Go deep, stay long

Saturday The Scuba Connection filled the boat with a charter to the Pinta. The Pinta was a freighter that went down in 1959 after a collision. The wreck lays on her port side at a depth of 85ft. Her cargo of wood timbers is still visible, strewn out on the sea floor. Frankie tied us in near the bow of the wreck. The wreck is split into two sections . The bow and stern provide over 20 foot of relief, and the holds are open for easy access.

Most of the people on board were just happy to get out diving this time of year. I was hoping for some more of that great visibility we’ve had the last couple bouncy castle for sale of months. Reports soon came back that there was 40-50 ft visibility, 58 degrees, and no current or surge on the wreck. The ride out had been a little bumpy, with a swell from the south, so this was great news. I jumped in with camera in hand and great expectations in my heart.

When I hit the bottom I was a bit disappointed. The vis had dropped to 20 ft, and it was quite dark. There was a very slight surge, so the dirty water must have come from elsewhere. There were lots of sea bass around, and cunners swimming about. In many places the wreck is covered in mussels. Then there are bare spots where the star fish have cleaned them off. The remaining mussels are intermixed with anemones and monofilament.

I tried for a few shots out in the sand, hoping that away from the wreck the vis might be a bit better, but this did not seem to make a difference. The dim light also made it difficult to focus the camera. On the other hand, inside the wreck the vis was not bad. I was able to squeeze into the forward hold, and see the wood timbers stowed there. The upper decks have rusted away leaving a skylight effect.

On the way back to the line I was again surprised to see a lonely butterfly fish f littering about the wreck. I approaching the top of the wreck I was greeted by a pair of antenna connected to last nights dinner.

Chapara November 1, 2008

Summary:
57 degrees top to bottom
50+ ft of visibility
Lobster, tog, sea bass, and dog fish.

NOAA was calling for a front to go through and swing the winds around from southeast to northwest. If all went according to plan, it should be an nice day on the water. When we pulled out of the inlet the conditions seemed better than the forecast, but as we got further out, the south east swell started showing. With our destination, and the wind coming from another direction, we were taking them on the beam, even at anchor. The swell was not big, but caused a lot of roll.

Once Chris had us tied in, everyone started rolling in. Before long Chris was up with a report on the conditions. Dark, but clear on the bottom, and dog fish circling the line. Roger and I jumped in as the passengers started to surface.

Given the logistics, I opted for one long dive rather than two short ones. With camera in tow, I dropped down into the water. The dogfish were there just as bouncy castle for sale Chris had noted, however, they were not hanging around for pictures. The descent was murky, but opened up about 30 ft off the bottom. Chris had us tied into the prop shaft, but the prop is long gone.

Schools of juvenile sea bass circled the area between the three large boilers. Larger fish could be seen darting in and out of the boilers, and out from under the deck plates. The wreck lays on the starboard side with the bow section about 50 ft off in the sand. The skin of the ship is disappearing with time, leaving only the ribs jutting out of the sand. Here lobster, sea bass, and tog take refuge.

Once the rest of the divers were gone, the fish started to come out of hiding. There were a few large tog and a couple of trigger fish hiding in the boilers.

The bow section was covered with fish. Again schools of juveniles, as well as some larger sea bass and tog hiding in between the ribs. The last bulkhead of the bow section looks to have housed the deck winch for lifting the large anchor. On the other side, draped in line, the large port anchor can be seen still in the hawse pipe. Down at the bow dogfish cruised by regularly, checking for a quick meal. Now they didn’t seem to mind posing for the camera.

With the warm bottom temp, and lots to see, the time went quickly. Looking at my bottom timer, it had already been 2 hours, and it was time to head up. The other divers were beginning to show up again, and the fish went back into hiding.

Back on the surface, the rollers had died down nicely. It seemed like a completely different day. Chris jumped in with directions to the trigger fish, and plans to pull the hook. We were soon underway. Another Great day of diving.