configuring my regulators and hoses for this setup, I was ready to go. I met my usual dive buddy and was very pleasantly surprised to find three other good friends at Dutch Springs so we made it a group dive. Five divers really means one team of two and one team of three, which was fine with everyone, since we all stayed together for the majority of the dive.

After a quick bouyancy check with the new doubles, I tried reaching the valves for shutoff drills. No luck. I'm simply not limber enough to reach over my shoulders and turn the knobs. I tried everything, but to no avail. Enough trying, time to dive.

I usually dive the peninsula side, but this time we went off the student side and into the cove where the pipes, structures, stairs, and other quarry related items are located. Visability was a respectable 25'-40' and the bottom temp. was 46 degrees. We did a relaxing 48 minute dive. I brought my camera and took a plethora of pictures, many of which I did a little work on using Photoshop. I loaded a bunch up onto Wreckvalley for my dive buddies to see. I hope you enjoy the few I chose for this blog. I love these bubble pictures, so here is a parting shot...

Dutch Springs 9/8 & 9/9/06

I don't normally post my dives from Dutch Springs, but its been slow lately, so here it is. It was my weekend to be a Dive Master for The Scuba Connection this past weekend. I found out from George that I was going to be working with him with a Search & Recovery class for both days. I was very happy to find out that the three students consisted of one instructor and two other dive masters. This keeps the "oh shit" factor way way down. No kids to babysit, no need to be in your face...just dive and let dive.

There was nothing spectacular to report other than I had my wrist seal on my drysuit rip from end to end on the first day. Lucky for me, the shop gave me a loaner for day #2 while my Oceanic Biodry went in for repair. I chose to have both seals replaced with the heavy-duty seals.

We did a total of four dives with a bottom time of 3 hours and 44 minutes. Now lets hope my suit is done soon so I can get in some real water.

Lake Ontario - Canada - August 2006

The Scuba Connection set up a trip to Lake Ontario for the end of August. Eight divers made this trip, and we had the time of our lives. On the way to Canada, Scott, Rob, and I stopped in Alexandria Bay, NY, for a shore dive on the Islander, which sank by the dock and sits in about 40' of water. We were the only divers there, which made for super viz.

After leaving NY, we headed to Kingston, Ontario, and met the other divers for another shore dive, but this time from the Canadian side and in the lake. I called this one the "waste of time" dive in my log, because it was just that. In reality, its called "two anchors and stacked hulls". You follow a line out to two large anchors, pass a stop sign in 20' of water with a scuba warning, the remnents of an old lounge chair, and eventually to the two hulls. I ventured out for 13 minutes and turned around. Other divers made it out there, but it was the longest underwater swim to nowhere I've ever done.

August 25. Now the real diving begins. The Munson was a two story wooden dredge which sank in 1890. There are tools of the trade lined up to see, a pile of china in the center, and a large shovel/bucket for dredging hanging over one end. The condition of the wood is good due to the cold fresh water. Zebra mussels cover most of the structure. I hit a max. depth of 105' and had a bottom time of 33 minutes.

Next was the Wolf Islander II, which was the first artifical reef put down in Lake Ontario. They say it was put down for scuba diving, and it shows. It looks like a small freighter, or an ice breaker. On the deck was a bicycle, a motorcycle, and a bowling ball. My dive buddy Scott and I went down a shaft into the engine room, and did many swim-throughs and penetrations on this dive. Depth for me on this one was 72' with a 44 minute bottom time.

August 26. We hit the George A. Marsh, which was a wooden schooner that went down in 1917 with 12 fatalities. This is a fully intact wooden wreck, but oddly enough, you can't go inside. The inside of this one is completely filled with silt. There are deadeyes, blocks, pottery, and the ships wheel on the wreck, as well as an assortment of odds and ends. I hit a max. depth of 80' on this one with a bottom time of 48 minutes.

Next stop was the Comet, which was a side wheel steamer sunk in 1861 with three fatalities. The majority of the structure has collapsed, but strangely enough, the two large wheels are intact and upright. This makes for some outstanding photo oportunities. We were able to penetrate underneath the decking with only about two feet of space above and below. Max. depth for me on this one was 80' with a 47 minute bottom time.

Night dive time!!!! We opted for the Wolf Islander again, and motored out there for an 8:30 splash-in. We waited for it to be nice and dark before entering. Scott an I were the first in, and we were accompanied by Joe. This was what night diving is all about. Watching the lights of other divers, penetrating into room which were completely dark, hearing the thumping sounds made by the exhaled air hitting the ceilings in the rooms, watching rust falling like rain...it was outstanding. Rob took my camera and anchored himself on one of the railings which overlooked the main deck. He put the camera on an eight second shutter, and made the dive lights into art with the camera. Thanks Rob. Max. depth tonight was 76' with a 46 minute bottom time.

August 27. Bad weather prevented us from making the trip to the "City of Sheboigen". The Captain wanted to call the dive entirely, but our trip leader convinced him to take us to the sheltered Wolf Islander II for a third time. We weren't the only ones to think of this, because when we arrvied, we found two other boats moored to the site. Scott, Joe, and I were the first down, and we went straight for the engine room. We dropped down the shaft and did a full exploration of the engine room. I found there was a door which exited out to a side walkway. I also found a small door which went to a lounge area with a bunch of wooden benches. I squeezed through and motioned for Joe to join me. He tried a few times, and eventually made it in after I told him to twist sideways. His wings on his BC were catching on the sides. The doubles made it though with an inch on each side, but with the air in his bladder, he couldn't make it through without a little adjustment. Scott joined us as I went down a set of stairs to a smaller room. Once there, I was give three options. Left into a smaller room, straight to an exit to the walkway, or right through a narrow hallway which leads to another exit. Scott and Joe took this narrow hallway and I was about to follow. I felt something on my fins and noticed another dive team right on me. By the time I turned back to the hallway, Scott and Joe were gone. I noticed two spikes, about two inches long, protruding from the walls into the hallway. I then took the easy way out and exited this area through the door in front of me instead of taking the hallway. Upon exiting, there was Scott and Joe waiting for me. We discussed this exact scenario before entering, and they knew where to find me if I didn't follow. Perfect. I then found the smoke stack and went in fins first. All that was showing was from my chest up. Joe got a chuckle. Then I took the bicycle for a "ride" by hopping around the deck while really making a mess of the viz. Max. depth today was 69' with a 51 minute bottom time.

On the way home, we stopped in Alexandria Bay, NY, for a second dive on the Islander. This was to be a "bottle" and artifact dive. We arrived to find 21 divers on the surface (in and out of the water), and bubbles coming from the wreck. There were a few classes going on, but we decided to dive anyway. By the time we got in, most had cleared out. We went to work and really did a good job at completely destroying any viz. there was. We each found a place to dig, and went nuts looking for anything. I found a semi-old bottle which was not worth keeping. Justin went about 200 feet downstream and found a nice soft spot in the silt. He plunged his arm in as far is it would go until his head was buried. Sure enough he came up with gold. Well, not really gold, but he found a really nice very old clear bottle with designs all over it. He also found a thermometer which was about two feet long. The glass was intact and still contained the mercury. There was an advertisement on the front which was still very readable. He found two nice old pieces. My max. depth was only 40', but I logged a full hour on the bottom.

I got a total of ten dives in four days, with just over 7.5 hours of bottom time. I got a few decent pictures, but now realize that my camera lacks one basic thing.....like a competent operator. Thankfully, Rob had his real underwater camera and took a few for me.

Stolt Dagali...revisited...again. Aug. 5, 2006.

I had a boatload of work to do at my house, as we were in the middle of redoing our kitchen. I was on vacation from work and was in shock when I got the approval from the boss...aka...my beautiful wife, to go diving. She was the one who actually suggested it, and I wonder if she was just a little shocked when I said I would go, when there was more than enough work to be done at the house. I wonder if she expected me to say something like "no honey, we have too much work to do here." In reality, I was like....yea baby....and was checking with my local dive shop for a charter before she knew it. Unfortunately, my shop had no charter for the one and only day I was able to dive, so I had to resort to other means. I checked the local dive forum for an open boat, and called my old reliable dive buddy. I ended up on the Independence II out of Mantoloking, NJ, just south of Seaside Heights. They had a charter to the Stolt Dagali, which is a wreck I've done two or three times. There's something to be said about diving a wreck that I've never been to before, and I was really hoping for something new. The Stolt is a great dive, so the Stolt it was going to be.

I met my dive buddy, Scott, at the boat at the very early hour of 6:30. I've never been down Rt. 35 past Seaside Heights, and was impressed at the homes along the beach in Bayhead. I may have to look into that town when it comes time to retire. The first thing Scott and I noticed was that we were the only two on the boat that didn't know everybody else. There were a total of nine paying divers and a crew of four (not including the 9 year old son of a crew member) on this boat, which was the second nicest dive boat I've been on. The first is the Seeker, which was out of Brielle, NJ, before Dan Crowell sold the boat to an outfit out of Newport, RI. This boat was made for diving, and the people on it were the real deal. I've been diving off NJ seriously now for about six years, and really felt like an amateur around this group. Scott and I had the only set up with single tanks. Everyone else had doubles with stage bottles, or rebreathers. Many were wearing t-shirts commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Andria Doria, and the trip the Independence II made to this site. Scott and I commented to each other that we felt slightly out of place, but we agreed that by the time we got to the Stolt, we'd be chatting it up with these guys like old pals, and we were right on the money. Each guy was a class act; no slouches in the group.

The Stolt Dagali was an M-class tanker that was sunk on Thanksgiving day in 1964 as a result of a collision with the luxury liner Shalom. Nineteen people lost their lives that day. The ship was cut in half, and only the stern sunk. The bow was towed into port, and actually attached to the stern of another ship. NJScuba.com has a super write-up on this wreck with some great pictures.

Now I knew that Stolt had a max depth of 130' to the sand, and the wreck starts at 60'. The proper nitrox fill for this depth is 28% EAN. Anything higher would keep me off the bottom, and away from where the lobsters would be waiting. I filled my tanks Thursday night and did a crappy job. I gave myself 30.5% EAN. I dive with a P02 of 1.4, which is the way I like it. If I chose to change it to 1.5, than the 30.5% mix would get me to the sand, but I chose to keep my P02 in my comfort zone. I'm not into deco diving yet, and didn't want to start just on the off chance that I would pull a lobster out. My max. depth would be 116', so if I wanted to bring home dinner, it would be fish or mussels. And lets face it...I suck at catching lobsters.

Enroute to the Stolt, one diver pulled out the deck plans for this ship. I've never seen a diver actually pull out deck plans for a wreck. This guy was planning his exact entry point, and knew where he wanted to go. I don't remember his name, but he said he has 30 dives on this wreck. He talked about going in here, through there, up this hallway, through some other room.....and so on. Way too much penetration for my comfort zone.

We arrived on the site to find the Jeanne II out of NY, already there. This boat was filled with ladies! It was chartered by a women’s only diving club. The only males I saw were the Captain and crew. From what I saw, these ladies were real divers. I saw drysuits, doubles, stage bottles, and solo diving. Good for them.

We tied in behind the Jeanne II, which gave us a long, almost horizontal, trip down to the wreck. We were at least 200 feet off the wreck. Scott and I decided to splash in last, since the runtimes of everyone else on our boat was at least 20 minutes longer than our planned 35 minute dive. It was the right thing to do. Let these guys in, stay out of their way, and then do our thing. The diver who set the hook said there was not much in the way of big and/or mature fish on the relief, so we left our pole spears on deck. We decided to make this a sight seeing tour.

We splashed in and began our descent. The water on the surface was clear and warm. I got a reading of 79 degrees on the surface, and 55 degrees on the bottom. Viz. was a good 50 feet until I got the thermocline, which was at about 45 feet. The particles increased, and a slight current was felt. The viz really cleared up once we got on the wreck. I was ahead of Scott and landed on the wreck first. As a matter of habit, I set up the wreck reel on the first appendage I saw. The viz. was at least 40', and maybe as much as 60'. In hindsight, I wish I never ran my reel. Now I was forced to go back the exact way I came, but the viz. was so good that my reel was just a waste of time and energy.

I hit a max. depth of 102', and had a run time of 34 minutes, one minute less than our plan. There were lots of little cunners around the wreck, in fact they were all over the place. I even saw a cod, and a few other odd looking fish. This was a dive where I wish I had my camera. Looking up from the 90' mark, the ambient light was incredible. The viz. was outstanding, and the fish were all around. This was a picture if I ever saw one...but it doesn't do a bit of good without a camera. Oh well. I didn't do any penetrations on this dive beyond sticking the top half of my torso into a hole or door. My HID light was out of action, and I was using a plain old 8-cell Princeton Tec handheld light. This kind of light used to be good enough for me, but once you go HID, you don't go back. Plus, Scott had his Dive Rite 10 watt HID canister light with him. I could piggyback his light. What could go wrong? Uh...do I hear Murphy's law knocking? Scott's light crapped out on him almost as soon as we hit the water. It flickered on once or twice, but that’s it. Scott went to his backup, but in reality, no lights were needed unless we did a penetration dive, which we didn't.

So I'm down on the hull after coming up from depth. I'm at about 65' and I'm near the anchor chain of the Jeanne II, and what do I see but a diver from the Jeanne II in trouble. Not the kind of trouble which required any lifesaving, but just that "oh shit, I'm in over my head" kind of trouble. She was diving solo, and if she had a buddy, she was nowhere to be seen. She was holding a goodie bag which was loaded with some artifact, or maybe some weights, because it was heavy as shit. She was also holding both of her stage and/or deco bottles. None of these three items were attached to her rig, and she was struggling to hold onto them. I gave her an "ok" sign as I approached and she gave me one back, but with that "holy shit, please stay and help" look on her face. I grabbed her goodie bag, and it was heavy... really heavy. I clipped it to her rig and then clipped on each stage bottle, front and back. She was good to go. I can't imagine why she ever had these bottles unclipped at depth. Maybe she left them at the anchor with the intention of clipping them on for her ascent. I don't remember seeing them earlier. Hmmmm..... Anyway, she gave me the head bow and rolling hand motion, which I know as "you are the man...and if you were single I'd take you to lunch" sign. Off we went, like two passing ships in the night. Yea right.

Time to go up. One minute at 50 feet for the halfway point, and 4 minutes at 15 feet. Our total run time of 34 minutes, just one minute under our plan. Time to get out of the water. I swam underneath the boats to the one what had the Christmas tree ladder. I know the Jeanne II had a regular ladder, but when I came up on the ladder, I had to look at the name of the boat to make sure I was on the Independence II. Bikini's. I saw bikini's on our boat. We had only male divers...how can there be bikini's on ours? Did I mistakenly sign on to a "special" trip? Apparently a few of the divers from the Jeanne II knew the crew from the Independence II and swam over to say hello. To make matters even more interesting, the Jeanne II had a crew member (maybe the Capt?) who was dancing. Not only was he dancing, but he was wearing leopard skin underpants and leather chaps. Really. I'm not kidding. He also wore a cowboy hat and some type of tribal garb on his chest with beads or bones. The salsa music was blaring and he was dancing. The ladies were putting dollar bills in his pants. I kid you not. We were yelling "Y.M.C.A" as he was raking in the dough. Again, I wish I had my camera. It was about this time that a few of the ladies swam over a ziplock bag of margarita's, a bag of meat from the grill, and some cob salad. To the ladies of the Aquanauts...thanks! The surface interval was interesting to say the least.

With the surface interval done, it was time to go back. Before going in, one of the divers told me about a fairly safe penetration that I might be comfortable with. He described going to the anchor, up the hull to the cut, and finding what was a partially covered walkway. He said there is lots of light and many ways out. Scott and I agreed we would give this a look. We were descending the line to find another diver from our boat coming up. He waved us over and he opened his hand. He had a little seahorse. I've never seen one in New Jersey before, and I was intrigued. It had its tail curled around his version of a twig. I'd say it was three or four inches high, all brown, and cute as can be. I've heard of seahorses being seen in NJ, but this was a first for me. We played with him for a few seconds and then he was set free, bobbing around with the current.

Scott and I hit the anchor and began our planned dive. Up the hull, down to the cut, and sure enough, right to the (what used to be an inside) walkway. This was just the right kind of penetration for me. It began at about 65 or 70' and I followed it down to the mid 90's. The wall, or what was at one time the floor, was terracotta colored tile. I cleaned off a few and saw they were perfectly intact. I tried removing a few tiles, but no such luck. Next time I'll bring a hammer and chisel. After swimming through this walkway, I found a hole about twice the size of a manhole leading into a cavernous area inside the ship. I peeked in to see ambient light coming from an even larger hole about thirty feet away. I'm not usually the one to suggest such a penetration, but I did. I motioned to Scott that we should go in and swim to the other exit. Without hesitation, Scott entered the hole with me right behind him. This area was big, really big. Just like expected, we swam towards the exit that I saw from the entry point. I couldn't swim through this hole without having to turn sideways. This was an exhilarating experience. With the exception of a dive I did in the St. Lawrence Seaway, where I penetrated an upside down coal carrying wreck end to end, this was my most extensive wreck penetration (ok, so the one in the St. Lawrence was only 40' long), and it wasn't over yet. There was a large entry point into what appeared to be an engine room. Scott went in about 30' while I kept it a little closer to say....20', maybe 25' if I stretch it. I think that if either of us had a real light we would have ventured farther, but it was not to be. I think Scott knew he went far enough when he looked back and saw my fins going the other way. He's a little more adventurous than I am at this point, but give me time...lots of time. Anyway, we exited this room and continued back up the walkway, exiting near the cut. We went to the hull just underneath where we tied in and began pulling mussels. Man, these little guys sure put up a fight. I filled my bag about halfway while Scott filled his about a third. We clipped them to the anchor chain in anticipation of continuing our dive, but after only a minute, we decided it was time to call it a day. I hit a max. depth of 96 feet, and a run time of 41 minutes.

One point of interest was when the Jeanne II pulled their anchor and began heading home. I pulled up my t-shirt to show off my manly chest to the ladies on their charter. I was pleasantly surprised when one lady, who was sitting high atop the boat, gave me a "back at ya" reply. Although it was in the distance, it is nice to know that I got a little reciprocation. Thanks.

As for dinner, several lobsters came up, probably four or five. Most were in the four to six pound range, with the smallest being at least two pounds. One guy got a few dozen scallops for his girlfriend in Philly. Gotta keep the ladies happy so we can keep diving!

On the way in, we were dragging Scott’s bags and mine behind the boat to clean the mussels. About five minutes into it, something went tragically wrong, and my bag went to the bottom of the sea along with about twenty servings of mussel’s marinara. Scott got lucky. He was also kind enough to give me about half of his catch so I didn't go home empty handed.

All in all, it was a great time with the crew and divers on the Independence II. I wish I had some pictures to post from this dive, but I didn't bring the camera. Check back later for pictures from my next trip to the Stolt.

Charleston, South Carolina, July 2006.

After diving in the OBX for the first time, I went to Charleston for a few days. I spend one day on the water with Charleston Scuba for a day of diving. One thing about diving here is that you have to go out far to get to a decent dive site. We went 19 miles offshore to dive a "ledge" for out first dive.

"THE INDIGO LEDGES are 70 to 80ft deep and is a great site for Open Water divers. This natural reef line supports a variety of soft corals, sponges and crustaceans. Tropical fish such as the angel are frequent visitors and large pelagics may be seen in the area. The Ledges provide the unique opportunity to drift dive in this area when conditions allow."

Think of the ledge as a place where its 70 feet on the high side, and 80 feet on the deep side. In between there is what looks just like a coral reef you would expect to find in the carribbean. Nooks and crannies, lots of fish to see, corals, shells, etc... The Indigo ledges got their name because it was found by Charleston Scuba 's owner after salvaging a boat called "Indigo". They passed over the ledge either on the way in or out, and must have taken note of the numbers for a later look. I'm glad they did, because this is a nice dive site.

I was really hoping to see a sand tiger shark, but wasn't that lucky. I brought my camera and took a few pics of the sealife. I was diving solo and was the first diver down the line. I looked back to find four divers behind me, all wanting someone else to be the first on the site just in case there was a shark. Viz was carribbean-like, at 60'+, and it was warm....really warm. First in and last out...just the way I like it.

The second dive was supposed to be an artifical reef which had a bunch of piles of rubble, including some old military vehicles and a few larger ships. There were six sport fishing boats on them and they didn't seem too happy to see a dive boat approach. After 30 minutes of trying to find a decent place to hook in, we gave up and went to the wreck of the Frederick W. Day.

"THE FREDERICK W. DAY was a wooden schooner built in 1901 and sank off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina on September 17, 1914, loaded with bags of cement. The bags have formed a reef approximately 200ft long with the top of the reef at 40ft and the bottom at 54ft. There is an abundance of fish and other marine life around the wreck, creating one of the nicest dives off Charleston."

Since I was solo, I buddied up with a diver whose buddy was a little "green" and didn't dive. We were the first in and I immediately noticed a large remora swimming around beneath the boat. He was about 2 1/2 feet long, which I believe is on the large side. As I decended the line, this damn remora was all over me. I think he was trying to latch onto my mask and it was freaking me out. I know they are harmless, but this guy was a pain in my ass.

I got onto the wreck to find most of the actual ship gone. Remaining is a huge heap consisting of of cement, each piece the size and shape of the bag which once contained it. The cement forms the shape of the hull. There was a large anchor on the sand just in front of the bow. Someone obviously tried to raise it, as indicated by the canvas line wrapped around it. Luckily, this attempt was unsuccessful, allowing the anchor to be seen by divers for years to come instead of being in someone's shop or backyard. After 35 minutes, my dive buddy indicated he needed to ascend due to his air supply, so I escorted him to the anchor line and up he went...by himself. I stayed down and tagged along with the Captain and one of his mates. We just kept cruising around the wreck looking for turtles, sharks, or rays. Unfortunately, we saw none. There were thousands of little bait fish swimming all around me, sometimes enveloping me to where I saw almost no light. They swam in unison all around, above and below me. I know that the big fish feed on these litle guys and I was hoping to see some of the big guys dining on these little guys, but no such luck. After an hour dive time, I saw them begin their ascent, so I decided to join them. Ahhh....again the first in and last out.

Here is a link to about a dozen pictures from this trip, which includes the post directly below as well....WreckValley Photo Gallery

Outer Banks NC, July 2006.

I finally got to dive in the Outerbanks. I went down to Kill Devil Hills with my family for a week on the beach. My plan was to dive the U85 but mother nature didn't cooperate and the dive was cancelled the night before. A tropical depression 160 miles offshore made a mess of the surf and caused 8-10' seas. Luckily it only lasted a few days and I got out on an artifical reef called the "advance". We planned on the Jackson, which is a Coast Guard cutter which went down in a hurricane, but the viz. was only 3' according to the DM who went in to set the hook. We moved on to the "Advance" as a backup. I went out with outerbanks dive center in Nags Head, SC, and was truely impressed with their professionalism. They use the boat "Go-Between", which is perfect for diving.

Spade fish and a barracuda (barely visible on the right side near the top, swim above the "Advance" - Formerly USS Worland, PCE-845, WWII patrol craft, 860 tons, 184 ft long, decommissioned in June 1, 1964, subsequently used as a research vessel by Cape Fear Technical Institute. Upper bridge is at 35 to 40 ft with sand at an approximate depth of 80 ft.

I went in first with two fairly new divers, with about 40 dives between them. Since I was diving alone, they teamed me up with these two. The viz on the surface was at least 50 feet, and the water was nice and warm. At about 45' there was a clear thermocline, which reduced the temp. to the mid 60's and viz went to 15'. There was also a moderate current on the wreck. After only15 minutes, this team decided to end their dive, either due to being cold or to sucking wind. I took them to the anchor line and up they went....without me. I stayed down with the hopes of seeing a sand tiger shark or maybe a stingray. As I waited, I played in the large schools of spade fish all around the wreck. I realized that the lense of my camera was fogged over due to the extreme temperture change between the surface and down below. As a result, my camera was useless underneath the thermocline. I played around for another 20 minutes or so, and ascended when the last dive team went to the anchor line. On my safety stop, I noticed a large barracuda hanging out near the bouy about 50 feet away. This was just the way I like it....first in and last out.

During the surface interval, a few of the crew and I snorkeled around the boat watching the large schools of spade, the lingering barracuda, and even a mahi mahi dolphin. I was able to take some nice pics and really enjoyed this break between the dives.

On the second dive, I teamed up with one of the crew and we spent most of the dive inside the Advance. There were lots of swim thoughs and even a few decent penetrations. We went out into the sand looking for sand dollars and nice shells. After 45 minutes, it was time to come up. Again, first in and last out....that's the way to do it!

Coming into the marina, there were many reminders of the havoc of a hurricane. Hurricane Isabel, which stuck the outerbanks in September of 2003 left behind some eerie remiders of the power of mother nature. Many boats which sunk at the docks remain where they went down, partially submerged.

The proper stages in the life of a lobster

Stage 1:Caught








Stage 2: Cooked








Stage 3: Eaten

Wreck Dive for Friday June 23rd - Stolt Dagali

Finally, after being blown out three times this season, I got off-shore for some real diving. Rob chartered the Stingray dive boat from Belmar NJ and we went to the Stolt Dagali. Here is some of the stats for this wreck, taken from njscuba.net:
Type: M-class tanker, Norway
Name: Stolt is the name of the line that owned the ship; it translates as "mountain" or "pride". Dagali is a city in Norway.
Built: 1955, Denmark, as Dagali
Specs: ( 582 x 70 ft ) 12723 gross tons, 43 crew
Sunk:Thursday November 26, 1964( Thanksgiving day )collision with liner Shalom ( 25,338 tons ) - 19 casualties
Depth: 130 ft, starts at 60 ft.
Approximately 15 miles offshore from Belmar NJ.

"By all accounts the brand-new liner Shalom was proceeding at a recklessly fast pace through a thick fog, while simultaneously misreading her radar set. The slow-moving Stolt Dagali was sliced clean through, losing almost half her crew when the heavy stern section plummeted to the bottom of the sea. Fortunately, the Stolt carried a cargo of non-flammable vegetable oil, otherwise both vessels might have been consumed in flames. The bow section of the Stolt was salvaged, while the stern section lies crookedly on its starboard side, 142 ft long in 130 ft of water."

Here is my dive report:
Henrick, the Capt. of Stingray dive charters out of Belmar NJ went out today with four divers plus Jim, the mate. Originally it was going to be just Rob and me (which would have cancelled the dive due to not enought divers), but Henrick posted the dive and found two more, Tim and Steveeye. We had a great time on the Stolt Dagali, which I believe is about 15 miles offshore and has a max dept of about 130 feet. The lake Atlantic was really cooperating, with flat and calm seas.

Rob and Jim splashed in to set the hook and it was time to dive. I was the next in and went in to the hook, which was set in right at the high point of the wreck, which I think was at 58'. I only hit a max. depth of 88' on the first dive, with a bottom temp of 59 degrees. I didn't see too many fish willing to get hammered with my pole spear, so I left it by the hook and made this a sight seeing tour. Fourty minutes later it was time to go. I didn't go to the sand, but did plenty of swim throughs and penetrations. It was nice. Viz. was at least 30-40 feet if not more.

On the second dive, Rob and I were the first to spash in. We went to a place where Rob had stashed a lobster from his first dive (he had no space left in the bag and was already holding one lobster in his other free hand). We put it in my bag and then went into the engine room. This kind of penetration is not really my kind of tea, but it was neat to be inside this area. I didn't bring my pole spear on this dive, and replaced this with my camera. I took a few pictures, and then went to a high area to pull some mussels off the wreck. I found the perfect size mussels by a porthole near the tie-in line and I went to town cutting them off and putting them in my bag. This dive I saw a max. depth of 101 feet, and did relatively short 30 minute dive.
Upon returning to the line, there was a massive monk fish left on a stringer by Jim, which he shot with his spear gun. Tim took the monk fish up, but man does this thing have teeth! When it was all said and done, Rob pulled the hook and a nice ride up to the boat during his deco.

On top, the total was: 33 scallops (all Rob), 4 lobsters (including a nice 4-pounder brought up by none other than Rob), a shitload of mussels, and one massive monk fish. It was slightly humorous watching Steveeye pose with the days catch and almost put his foot in the wide open mouth of the still-alive Monk fish. The guy was a bit of an ass, so I was kind of hoping he would have moved his foot just a few more inches to his right. It would have been great, but no such luck. He didn't catch a damn thing, but wanted to pose like he was the hunter and this was his prey. He dove like someone I would never want to be buddied up with, plus he was obnoxious.

We got in to the marina just in time for the thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. It was nice to eat the lobster and mussels for dinner.

Back in...Finally!!

Last week I finally went diving. It was a long winter, and I couldn't wait to get back in the water. I met by "regular" dive buddy at Dutch Springs on Saturday, April 8th. The weather was crap...in the low 40's, with a constant rain and wind. That didn't hold us back, as we entered into a balmy 45 degrees almost empty quarry. Since it was the first dive of the season, and I hadn't had my gear serviced yet, Murphy's Law took effect. I was all geared up and ready to go, but when I turned on my air, I found that my primary first stage, had a "first stage creep", so I swapped all my gear onto my backup first stage. What do you know....same thing. Luckily my buddy had his daughters Sherwood regulator set, which I borrowed and swapped my second stage reg. onto the first stage. Off we went. Down to the platform at 25', and all was well. We began the descent to the Silver Comet, at 55', and a nice 41 degrees. A quick penetration from bow to stern, and we were off to the "un-named" cruiser. After coasting over this boat, we went to "the island" and over to the crane, which sits at about 55'. Still, 41 degrees on the bottom. Scott really messed up the viz. when he tried to go underneath the frame of the crane, and made us look bad when our other buddies saw how we left it. Around the island to the plane, back over the top to the Silver Comet to shoot bags. I love shooting bags for my hang, and its great practice for that open ocean ascent that none of us ever expect to have to do. Anyway, with the 40 minute dive in low 40's temp, and no warm or dry place to hang out, we nixed our second dive. Even with my Oceanic Biodry drysuit and my drygloves, it was just too damn cold to go back in for dive #2. I took my gear right in for its yearly service after this day.