Posts Tagged ‘dive’

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A pack of Dogfish on the Bonanza

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

A few weeks back we headed out to the Bonanza. It’s a low lying wreck in 115 ft of water. Typical of many old wooden wrecks, there’s a chain pile and boiler at one end, and a set of wooden ribs on each side. There’s not much between them on this wreck. The Bonanza is far enough off shore that it’s not hit often, and there are often many lobster.

Terry and Frankie tied us in. Frankie came back with stories of giant lobster getting the better of him. Terry came back with the lobsters. Both described a large school of dogfish above the wreck.

I jumped in with the video camera and a new video light reflector.

To make a long story short, there were lots of Dogfish. We figured 80-100. I’m still castillos hinchables editing the video, but here’s a clip to give you an idea.

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Posted in Dive Log, North East Diving, U/W Photos | 1 Comment »

April 25 on the Mohawk

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Let’s see, a forecast for warm air, cold water, and no wind. That translates into fog. Thick fog. Driving down to the shore, the fog quickly slowed traffic to a craw. As we slowly headed out the inlet we could barely see both sides. Once away from the beach, the fog cleared and the sun came out.

Our destination for the day was the Mohawk. The wreck lies in 75 ft of water which allows for some longer bottom time. Danny had us tied into the stern on the starboard side. With only a slight wind and minimal current, the anchor like dropped nearly straight down to the wreck. Reports came back of 44 degrees, and and only 15 ft of vis. That leaves the camera is out. I jumped in to see what the winter storms had done to the wreck. Franky jumped in with Franky Cam 2.0. The addition of a chin strap to prevent loss of the camera.

Sean left his pole spear by the anchor for me, but I left it in favor of just having fun. Perhaps the sun was up higher in the sky, but the vis looked more like 25-30. I swam down the port side inspecting an nook with evidence of excavation. There were a few small bugs, but no keepers. Many holes were occupied by eel pouts rather than lobsters. A few seabass popped up here and there, and gonfiabili a number of smaller tog. Up by the pilot house there were a few nice size tog hanging out. There seemed to be a lot of yellow sponge laying in the debris field. Here and there whole sections of the wreckage were covered with large anemones, outstretched in the still water.

Clearing the wheelhouse, I heard engines off in the distance. Time to get off the wreck. On the way back to the stern, I inspected pieces out in the sand. Again, the holes were mostly empty, with only shorts left. Divers brought up winter flounder, tog Seabass and pictures.

The breeze had picked up enough to blow out the fog, and we had a smooth ride home.

The Independence is heading out May 2 and 3. Contact Capt Dan for spots @ 732-232-7878

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Posted in North East Diving | No Comments »

Fire coral: Beauty and the Burn

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

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 bouncy castle for sale 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.

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Posted in Dive Travel, North East Diving | 1 Comment »

SCUBA for the warm water diver

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Many divers live in tropical climates, or only dive when they travel to these climates. Up north they are often called Caribbean divers, or blue water divers. I prefer warm water divers, as many travel beyond the Caribbean, and blue water is often used in reference to very deep water.

Diving under these conditions can be both exciting, and relaxing! The scenes of tropical reefs and colorful fish are beautiful and serene. The diving is often easy and at many resorts it’s supervised. This is a great place for beginning divers to practice their new skills, and enjoy the wonders of underwater world.

Gear:
We previously talked about basic SCUBA gear, so now let’s add a few items for tropical diving.

Exposure protection:
This will be the major consideration. There are a few variables here:
Water temperature
Air temperature
Your bodies reaction to cold
How many dives are planned

Read the section on Exposure Protection for more details

Signals:
Tropical diving is often done around small islands. Sometimes in strong current. Separation for the boat is a real possibility, and signal devices can be real life savers! If your planning a drift dive, then will need a marker to let the boat know where you are. Inflatable Water Slide A visual aid like an SMB is ideal for both situations. Also a audible signal like a whistle, or Dive Alert can get the attention of the dive boat when you’re hard to see. Both of these can be easily carried in a BCD pocket.

Skills:

Buddy Skills: With all the fascinating beauty of the tropical reefs, it’s all too easy to become distracted and lose contact with your buddy. Try to stay within about 10 ft, and don’t forget to check on them regularly.

Depth Control: The clear water can be very deceiving. Remember objects appear closer under water. We can easily go deeper than planned, and run into issues with gas management, or decompression. Keep an eye on your gauges!

Buoyancy Control: Coral reefs are fragile environments! A single kick can kill an organism that has lived for 100 years. We as divers are fascinated by this spectacle, but we must protect it from ourselves. Work on your buoyancy. Practice it whenever you have a chance.

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Posted in Basic SCUBA | No Comments »

What do you see diving in New Jersey?

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

The short answer is shipwrecks.

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The Bow of the Chaparra

Here on the east coast we do not have the rocky shore and bottom found on the west coast. Our shore line is mostly sand, and for the most part the bottom is sand also. The continental shelf slopes out for 60+ miles before dropping off sharply. Sand and silt that washes out of our rivers and streams has deposited in this shallow area for thousands of years.

This sand does not provided shelter for fish or secure footing for large plants like kelp. The sand does provide a home for clams, scallops, and sand dollars, but the more interesting areas to dive are the shipwrecks.

There are an estimated 4000-5000 shipwrecks off the coast of New Jersey. (Many people are taken back by that statement.) Keep in mind that we have the port of New York to the north, and the port of Philadelphia to the south. Over the past 300 years there have been thousands of accidents in these waters. Further, during two world wars, the German submarine force spent a significant amount of time trying to stop the flow of supplies from the US to Europe. Many ships were sunk just miles off our beaches.

The older wrecks of wooden ships have been slowly eroded by the forces of nature. Storms, sand, rot, and marine invertebrates have nearly erase them. Still left are the stronger structural beams along with the anchor chain, and machinery used to lift it.

New steel ships quickly fall victim of rust. Many of these ships are now jumbles of steel rubble and hull plates strewn on the sandy bottom. Again stronger or reinforced portions of the ship hold up better with time. Engines, boilers, propellers, and pipes are often recognizable. Metals like coper, brass and bronze stand up better to salt waters corrosive effects.

Even in this state of decay, these wrecks provide shelter for marine creatures. Filter feeders like mussels, sponges and anemones attach to the wreckage for support. Lobsters and crabs burrow under the wreckage for protection. Schools if fish surround the wrecks. Some are looking for shelter, others are looking for food.

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Posted in Basic SCUBA, North East Diving | No Comments »

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