Go deep, stay long

During WWI the armored cruiser San Diego escorted convoys through the submarine infested waters of the North Atlantic. As irony would have it, she became the only major warship lost in the war by the US when she struck a mine in 1918. Like most warships, the heavy guns and armor caused her to flip over when she sank. She now lies upside down in 110 ft of water a few miles off Fire Island, NY.

If you live in NJ and are interested in diving this wreck, there are a few options. First you can charter a NY boat, get up early, drive to NY, and fight NY traffic on your trip home. Captain Dan has worked out another option. He’s running charters from NJ. Due to the distance, this is more expensive than a standard charter, but can be cost effective over the tolls, gas, and traffic of the alternative.

Billy raising the flags.

With many of the usual suspects in tow, we headed up to Fire Island. Upon arrival, we found a private dive boat tying into the bow. We agreed to tie in toward the stern. Danny had the job done in no time, and Divers started gearing up.

Before long, it was my turn. Just like it’s been down off NJ, the surface was a little snotty, then it opened up around 30 ft. Here the vis remained 30 ft or so down to the top of the wreck. Danny had us tied into the keel near one of the large holes in the hull. My general practice for new wrecks is to do an extended visual tour to get my bearings.

Given the vis, I was confident that I could see the line from either side of the wreck, so no reel was necessary. I headed into the light current, which turned out to be forward. Passing over several large breaks in the hull, I peeked in, then continued forward. Eventually the sweep of the deck became more prominent, and I found the anchor line of the other boat. They were tied into a portion of the keel that formed a loop just prior to sweeping upward. Here also were some smaller holes in the hull that allowed large Tog to swim in and out of the wreck. A large Trigger fish also darted in an out at this point, just keeping out of my reach.

I now knew we were tied in about 200 ft from the bow. It would be a long swim to the stern. I dropped down a bit along the starboard side. The vis below dropped considerably. I could not quite make out the sand, but I could make out the large guns and mounts as I passed them. Again, I peered into each large opening as I passed, pointing my light around. One opening caught my attention. I could see the light of another diver sweeping back and forth as they swam inside the wreck.

Nearing the stern, the prop shafts soon became evident. I was looking forward to seeing what would surly be an impressive set of props. No such luck. They were gone. I found out later, that they had been salvaged years ago, and the salvage effort resulted in the sinking of a savage barge. As it turns out this barge is known to be a good lobster dive.

After swimming the length of the ship, the best bet for penetration seemed to be just forward of our line. After returning to the area, I found Bill making his way in. I didn’t want to stir up the silt on him, so I went further forward where there had been some other large openings. Here the ship is not as wide, and in some of the areas, you can swim completely through. Swim in one side and out the other. Looking through the debris, on the bottom, there were coils of wire here and there, and the ever present silt. One section contained a bulkhead with what appeared to be stacks of shelves. There were openings into deeper sections of the ship, but I was running out of time, and only took the 50cent tour. After poking through a few more openings, I was about out of time, and headed back.

With the proper training and dive buddy, this wreck could be very interesting to explore. As it’s my first visit, I enjoyed just poking around in some of the more open spaces.

On the long trip home, the seas picked up a bit making for slow going, but we were still home for dinner. Had this been a charter from NY, dinner would have been much later.

The Independence II headed out on Saturday with clear skies and a forecast calm seas. Well, by the time we returned, they were calm. However, on the way out it was a little rough, but mostly a medium period swell. When asked where the passengers wanted to go, the decision was for the Stolt.

Upon arrival, I splashed to set the hook. I must admit to being a bit nervous since we had just returned from our North Sea Expeditions, and I had only unpacked my gear the night before. The configuration was a bit different from what we used in Belgium, and I did not have much time to test out the rig. Another trial by fire.

Dropping down the visibility on the surface was not great. Once past the thermocline at 40 ft, it opened up a bit, and I could now see the line before me. Within a few minutes, we were tied in, and I started looking about. Despite the swells above, there was little to no water motion on the wreck. No serge or current. Visibility here was a good 40 ft, but dark due to the murky surface. Large tog were swimming in and out of holes in the wreck, and along the hull. Here they picked at the mussels growing there. Cunners are everywhere on this wreck. One nipped at my glove while I was working with the chain. They keep hang out in front of my mask. I assume they are looking at their reflection, but I’m not taking changes that they want to nip at my lips (the only exposed skin).

At 100 ft, there was a second thermocline where the temp dropped to 46 degrees, and the visibility dropped down to 20 ft. The ocean floor was covered in winter flounder (out of season of course), and skates. A few small lobster were about, and one reasonable one way back under the rudder. Ling cod were about in large numbers, and many of them were large in size. After making a full circle around the wreck, I headed back to the line. I cut the dive short figuring, next dive, I’ll bring a either a weapon, or camera.

At this point, I could see the bubbles of divers rising off in the distance, and the lights of divers on the bottom. Great conditions. Soon, I was back in the surface snot, and the wreck faded from view. On the other hand the temp rose to 72 degrees. On the surface, I informed Brandon of the visibility and suggested he take his camera. I told Bill and Dan that I would do a second dive later with weapon in hand. They handed it to me my spear, and sent me back down the line. So much for a surface interval. (Don’t try this at home.)

Back down on the wreck the visibility seemed to have dropped a bit. Other divers were swimming about, and the tog visible on the first dive were no longer around. The decision was to drop down to the bottom and try for some of the Ling, then wait for the other divers to clear out and see if the tog would show up again. The first part of the plan worked well as Ling are not all that bright. On a previous dive, I recall dragging the line across one wreck, with a ling cod in my face the whole time I was wrapping the line around a beam. Today, even after missing a shot at one, it only retreated a few feet, and I got him on the second shot. Once a few of the larger ones were in my bag, I started to head up to look for some tog.

The other divers were still down on the wreck. In one area, large plumbs of rust colored water billowed from openings. Other areas also showed evidence of activity. I was able to get close to a few of the tog, but none of the big ones. Off in the distance a large gray one darted around the corner. However, he never let me get a clear shot. I guess they don’t get big by being dumb.

Along with my bag of fish, a few lobster came up, a bag of mussels, and a couple of bags of scallops. We headed off to another wreck for the second dive. This was a low lying wooden wreck, with very few spots to attach a chain. Brandon found a good one, and the pool was open. This wreck is often covered with lobster, but this time was also covered in scallops and skates. Many bugs and a few bags of scallops came up. Personally, after spending over two hours on the Stolt, I was done for the day. I splashed to pull the hook, but had no energy left to look around. This was probably good, as I felt a cold trickle down my leg as soon as I hit the water. Somewhere along the line, I must have poked a hole in the suit.

The trip back was on calm seas. It had been a great day of diving, and it was good to be back in NJ.

Here’s a little video clip showing the diver boarding procedures used in the North Sea aboard the Cdt. Fourcault.

Ascent is not up the anchor line, but on a drifting “shot line”. At the top is a large (4 ft) ball. Attached to the ball is a tag line. Once you hit the surface, you hold onto the tag line waiting to be picked up. The RIB picks up one diver at a time and bring them back to the mother ship. Attached to the back of the RIB is a foam raft (boogie board). The diver climbs aboard the raft, and the RIB heads back , diver in tow. In 8 ft seas, this is quite an experience.

Once alongside the diver rolls off the raft, and drifts over to a cage/platform that is lifted up onto the main deck. No ladder!

An Exceptional Dive Platform

Last week, a few friends and I had the opportunity to join the North Sea Expedition 2009. This was an all CCR trip to visit some untouched wrecks. The trip was coordinated by a group of Belgium divers who were gracious enough to invite groups from the UK, and the USA. The dive platform was the Cdt. Fourcault, a 150 ft converted military vessel. The owner/captain, Pim, lives aboard with his lovely wife Angel. They hosted the entire group in their “home”.

At the beginning of the week Pim made a comment that the highlight of the week is not the diving, but the people. His words could not have been more accurate. I’m not down playing the diving, but it was overshadowed by the people we met. First, the Belgium dive group did a fantastic job of putting this trip together! I can not say enough about how smoothly and professionally this was carried out! Not only did they plan and coordinate the diving, but also supplies (tanks, weights, sorb …), transportation, and even dinner plans in town. Second, Pim and Angel were two of the best hosts anyone could ask for. Can you imagine having over 20 people staying in your house? Meeting, diving, and spending time with them was one of the trips highlights! They also had a great crew assembled for the trip. They all kept the ship and dive operations running smoothly, and safely all week. In addition they were fun and interesting people to meet and work with.

Group Dive Brief

In addition to our hosts, many other great divers were aboard for this trip. We spent long hours laughing and talking about trips, techniques, and gear: what works, what doesn’t. Just a great group to spend time with.

Now lets talk about the diving.

Dive operations were very different from here in the Northeast US. We have some areas around inlets and sounds (Block Island and Rode Island for example) where dive operations must be scheduled around the slack tides. In the North Sea, all dive operations seem to revolve around the tides. There is a dive window of around 2 hours. At the start of this window the current is dropping down to a manageable range. During the dive the current eventually stops completely, and reverses. The trick is to get back on the line before the current picks up and becomes unmanageable.

Drift to the shot

To operate in these conditions, divers use some different techniques than we use here. The ship does not anchor into the wreck. Prior to dive operations, shot lines are dropped on the wreck. Theses use large weights, and grapnels to drop quickly to the bottom, and hook the wreck. Next the dive vessel is positioned up current of the shot line. If possible, the vessel will anchor in this position. However, based on wind and current, this may not be possible. Divers then jump in and drift to the buoy on top of the shot, then descend to the wreck. The first divers secure the line into the wreck. Each diver attaches a marker to the line, and removes it when they head back up. The last diver unclips the line, and the entire group drifts with the shot line.

Giant stride!

A few techniques that are specific to the Cdt. Fourcault: Jumping into the water involves a 12-15 ft drop from the main deck. Now that’s a Giant stride! Any time divers are in the water, one of the three RIB is standing by to assist. At the end of the dive, the RIB can bring the diver back from the shot line. If conditions are right, the diver can simply drift back in the current. Once alongside the diver swims into a platform that is lifted up onto the main deck. No ladder!

Look Ma, no ladder!

This combination of techniques allows for operations in much heavier seas than we would normal consider locally. Since the sea conditions on the North Sea are normally rougher than we experience here, this is a necessity. The US divers were subjected to a trial by fire on the first dive. Jumping into 8 ft seas and swimming to a buoy barely visible between swells. Once there we descended to the wreck into a strong current. On the wreck we enjoyed searching about for artifacts, as well as seeing an abundance fish life different from our own. During the ascent, we hung on the line like flags in the wind. After the shot line was unclipped we then drifted along like plankton. Back on the surface, we bobbed about in the swells until, the RIB picked us up, one at a time. Attached to the back of the RIB is a foam raft (boogie board). The diver climbs aboard the raft, and the RIB heads back to the mother ship, diver in tow. In 8 ft seas, this is quite an experience.

Riding the Boogie Board

The Dives:

Again, I must say thanks to the Belgium dive team for their work in lining up a number of great dives. Many of the wrecks had not been dived before, and we all accepted that they may or may not be worth the effort. For the most part the risk was worth the reward. Conditions on the bottom varied from 10 ft to over 30 ft of visibility. One advantage of the strong tidal current, there is no thermocline. The water was 60 deg F from top to bottom.

Some of the wrecks were intact or nearly so. Others were debris fields in the sand. One wreck was completely engulfed in a sand bar, leaving only the bow, and small tips of debris visible. Others stood up prominently, providing large areas with easy penetration. Here inside the wrecks many artifacts were recovered. Portholes, plates, bottles, spoons, placards, even a telegraph, were all brought into the daylight for the first time in many years.

I’ll try to add more details on individual wrecks, but this post is long enough. Let me end by saying, it was a great trip! Good dives, good friends, good Belgium beer.

Click the image to see all the slides.

Video: How to board a boat Cdt. Fourcault style!

My wife and I enjoy identifying the different fish, coals and critters (aka invertebrates) found on the reefs we visit.   I take pictures and video while diving, then in the evening we review them and try to identify any that we do not recognize.    In several video sequences, I captured the action of small fish darting in an out of leafy coral heads.  At the time I believed blades to be some form of encrusting coral.  Little did I know.

On closer inspection, there were small spines protruding from the surface.  This was fire coral!  After years of hearing divers warning me to watch out for fire coral, I finally found out what it looks like.   I assume the small fish I was observing were using the fire coral for protection from predators as they darted in and out between the blades.

Fire coral is not actually coral, but a hydroid (more like a jellyfish).  The sharp calcified spines combined with the stinging cells called nematocysts present double trouble for anyone that comes in contact.   Bushing against fire coral can produce a painful sting which last for days.  Cutting your skin on fire coral can take long time to heal.  Since we strive to avoid contact with any coral, I’ve never been stung.  Hopefully these pictures will help others to avoid the burn.