Go deep, stay long

The Lockness stopped by

Saturday, Divers Den North had a charter to the Stolt. Everybody loves this wreck. The drive out was spent weaving and dodging the flotilla of recreational boats. Apparently there was a fluke tournament, and the masses had turned out.

When we reached the Stolt, Terry jumped in to set the hook.  Watching him descend, it was obvious that surface vis looked much better than the week before.  However, when we pulled up a dragger had passed very close to the wreck.  This raised concerns about the vis on the bottom. Terry had us tied in quickly, and the pool was open.  As divers were rolling in, the Lockness arrived from Long Island, and asked to join us.  Before long they were tied in, with their boat just off our stern.  Captain Dan seems to know everyone.  We were soon exchanging stories of dives, trips, and artifacts.

Divers started returning with bags of scallops, bugs and mussels. A couple of nice tog came up also. From the reports the temperatures had not changed much, but the visibility was just the opposite. of last week. It was clear on the surface, and only 10 feet or so on the wreck.

I rolled in with a student, and we headed for the bottom right along the break. The reports were accurate, the vis was bad, with some surge at the top of the wreck, and current past the hull. We did a quick tour of the break, then headed slowly up the super structure. We poked our heads in a few holes, but the vis was just as bad inside. One interesting observation was the number of scallops on top of the wreck, and on the flat surface of the superstructure.

The Coast Guard takes over the escort

While we were in the water, a boat in distress was reported in our area. We got underway quickly, and sped off to assist. Upon arrival, we could see that the boat was low in the water, but they had stopped taking on water. We escorted them toward shore until the Coast Guard arrived on scene. Nothing like a little drama on the high seas.

It’s been a few years since I’ve had the opportunity to do a Northeast twilight dive. Some of our deep dives seem like night dives, but a twilight or night dive on a shallow wreck is a different story.

As we approached the wreck the sun was getting ready to set behind us. This was a low lying wooden wreck, so Bill looked carefully for a good piece to drop the hook on. By the time I cleared 20ft my light was the only thing visible before me. On the bottom, the line was right on top of a large rib. We were soon tied in, and it was time to reconnoiter.

Given this was my first dive on this wreck, my standard practice is to look around first, then decide on a plan of action. Within a few feet of the line, the telltale signs of lobster were evident. Here, there, everywhere. They were not coming out yet, but there were quite a few in some deep holes. Sea bass were everywhere, and some were quite large. Tog and ling cod where here and there. Sea Robins were all over the sand. Even a nice Conger eel was swimming about freely. It was bit startled by my light. Swimming up the main rib, there were also signs of fluke, and large ones. All of this was very bad, since my weapons were on the boat. After coaxing a 22 inch fluke into my bag, I headed to the surface for reinforcements.

The remainder of my short dive was spent mapping out the wreck in my mind, and collecting fluke along the way. Like most wooden wrecks, there was a nice chain pile at the bow. Many fish and lobster were entrenched here. Some low lying sections stood just a few inches off the sand. Here, Sea bass darted in and out in response to my light.

Back on the surface, the sun had set, and Bill was getting ready to jump in. As the divers came up they all agreed that this was a great dive, and we should do it again. At this point Captain Dan regretted leaving his gear at home. After a short while, we could tell Bill was at his safety stop by the aura of his HID light: 20-30 foot arcs of light. It’s kind of eerie to see the water lit this way at night.

If you’ve never done a night dive here in NJ, I strongly suggest giving it a try.

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.

Summary:
Trip to the Stolt on May 31 aboard the Independence
42 degrees on the bottom, and 55 on the surface
30 to 40 ft of vis on the top of the wreck 20 on the bottom
Lots of large tog, a few small ling cod, and large schools of cunners

Details:
NOAA was calling for 10-15 knot winds out of the west, with 2-3ft seas. They were pretty close this time, but there was very little wind. We headed out with a group from The Dive Shop for their first trip to the Stolt. The usual suspects tagged along for the ride. We made good time on the way out as the seas were near flat. Bill had us tied in quickly, and the groups started getting into the water.

Once in the water, you could see the wreck quickly. With no current or wind, the line dropped straight down to the tie in. On the top there was clear water, but you could see the thermocline below where the vis dropped to about 20 ft. I chose to take video this trip, and was rigging the lights on the way down. In the still water, it was easy to drop into some of the large holes in the wreck and film inside.

On the bottom, there was not much to see, other than a few ling cod and eelpouts. Most fish are spooked by bright lights, ling don’t seem to mind. They will even come toward the light. Perhaps they are using the light to look for food. In any event, they are not camera shy.

Swimming along the side of the wreck most of the anemones were out in bright colors. Swimming through some of the upper decks you could see the water mixing in the thermocline. Large schools of cunners darted around, and some large tog swam with them. The port side was above the thermocline. There was a slight surge here, so the school of cunners swayed back and forth with it, looking for some morsel of food to be blown off the wreck. I spent some time passing back and forth through these passages tracking the movement of the school. Like the ling, cunners are not camera shy. Some would even come up to the lens, and try to nip at their reflection.

The camera was out of video tape, so I headed up. Just under the boat, there was a fish swimming back and forth. To my surprise and delight, it was a large trigger! When I hit the surface, I handed up the camera, and someone handed down a pole spear. I quickly invited the trigger home for diner. An invitation he could not refuse. Ocean triggerfish often arrive in August, brought up in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. It’s uncommon to see them this early in the season.

Back on the boat, Rob made his usual long dive, and returned with a large bag of scallops. Bill returned with lobster. Mark and John had been digging inside the wreck. Mark returned with some jars with what appeared to be Norwegian writing. Luke grabbed a bag of mussels. The rest returned with stories of the great conditions, and how good a dive it was.

A few reported seeing dogfish above the wreck. For the second dive, Rob timed his scallop cleaning so that other divers would be on the line. They were entertained by the sight of the dogfish darting after the shells and parts.

We were soon on our way back to the dock after another great day of diving.

Saturday the Independence II headed out to the Gulf Trade. We enjoyed flat seas, little to no breeze, and clear skies on the way out. This should be a great day! Frankie had us tied into the wreck quickly, and the divers started to jump in.

In addition to lobster and Sea Bass, reports came up of 48 degree bottom temp, and visibility of 25ft. I opted to bring in the camera rather than the pole spear. It was not clear enough to get an panoramic shots, but the anemones were all out, and the schools of small fish co-operated.

The wreck is the aft end of a tanker blown in two by a mine. The bow section drifted off toward shore, while the stern sank 12 miles off the beach in less than 90 ft of water.

There is still about 20 ft of relief in the bridge section. The engine and boilers also stand up prominently off the bottom. The rest of the wreck is a jumble of twisted hull plates forming a large debris field. The wreck appears to be covered in a new skin of mussels. In a few years they will be large enough to eat. There are also groupings of anemones here and there. A few large Tog popped in and out of the wreck, nibbling on the older mussels still remaining.

The bridge can be penetrated from several locations. The compartments are small with little room to maneuver. Entering one section, a group of Pollock darted away, spooked by the video lights. The bottom is covered in mussels shells from the years of growth. Other than that, the compartments are just bulkheads. Not that interesting on video.

After running out of video tape, I headed for the line. The rest of the divers were finishing their second dive, and we were soon ready to get underway.