Go deep, stay long

Each year the Dina Dee II has a crew day and BBQ.  This year was as fun as usual.  However it was a little hotter than most.   The dive was my standard 2 hour dip on an inshore wreck.  No flat fish this year, but a few lobster, and a lot of anchors came up.   I only send up the new anchors with price tags attached.   Others sent up some rust.   Either way.  It was a fun dive, and a great BBQ.   Lobsters and seabass were put on the grill, and there was even a beer or two passed around.

A great group of divers, and some of the most friendly captains and crew around.   A good time is always had on this boat, and I get to see my family on the way home.   What else could you ask for.

2010 BBQ

Always a popular wreck, the Independence II headed out with a full group of experienced wreck divers to the Resor.   The seas were calm, and since it is a bit of a ride out, many were able to get a quick catnap on the way.  Yoda Frogman (Terry) jumped in for the tie, and had the pool open in no time.  We heard rumors that another boat had been there recently, but tied into the bow.  Dan’s numbers are for the stern.   Given the size of the wreck, there were no real worries.  This wreck is huge.  It’s a good swim from the bow to the stern, and anyone looking for dinner would take too long to make the full journey.

Sunset over the bay

Terry clocked a 150 minute dive and brought up a bag of goodies for his effort.   I jumped once he was on deck.

There was some current on the surface, but it dropped off by the 100ft mark.  The bottom was bright with a good 30+ ft of vis.  I tied off and headed out.  Terry told me about his excursion to the left of the anchor, and recommended I go right.   Within a few seconds, I knew exactly where I was, the stem.  There above me was the deck gun, and a few feet away was the scallop dredge … and then the stern of the wreck.   OK, Right is not the right way to go.

The bottom was littered with empty scallop shells from previous trips.  Here and there were live scallop.  By this time I’d nab a few.  Lobsters were in short supply.  I saw a few small claws, but nothing that called out “take me home”.  Heading back through Terry’s path of carnage I ran into the largest Ling Cod I’ve ever seen.  I had no poll spear available.  It swam right up to me.  I pulled out my bag to see just how curious it was, but it was not quite that stupid.

While picking up a few scallops in my path, I was still looking for lobster here and there.   Finally, I found my quarry in large pipe about 4 ft off the bottom.  With claws just smaller than my hands, I estimate a good 4 pounder.  Rules of engagement were discussed, battle plans were drawn, and the moment of truth arrived….  I had was at a distinct disadvantages.  The pipe provided him a deep area to retreat.  But for some reason he would come up to within a few feet of the open end, almost in reach   After he mocked my attempts,  I gave up and continued the scallop harvest.   On the way back to the line Lingzilla swam by again.  It’s annoying when the fish have attitude!

All in all a nice dive.  The bottom was a bit cool at 43, but the hang was a close to 70.

A good number of nice lobsters came up, and Terry extracted a good 4 pounder from another part of the wreck.   Scallops came up by the bag full.  Captain Dan had so many, he had to shoot his up on a lift bag.  Many divers had acquired their first scallops, and Dan spent time demonstrating the proper cleaning method, and discussing various ways to prepare them.  (I’m partial to the wrapped in bacon and grilled, but my wife has many recipes that are all good.)

Most divers did a second dive, with even more scallops and lobster were brought aboard.  Joe and Terry jumped in for a short dive and pulled the hook.

We were quickly home and coolers were loaded.  A great day of diving!

Sunday, the NOAA forecast was right, but a little late. They called for 2 foot seas from the Northwest. On the way out, we kept watching behind us as waves were building. We figured we would make a call at 10 miles, at that point we were still in 3-4, so we made a dash for the parking lot.

On arrival, the seas were 3-5, with a steady wind from the northwest. This was not representative of the forecast, but was still quite manageable. We had some new crew members on the trip, so it was a good trip for some training. Bill had us over the wreck, and we jumped in and headed down. Given the length of line that payed out, the shot was assumed to be in the sand. As it turned out, it was the mid water current that was to blame for the line. Dropping down the line, the direction changed several times. The vis was good, and I could see the changes below me. First it went to the right, then to the left. I was tempted to just drop past the loops to the line below me, but did not want to let go.

When we finally hit the wreck, the line was laying over the hull, with the shot somewhere below us. The vis was 40 + , and the line draped over one of my favorite spots, with the shot off in the distance. I did a few wraps to mark the way back, and we headed down to find the shot, that we assumed was in the sand. Luck was on our side, and the grapnel had caught up on the undergrowth. We dropped down and quickly shot it back to the surface. After hauling the chain and line back up to the top of the wreck, I let the new crew wrap it for the tie. With a few minor corrections, we were done. No way we would pull out like other boat have done lately. The pool was open. It was safe to dive.

We listening carefully to the engines above, as we dropped down to the bottom. We could clearly hear the Independence maneuvering, then shutdown (they were in, without issue). I was looking for lobster, but did not see any indications of the tasty crustacean. Instead, I kept running across scallops. Last year we saw a lot of small scallops close to, even on top of the wreck. However, the ones we saw today were much larger. With the bottom temps at 38 degrees, I’m not surprised that there was not much moving.

I looked off into the sand, but there was nothing there. Normally we see loads of winter flounder, and a few scallops, but there was nothing off in the distance. During the dive I saw on small Black fish, and lots of cunners, and the the occasional ling cod, but little else. No one else saw any evidence of lobster. Either the wreck had been cleaned out recently, or they are not active yet. At 38 degrees, I cooled off quickly, and we headed back up. After a short deco, we were soon back on board.

Bags of scallops

Topside, the wind was dying down, and after a bit the waves did also. By the time we headed back, the NOAA forecast was becoming accurate. Several of us were suffering some first dive equipment concerns, and decided to make it a on dive day. Nothing dangerous, just no need for a second dive. Most passengers did two dives, and we were soon on our way back home.

It was a great start to the season, everyone had a great dive, and a bag of scallops to prove it. My wife, Valerie (1000 ways to cook fish) Oldham did herself proud, and made a fantastic scallops and pasta dish.

Given the rough seas, I did the Advil thing. Many people do not understand that standing on a boat for several hours adjusting you center of gravity uses a lot of muscles that you do not use every day. It can be a work out. Today it was. For those of us in the over 40 club, advil is a great help the first couple of times.

Well despite the forecast, it was a great day. Personally, I’m looking forward to a fantastic season!

Dive season is open. Lets go diving!

Dinner

Tuesday, the weather finally cooperated, and the Independence II kicked off the off-shore dive season.   Dan had a few other dives scheduled in July, but the conditions were not right.  Yesterday there was a light breeze, and nearly flat seas.   We left early, and Dan and Bill took turns at the helm.

Franky and I jumped into clear blue water to set the hook. The line was visible for 50-60 feet below us.  Below 80 ft the vis dropped, and the sunlight quickly died out.  Only our dive lights could be seen at this point.  Once on the bottom, we tied in quickly and started to look around.  The bottom temperature was 46 degrees with 40-50 ft of vis.  It was tough to tell since it was so dark.   I was surprised by the lack of fish and lobster.  Normally cunners are everywhere, but not here. On many deep wrecks, the lobsters are out during the day.  Perhaps it’s the lack of light at depth, but they seem to be more active, and often more abundant.  Not today.

Time goes quick at this depth, and it was soon time for the long cold ascent. The thermocline at 80ft was quite welcome.  There was another one at 40 ft that brought the temp up to 75 degrees (almost hot).  Visibility here was over 60 ft, and I could clearly read “Independence II” on the back of the boat.

With Franky and I were aboard, Dan and Bill geared up and jumped in.  While we waited for the other divers, we could see disturbances on the water surface, some 200 ft from the boat.  This occurred several times, then for a brief moment, we could clearly see tuna jumping 4-5 ft out of the water.  While looking for divers on the line, we could see Mahi-mahi swimming under to boat.   Unfortunately the divers did not notice them.

With Capt Dan and Bill aboard, we soon got underway for the trip home.  Just then, a whale breached some 200 yards off the bow.  It’s body nearly cleared the water.   On the trip home, the radar lit up as we passed a group of 20-30.  Checking the charts, this was apparently a popular tuna fishing location.  Well we certainly saw a good number of them.  I’m sure the fleet did also.

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.