Catamount???

Well, I had a bit of a hiatus from diving due to weather and my new addition to the family. I have wanted a new puppy for a while and now I am very busy taking care of Moose, my yellow lab pup.










I was able to scoot out yesterday for a well deserved day to myself and joined Diversion Group on the Gypsy Blood to the "Catamount". We had a full boat, 14 divers, plus 3 crew and Captain Jim. I met so many wonderful people that made me feel like part of the Diversion Group, especially Helen Bilinski.

No one really knows where the true Catamount is located but the wreck that divers typicaly call the Catamount is located at a water depth of approximately 125' with a huge engine and 50' of wreckage. One quart liquor bottles are typically found and some divers call it the Rum Runner.

The wreck we dove today sits in water depths of about 122' to 146'. Therefore, it is not the site typically known as the "Catamount". This wreck scatters along an area of a about 100' long and has parts of the hull that are still intact. The wreck is thickly covered in sea anenomes and you can make out some cargo hold areas. There were large fish in the hold areas. The visibility was not at its best yesterday, so typical for this area near the mud hole. We had about 5'-10' vis and it was dark. Actually, the surface vis was really bad then it cleared up for quite a distance and just before you hit the bottom it silted up. Therefore, it was difficult to get a full view of the wreck and for me to explore too far away from the anchor line. The bottom temp was extremely cold, it was 48 degrees. For some reason it felt even colder than that. I was diving with one of those wet/dry suits so that could have contributed to me being so cold. One of the divers I splashed with, Michael Young found two bottles, a Borden's Milk bottle and an Elixer bottle. No liquor bottles found during this trip. Since the visibility was so poor, no photos on this trip, only surface shots. However, I am entrigued as to what this wreck actually is? Artificial Reef wreck? Unknown New Wreck? Another Unknown Wreck frequented by divers? Or the missing Catamount? I'd like to go back someday with better visibility to explore further.

During the surface interval we were treated to Nathan's Hot Dogs, Kielbasa, fruit, home grown tomatoes an vegetables. It was feast, thanks to Helen. Due to the lack of visibility and a storm approaching we decided to relocate inshore to Jim's Secret Spot. A wooden barge that sits about 15' up from the sand in about 85' of water. A good lobster and hunting dive. I sat this dive out, was not feeling up to par. Other divers said the visibility was better on this dive. Everyone seemed to enjoy this dive. Just as divers were exiting the water, the storm blew in and we drove home in rain, wind and lightning. The good thing was the air conditioned cabin kept us dry and cool. When we got back to the dock the rain let up for us to unload.

I had a nice day out in the ocean and met some really nice people. Mark Hennessey, Jenn Wasko and I discussed so diving to be done in the future off of Cape May. Anne Dashevsky whom was supposed to be my dive buddy but, we ended up only passing on the anchor line (both of us had the queezy stomachs today), has a rebreather and told me all about how much she enjoys it. She trained with Dan Crowell whom my better half has been talking to also about rebreathers. I've been trying to save up money for one but with the kids the money always seems to go to them. Someday...





Helen Bilinski









Mark Henessey & JennWasko







Rich Langbein






I have a lot to do to prepare for my next dive on Saturday, Aug. 8th to the Southern Lilian. I have to dry out my wet/dry suit, fix my leaky next seal, fill my tanks and find time to play with Moose. I have 4 more dives scheduled this month if the weather cooperates. I can't wait!!