North Carolina 2012

Photo of me taken by Rich Venuti

For the second year in a row I left my family behind and went down to North Carolina for a week of wreck diving with some old and new friends.  John Preistly was my traveling companion and dive buddy for the week.  We dove 4 out of the 5 days and the dives were all outstanding.  There was an abundance of marine life that included sharks and more sharks, sting rays and dolphins.  I came home a little tired from this trip but feeling truly blessed to have been able to see so much in my short visit to the wrecks of North Carolina.

Caribsea 7-30-12

The Caribsea is a freighter that was carrying manganese when it was torpedoed two times by the U-158 on March 11, 1942.  This wreck sites in 70'-90' o f water and is not known for the best visibility but today we would have a decent 40' fo viz on the bottom and about 100' just above the wreck.  The engine, boiler and the bow are the most recognizable parts of this wreck that remains today.    We were anchored into the bow and upon decent it was hard not to notice the schools of spade fish that swam mid water column.  I did not even reach the bottom and I began to notice lots of sharks.  The Captain had advised that the visibility was lower on the bottom so that if we wanted to photograph the sharks we should hang above the bow in the clear water.  I initially went to the bottom and tried to get a feel for the wreck but with a limited 30'-40' of visibility I did not like not being able to keep an eye on all of the sharks.  So I decided to hang out at a depth of about 65' and to check out all of the sharks.  They were every where you looked along with lots of jacks.  Rich Venuti waved me over to the deck of the bow and showed me a spotted eel that was such a treat to see.  He was not large but, allowed us all to spend time photographing him.

Even though the visibility on the bottom was not the best for North Carolina, it is excellent for this particular wreck which is not known for good viz.  That being said we all agreed to stay on this wreck for two dives especially since it was loaded with sharks.

Pappose 7-31-12

Today we went to the Pappose for two dives.  You can look at my earlier post on the Pappose from August 2011 for information on the wreck sinking.  The weather on the surface was not so hot, did I say rain...it poured all day long which made for a chilly surface interval.  However, the underwater conditions were fantastic, 80'-100' of visibility and plenty of small tropical fish that I have not noticed on other wrecks.  When I dove this wreck last year, there were sharks all over it.  This year I only saw a few, the Captain and crew have always said that the sharks do move from wreck to wreck and this is proof.  I saw two Sea Raven's on this wreck and they sat patiently as I took a bunch of photos of them.  I'm sure my flash blinded them for the week!

There always seems to be a current on this wreck and as a result I still have not made it to the stern to see the giant prop.  One of these days I'll dedicate a dive just to swim the entire length of the wreck to see the whole thing.  I managed to spend most of my time in the debris field adjacent to the break of the wreck and the small pieces out in the sand.  After this rainy cold day, I swore if it rained tomorrow I would be breaking out my drysuit to stay warm on the surface.  Funny how I froze on the surface but the water was nice and warm so I was nice and toasty during my dives.

 Shurz 8-2-12

This by far is my favorite  This wreck sits in 95'-110' of water and it was a gunboat that sunk in a collision with the SS Florida on June 21, 1918.  The guns and canons are still on the wreck and can easily identified along with the prominent boilers.  The reason I love this wreck so much is because the visibility is great, it sits on white sand so it generally is bright on the bottom and also has so much marine life on it.  Before we splashed the mate had indicated that there was a school of sting rays off of the bow and that was where I was heading.  I quickly swam out into the sand and spotted the school of 6 rays.  They were quite far off of the wreck and the tricky part is getting close to them without losing site of the wreck.  The bait fish would swoop in and you instantly would lose all track of direction.  I simply kept the wreck to my back so that I knew I would need to do a 180* and swim back into the wreck and not get lost.  Since I was all alone out with the rays, I sat on my knees and waited for them to come to me.  They would split into groups of 3 and circle all around me.  Once they got comfortable they swam right up to me and would poke their noses on my knees.  This was so cool but, made it difficult to video and photography, they were just too close.

  In addition to the rays was about 4 jacks that swam around me.  After a while the rays took off and I went back to the wreck and spent time cruising the wreck and trying to get a decent picture of the small irrisdescent blue fish.  I do not know what kind of fish they were but they were small and bright in purplish blue color.

This wreck also had some sharks that hung up higher on the wreck and the schools of spade fish would swim around the sharks.  This was the most awesome dive and could not be topped.  However, during my hang the most unbelievable thing happened.  I was decompressing and keeping a close eye on this large baraccuda that was eying me up.  Rich started pointing behind me and I thought he was trying to alert me to the baraccuda but, no he was pointing to a school of dolphins right behind me.  I could not believe that I was underwater with dolphins.  The swam all around us and gave us all quite a show, there was plenty of time to shoot photos and video of them before they left.  What a dive: sting rays, sharks and dolphins all in one dive!!!  The second dive on this wreck was just as grand but without our dolphin friends.

 

Photo by Ben Price

Atlas 8-3-12

The Atlas was a tanker carrying gasoline when it was torpedoed by the U-352 on April 9, 1942.  The wreck today is quite large and sits on a muddy bottom in 80'-125' of water.  I know most of you have been following the latest NOAA proposal for an expansion to the National Marine Sanctuary which would require all divers to obtain costly and cumbersome permits to dive wrecks that are within the sanctuary.  Well just last week the dive boat I was on was boarded by NOAA to check and see if any worthy artifacts were taken off of the Shurz wreck.  Today as we approached the Atlas, NOAA had a boat  anchored to the wreck.  They had divers in the water and lift bags were present possibly raising some artifacts for their own "research".  We had to wait until  NOAA was done bringing up their divers and equipment prior to anchoring onto the Atlas.  This was a staunch reminder of how the world of diving that we all know and love will not longer exist if the sanctuary is expanded beyond the Monitor.  I know I wrote several letters opposing such an expansion but often wonder if that was all I could do.  The presence of NOAA on this wreck definitely dampened my spirits while diving but I also thought, I am lucky that today I am free to dive this wreck.  This wreck is not known for visibility but it is known for sharks.  The visibility was 30' on the bottom which is very good for this wreck and about 100' just above the upper decks.  As I descended I did not even get to the wreck when I saw lots and lots of large sand tigers.  I stopped at about 50' and took some photos and watched the sharks as they effortlessly hung in the water.  Eventually I went further down and landed on the upper superstructure.  There were so many sharks all around that I could not move.  I did start to swim around when a 14'-15' sand tiger was coming full speed at me, there were smaller sharks underneath me so I could not kick to get out of the way of the big one coming for me.  It came to within inches of my face and quickly veered off.  I screamed so loud into my regulator I am sure everyone heard me!  I swam over to my buddy, John and held on to his arm to let him know I was scared to death.  I don't think John could save me but, I felt better holding on to him.  I am such a whimp!!!  Soon I gained enough courage to swim around the wreck a bit but, due to the muddy bottom, it silted up quickly and I did not like being in a wreck with sharks that I could not see.  Before long, I went back up to the 50' depth and watched the sharks in mid water column.  Those sharks did not swim around too much and you can at least see them coming...  I would like to go back to this wreck someday since it is so large there is lot to explore.

Caribsea 8-3-12

We went back to the Caribsea since reports were that the visibility had improved since Monday and again because there were a large concentration of sharks there.  I did like this wreck on Monday and was glad to be able to go back to it to explore further.  I spent this dive trying to capture some good silhoettes of the sharks but for some reason my camera was not getting enough light.  I therefore, shot some pics and video of the groupers that happened to be hanging out on the higher portions of the wreck.

This week means a lot to me and definitely rejuvenates me spiritually.  We had a really great group to dive with and I think every one of us had a nice time together!  We even had a few divers added onto our charter that happened to be from NJ too...  One thing that inspires me is that most of these guys are retired yet, they are physically and financially able to continue to dive...I hope I have the luck and happiness they all have acquired!

I have quite a few photos from this trip so I decided to just post a few now and will work on posting more over the winter along with the videos, so stay tuned!!

Next year I will be returning to dive these wrecks again but, this time I will be bringing my daughter Rebecca along to for a "girls" week.  I can't wait!!

Photo of the "Group" taken by Mike Gerkin aka our Captain

Durley Chine (Bacardi) 7-28-12

This wreck was known for a long time as the Barcardi Wreck and it sunk in a collision with the steamer Harlem on April 30, 1917.   It is a tanker that sits in 185' of water on a sandy bottom.  The tanker was only 4 years old when it met its demise.  The wreck was originally found by a charter captain whom marked the wreck with a weighted line and a corked bottle of Bacardi Run hence the name, the Bacardi wreck.  In 1987 the wreck was positively identified by Rick Jaszyn when he recovered the ships bell with S.S. Durlely Chine inscribed in it.

I have been very sick for the past 3 weeks and was not sure if I would make it out today and up until I actually splashed I was truly hesitating.  I was sure glad I went for it because this the best dive I ever did in my life...  We left the dock on the Independence II at 3am for the long 60 mile ride out to the wreck.  We were fortunate to be greeted to 2'-3' seas the entire trip.  The boat was covered from bow to stern with bodies sleeping wherever there was room for the ride out until the boat finally slowed and we were at the wreck site.

The tie-in was quick and we were anchored in right next to the boilers.  I splashed into the balmy 75 degree water and soon was at about 100' where I could already see divers on the bottom.  At first I thought we must be at the wrong wreck, because there is no way I could see from 100' to the bottom which is about 182'.  I was wrong and quickly realized that the visibility was so outstanding that it took you a few minutes to realize that this is really NJ.  Upon descent you could see the entire wreck and of course see the prominently placed boilers that rose out of the sandy bottom.  I was already regretting not taking my camera in.  This was the last of my trimix certification dives and I wanted to dive and relax with no camera.  The next thing I noticed was that given the depth there was still plenty of ambient light and all you need your light for was to spot a lobster or artifact inside the wreckage.  I initially started out following the prop shaft out into the sand and realized at first that there was not a lot of wreckage in this direction (which I later realized if I had followed it further I would have found more wreckage) so I turned around and went back to the area around the boilers.  I noticed that this wreck is covered with brass pipes, valves and flanges just laying about.  Even I could have brought up an artifact with little effort if I wanted another hunk of brass for my garden.  I saw a plate and flipped it over and there was a lobster under it.  I am not a good lobster hunter but this lobster had no where to escape to so I picked it up.  It started bucking its tail and I dropped it because it startled me.  I then tried to pick it up again but was not able to hold it and put it in my bag without some help so I was swimming around looking for my buddy, Geoff and found him excavating an artifact.  I looked closer and my lobster and thought you know what, I bet this looks bigger on the bottom than what it would look like on the surface and I bet it is too small to keep.  So I let it go and went to see if Geoff needed help with his artifact which was some sort of valve or flange.  Later on the boat I thought, I bet my judgement in terms of the size of the lobster was wrong because the tail was rather large.  Oh Well!  I swam around some more and saw a giant red sea raven fish and some of the largest ling cod I have ever seen.  The bottom temp was 48 degrees and boy was it cold.  Before long it was time to wrap things up and head up.  The thermocline was thankfully at 60' and felt so good especially since I had been shaking from the cold since 110'.

Once on the boat everyone talked about the parts of the wreck that they had seen and everyone was raving about the epic visibility, about 80'-100' horizontal.  The bow of the wreck has collapsed and the only areas with real relief was at the boilers and the stern.  There were lots of nice bugs harvested from the wreck as well a a bottle, ceramic vase and some other brass items (valves, flanges).

On dive #2 I swam out towards the bow and checked out some pieces of wreckage in the sand.  During this dive I shot some video with the Gopro and hoped it was bright enough for it to pick up the great viz and features of this wreck.   I will post the video once I have time to edit it.

On the way home we checked out two sets of numbers and one set looked real promising and I am sure we will be back to dive on those numbers some day in the future.  After the long trip in we had enough time to unload the boat before all of the strong thunderstorms blew through.  I will mark this down and the best dive I have ever been on but, it was definitely a long day with that include a lot of prep work. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to dive this wreck, a place I am sure few have gone.  The next morning I got up bright and early and made the trek down to North Carolina.  As I type this it is the eve of a week of Wreck Diving in North Carolina!  Be Safe!!!

Dutch Springs 7-21 & 7-22

I spent a beautiful weekend at Dutch Springs with my daughter Rebecca while she completed her check-out dives.  She is now a certified PADI diver and I am one proud mom!  The visibility in the quarry was only 20' at best, there were times when it would silt out to only about 5' of viz and all you could see was the fins of another diver in front of you.  Rebecca and the other divers handled the low visibility well and now they were able to see first hand what it is like to dive with little or no viz.  I more or less stayed far away from her because I did not want to interfere and wanted her to do this on her own.  My original plan was to video and photograph her dives.  I did get a few pictures and limited video but the conditions were limited. 

While up at the quarry I had several divers asking why I waited until Rebecca was 16 years old to get her certified?  There are several reasons for this but, the main reason was I wanted her to decide on her own to become certified and not just because Mom and Dad dive and would like her to learn.  In the end I think this was the right decision for all of us because it went very smoothly and she is confident in herself. 

We had a great time camping and sitting around the fire at night with all the other divers which was a great way to ease her into the diving world. 

I will be trying to get her out in the ocean over the next few weeks since she already has told me that the quarry was boring and not much to look at.  I promised her that wreck diving is far more exciting and interesting than diving the quarry!  Congratulations Rebecca!!!

Northern Lilian 7-7-12

On February 26, 1939, the Lilian collided with the freighter Weigand in the fog and sunk off of Barnegat, NJ.  Today, I was able to dive on the wreck where it is providing lots of habitat for a wide variety of species.

I have been trying to dive the Northern Lilian for the past two years and have been blown out of every trip that I was on so, I was glad that the weather was finally cooperating and, today I would finally get to dive this wreck.  I was under the impression that I have never dove this wreck before...  However, when I was thumbing through my old log book looking for the Astra trip reports, I came upon two logged dives to the Northern Lilian indicating that I did indeed dive this wreck on September 23, 1991 off of George Hoffman's Sea Lion.  It was my logged dive numbers 98 & 99.  My memory is generally pretty good but, this is proof that all these years of diving are affecting my memory to some extent, good ole nitrogen!  In my old log book I wrote that the wreck sat at depth of 152-155' and that particular day we had good visibility (20').  There were tons of bugs, winches attached to poles and the bottom moved with conga eels..Great dive.  I also wrote that Bill got a piece of a backing plate.  Ironic how today conditions remain the same, especially with the bottom having a large abundance of conga eels.  However, my log stated that  I did an 18 minute dive with a 20 minute total  hang time for the first dive and a 20 minute dive and 48 minute total hang for dive two..That was is in the days of diving with air and no O2 for deco...I am glad times have changed for the better in terms of the length of the hang time.


This was a special day for me because I was finally going to complete my NAUI Trimix dives.  I was supposed to take a Trimix course back in 2007 when the instructor that I was going to utilized died while  wreck diving in Florida.  This shook me up quite a bit and it has taken me this long to find another instructor that I felt comfortable with.  We went out on the Independence II on a charter chartered by The Scuba Connection and I was finally going to meet and dive with Wayne and Jason in person.  Wayne and Jason were patient with me last year in helping me to choose a new drysuit that had the perfect fit and we succeeded because I am very happy with my new suit.  The rest of the charter was filled with the usual suspects that made the day fun!

Geoff Graham was my dive buddy today and I planned to follow him around the wreck and to take photos along the way.  Once on the bottom we swam around some of the higher pieces of the wreck and I could spot the boilers in the distance.  The visibility was about 25'-30' and it was very, very cold...48 degrees on the bottom.  I kept stopping to take photos and I didn't want to hold up Geoff, so eventually he went about his dive and so did I.  I was in the middle of taking a photo when a monkfish came along and practically swam into me.  I then noticed that it was tangled in some sort of line.  I was trying to figure out what was up with this monkfish when I spotted Brandon above me (aka purple, pink and lime green guy).  He caught the monkfish and had his spool line weaved through a hole in its mouth and was pulling it around like it was his pet dog or something.  I continued on my way and Brandon took off with his fish.

Brandon's pet Monkfish

  I noticed that there were quite a few cod on this wreck which is promising.  In the "old" days there were always lots of cod to spear, these days its a treat to see them let along spear any.  This wreck is really a great wreck with lots of visible artifact, lots of fish and just plain ole interesting things to check out.  I was again trying to take a close up picture of an eel pout and was inching closer and closer to it when a flash went off and spooked me.  It was Brandon again this time without his monkfish, he came in to take a few pictures of me and to scare off the eel pout that I was trying to photograph.    A few minutes later Geoff signaled that it was time to wrap things up and I was glad because my fingers were so frozen that I could barely move them.  There was a pretty good current on the hang that left you having to hold on with two hands.  Back on the boat the monkfish, cod, lobsters and scallops started coming up. Brandon informed me that he dragged the monkfish into me in an attempt to scare me, little did he know that I am not scared of monkfish, just sharks.  I did tell him that he did succeed in scaring me later with his flash...

Photo of me taken by Brandon McWilliams

Dive number two was more or less a repeat of checking out the wreck and taking photos.  I was much warmer on this dive since it was absolutely baking on the surface, I was so overheated before I splashed that it helped to keep me warmer on the bottom.  Towards the end of this dive I was taking a last picture or two near the anchor line when I felt someone or something gently push me down as if something was on top of me.  I turned to see whom or what it was and I saw a diver scurrying up the anchor line with a green bag full of scallops. Hmmm who is that diver teasing me on the bottom.?. I will find out!!  On the hang there was only Geoff, myself, Capt. Dan and Joe so it left Capt. Dan or Joe to be the diver that was teasing me.  On the surface, they all denied pushing me but, Capt. Dan has a green bag of scallops...he is known to" poke me" under water so I believe it was him.  I guess it was pick on Kim day between Brandon's attempt to scare me with the Monkfish and the unidentified diver trying to scare me by pushing me..This is all part of the fun commaderae that you find out on the dive boat and it makes the day more fun.  Back on the boat there was a whole story of how Sean and Jason wrestled two monkfish and who's battle was grander.

In the end I completed two of my Trimix dives and had a great time out on the Atlantic.  Since I am always so cold diving, Jason is going to arrange for me to try out one of the Santi heated vests that most of the divers on board have been using...Looks like diving with the guys whom own The Scuba Connection will end up costing me in the end but, they probably know I will pay anything to be warmer...lol. Once the boat was cleaned we all went over to Capt. Dan's restaurant and had the cook prepare  Franchaise Monkfish and Blackened Monkfish and it was delicious.  It certainly was a long day, I got up at 3:30am for this dive and didn't get home until 9pm but it was so worth it!!!

I am hoping to get out on my own boat this week to dive the Gloria, Double East or Boiler wreck. Otherwise, I will be diving with my daughter at the quarry on July 21 & 22nd and my next offshore trip will be to the Bacardi.  Till then BE SAFE!!

Astra, June 22, 2012

I spent the last two days at the beach with my friends in this awful heat, looking out at the flat calm sea conditions and admiring the schools of dolphin that played in the waves.  This made me so antsy to go diving.  My dive this past weekend to the N. Lilian was cancelled due to the rough sea conditions and I do not have a planned dive scheduled for several weeks.  Capt. Brian of the Atlantus had called earlier in the week to ask if I wanted to go diving on Friday and I considered it but, knew I had too much work to do so I was destined to do the responsible thing and skip diving and go to work.  But the desire to dive grew and grew and I decided last night to call Capt. Brian and take him up on his offer.  On my early morning drive down to Atlantic City, I knew I made the right decision, you only live once always comes to mind.

There were five of us divers on board today and we voted on hitting the Astra.  The Astra was a freighter that sunk in a collision with another freighter, Steel Inventor, on March 30, 1951.  The wreck sits on a sandy bottom in 85 feet of water.

The ride out was short as we caught up on our hunting and skiing stories from this past winter.  After we were tied in I splashed first since I was planning on a long run time.  The surface vis was not so hot, the recent nor'easter brought in the green water and it was loaded with that cloudy algae.  I kept hoping it would clear up below the thermocline but, that did not happen.  I suppose the vis was 10', not the best but workable.  I tied off my wreck reel and began swimming.  I found some portions of wreckage that rose about 20-30' off of the bottom and decided to try and shoot some macro on these since it was up higher out of the cloudier water that plagued the bottom.  As I was taking photos, the bergols were coming up and kissing my lens and I was trying to get them to stay still long enough to take some macro shots of them, easier said than done...One thing I did notice is the water is very warm and as a result, 35 minutes went by and I still did not have the slightest chill.  I could not make out where I was on the wreck but, I really did not care, I was underwater and happy!

I thought this was a concrete block but now I am not so sure...

Closer view of the unknown block..

Back up on the surface the other divers speared some nice fluke...  Mike found a cool jar that was probably used for cold cream.  I was not planning on a second dive but it was so hot on the boat I decided it is better on the bottom than sweating on the surface.  After a short surface interval I was in for dive #2.  I basically swam around and tried to recognize where I was on the wreck.  I never figured that out but, I had fun exploring.  We were back at the dock by l pm  and Capt. Brian was gracious enough to give me some fluke for dinner.  I fried it up and made a homemade peach salsa to put on top of it and it was delicious.

I used to dive this wreck quite often on the dive boat Horizon in the early 90's.  Diving it again today brought back fond memories of the divers that I used to dive with in those days and the good times I had on that boat.  I looked in my log book for some reports and found my first dive to this wreck was on August 26, 1990 (22 years ago, gosh I feel old).   I had gotten a small lobster and I sent up my first lift bag as part of my Wreck Diving objective.  I wrote that it was difficult to send up my lift bag and took a long time because I got all tangled up in fishing line.  I also sent the bag up far from the boat and wrote how tiring the swim back to the boat on the surface was.  Well some things never change after all these years, I still cannot perfect sending up a lift bag.

Well there will be no diving for me this weekend because my daughter is finally going to learn to scuba dive! I will be at her class for the next 4 or 5 Sundays.  My daughter has wanted to learn to dive for quite some time now but, I kept advising her as the "cautious mom" to wait a few years.  I finally gave in..  We all know that diving in the N. Atlantic is not for everyone but, I hope when I bring her down to her first NJ wreck she will absorb the passion to dive wrecks that I have had for so many years.  It appears to me that there are many children of divers that learn to dive but do not have that passion and drive to excel much beyond learning to dive.   I hope that is not the case with my children but, again, I am aware that this sport is not for everyone.  This will be quite the journey for me...

Dutch Springs 6-6-12 & The Resor 6-9-12

Dutch Springs June 6, 2012

Everyone knows how much I dislike going to Dutch Springs but, there are times when I simply have no choice...  We went to Dutch on Wednesday, June 6 to complete some skills for a NAUI Trimix course that I am currently enrolled in.  Choosing a Wednesday was a great choice because we hit no traffic and there was only one other group of divers besides us at the quarry which was real nice.  The skills were pretty basic and were all things that I have done before but, it had been a real long time since I practiced them.  I had trouble with two of them so to speak...One was swimming around the wreck with no mask on.  I forgot how cold the water at Dutch can be and when I took my mask off, it gave me the most unbelievable ice cream head ache.  All I could do was over my face with my mitts and work through the pain.  Boy was it painfully cold!!!  The other skill was deploying a lift bag while in mid water column and lets just say that there was a lot of laughing at my expense.  I am the first to admit that I am not coordinated but in the end, I stayed calm and did not give up and eventually completed everything just fine, although it was not graceful by any means!  Now that the skills are out of the way its time to go diving which I am confident that I can do without any trepidation.  My old instructor once told me I am self sufficient and capable, I will never forget that compliment!  I hope by the end of this course that my Trimix instructor feels then same way about my capabilities although I am pretty sure he already does.

The Resor, June 9, 2012

  The R.P. Resor was torpedoed by the U-578 on February 28, 1942 with a terrible loss of life. It burned for days before finally sinking. The U-578 then went on to torpedo the destroyer USS Jacob Jones as it searched for survivors.

On a beautiful June morning I ventured out on a very full Independence II dive boat to the Resor.  The Resor continues to be one of my most favored dives because it has so much to offer between, photography, scallops, lobsters, and artifacts.  I believe we have a  backing plate or two from the Resor somewhere in my garage from years ago.  Since we had such a full boat, I let most of the divers splash before me.  There is one thing that I have found over the years is that I do not like to be on a crowded line while decompressing so, going in last typically leaves me alone for the hang..which is very peaceful. We were tied into a familiar spot closer to the bow than the stern where the wreck rises high off of the ocean floor.  There was little or no current today which made for much nicer conditions than when I last visited this wreck under high current conditions last year.  The visibility was about 30-40' with plenty of ambient light and the bottom temperature was 50 degrees.  I went to work shooting some photos and started following some beams out towards the stern.  I never quite made it to the gun or the stern but I had fun trying to take photos.  There was a lot of bioluminescence in the water column that caused a lot of back scatter in my photos.  Towards the end of the dive I notices that the marine life was real pristine inside the wreck so I went in to shoot a few photos and of course those photos did not come out the way I had hoped. In addition to the bioluminesence, I was  having a problem taking pictures because the Bergall's were so abundant that every time I took a picture they would be on my lens and hence in the middle of the photos.  So many pictures did not come out do to these pesty little fish!

As I ascended, I came upon one diver hanging on the line whom came at me with a regulator in their hand.  I signaled are you ok and they said no and was coming at me holding out their regulator.  I immediately backed away for a second to assess the situation because I was afraid they were going to grab at me and grab my regulator.  In looking at the diver I realized they were breathing on a rebreather but was holding out their regulator for their bailout/deco bottle.  I then noticed the problem was that their mouthpiece was missing from the regulator on their bailout bottle.  I was in deco myself and needed my deco bottle to safely complete my deco and I did not know what mix the diver required so, I signaled to the diver that I had a short hang and I will go up and send someone down to help.  Once I was on the surface we sent someone in with the same mix bailout as the diver was using and eventually found out that this diver had plenty of back gas to complete the deco but without the bailout or deco bottle, their hang would have been much, much longer due to the long time they spent on the bottom.  All was well and it reminded me of last year when a similar problem happened to me when my regulator on my deco bottle would not stop free flowing and therefore was unusable.  It is very important to plan your dive so that you can complete your deco on your back gas just in case there is a problem with your deco bottle.  Lesson learned twice:))

On the surface the bags of scallops began coming up on lift bags along with some very nice sized lobsters.  Everyone was happy with the good visibility and warm water.

I splashed for my second dive to find the visibility to be better and brighter since the sun finally came out.  Once on the bottom I went for the long swim to the gun to take some photos of it given the good conditions.  I shot a few photos on the way and when I got there all of a sudden my memory card was full.  Boy was I upset...I had forgotten to delete old photos off of it from last year.  So I spent the rest of my dive swimming around looking for scallops and I did not find any but I did find and oyster cracker and some big Tautog which were pretty skittish.  I thoroughly enjoyed my dives but my time was up.  This time when I ascended it was just me and Captain Dan, peaceful and relaxing.  On the ride in we all talked about the awesome dives planned for this summer...I am really looking forward to it.  If you have not looked at the Indy schedule, check it out, they really do have a great schedule for wrecks set up for this year.

It was a long day that ended with a few Summer Shanty's on the dock....being a scuba diver is a tough life! Next week I'm off to the Northern Lilian...

Arundo, May 12, 2012

As I awoke to a brisk clear morning, I am fully aware how lucky I am to be able to go out and dive the Arundo today.  Like many other divers, I work-out at the gym several days a week over the winter trying to maintain good health and physical condition with the hopes that I am blessed with the capability to enjoy another summer of wreck diving in the North Atlantic.

Today I decided to do only 1 dive and the objective was to be safe and gather some scallops for my graduation party that I was hosting with my dearest friends after the dive.  My friends have put up with my countless hours of studying on the beach for the past few years, helped out with juggling my kids when it conflicted with my grad school classes and the least I could do is get them some fresh scallops.

The forecast was for 2-3' seas and I think it was a solid 1-2', just beautiful for the ride out to the Arundo.   Since Bill was doing the tie-in, I took my time suiting up and splashed quite a while after he went in...I passed him as he was doing his hang.  I asked how the vis was in "sign language" and he gave me the thumbs up.  I went down nice and slow and noticed there was no thermocline and it was cold but not that bad, I was comfortable and dry.  There was a fishing boat anchored on the wreck when we arrived so we anchored in a section of the wreck that I am not familiar with.  It was a high piece and there seemed to be about 25-30' of relief in this portion of the wreck.  Once on the bottom I  did a quick check of my equipment and noticed my computer was not showing that I was diving, good thing I always carry two.  I tied off my wreck reel and headed down into the sand to search for those scallops.  The visibility was a solid 30', it was nice and clear..  The first thing I came across besides empty scallop shells was a Northern Red Anemone.  I have never seen one of these before.  It was all alone in the sand and I was so upset that I did not have my camera with me.  It had such vibrant shades of red, and was simply stunning.  Next time I am on the Arundo I will go in search of another one.    I swam pretty far out into the sand and did not see a single living scallop.  I decided to reel in and to head in the opposite direction.  I ended up in an area with lots of wheel axels and a large cargo hold area.  I spent the remainder of my dive exploring this area.

Northern Red Anemone

Before long about 20 minutes went by and I decided to head up, I did not want to have a long hang since the ocean is not warm and balmy as of yet, although I had 48 degrees on the bottom and 51 degrees on my hang which is not bad for mid May.

Once on the surface, I found out that there were scallops and lobsters to be had, I just did not venture far enough off the wreck to find them.  Everyone on board agreed that the calm sea conditions, lack of current and great visibility is rare for this wreck on the edge of the mudhole.   Everyone did a second dive to take advantage of the great conditions.  More scallops and lobster were boated on the second dive and the visibility improved to 30-35'.  Also during the surface interval, the guys had fun teasing me, Bill put a brittle star on my leg without me knowing and Capt. Dan said "Kim, what is that on your leg?"  I looked down and screamed so loud thinking it was some large spider creature.  They all got a kick out of my reaction,  and had some laughs...Ha Ha the jokes on me!!

Now that one dive is under my belt, I can at least say that I dove once in 2012!  I unfortunately will not be able to dive for sometime due to personal reasons so, I am extremely thankful for this great day out on the Arundo.  To all fellow divers and friends, please post trip reports and photos because I fully enjoy hearing how everyone's dive was.  With good luck on my side, I am hoping to be back in the water in a month or two...until then..BE SAFE!

Shurz Video from North Carolina

I thought I would have had time to edit and post this video months ago but, I have had a very busy winter.  I went on a fun ski trip to Sugarloaf,  Maine (with fellow divers), I took my last two graduate courses and finally graduated with my Masters in Business Administration, and for some reason my business is extremely busy (I'm not complaining!!), so I've been working long hours.  This video was taken last summer on the Shurz Wreck in North Carolina and it was my favorite dive of all the wrecks I dove that week (see my earlier blog post on the Shurz for information about the wreck).  As you can see, there was so much marine life that it actually gets in the way of the video and there were canons on this wreck to boot!  I remember feeling so happy and at peace on this dive in addition to being enthralled with the history of the wreck.

I have not ventured on a lot of week long or extended dive trips for various reasons mostly because they tend to be more arduous and eventually tire me out.  However, the few that I have been on are experiences that I am grateful for being able to have had, they all enriched my diving capabilities.  This trip to North Carolina was very relaxing for me and was not as arduous as I expected, it gave me a chance to branch out on my own and meet some new divers, and to dive an area I have never dove before.  I am working out my summer dive trips now and hope to get back to North Carolina in 2012.  In the meantime, enjoy the video...






Press here to view the Shurz video on You Tube

My 2012 dive season will kick off this weekend when I head out on the Independence II to the Arundo.  Funny, the Arundo is the same wreck that I went to on my first dive of the 2011 dive season.  The conditions are looking favorable for this weekend and I'm anxious to get to my happy place...under the Great Atlantic!

Have a Safe 2012 Dive Season :)

Planning for 2012 Dive Season has begun!!!

Well, 2011 was a year of diving I will certainly never forget and now its onward to 2012! Last week I went to a crew meeting for the Independence II and they have some unique and exciting trips planned for this year that has me smiling from ear to ear:):)  Wrecks such as the Bacardi, Virginia, Resor, and Oil Wreck are on my schedule amongst many other wrecks to be disclosed in the upcoming months. My spring, summer and fall is quickly filing with lots of diving expeditions including another week in North Carolina.

This past weekend I attended a presentation by Mike Boring on the Wilhelm Gustloff at the NJ Maritime Museum and I have to say it was one of the best shipwreck presentations I have been to. It was filled with lots of history from World War II, coupled with an amazing expedition where it seemed like everything was against them but, in the end, was pulled off in incredible diving conditions and then to see the images and video of the wreck to wrap it up was just incredible. This was the largest maritime disaster with the greatest loss of life (between 7,500-9,000 perished) and after seeing this presentation you can feel chills at how so many suffered in the icy Baltic waters to their death. It is one of those presentations that you need to see to get the full effect but, in the end I have the utmost respect for Mike Boring and his quest to follow his passion to dive the Wilhelm Gustloff. I am very grateful for opportunity to see a glimpse of this expedition that I'm sure was life changing for all involved. Here is a link for more information on this wreck:

Wilhelm-Gustloff Wreck

Once the presentation was over Mike, told more stories about the numerous dives he has made in the UK and off of Ireland. Perhaps I should plan on taking a trip to wreck dive in that area?  I have heard from several divers that the wreck diving in the UK is outstanding.

I just finished editing a video of the USGC Spar which is actually 3 separate dives that I combined into one video. I have two more videos to finish editing from North Carolina and it is in my opinion, they are the best ones. I should have them up shortly.

Press here for a link to the USCG Video on You Tube

Have a Safe 2012 Year Wreck Diving!

End of my 25th year as a North Atlantic Wreck Diver

A few weeks ago when I was diving the Resor I kind of knew that it would be my last dive of the season.  Just like skiing when you try to get that last run of the day in and you end up hurting yourself, I figured the Resor was a great dive to have as my last one for the season and why push my good luck that I had this year.

One of the oldest photos of me diving, still in a wetsuit & some rental gear (1989 ish)

Well, I safely completed my 25th year as a scuba diver!  I do believe that the number of divers that have dove consecutively every year for 25 years or more is limited in the North Altantic.  I am not in the geriatric club yet but, I am in the 25 year and over scuba diver club, if there is such a thing..In addition, just as I predicted, it was a banner year...I ended up making about 44 dives on wrecks such as the Arundo, Oil Wreck, San Jose, Tolten, Resor, Maurice Tracey, Pinta, $25 Wreck, Sea Hag, Sea Girt Wreck, Gulftrade, Flour, Gloria, Immaculata, U-352, Aeolus, Pappose, USCG Spar and Shurz.   As in every year there were other trips that did not happen due to weather conditions and other obstacles like the St. Lawrence River trip but, there is always next year!

 I think the highlight of my year was finally being able to tackle the Oil Wreck.  I was recently reading a  technical diving book and it was talking about knowing your "comfort zone".  I have always known my personal "comfort zone" but, when it came to this particular wreck, I always felt that I wasn't quite ready for it.  I had been on boats destined for this wreck numerous times over the years but, never made it there and in the back of my mind I knew that there was a reason why I never made it there.  I remember one time in particular when my instructor said he'd be my buddy for the Oil Wreck which gave me a lot of confidence but, then that day never came...I was again left thinking perhaps this is one wreck that I will never dive.  In the end, I got there sort of by accident when we were supposed to be diving the Somerstad and ended up at the Oil Wreck due to weather offshore.  I know Captain Dan and others on board the Indy that day knew how hard I've tried to tackle this wreck and realize that defeating this was a huge accomplishment for me. I now hope to dive it again someday..

As you all know this blog is meant to inspire current divers and perhaps others that may aspire to learn to dive.  Its my small contribution to the diving community and my way of leaving my mark in this great underwater world we all share.  I want to be remembered as someone who lived life to the fullest, I didn't spend my weekends watching TV or cleaning the house I went out and experienced life.  If nothing else, my children will have this blog to look back on someday and be able to feel what I felt diving each dive.

I don't have any real plans yet for the 2012 dive season other than I know I will be going to North Carolina again, I went with a great bunch of divers and look forward to exploring new wrecks in that area.  I have 4 more videos to edit and post from this years trip to North Carolina so check back over the winter and I'll post them.  I also really missed diving the Varanger and Offshore Paddlewheeler this year so I will make it a priority to get out there in 2012.  One of the things about wreck diving in NJ is that you can plan out what wrecks you'd like to dive each year but given the weather and other events out of your control you never know where you actually end up diving.  Its always that excitement of the unknown destination that keeps me coming back time and time again.  Especially when you board a dive boat and hear the Captain say, lets go check out some new numbers...you never know what you will find.  This year alone there were several new wrecks discovered and while I was not on the boat those particular days, I was so excited and happy for those that stepped out of the box into the unknown and made a grand historic discovery for all. Perhaps next year I will be able to dive these newly discovered wrecks myself...the opportunities are endless! 

I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it. --Rosalia de Castro

I want to thank all of the divers in my 25 year journey whom was there to share diving with me.  My life is richer for having all of you in my life!!  Looking forward to many more safe years of wreck diving...

Still at it after 25 years! (2011)

 

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.   --Hellen Keller

Pappose Video- August 2011

  Press Here for the Link to Pappose Video on You Tube 

I have always been timid of diving with sharks. One of the reasons I went to North Carolina to wreck dive was because the wrecks are known to have an abundance of sharks.  It was so thrilling to see so many sharks and to be so close to them.  One even bumped me..which is scary but, nothing happened other than it scaring me to death.  I cannot wait to go back next year and dive with them again.  I did not get too many photos of the sharks because I was too busy watching them in awe.  This wreck looks like a good wreck for artifacts, you can easily get inside the wreck since there is a tremendous break in the wreck.  However, there is a ton of sharks in the break and I would not want to go inside and be in close quarters with them...I'm not quite ready for that yet!

This video is two separate dives, dive #2 has more sharks in it but they are tough to see through all the schools of bait fish.  Since these are my first videos I have a lot to learn...Next year I should be able to shoot with a more steady hand and angle.

I have not given up on trying to go diving one more time for the season although my window of opportunity is narrowing quickly.  Perhaps I'll get out this weekend, I hear the water is still warm and the visibility has been good.