Go deep, stay long

Nice Set of Teeth

We had another great trip to the Stolt this Saturday. Once we cleared the inlet, the seas were flat with just a slight breeze from the north. Reaching the top of the wreck we easily had 40-50 ft of visibility. Again the top was quite warm with the thermocline starting a 70. On the bottom the conditions drop to 30 ft of visibility, and about 44 degrees. On the first dive, I headed out in the sand in search of scallops. While I ran into lots of skates, winter flounder, and a number of small bugs, there were no large scallops in range of my reel. I made a sweeping arc back to the wreck, but still no scallop encounters. Not even a moon snail to be found. After spotting a few small lobster, and many more flounder, I started back up to the line.

Back on board, someone mentioned seeing a large monkfish along the side of the wreck. With tog out of season, and my first scallop run coming up empty, I opted to have a go with another monkfish aka goosefish. I dropped down the line and started hunting the creature. The usual flounder, ling, eelpout, and small lobster were readily seen. No Monkfish in sight. Doubling back, to the break, I soon spotted him. A battle soon ensued, and the creature was stuffed into my large catch bag. He did not seem happy about the situation. He barely fit in, and may have been cramped. On the way up the line I made sure to keep my hands away from his gaping maw, and keep his slimy flesh away from my drysuit.

We were soon back at the dock, and I had the unenviable task of cleaning this beast. Many people stopped by to inquire about the creature. Most passers by had no idea what it was. The process of cleaning took a while, and made quite a smelly mess. Still the flesh is quite good, and this guy was large enough for a few meals.

If you see a monkfish on the bottom remember two things: they fight back, someone will have to clean him.

The Scuba Connection had a charter to the Lillian this week.  Wayne was out with a class. With a few of the usual suspects in tow, the Independence got underway.   NOAA was calling for thunder storms in the afternoon.  The drive out of the inlet was in heavy fog.  Once that open up, we could see on the radar that the rain was following us out (a bit early).  The worst of it hit before we got to the wreck, and mostly cleared by the time Richie had us tied in.

The passengers soon rolled in, and Richie returned with a nice bag of scallops and bugs.   He had us tied into a large pipe next to the engine.  This section of the wreck stood some 20 ft off the silty bottom.  The surface temp was 58.  Bottom temp was 43-48, depending on who you asked, and visibility was a dark 40.  If the sun came out, this would be a fantastic dive.  As it was, it was just great.

The Lillian was a freighter that sunk back in 1939 with a cargo of sugar. It sank in 150 ft of water after a collision in the fog.   The wreck is on the edge of the mud hole, so the conditions can vary depending on the tide.

After seeing all the scallops coming up, I figured I’d have to go out in the sand to find any.  This proved futile, as the scallops were on the wreck itself.  Once I figured this out, I bagged my share just as my reel decided it did not want to go any further. Flounder were all over this wreck.  Some were so large, I had to check twice.  Many were still buried in the sand.  Those I checked three times.   Ling cod were also about, along with a few Eel Pouts.  One unusual item was the large sponges lodged about the wreck.  These seemed out of place here.  Some were close to 3 feet across, just laying in the sand.  Captain Dan told us to keep an eye out for portholes, so I looked closely as I reeled my line back in.

I headed back to the boilers, and was soon comforted by the sight of the strobe in the distance.  These were great conditions for this wreck.    Back on the boat, we all took turns cleaning scallops.  Several of the passengers had bagged their first scallops, and were learning how to clean them under Captain Dan’s tutelage.

We headed home just as the sun broke through the clouds.  Oh well, it was still a great dive!  The scallop dinner was good too!

The Silver Comet

With all the rain and storms in March, we were not able to get out on the water.   A few of us broke down and headed to Dutch Springs for opening day.  It was great to see everyone, and finally get wet.  I expected the water to be around 38 degrees, but instead it was more like 43.  Not bad for early April.

Vis was good, and like everyone else, I was checking out some gear modifications.   There was a new reel, patches on the drysuit (I finally found all the holes), and a new dome port for the camera.   Shooting a bag worked well, and I was able to get a few shots in before the camera started complaining about a leak.   Better fresh water than salt water.

Given the events of this week, I decided to add a new skill to our class. Sherwood, John and I practiced the infamous “use a lift bag as backup buoyancy”. The plan was to find a platform at the end of our dive then dump our BCs and inflate a lift bag to execute a controlled ascent (with simulated deco).

The plan started to fall apart when someone moved the platform. Either that or my navigation on the east side of the lake leaves a lot to be desired. After an hour of dragging the guys around to places and attractions we will never find again, we just picked a spot in about 70ft of water and tried the drill. Let’s just say, it takes some practice, and we have no idea who silted up the bottom.

Had we started from a platform kneeling, it may have been much simpler. Sherwood probably had the best idea of dumping the air from the wing into the bag (there by remaining neutral). While a great idea, he later admitted the execution needs a little practice.

My attempt was nearly thwarted by the anemic performance of my second stage purge. While the reg delivers copious amounts of air on demand, the purge only generates a trickle. After dumping my BC, I had to lay on the purge waiting for enough lift to stop my downward plummet. Fortunately this occurred just feet from the bottom. I was just a few feet from the indignity of a full face plant in the silt. Clearly I could have added air back into my BC, but for some reason, that thought never entered my mind.

After a few moments we gained control of our buoyancy, and began our ascent. We were able to execute our simulated deco, and surface with surprising control over ascent rates. We did all this in a free ascent with no visual reference.

Many of us discuss this skill as an option in the event of BC failure, but how many times do we actually practice it. The next time you’re at Dutch I suggest giving it a try, and add another skill to your tool kit. I just wanted to add some thoughts to keep in mind. A 100 lb lift bag is not designed for the minute buoyancy adjustment we make with our BC. Be very careful with the dump. It can release a lot of gas quickly, and you’ll be headed back down again. When practicing, do NOT attach the bag to yourself. Just hold it. If you lose control of the ascent, you can let go of the bag, and add air back into your BC.

Kudos to John and Sherwood for pulling off this impromptu skill.

Even though NOAA’s offshore forecast was marginal, the Independence II headed out to the Bidevind for an overnight charter.  The ship was a Norwegian freighter on her way from Cape Town with a load of manganese ore. She was sunk by U-752 in 1942. Now the wreck lies in 190′ of water west of the Texas Tower. Given the distance from shore, and the proximity to the popular Texas Tower, this wreck is not hit frequently. We reaped the benefits of that neglect.

On the way out to the wreck we found the NOAA’s 5 foot rollers which unexpectedly died down a bit as we got further out. We arrived at the site around 8:00 am. Bill and Terry quickly had us tied in. The surface vis looked good with a medium current pushing the equipment lines at the surface. The divers started gearing up and rolling in.

I was diving with two Trimix students on their first mix dive. We reviewed our plan, and discussed some signals, discussed the decompression, then geared up for the dive. With the entire day before us, there is no rushing to get into the water. We dropped in and did our bubble checks on the line, then descended down to the wreck. Below 30 ft the current dropped off completely, and we just dropped down past other divers on their ascent.

When we arrived at the end of the line, the students found out why people dive these deep wrecks! The visibility was 70ft with enough light to see clearly. The plan was to tie off a reel and head out over the wreck, but with the clear water and light, we could easily navigate, and the strobe on the line could be clearly seen from either side of the wreck. We were tied in at a high point of 160′, and there was a mild current. We dropped down a few feet in the lee and started off on a sight seeing tour.

Below the line were the remains of two small boilers. Since speed is not as important to a freighter as it was to passenger vessels, these may have been the ships main boilers, but I could not make out an engine. We followed the prop shaft back toward the stern. We moved slowly along, looking here and there at the debris below us. Observing the lobster, eel pouts, and schools of ling cod. It was a shame that our planned depth was only 170, as it was tempting to drop down lower. It was soon time to turn around and head back. In the clear water, we soon saw the strobe on the line and started our ascent. The current picked up again at 30 ft, and it was a bit stronger now. Captain Dan headed down past us as we were finishing up our deco.

When we got back on the boat for the debrief, my first question was “did you notice any narcosis?” None. Clear water and a clear head. It does not get much better. We all discussed what a great dive it was, and wondered why no one comes to this wreck. With the dearth of divers, the wreck was covered with lobster. After tying in, Bill and Terry had put the remaining part of their dive to good use, and were now banding their catch. Captain Dan found a port hole, but said it was to difficult to get to. (My guess is that after you have a few, you think twice about the effort before perusing another.) Dan and I discussed the boilers. He also thought them to be small for the main engine.

Many of the passengers were now catching some sleep before heading in for the second dive. The wind had picked up and the forecast was for a front to come through at night. The decision was made to do one more dive, then head in. We geared up for the second dive and dropped in. The current on the surface had picked up, so we pulled hand over hand until we dropped below it. Bubble checks again, and we dropped down to the wreck.

With the sun lower in the sky it was noticeably darker on the wreck. The vis was still good, and the strobe was even more prominent. I stopped briefly to grab a lobster just forward of the line, then we headed out toward the bow. The current on the bottom was gone, so we made good time swimming over the wreck. Below the hatch covers for the cargo holds were clear, and the bow loomed up before us. Again schools of ling were hiding here and there with huge eel pouts everywhere. Of course, no NJ wreck would be complete without the omnipresent cunners. We stopped at the bow briefly then turned back to the line. The ascent and deco were uneventful save for the current above 30ft. On the surface Capt Dan was grilling up scallops, lobster, and assorted stakes and sausage. A hot meal was just the ticket for cold divers.

Bill and I had planned to splash together and pull the hook, but my second dive was delayed and I would not have enough surface interval. Bill went in with a request for a few minutes of hunting prior to the pull. He would get in a nice twilight dive and grabbed a few more lobsters as we prepared the boat for the trip back. Overhead the sky was showing signs of change in weather ahead. It was time to get going.

The sun was setting and the strobes we put on the ball were now clearly visible. On occasional we could see Bills light panning around as he hung on the line. While these lights are to attract our attention, they also attracted a pair of curious dolphins. We saw them checking out the strobes on the surface, and could only imagine Bill’s reaction if they stopped by to check him out. When Bill got back on board he confirmed our suspicions, they scared the hell out of him. That is until he figured out they were dolphins.

On the ride back we were treated to a following sea which made for a comfortable ride. Most of the group got in a few hours of sleep. A nice end the a great day.