Oregon 8-26-14

Today was a crew day out on the Independence II and we decided to go to the Oregon since we all had a nice dive there last year.  The sea conditions were conducive to allow for the long ride out to this passenger liner.  My trip report from 7-16-13 provides some perspective on the wreck along with some photos.

After a long nap on the ride out, a leather-back turtle sighting, and waiting for the first group of divers to surface, it was finally my turn to splash.  Initial reports were advising that the visibility was about 25' with lots of particulate matter in the water column.  As a result, I opted to leave my camera on-board.  We were anchored into the engines which are massive to say the least.  They rise about 40' off the bottom.  There are a total of 9 boilers!  Once I reached the bottom there was an evident current that made it that much harder to move about.  I tried to find an area with some relief from the current and found this along the sand of the starboard side.  The visibility ranged from about 25' to further at times as the particulate matter rolled in and out in waves with the current.  I saw rows of where portholes once were and I am sure there are plenty still to be had.  The Blackfish were huge on this wreck and I even saw some Triggerfish.  The water temperature on the bottom was a balmy 55 degrees while on the hang it was 71 degrees.  I swam around the entire engine block more than once and it is so large that you can actually swim through it.  I have to say that I enjoyed last years dive to the bow more because there was a bigger debris field which made it a little more interesting.  The engines are relatively intact and did not have as large of a debris field, if it were not for the current, I would have tried to swim towards the stern to check out that area.  Next time.  I ended up with about 27 minutes on the bottom, sticking to my conservative diving profiles so that I can continue to dive..so far, it is at least giving me the opportunity to still dive....

In hindsight, we were all saying that today would have been the day to go to the 56 Mile wreck...I've yet to dive the 56 mile wreck and hope to get there this season. Here are a few surface pics of John and Sean.

John, a man with a mission!

Will he fit out the exit to the water??

Sean displacing some water

Well I hope to be out diving again soon, this season is slow and steady and I am pleased with my accomplishments thus far.  We did spend some time talking about warmer dive destinations, Capt. Dan spoke of his epic trip to Thailand diving deep wrecks and Sean of his upcoming trips to Cozumel and Cocos.  I would love to go to Thailand someday, I have heard so much about their wreck diving but, at the same time, I would love to dive with whale sharks and large schools of hammerheads too.  Once I retire, perhaps these more grandious trips will be a yearly event but for now, wreck diving in NJ is just fine with me!

Hvoslef 8-6-14

The Hvoslef is a Norweigan freighter that was torpedoed and sunk in 1942.  The wreck sits on a sandy bottom in about 140' of water.  We decided to dive this wreck today because it was predicted that swells would be rolling in from the tropical storm offshore.  Given the high relief of the wreck and sandy bottom we figured it was out best bet.  There were some swells but they were very small and as the day wore on the seas flattened right out.

As I splashed on this wreck the current was ripping on the surface and as a result we all jumped in with a tow to the carolina rig.  However, once you were down about 10' the current let up and was barely noticeable.  The surface viz was was similar to yesterday, never ending.  I did take my camera along for this dive so I was hoping for the best on the bottom.  Once we got to the bottom, this viz was not so hot, it was about 20'-25' but it was light.  We were anchored mid-wreck in a debris field with lots of pipes.  As you followed one of the pipes it led to the bow and the boilers and seemed to have lots of artifacts.  I spent my dive shooting some macro of the gargonian corals that you typically don't see in this area.

The viz seemed to get worse the longer we were down which made it hard to navigate.  I never checked the bottom temp but it was very cold, however, from about 50' up to the surface it was a balmy 75 degrees.I would like to visit this wreck again and hope to gain better conditions.  Sean found a dead light window which should polish up real nice!!

Again, there were lots of lobsters boated and some nice flounder.  I felt great after the dive, I have concluded that I need to do real conservative dives and hang extra long...it is what it is and at least I am still able to dive:)))  On the way in we saw a whale and a nice turtle, the ocean is full of life!

Ben Roberts hanging

We finished up the week of diving in Cape May at Lucky Bones for dinner, its seems we all ate a lot this week..  I am truly regretful that I did not dive the St. Augustine, the conditions were epic!!. Everyone raved about the visibility that lasted forever, the warm bottom temp in the 50's, and the wreck being covered in leopard dogfish along with the visiting Mahi Mahi.   I need to take baby steps and I will get there someday...I am now officially exhausted, it is not easy to dive deep multiple days.  I am looking forward to a few days in Chincoteague, VA with my friends to catch up on some much needed rest and sleep..then it will be time to go diving again..looking at the N. Lilian or Resor in the coming weeks.

Terror Wreck 8-5-14

I have been trying to dive this wreck for a long, long time.  My last attempt was in 2007 and when that did not pan out I was very disappointed.  I always knew I would be given the opportunity to dive it again but, I never imagined it would not be for 7 years.  Today, I was finally going to have this opportunity aboard the Independence II.

The Terror Wreck is an unidentified Swedish freighter that sits in 160' of water.  There have been many artifacts recovered from the wreck but, still its true identity is a mystery. Some believe it could be the Solvang.



As we left Cape May Inlet, the seas were flat calm and the sun was shining.  I was excited, yet nervous since this was only my second time out diving this season.  Today I was diving with Captain Dan and Dan Martinez and we were all going to swim around the wreck and stick together.  Since I was on open circuit I knew I would be heading up long before my buddies so I made sure I knew where the anchor was at all times.  The surface viz was awesome and the viz on the bottom was about 30'-40'.  It was clear and bright yet lots of particulate matter and luminesence in the water column.  We were anchored into the extreme stern of the wreck right next to the props that were easily identifiable.  There was a high piece of the stern that rose up about 20' from the bottom which is easy to penetrate.    If you swam along the prop shaft it would take you to the larger and higher mid section of the wreck that was impressive.  We all spent the dive just exploring the wreck.  There were some massive fish speared and a good amount of lobsters taken.  My main goal of this dive was to relax and take in the wreck and to be safe.  My goal was accomplished and I was so happy.

It was such a treat to be able to dive this wreck with such great visibility and lack of current.  This wreck is known to be dark and low viz but today was the exception. It was worth waiting 7 years or longer to dive it!!! Perhaps the opportunity will come again and I will be able to visit the Terror Wreck again.