Arundo 7-2-11 for the Second Time this summer!

Arundo

 Yesterday I dove the Arundo on the Independence II as a last minute decision and it turned out to be well worthwhile.  I was originally planning on diving the Oil Wreck today (7/3/11) but, the Independence II had to cancel the trip which in the end was a good thing for me.  I have wanted to dive the Oil Wreck for a long time but, it is one of those wreck that for some reason I was always nervous about trying to dive.  I finally made the decision to dive it a few years ago when my diving mentor agreed to be my buddy and basically hold my hand and help me overcome my fear and achieve my goal of diving the Oil Wreck.  That day never came so here I am several years later but, this time I was feeling much more confident in my own capabilities and was going to accomplish the dive on my own.  Since the dive was cancelled, I realized some wrecks are just not meant to be and I am ok with that.  So as an alternative, Capt. Dan invited me to go dive Arundo.

The flat calm Atlantic Ocean

The ocean couldn't get any calmer, flat like a lake. On the way out I was contemplating whether I should take photos during my dive or just dig for artifacts.  I was leaning towards digging for artifacts and/or swimming out in the sand looking for scallops. As I was suiting up, Capt. Dan said I should take my camera in because the surface vis looks fantastic and I may regret leaving it on the boat.  I took his advise and took in my camera.  Since it was so calm, not even a ripple, we had a stern tie-in, simple straight line to the bottom.  As soon as I splashed and looked underwater, the vis was so beautiful, I was so pumped for this dive.  The Arundo has always been one of my favorite dives out of Manasquan Inlet.  The vis held most of the way to the bottom, I only wish the water temperature did.  There was a slight thermocline and the bottom temp was warmer than my last dive to the Arundo at 49 degrees.  We had a full boat today with some students whom typically dive Lake Erie.  Since they all splashed before me, the area around the anchor was a little silted up.  I therefore, swam away from the anchor in search of clearer waters in which I succeeded.  The vis was about 30' on the bottom.  I proceeded to take a few photos but they were not coming out well, they seemed real dark. (I later figured out that my lens was fogging, time for new moisture munchers).  So, I stopped and just swam around looking at the wreck.  At the end on my dive I ran into Alek Petersen whom wanted me to model for his pictures but he too was having issues with lighting.  It is hard to adjust the lighting on these deeper wrecks and I never seem to want to spend the time wasting a dive trying different techniques.  Time is too short on the bottom and I'd rather check out the wreck than waste time fussing with the camera.  I did a 25 minute dive and did not want to go up, these are the times that I again wish I had that rebreather because I would have stayed down longer.  I am still saving my pennies for the rebreather, maybe next year!!! The hang was filled with lots of salps, illuminesence and jellyfish.  There was litterally 0 current which made for a comfortable hang.

Bubbles on the hang

On the surface, everyone started to bring up the bags of lobster, scallops and flounder.  We had a fish jumping off the boat that appeared to be a tuna and that brought some excitement to the surface interval.


On my second dive, I left the camera on board and was going to look for scallops.  I ran my wreck reel out into the sand and did not have any luck finding scallops.  The current started to pick up on this dive but that also helped to improve the vis to about 35'-40'.  Toward the end on my dive I spotted something that looked like a soda can, I picked it up and it was one of those large Canadian Beer bottles, fully intact with no cracks in it.  I then started to dig around there to search for more but did not find any.  The current picked up quite a bit while I was on the bottom so I had one of those long flag pole hanging type of hangs.  Boy my arms tire when there is current.  I was excited about my find. Perfect end to a perfect day out diving.  It is so rare to have such good conditions on this wreck and this year I have had two great days of diving on this wreck.  I knew my 25th year of diving would be the best but, so far it has far exceeded my wildest expectations.  Looking forward to diving again next weekend out on the Indy II.

Sea Hag on the Dina Dee

After returning from an awesome week of canoeing, camping, and enjoying he abundant wildlife in Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada with the family, I was looking forward to today's dive.  Today was a girl's day of diving.   My friend Jenn Washco and I planned to go and dive a boat and wreck that we do not dive on a lot.  Something new and different. We ended up choosing to go out on the Dina Dee out of Barnegat Light which was an open boat.  When we arrived, it was decided that we would be diving the Sea Hag since it was Chis the Mate's favorite wreck.  It had been a real long time since I dove the Sea Hag and frankly did not remember the wreck itself other than it was a pretty dive.  Chris and  Capt. Roger told me it was impossible to get lost on this wreck since it is "basically a circle in the shape of a boat".

The Sea Hag sits in 87' of water and was a wooden sailing ship.  It remains mostly intact although it is deeply imbedded into the sand.  The bow sits up pretty high with about 15'-20' of relief and is very picturesque.  The stern is broken up a bit but has lots of holds for fish and lobster.

Small Winter Flounder

Spikes on the wreck

The ride out was a little bouncy and therefore, once we anchored up Jenn and I were anxious to get in the water.  The visibility on the surface was endless and the water column was filled with salps and small jellyfish.  At about 60' we passed through a brownish cloud of silt that cleared once you were on the bottom.  The vis was about 25' with decent ambient light.  The bottom temp was real warm...51 degrees.  We were anchored in the extreme stern and decided to follow the edge of the hull as far as we could.  I took photos and Jenn proceeded to locate some lobsters but was scared to grab them for fear of being bitten.  There was schools of sea bass everywhere, lots of winter flounder and some larger fluke too.  I even saw an oyster cracker.  My memory served me well this was a pretty wreck and has a little something for everyone.  My dive lasted about 30 minutes and it was time to head up.  Both Jenn and I had only one set of doubles for the day so we needed to conserve air for our second dive.  I wish I could have stayed down longer, it was too nice to leave and head up so soon!

Jenn Hanging!

The Sea Bass were so vibrant in color

Most of the divers came up with fluke or sea bass and there were a few lobsters boated.  Since the conditions were good we decided to stay for a second dive instead of relocating.  Now let me tell you how classy this boat is...  Jenn and I were busy catching up with each other when Capt. Roger walked over with cheesecake for us on fancy plates and silverware.  Where else can you go diving and have cheesecake delivered to you?? It turns out that most of the guys on board were members of the Wreck Raiders and they always bring good sweets.  It sure was a nice treat!!  We also had a whale breach off the side of the boat which makes the day that much more special.

For my second dive, Capt. Roger told me to take a swim and head up to the bow because it would be nice for photos.  I took his advise and swam all the way to the bow,  I kinda left Jenn in the dust and I knew she wouldn't mind.  The bow was perfect for photos however, by the time I got there it was time for me to turn around and head back so I didn't run out of air.  So, I only took a few pictures of this area. The swim back was against the current and boy did I huff and puff and wear myself out.  I felt like I almost wasn't going to make it back to the anchor but, I did.


Today was the perfect girl's day out diving.  It was topped off with a beer at the dock, fresh fileted fish and Capt. George gave Jenn a lobster to take home.  We decided that us girls will have to do this again sometime this summer.  Thanks to the Dina Dee for a beautiful day!!!

Jenn took this picture of me on our hang!

Me, Capt. Roger & Jenn

Such a fun day!!

Maurice Tracey 6-12-11

Today I went out on the Independence II with Helen Bilinski and the Diversion Group (10 divers) to dive the wreck called the Maurice Tracey.  The Maurice Tracey was a steam powered collier.  She sank on June 17, 1944 almost 67 years ago to the day when she was rammed by the liberty ship, Jesse Billingsley.  Today the wreck sits in 70' of water.

Superstructure of the wreck

We were all hoping for good conditions today since the crew of the Indy indicated that the seas were snotty the day before and it appeared that the winds had calmed.  It did calm a bit but, there were still some large swells that made the boat rock n roll.  Once we anchored over the Maurice Tracey it wasn't bad at all but, a few of the divers opted not to dive due to the sea conditions.  Like I have said before, this boat has a set up that makes it easier to dive in rougher conditions because once you do a giant stride off the back you are at the carolina rig leading right down to about 25'. Even today, with a pretty good current and large swells, it isn't difficult to get under and out of the angry sea on the surface.  Once I was under it was apparent that the great visibility that has been prevalent this summer is still here.  It was a quick descent to the bottom and Dan Martinez had tied us into a high piece of superstructure.  The vis was about 20' or more, a little cloudy, a small surge, and the most apparent thing was that the water was much warmer, I had 53 degrees on the bottom and 58 degrees on the surface.  It is amazing how an increase in a few degrees makes a world of difference.

This wreck has two large boilers with lots of low lying wreckage around them.  I was taking photos again but notices that this wreck was kind of mute when it comes to color.  There is a type of hydroid that has blanketed this wreck completely and gives it that grayish color.  I believe the vegetation is known as garland hydroid, but I am not positive, in any event it is not the best for photos.

Garland Hydroids (Sertularia) blanketing this wreck

I swam out past the boilers and went out in the sand looking for smaller pieces of the wreckage.  I thoroughly enjoyed my dive especially since I was warm, I poked around, looked at the large sea bass and smaller bergals and also tried to locate some lobster.  I guess toward the end of my dive I was enjoying taking my photos so much that Capt. Dan was poking me in the head with his spear and I didn't even notice.  He couldn't believe that I didn't feel him poking me...I ended up with about 30 minutes on the bottom before I went up.  I only brought 1 set of tanks with me today so I made sure I left enough air for a second dive.  I used about 1000 psi during my 30 minute dive and hang...not bad.  Once I was up on the surface, the lobsters and speared sea bass started coming on board.  The lobsters were all a decent size and it was nice to see quite a few caught.  Everyone enjoyed their dive.  Today there was a barbeque of hot dogs and Helen's famous peorgies.  One of the reasons I enjoy diving with this group is the food, there is always lots of food.

Northern Stoney Coral

There was a smaller crowd that did a second dive, I think there was only 4 of us that went in.  I tried to convince those that sat out on dive #1 that it is worth going in but I didn't get any takers.  My second dive I headed further out into the sand and ended up out in the extreme stern of the wreck.  I tried to take some photos of the large sea bass but since everyone was spearing fish they were real skidish and made it almost impossible to get close enough for a good photo.  Their coloration is really rich in blues this year and would make for a cool picture.  Maybe next time.  I ended up with a little shorter dive, 25 minutes because I was cold but it was great.  More lobsters and fish were boated and everyone had something for dinner.

Pink Hearted Hydroid

As Helen said, I was the female representative today, since I was the only female that made it into the water.  I was happy to take on that role!!!.  While out diving today, I was missing my daughter's horse jumping competition and I wanted very much to be there with her. She placed first in one event and second in the other two.  I am so proud of her.  Sometimes I feel guilty being out diving while missing important events with the kids but, I think it teaches them to be independent and that life goes on without mom around.  I know they admire my diving and they know how happy it makes me so, they too see and learn from my example.  In the end its a win-win for all.

Me coming up from another awesome dive!!

Always Smiling!!

 Well, not sure when my next dive is as of yet, I'm taking off for a week of wilderness canoeing in Ontario, Canada.  Til my next wreck diving adventure...Be Safe!

San Jose on the Atlantus 6-6-11

Captain Brian Larsen of the Atlantus Charters called me just a few days ago and asked if I wanted to join him to check out some numbers and go diving for fun.  I told him I was diving on Sunday, June 5th and didn't think I would be able to get air to be able to dive with him.  We actually have 8 sets of doubles but most of them were empty....  Well, the nice guy that Capt. Brian is, he said he'd hook me up with some tanks.  So I decided what the heck, I'll leave my responsibilities of the real world behind and go diving for a second day in a row. It turned out that since the dive on the Pinta yesterday was so shallow, I was able to do two dives on one set of doubles so, I had another set to bring with me today. We headed out later than usual so we could all sleep in a little, and when we broke the inlet there was hardly a ripple in the ocean.  It was an eerie flat calm.  We went to check out numbers for two wrecks and found something small but, in the end decided to head over to the San Jose since it was the closest wreck to where we were.

The San Jose was a passenger freighter that no sits in 110' of water.  It sunk in January 1942 when it collided with the Santa Elisa. It is a great dive for artifacts, lobster and fish.

When we arrived at the wreck the Miss AC was on it with a fishing charter but, they were on the extreme southern end of the wreck so there was plenty of room for us to anchor up and Capt. Collette had no problem sharing the wreck.  Since there was only a few of us today, Tim, Henry, Mike, Capt. Brian and I, I was in the second team to dive.  The reports from the first group in were of awesome vis and what a great dive.  Capt. Brian and I splashed together and I was taking my camera and he was going to spear fish.  The vis on the bottom was again about 30',  seems to be the norm everywhere this week.  It was cold though, another day of 43 degrees.  Yesterday I lost one of my flash diffusers so as I settled in take some pictures of this wreck, I was getting bright spots in the photos, that coupled with the fact that this wreck is a little deeper than yesterday's dive and thus a little less natural light, I was finding it hard to get a decent photo.  I didn't spend too much time fussing with the camera, I just took off looking for artifacts.  I have been on this wreck so many times and I never seem to orient myself but today with this vis, I was able to cover some ground and get a feel for the layout.  I call it a messy wreck because there is just pipes and things everywhere.  When I surfaced it was so hard to believe that the day before, I was in such a 4'-6' sloppy sea and today, it was so calm, no current, and the diving was almost effortless.  In fact, during the surface interval they were all fishing and it felt like you were not even on a boat.

Hmmm...some diver must of taken a valve from here on a past dive...

Henry came up from his second dive telling us that he found some brass which we quickly named "Irish Gold". He left it at the anchor and asked Capt. Brian to send it up and they could share the artifact, 1/2 the year at one house and 1/2 at the other, they even negotiated weekends and holidays.  So, as Capt. Brian and I splashed for our second dive, I left my camera on board, I was going to check out the wreck some more and then, we were sending the artifact up the anchor line before we went up.  Henry found a large pipe valve that said "Luxenheim" on it.  It was a nice find!  I of course found nothing :(

I wish I was able to take better pictures of this wreck but, I inherently have bad luck with photos on this wreck.  It is a silty wreck and even with good vis, the silt always compromises the photos. Maybe someday it'll work out and I'll get some decent photos of it.

Both dives today were so relaxing and carefree, but that wasn't only from the great conditions in the ocean it is the auroa of the Atlantus Dive Boat.  It is always a laid back good time on that boat.  I was just one of those perfect days to play hookey from all your responsibilities.

Mike

Tim

Capt. Brian Larsen, Henry & Mike with the "Irish Gold"

 I am supposed to head out again this week to the Maurice Tracey and I hope the conditions prevail.  This is going to be one outstanding dive season if these conditions hold up.  Once I got home, I got another invite to play hookey next week..hmmm do I do it again???

Flat Calm!!

Pinta 6-5-11 on The Independence II

Photo of me on the Pinta taken by Alek Peterson

So many baby mussels!

                                     Today the forecast was for 2'-3' seas and I was scheduled to go on the Independence II to the wreck of the Tolten.  I have fond memories of past dives to this wreck and was really excited to go back to it especially with my newer camera.  When we headed out of the inlet we were not greeted by 2'-3' seas but rather 4' seas with close periods and as we headed towards the Tolten the seas grew larger.  After a lengthy discussion and vote by those who were warranted as having voting rights, we changed the destination first to the Gulftrade Stern then, we completely switched directions and went to the Pinta.  I tried to dive this wreck at the end of last year and ended up going for a boat ride to the wreck because when I jumped in my regulator would not stop free flowing therefore, I never made it to the bottom.  I have heard from a lot of people that this is a great wreck to dive.

The Pinta was a Dutch freighter carrying teak lumber on May 8, 1963 when it was struck broadside by a British freighter, SS City of Perth.  Today the Pinta remains partially intact and it is very easy to navigate.  Once we arrived at the Pinta I lagged behind the other divers so I that I could get a visibility report and it was reported that there was great vis.  I was planning on only doing one longer dive since it was pretty rough and I felt pretty beat up from the ride out there.  This wreck is in about 80 feet of water so I figured I could stay until I got cold.  As soon as I splashed I could see that the vis was just incredible.  I cruised around the wreck for a few minutes to orient myself and then settled in to take some photos.  This wreck is so full of marine life and it is just beautiful to look at.  Alek Petersen and I were both taking photos so I took a few of him and he took a few of me and then we parted to focus on shooting the wreck.  Since the vis was about 25'-30' my pictures appeared to be coming out well.  The bottom temp was 43 degrees so my plan of doing a longer dive was not going to work out because after 20 minutes I could no longer feel my fingers.  I do wish the North Atlantic would warm up just a few degrees.  Once I was back on the boat most of us came back with issues of frozen fingers. As you can see by my photos, this is a pretty wreck!

 

Since the conditions on the bottom were so awesome and the surface conditions were awful, I decided to go ahead and do a second dive.  The vis improved even more...I was at a depth of 46' and I could see Alek on the wreck.  I spent the second dive taking more photos and exploring this interesting wreck.  This is definitely a wreck that I'd like to visit again..There are both low lying areas and areas of high relief.  It is just a neat wreck and I like it a lot.  The ride home was smoother sailing and I am now pumped for my dive out of Atlantic City tomorrow!!!!  There will also be a lot more photos posted on my facebook..

Alek Petersenhh

Alek & Igor

1st Dive of my 25th Year as a Diver- "The Arundo"

After diving so many wrecks over the past 25 years, I still get quite nervous in the days leading up to my 1st dive of the season.  I guess in a way it is a good thing, because it makes me think through my dive and all the what- ifs and also to take a good look at my equipment and modify things that did not work well the year before.  This year is no different as I sat at my sons' baseball game on Saturday, I was thinking through my dive plan.  I had planned to splash earlier in the season on some shallower dives to work out the kinks but, the weather did not cooperate with my plans.  So here we are, my 1st dive of the year to the Arundo.  Last year I had a fantastic dive on this wreck and I was confident that today would be another great dive to this historic wreck.  I planned to buddy up with Susan Martini  and Aaron Snow and also planned to do a nice and easy short dive, no camera, just go down breath, look at some fish and come back safe.

Well, as we broke the inlet it was not the 2'-3' seas as predicted in the weather forecast, it was rough and we were taking large waves over the bow.  Captain Dan was determined to make it to the Arundo so we continued on and it actually got calmer as we were further offshore.  Captain Dan made a good call because once we were anchored up it was not bad at all.  Reports of the first few divers in said the vis was decent so I was excited for my dive.  I splashed ahead of Sue and Aaron and took it nice an slow going down.  It got pretty cold once I was below 50' and my darn drysuit was leaking in my back zipper and also in my boots...this is not good.  I quickly remembered the end of last season that I determined it is time for a new drysuit, well I am shopping for one now, for sure.  Once I was on the bottom I couldn't believe how good the vis was (20' or better) and what great ambient light there was for this early in the year.  This put me at ease and I actually did not travel too far from the anchor line, sticking to my plan to just check out my equipment, breathe and look at the fish.  However, there were little or no fish, I saw one large taugue and that was it.  I did not recognize where we were on the wreck, it appears we were at the extreme end of the wreck and there was large links of chain so I assume it was the bow but, I am not sure.  There were lots of pieces that rose quite high off the bottom and also some piping that looked like a prop-shaft so, maybe we were in the stern, I don't know it remains is a mystery to me.  My dive buddies went out into the sand to gather scallops and I chose to hang out in my peaceful environment.  I didn't last long, after about 15 minutes in 43 degree water, I was freezing and wet so up I went.  My hang was uneventful but it was warm, 54 degrees.  Others reported large dogfish swimming all around them but, I did not see any.

As I surfaced Brandon, crew member extraordinaire, was there too take my bag and swing bottle as I climbed the ladder with ease.  I became really cold on the surface and was soaked, I opted to skip the second dive.  This is a habit on mine in the early season, do just one dive.  However, I really do regret not going back in today because it is not often that you have good conditions on this wreck since it is in the mudhole.

The boat was packed full today and most of the divers came back with bags full of scallops and some of Anthony's students came back with some bottles.  This wreck was carrying 5,000 cases of beer bottles so there are lots of  bottles to be found and it is a great momento from your dive.   This was a truly great day to be out diving.  Here is a great video that Brandon McWilliams shot which shows the beautiful conditions we had out there:
Video of the Arundo 5/22/11 by Brandon McWilliams

I must, at this point talk about the Independence II, their Captain's, and crew.  I have been diving on this boat over the years and there have been numerous improvements made each year and I think now, they nearly have it perfect!  The carolina line system is the best I've ever used and all boats should incorporate a set up like theirs.  It sure beats swimming on the surface to the anchor line in rough seas, to be able to jump in and have the line right next to your entry bringing you down 25' is wonderful.  It also makes for a very pleasant decompression hang.  There is always someone on this boat to help you suit up or get out of the water plus they keep very consistent and accurate track of everyone's run-time, time in and out and they check to make sure no one has exceeded their due back time.  Its one thing to keep track of everyone's run-times which lots of boats do but, it is even more important that you follow each divers schedule so that if someone is over due even by a minute or two you are ready to jump in and check on the delayed diver.  This can help to save lives!!  I also like the safety sausage requirement where as everyone must have one and send it up only if you need help, they will then send a diver in for assistance.  This boat is very roomy and clean, even the bathroom is clean which is hard to find out there on dive boats.  Thanks to everyone that worked this trip today with such professionalism,  Sean and Sue Martini, Brandon McWilliams (aka Purple, Pink and Lime Green dude), Aaron Snow (professional Rain-ex window cleaner), Capt. Bill Trent and of course Capt. Dan Bartone.  Looking forward to many trips out this year on the Independence II.

I still cannot believe all the diving that I have done over the past 25 years and quite often wonder why I continue to dive year after year.  I think the excitement that leads up to the dive and the curiosity of what I will find or see on each dive drives me to continue. Its also the people that I have met along the way that inevitably end up enriching my life which continues each year. I need intellectual stimulation in my life and I find that divers are typically on the same intellectual wavelength as I.  I usually learn a lot of interesting things from simple conversing amoung divers.  I hope that all of my instructors over the years realize that what they have taught me is carried through each and every dive and I will always be grateful for the things they have taught me and also their inspiration.  I have lost touch with most of my instructors over the years but, perhaps they will find this blog and be proud of my accomplishments that began with them.

I have so much planned for this special year, a week of North Carolina wreck diving, diving wrecks in the St. Lawrence seaway, and also being able to spend time photographing my favorite local wrecks off of NJ such as the Northern Pacific, Varanger, Cayru, Max's Wreck, Tolten, Maurice Tracey, S-5 and many more to be added.  Sooo, Let's go Wreck Diving 2011!!

Be Safe and Happy!

Happy Dive Birthday to Me!!!

Today is my birthday and I was excited to get a pair of Diving Concepts dive mitts as a gift from the kids. They are the old fashioned 3 finger lobster claw type that I swear is the only thing that keeps my hands marginally warm. I have been looking for a new pair of these for a few years and they found them!!! This gift is motivating me to get ready to do some diving in the near future. This is going to be a great year in terms of diving for me and I can't wait for that first dive!