Go deep, stay long

I’ve been into photography since the age of 14. I’m not saying how many years ago that was, but I did develop my own black and white film in my bedroom/darkroom. While I was never a professional, I have had my pictures in the local paper, and worked on the college newspaper and yearbook. When I took up diving, underwater photos were an obvious step. A few years ago, I went digital, and have lamented my stacks of negatives collecting dust.

Well, a friend was interested in selling his Film Scanner, so I finally have access to some of my better shots. I must admit, the process is not fast. First load, check for dust and scratches (I loath both now). Next name and organize the output. Finally clean up and resize for publication. The final results are worth it, as I have not broken out the photo albums for years, and now I can share them with others. Over the winter months, I’ll try to post up some of my favorites. Enjoy.

With a full boat, the Independence II headed out to the Stolt on Saturday. The conditions were rough all week, so Captain Dan wanted a wreck with a lot of relief. Sea conditions were cooperating, and Danny had us tied in to the wreck in short order.

The surface looked clear, but it was the bottom we were concerned about. I was pleasantly surprised to see 20 ft of vis on the wreck top to bottom. The temp was also a constant 55. This was also one of the few times I’ve been on the Stolt where there was no current or surge. We must have arrived at slack tide as the water was completely motionless. At the bottom, I quickly tied off my reel and headed out into the sand in search of ballast. Upon return, I took the standard tour around the bottom of the wreck. Here there were a few small lobsters, a number of large ling cod, seabass and tog. Under the wreck a few large fish could be seen hiding in the dark. Missing were the hoards of cunners that normally school along the top of the wreck. Perhaps with the still water, they were dispersed about the wreck searching for food rather than waiting at the top for morsels of food to float by.

Dive two went much as the first, and we soon headed back. A great day of diving.

Someday NOAA will get it right. It just was not today.

With a forecast for northwest winds, and diminishing seas, we headed out for the Stolt. Given all the reports of bad vis inshore, Captain Dan was hoping for reasonable conditions offshore. On the way out there were some rollers from the south, and some chop from the northwest. If the stars aligned, it would all calm down for two dives.

When we reached the Stolt we had some stiff swells, but it seemed manageable, and the NOAA forecast said it was going to die down. I has some gear issues, so after tying in, I came back up and helped the passengers get in. Vis was about 20 ft on the top of the wreck, but I’m sure the bottom was not as clear. Lobster, scallops, and a few fish came up. Everyone agreed that the water was warm, but no one had a temperature.

The surface conditions did not improve during the dive, so we decided to head inshore for dive two. A few weeks ago we dove an intact reef wreck with lots of Tog and Seabass within the state waters. We headed there in hopes that the relief would allow for some vis. Surface conditions were much better inshore, but as expected the vis was not as good.

Everyone was just happy to get in the water after all the blow outs this fall.

It certainly has been difficult to get out diving this fall. However, the few times we were able sneak out, the diving was fantastic. This Sunday we headed out to the Resor with a jam packed boat. Clearing the inlet we had nearly flat seas, and just a breath of a breeze. With the early start, the sun was just rising. We all kept our fingers crossed that the conditions would hold, since NOAA was calling for the wind to pick up a bit in the afternoon.

By the time we reached the wreck, the sun was a bit higher in the sky, and the conditions were still flat. The surface water was a nice Caribbean blue. Dropping down the line it was clear that there was a good current to the east. This made going a bit slow, but we were soon tied in.

While working with the line, shadowy figures kept appearing in the distance. At first I thought the dogfish were back, but it turned out to be bluefish. We saw them inshore last week. Now there was a school buzzing around us on the Resor. Ever few minutes a few of them would dart by. Down on the sand, there were large fluke and flounder almost side by side. Normally we see one or the other, but here the flounder were hunting while the fluke were resting. Both scurried off when approached. Large tog are always around this wreck, and this was no exception. I spotted a few small lobsters, and one good size one with eggs.

I was nearing my turn time when I spotted a nice new Danforth with a long chain. At least I was not going up empty handed. It turns out that the current and the wind were not aligned, and I spent my deco holding my reel in one hand (attached to the Danforth and lift bag) and the shot line in the other. I was just hoping other divers would not get caught in the line.

My hunting efforts had been thwarted, but many others came up with lobster, tog and some nice size pollack. There were various reports of giant lobsters, deep in the wreck, well out of reach. A few folks had ventured out into the sand for scallops, with varying degrees of success.

All in all it was a great day of diving with 30-40 ft of vis and 65 degrees top to bottom. The wind had picked up as we started to head in, but it was still a comfortable ride home.

With a group of adventurous passengers, the Independence II headed out to check out some old numbers. In bygone eras, boat captains used Loran to locate shipwrecks. (OK, not that long ago.) Many old wreck are only known by their Loran numbers. Unfortunately, Loran numbers do not always transfer easily into GPS (lat / lon), so we knew we would be doing some searching. Our target turned out to be very low lying with next to no vis. Captain Dan asked around, and the decision was to hit a nearby wreck with more relief.

After a quick vote, we landed on the Stolt. Frankie had us tied in shortly, and the pool was soon open. The vis on the top of the wreck was a good 30+ ft, with a temp of 68 degrees. Bottom vis was slightly less, but about the same temperature. There was a ripping current coming up over the top of the hull, but the super structure and interior were protected. I dropped in with the video camera, and had fun swimming through some of the open passage ways.

To me the wreck seemed unusually calm. Normally there’s a large school of fish waiting near the top for some morsel of food to float by. Today, they were mysteriously absent. Cunners where here and there, and off in the distance I caught a glimpse of a few Tog, but otherwise it seemed abandoned. Perhaps with the water being warm top to bottom, the fish were more evenly distributed along the wreck. What ever the cause, the wreck did not have it’s normal appearance of “teaming with life”. Even the facade of anemones seemed subdued.

Some of the more adventurous passengers delved deep into the wreck. Many emerged with small tokens of the visit. By the end of the day, the wind and waves we experienced earlier had subsided, and we headed back with calm seas.