End of 2010 Dive Season

Me on the Moonstone this year!

On Sunday, Nov. 28th I planned to do one more peaceful NJ dive before the long winter sets in. I awoke to a 26 degree clear morning and realized it was going to be a cold one! So, I figured it would be better to wait until the sun is up and let it warm up a little before heading out. We went out under breathless seas, so calm... but, it was still very cold (low 40's). The surface water temp was 44 degrees with almost no surface vis. Lots of particulate matter was floating in the water column. At this point I was freezing, I really feel the cold these days. Therefore, there was no way I could get in the water. So when there is no diving what else do you do? Go Striper fishing! I did not catch any fish but, got to watch an amazing show put on by two very large gray seals. They swam around the boat checking us out and played together as if they were wrestling each other. I tried so hard to get a good photo of them but every time I clicked the camera, under they went. So in the end, I did get a last peaceful day out in the ocean, it wasn't diving but, it was still invaluable time spent out on the Atlantic Ocean with marine life.

Two seals in the distance

As another NJ Wreck diving season comes to a close, I am feeling sad that there will be no diving for the long winter. This season was a tough one between constant blown-out dives and when the dives did go, that ever persistent green water with 0 visibility greatly hampered my joy of taking photographs. All in all, I still managed to complete 28 dives to wrecks such as the Varanger, Arundo, Southern Lilian, Max's Wreck (Montgomery), Yellow Flag, Moonstone, Offshore Paddlewheeler, 9 Minute Barge, Dry Dock, Conway, Pinta, Wellington, John Marvin, Patrice McAllister, San Jose, Double East and the Gloria. Some of the epic dives to the Cayru, Northern Pacific, Durley Chine and Oil Wreck were blown out repeated times and the Varanger, well I was blown out 6 times to it but did manage to dive it once this year. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to safely complete so many dives this year!

Just as this year's season was winding down, I was invited to dive on some new dive boats and also some new opportunities in the diving community are opening up for me. I was recently asked to model for a photographer on some NJ wrecks which I am really excited about. I do not have a lot of photos of me diving and always relish at the opportunity to be in some photos or video. It seems I am always the one taking the photos and not the model. I hope things work out and I get some awesome pictures of me on a wreck!

Over the winter I will post some more old photos similar to last year, it brings me a lot of pride looking over the older photos and remembering all that I have accomplished. I think I may also post some old trip reports from the pre-computer era. I am also going to spend time trying out some rebreathers. I've narrowed my choices down to the Meg and Kiss. I am still saving my pennies for a rebreather and since I have such a hard time getting air fills, it seems it will be worth the investment for my kind of diving. There were definitely some missed opportunities resulting in not being able to get fills in time this season. I also will be purchasing a new drysuit. Its time for my Bare drysuit to go to neopreme heaven.

In looking ahead, the 2011 dive season will be my 25th year as a diver! I cannot believe that I have been diving for 25 years!!! I can still remember becoming a certified PADI diver at Diver's Way in Long Island. I did my checkout dives in the Long Island Sound along the north fork in a town called Greenport. I had to lug all my gear down this huge hill, the current was ripping, the water was cold, and you couldn't see a thing. I completed 6 dives in these conditions over a few days and perform drills like buddy breathing, ditch n dong your equipment, remove your mask and put it back on etc. I still don't know why I actually stuck it out but, I did. I guess after this season not much has changed in all these years, the water is still cold, the vis is low, and sometimes the current is ripping. After I became certified I spent 6 months in St. Croix, USVI at college and dove almost every day...I was living the easy leisurely diver lifestyle and enjoyed a lot of 151 Cruzan rum too! It wasn't until July of 1987 that I actually dove on my first NJ wreck, the San Saba, I got jelly jars and buttons on my first dive. It was such a thrill to find artifacts on my first NJ wreck dive. I was hooked and the rest is history!

I have met so many inspiring divers over the years and also lost a few too. I have to tell you that it is not always so easy to keep up with the macho men that find their way onto the many dive boats. Sometimes I have been knocked down pretty hard by the most unsuspected divers and dive leaders. I am a sensitive person but, I somehow gather up the strength to continue on and keep on diving. Many people tell me that I am sooo strong, well, that's just on the outside. Those trips that I was not permitted on because I was a girl, only prepared me for greater dive adventures that eventually came my way. Who knows, maybe being excluded from a dive boat or dive trip was to keep me away from certain people or activities that could have resulted in compromising my safety as a diver. Things in life happen for a reason. In fact, I started this blog as a way to help myself get through some painful events that happened in my diving circle. I thought maybe I could inspire others to dive like so many divers have inspired me over the years and it would help me to heal and move on. I do truly believe that this blog has opened up my diving world and has enabled opportunities that may have never existed for me. I am grateful to all those divers and dive boats that have helped me to achieve my dreams and goals through diving. I am also grateful to those whom knocked me down and forced me to change my course because I would not be where I am today if it was not for them. I hope someday I will be remembered for my small contributions to wreck diving in NJ.

To celebrate 25 years of safe wreck diving I will be looking into diving wrecks in North Carolina for a week in June, so if anyone else wants to go let me know and we can get a small group together. I also hope to dive all of my favorite wrecks in NJ and to spend time out on the Atlantus, Independence and Gypsy Blood dive boats and some private boats too. This will also be a special year because my daughter will be learning to dive...I can't wait to take her on her first wreck dive! Hmmm what wreck will make an impact on her so great that she too wants to dive for a long time to come?

The sun sets on the 2010 season

Keep warm this winter and if your diving throughout the winter, you are more courageous than I. If your bored during the winter, come visit my blog once in a while, I'll try to post some things to keep you entertained.. I am anticipating that my 25th year of diving will be my best year yet!!

Pinta 11/7/10

I was out to dinner celebrating a friend's birthday when I received the call from Mark Hennessey that the dive was a go today. The forecast was for 4'-7' swell and a 25-30 knot NW wind, I said are you sure?? Captain Nick of the Ol' Salty confirmed that we were heading out so, I headed home to load up my dive gear. I have been invited several times over the summer to go out on the Ol' Salty with my friends Mark Hennessey and Jenn Washko so, I was determined to at least go out once this year with them.

I arrived at the dock at 6:15 am and there was no wind (yeah!!), I loaded the spacious boat and off we went. The cabin was so toasty warm and we had only a few divers today so there was tons of room to spread out. Besides Mark and Jenn, there was Alan, Tim Callahan, and Dave Matthews diving today. The seas were not calm but, it was mostly swell so we stuck it out and went to the Pinta. I have never dove the Pinta and knew it was a good wreck to take photos so I was excited. I always like going to a wreck I've never been on.

The Pinta was a Dutch freighter carrying teak lumber. It was sunk in a collision with a British Freighter on May 8, 1963. Today the wreck sits in 90' of water, is mostly intact although, Dave Matthews was saying that parts are collapsing and its tall masts extend out into the sand. It is known for abundant marine life and lots of fish.

Once Dave tied us in, the pool open bell rang and it was time to go in. I will not kid you, it was rough and Jenn and I were contemplating waiting for Dave to come up to get a report on bottom conditions. Dave took his time on the bottom so we took that as a signal that the conditions were ok, so we suited up. Mark and Jenn went in ahead of me and I lagged a little behind. I was having the usually nervousness of how I was going to get back on the boat in rough seas plus for some reason I was definitely feeling a little seasick. The ladder was a small one so I felt I could conquer it. The last two times I went diving my Diverite regulator was free-flowing so I had Bill switch it out for his new Apex to solve the problem. WRONG!!! I jumped in and that regulator started free-flowing. I struggled to get down below the surface to about 20' so that I could try and stop the free-flow but nothing worked. I hit the purge button, swished it around in the water, turned the knob and switch, but still full force flowing. I went back up and climbed on the boat. It continued to free-flow until we shut the air off. Just those few minutes exhausted me. I thought of switching regulators again and going back in but, I was just too tired and also feeling even more seasick. I was done :( On rough days, I get so beat up and the energy it takes me to climb on the boat is overwhelming (those double steel 100's weigh a ton!). I really wanted to go back in and dive but, I was way too tired. I also have not felt seasick in years, I hope this isn't something new...

Jenn, Mark, and Tim completed their dives and had about 10' of vis and said they were amazed at the tons of black fish on the wreck. There was a stiff current on the bottom and there was also a little surge. All in all they said the dive was good but, no one saw any lobsters. I was now feeling let down and should have pushed through my issues and dove. Oh well, maybe next time. The seas were building and since everyone did a longer first dive, we decided to head in. I have to say that with such a nice heated cabin, and the water so warm (55 degrees on the bottom), it actually was not that bad out there. It was just that swell, if it had been a little bit calmer, it would have been a perfect day to be out diving.

Today I kept my promise to go out on a dive boat with Mark and Jenn, they dove and I went for a roller coaster ride. We had some good conversation on the way home about cave diving and women diving with old school NJ wreck divers. Back at the dock Mark was trying to get me to come out again with them this year, I said, only if it is calm.. Once I was as home I looked at the regulator and the purge button was jammed. I should have fixed it and gone back in...Some days, you are meant to be a bubble watcher! However, as I write this I am feeling a little sick, perhaps that is why I felt so weak and seasick. The last few dives have been awful for me, I am going to try and get out and have at least one more decent dive before hanging it up for the winter so stay tuned!!!