My 31st year as a diver has begun and the first dive of the 2017 dive season was fantastic! I headed out on the Independence II to the Stolt Dagali with flat calm seas and the sun finally shining after a very cool and rainy spring.
A
fter a nice ride out to the wreck that included meeting some new divers and lots of exciting conversation about different adventures on the way out, we were anchored above the Stolt. My battery for my heated vest is no longer charging therefore, I waited to dive after Sean came up from his dive to borrow his battery so that I would be more comfortable during my dive. It was worth the wait because for me, being warm is everything plus I get to hear all the dive conditions on the bottom prior to going in!! The visibility on the wreck was about 30' on the top of the wreck and 25' on the bottom, not bad for this time of year. The water was 46 degrees on the bottom and about 52 degrees on the hang. The top portion of the wreck was very bright so I opted to stay around 75-80' to shoot some photography as I missed it so during the winter months.
It always amazes me how the marine life on the wrecks change from year to year and even throughout the summer. Last year this wreck was absolutely covered in small mussels with very little Sea Anemones or Hydroids. This year there are some old large mussels but, the wreck is carpeted by Sea Anemones and Hydroids. Along with this change brings the abundance of Bergols. I did see quite a few larger Tautog and a single Cod. I did not see any Flounder or many Sea Bass. I was able to quickly locate some Nudibranchs within the Pink Hearted Hydroids. I found some larger ones but, most of them were extremely small which makes it difficult to photograph. I did manage to take quite a few photos of them as I know they are typically only here early when the water is still quite cold.
The structure of the wreck has not changed much from last year, although it has been breaking down in recent years. I swam the whole wreck and thanks to my vest, I was warm and my hands did not get cold at all. The dive went smooth and I really enjoyed my day out on the ocean. Some divers brought up Cod, Sea Bass and two Flounders. It was apparent that everyone loved their dive today!
The Indy has a new deck this year and I have to say it looks really nice.!! Hoping to get out with Gotham Divers next week to the Resor!!! Be Safe!
