 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Greetings to the World's Greatest Divers!!!
Real Quick before we get into this weeks Dive Report, an update on the book Shadow Divers: Released two weeks ago amid glowing reviews, Kurson's nonfiction story was No. 4 on Amazon.com's best seller list within a day, with 180,000 copies in print. It's still in the top 10. Way to go divers!!!!!!!
From Tom Pritchard . . .
On James Zimmerman, Bryan Palmer, and Rick Huck joined Gerhard Maree and me on the John Jack for an overnighter to the RP Resor. The Resor was an "Esso" tanker torpedoed by U-boat 578 in early 1942. What was left of the Resor after two days of burning and exploding now sits in 130 fsw, about 40 miles off the NJ coast. Because the Resor is so far off shore, high seas cause many trips to get changed to in-shore wrecks, but this wasn't going to happen to us; we were greeted by 1 ft seas. All aboard we were a buzz; after all, the Resor is reputed to be one of the best sites for snaring lobster and the big guns come out at night. All were expecting great things, but as the ex-Seeker crew got ready to set the hook, the sea began to pick up. It was as if Neptune looked up and said, "Hey, there's Tom and Gerhard. I wonder what they're doing. Not diving, that's for sure!" Within 15 minutes the seas were running 3-6 ft with intermittent "Oh My Godders" rolling through. One of these large rollers threw me off my milk crate seat, across the deck, and too close to the open gunwale. An experienced crew like we had that night would normally set the hook in 20-30 minutes; that night it took more than 2 hrs. Crew went in, got their asses kicked in turn, and climbed/surfed their way back onto the boat. Terry Martzall finally got the deed done, surfaced by the ball after 80 minutes below, and was thrown a line. Through the loud surf Terry yelled, "What the hell is going on up here?" As he climbed the ladder, the ocean spit him onto the deck. Terry took his seat on the center table until an "Oh My Godder" threw him, still clad in doubles, onto the floor perilously close to the tanks bumgeed along the wall. It was a tense moment raised another notch when we found out that his dive computer crapped out below and that he was working his deco from tables and a bottom timer. Terry took some O2, but there was nothing to be done: He was just as screwed up as he was before he went in. Great job on the hook Terry! In fact, the whole crew did a great job. They worked like dogs to set the hook. Thanks also to Capt. Zero for hanging in there and not "Mohawking" the trip. Finally the pool was open. but only three divers decided to take the plunge: Byran, James, and Joe Edelman. Joe had been in once already on hook duty, but he had been out so long, he was able to go in again. My double 98 low pressure tanks looked puny and light after watching Joe bounce around with double 131's on his back as if they were double aluminum 80's. By this time Rick Huck and I were battling "mal de mer." Rick was clearly looking less effervescent than normal. Sea sickness aside, for me the decision not to dive that night was simple: Diving is supposed to be fun and I wasn't going to have a good time below worrying about the deteriorating conditions on top. When I spotted Byran the next morning, I blurted out one of the great understatements of all time, "I guess you got back on board last night." Kudos to Byran and James for having the confidence and skill to make the Friday night dive. By morning Neptune was resigned to the fact that Gerhard and I would be diving the Resor so we, once again, had 2 ft seas. A great wreck, more than a bit torn up, with a lot of hiding spots for "bugs." Everyone managed to come home with something. Our take was 3 lobsters, 2 crabs, and eight scallops. 122 fsw, 89 minutes; 124 fsw, 113 minutes; 46 degrees at the bottom under sunny skies. And a good time was had by all!
From Bryan Palmer . . .
Well I was able to read Tom’s report so I will try and fill in the spots with out repeating too much. Well First I would lake to thanks Renee Bickar for inviting me and allowing everyone on as we were all invited at different times and got on the trip over the last several weeks, which made for a Great group of people. I had meet or been on a boat with everyone on the trip except Captain Zero and Mate Joe before this weekend so it was a very comfortable trip. Friday night was definitely action & and drama packed.
With almost every one arriving by 4 and taking and hour to lead we were underway when Capt Joe Zero Arrived. It was a 3-3.5 hour ride out that was made easier with the beautiful view of Manhattan and Long Island to look at as well as by Renee superb cooking A++ in my book. I would like to add myself what an excellent Job the crew did this weekend!!! Just a quick side note those "Oh My Godders" Tom talked about, to explain it, imagine your walking up the hill at BSC that is what the boat felt like and usually the ocean consumed 1/3 of the open end of the stern as Toms Light handle found out the sea was taking something and it happened to be Toms Hid Light handle and the boat hook used for grabbing lines. One of those OMG’ers completely cleared the bunks of every piece of gear that was not bolted down in the bow of the boat. These 2 hours were not for the people with weak stomachs and in some cases those seas sickness pills didn’t work as some found out. By the way NOAA still claimed that we were in 2-3 foot seas, As I found out that 2-3 means 2x3=6 is a more accurate approximation.
James and I did a Night dive after Captain Zero opened the Pool and the crew said everyone is welcome to dive, seas had calmed down after the initial rage to try and get us off the Resor. We were also given warning to make sure we could handle it and knew what to expect as we had seen how much the conditions could change over the last 2+ hours. We confidently looked at them and said this is what we came for, and were greeted with faintly visible smiles!!! James and I entered the water at 12:30 am and decided to stick close and run a reel, everything went pretty well I did have a moment where I was tangled up in line but was able to get out, to James disbelief. Runtime, 123 fsw, 63 minutes were back on board with Terry and Capt Zero waiting and in out bunks by around 2 am.
Next morning came we were greeted with beautiful blue skies and the glorious shining sun, it was almost as last night was just a dream. I wanted to dive so bad but was slowed by the smell of Renee’s scrabbled eggs and sausage which made me happy and ready to dive, sorry I can’t say the same for everyone else. Huck and I did a morning dive in the water by 830ish and with a runtime of 125 fsw, and 69 minutes. Last of all after topping my tanks off one board the boat and an SI We entered the water around noon for the last dive of the day. With James Myself and Huck diving together we ended up with 35+ minutes of bottom time and I ended with a total runtime of almost 80 minutes and as I decided to run and extra 10 extra of deco more then I was obligated and to keep James company. I ended up with 2 lobsters and little more then 2 dozen scallops in a group effort from James and Huck.
I had to keeping reminding my self check for this and that when getting lobsters so that there are lobster for future taking. All and all it was a great trip and Look forward to my next trip out.
A few quick, last minute thoughts of that I have. With getting a lot of ocean dives this year off NJ/DEL some things to remember and keep in mind for all you future NJ/Del divers.
1. Be familiar with your equipment configuration
2. Know how to work your equipment, it isn’t good enough to a have wreck reel/lift bag attached to your BC if you have never used it
3. Stay with in your limits
4. Last of all don’t allow yourself to get rushed and get overheated, if you are feeling rushed sit relax pour some water over your head, calm down and think.
From Bob Hanna . . .
Dave Gaiski, Vince Mitchell, Tim Sprinkle, Lisa Corsetti, and Bob Hanna went Diving at Willow Spring on Sunday. DEEP members Rick Kraber and Carl Robertson who were setting up a course for next week's DEEP outing joined us for Burgers along with a couple of complete strangers who were hungry divers.
The day was particularly delightful because Dave pursuaded Lisa both of whom are pilots (as is Tim) to go diving. Lisa has Basic and Advanced training but her training and most of her experience dates back to the late 1980s. Dave did such a good job of organizing an effort to get gear for Lisa that he neglected to bring the underwear for his dry suit. Fortunately this is July and not January, and our two 48 minute dives went off without incident except for a brief delay caused by Bob's failure to zip the main zipper on his Dry Suit. Lisa has now visited the Quest, all objects of interest between there and the Lobster Dock. She has also visited the airplane. She prefers one with wings. It was a delightful and somewhat amusing day.
From Bryon Wetzler . . .
Just returned home from Florida and thought I would give you a report, such as it is.
We ended up flying from our rented condo in Venice, Fl to Key West for two days of diving. The first day gave us two reef dives. The visibility was truly awe inspiring for those of us with only 3 or 4 quarry dives under our belts. It was also WARM. No exposure suit needed. It was colorful and peaceful, just what we wanted. Ended up seeing Barracudas, Sting Rays, Eels, 1 old and large Sea Turtle, and a number of other fish and plants I can't begin to name. Truly wonderful.
The next day gave us a wreck dive and a reef dive. The wreck was the "Cayman". A multi purposed salvage boat in 95 ft of water. Not as many fish as I'd hoped, but a great triumph for inexperienced divers. Only 20 minutes bottom time for that one though, so we had to see everything we could in a short time. The outer reef dive afterwards was less than stellar with lower visibility and a constant back and forth surge. Still saw some interesting sea life. Unfortunately the surge and the rocking of the boat took it's toll on my wife, as she lost her breakfast after the dive.
We did not dive in the gulf area. Everybody had the same opinion, not worth the money spent.
From Darth Vern . . .
Well we are off this Sunday with an Introductory to East Coast Wreck Diving charter aboard the Gypsy Blood with a group of 13! Should be a fun and exciting day! We have room for one or two more divers, if anyone is interested. 70fsw dive, plenty of bottom time.
I also want to add this news - Australia has created the WorldsLargest Reef Sanctuary, see the full article here!
Keep on diving and LIVE THE ADVENTURE!!!
Real Quick before we get into this weeks Dive Report, an update on the book Shadow Divers: Released two weeks ago amid glowing reviews, Kurson's nonfiction story was No. 4 on Amazon.com's best seller list within a day, with 180,000 copies in print. It's still in the top 10. Way to go divers!!!!!!!
From Tom Pritchard . . .
On James Zimmerman, Bryan Palmer, and Rick Huck joined Gerhard Maree and me on the John Jack for an overnighter to the RP Resor. The Resor was an "Esso" tanker torpedoed by U-boat 578 in early 1942. What was left of the Resor after two days of burning and exploding now sits in 130 fsw, about 40 miles off the NJ coast. Because the Resor is so far off shore, high seas cause many trips to get changed to in-shore wrecks, but this wasn't going to happen to us; we were greeted by 1 ft seas. All aboard we were a buzz; after all, the Resor is reputed to be one of the best sites for snaring lobster and the big guns come out at night. All were expecting great things, but as the ex-Seeker crew got ready to set the hook, the sea began to pick up. It was as if Neptune looked up and said, "Hey, there's Tom and Gerhard. I wonder what they're doing. Not diving, that's for sure!" Within 15 minutes the seas were running 3-6 ft with intermittent "Oh My Godders" rolling through. One of these large rollers threw me off my milk crate seat, across the deck, and too close to the open gunwale. An experienced crew like we had that night would normally set the hook in 20-30 minutes; that night it took more than 2 hrs. Crew went in, got their asses kicked in turn, and climbed/surfed their way back onto the boat. Terry Martzall finally got the deed done, surfaced by the ball after 80 minutes below, and was thrown a line. Through the loud surf Terry yelled, "What the hell is going on up here?" As he climbed the ladder, the ocean spit him onto the deck. Terry took his seat on the center table until an "Oh My Godder" threw him, still clad in doubles, onto the floor perilously close to the tanks bumgeed along the wall. It was a tense moment raised another notch when we found out that his dive computer crapped out below and that he was working his deco from tables and a bottom timer. Terry took some O2, but there was nothing to be done: He was just as screwed up as he was before he went in. Great job on the hook Terry! In fact, the whole crew did a great job. They worked like dogs to set the hook. Thanks also to Capt. Zero for hanging in there and not "Mohawking" the trip. Finally the pool was open. but only three divers decided to take the plunge: Byran, James, and Joe Edelman. Joe had been in once already on hook duty, but he had been out so long, he was able to go in again. My double 98 low pressure tanks looked puny and light after watching Joe bounce around with double 131's on his back as if they were double aluminum 80's. By this time Rick Huck and I were battling "mal de mer." Rick was clearly looking less effervescent than normal. Sea sickness aside, for me the decision not to dive that night was simple: Diving is supposed to be fun and I wasn't going to have a good time below worrying about the deteriorating conditions on top. When I spotted Byran the next morning, I blurted out one of the great understatements of all time, "I guess you got back on board last night." Kudos to Byran and James for having the confidence and skill to make the Friday night dive. By morning Neptune was resigned to the fact that Gerhard and I would be diving the Resor so we, once again, had 2 ft seas. A great wreck, more than a bit torn up, with a lot of hiding spots for "bugs." Everyone managed to come home with something. Our take was 3 lobsters, 2 crabs, and eight scallops. 122 fsw, 89 minutes; 124 fsw, 113 minutes; 46 degrees at the bottom under sunny skies. And a good time was had by all!
From Bryan Palmer . . .
Well I was able to read Tom’s report so I will try and fill in the spots with out repeating too much. Well First I would lake to thanks Renee Bickar for inviting me and allowing everyone on as we were all invited at different times and got on the trip over the last several weeks, which made for a Great group of people. I had meet or been on a boat with everyone on the trip except Captain Zero and Mate Joe before this weekend so it was a very comfortable trip. Friday night was definitely action & and drama packed.
With almost every one arriving by 4 and taking and hour to lead we were underway when Capt Joe Zero Arrived. It was a 3-3.5 hour ride out that was made easier with the beautiful view of Manhattan and Long Island to look at as well as by Renee superb cooking A++ in my book. I would like to add myself what an excellent Job the crew did this weekend!!! Just a quick side note those "Oh My Godders" Tom talked about, to explain it, imagine your walking up the hill at BSC that is what the boat felt like and usually the ocean consumed 1/3 of the open end of the stern as Toms Light handle found out the sea was taking something and it happened to be Toms Hid Light handle and the boat hook used for grabbing lines. One of those OMG’ers completely cleared the bunks of every piece of gear that was not bolted down in the bow of the boat. These 2 hours were not for the people with weak stomachs and in some cases those seas sickness pills didn’t work as some found out. By the way NOAA still claimed that we were in 2-3 foot seas, As I found out that 2-3 means 2x3=6 is a more accurate approximation.
James and I did a Night dive after Captain Zero opened the Pool and the crew said everyone is welcome to dive, seas had calmed down after the initial rage to try and get us off the Resor. We were also given warning to make sure we could handle it and knew what to expect as we had seen how much the conditions could change over the last 2+ hours. We confidently looked at them and said this is what we came for, and were greeted with faintly visible smiles!!! James and I entered the water at 12:30 am and decided to stick close and run a reel, everything went pretty well I did have a moment where I was tangled up in line but was able to get out, to James disbelief. Runtime, 123 fsw, 63 minutes were back on board with Terry and Capt Zero waiting and in out bunks by around 2 am.
Next morning came we were greeted with beautiful blue skies and the glorious shining sun, it was almost as last night was just a dream. I wanted to dive so bad but was slowed by the smell of Renee’s scrabbled eggs and sausage which made me happy and ready to dive, sorry I can’t say the same for everyone else. Huck and I did a morning dive in the water by 830ish and with a runtime of 125 fsw, and 69 minutes. Last of all after topping my tanks off one board the boat and an SI We entered the water around noon for the last dive of the day. With James Myself and Huck diving together we ended up with 35+ minutes of bottom time and I ended with a total runtime of almost 80 minutes and as I decided to run and extra 10 extra of deco more then I was obligated and to keep James company. I ended up with 2 lobsters and little more then 2 dozen scallops in a group effort from James and Huck.
I had to keeping reminding my self check for this and that when getting lobsters so that there are lobster for future taking. All and all it was a great trip and Look forward to my next trip out.
A few quick, last minute thoughts of that I have. With getting a lot of ocean dives this year off NJ/DEL some things to remember and keep in mind for all you future NJ/Del divers.
1. Be familiar with your equipment configuration
2. Know how to work your equipment, it isn’t good enough to a have wreck reel/lift bag attached to your BC if you have never used it
3. Stay with in your limits
4. Last of all don’t allow yourself to get rushed and get overheated, if you are feeling rushed sit relax pour some water over your head, calm down and think.
From Bob Hanna . . .
Dave Gaiski, Vince Mitchell, Tim Sprinkle, Lisa Corsetti, and Bob Hanna went Diving at Willow Spring on Sunday. DEEP members Rick Kraber and Carl Robertson who were setting up a course for next week's DEEP outing joined us for Burgers along with a couple of complete strangers who were hungry divers.
The day was particularly delightful because Dave pursuaded Lisa both of whom are pilots (as is Tim) to go diving. Lisa has Basic and Advanced training but her training and most of her experience dates back to the late 1980s. Dave did such a good job of organizing an effort to get gear for Lisa that he neglected to bring the underwear for his dry suit. Fortunately this is July and not January, and our two 48 minute dives went off without incident except for a brief delay caused by Bob's failure to zip the main zipper on his Dry Suit. Lisa has now visited the Quest, all objects of interest between there and the Lobster Dock. She has also visited the airplane. She prefers one with wings. It was a delightful and somewhat amusing day.
From Bryon Wetzler . . .
Just returned home from Florida and thought I would give you a report, such as it is.
We ended up flying from our rented condo in Venice, Fl to Key West for two days of diving. The first day gave us two reef dives. The visibility was truly awe inspiring for those of us with only 3 or 4 quarry dives under our belts. It was also WARM. No exposure suit needed. It was colorful and peaceful, just what we wanted. Ended up seeing Barracudas, Sting Rays, Eels, 1 old and large Sea Turtle, and a number of other fish and plants I can't begin to name. Truly wonderful.
The next day gave us a wreck dive and a reef dive. The wreck was the "Cayman". A multi purposed salvage boat in 95 ft of water. Not as many fish as I'd hoped, but a great triumph for inexperienced divers. Only 20 minutes bottom time for that one though, so we had to see everything we could in a short time. The outer reef dive afterwards was less than stellar with lower visibility and a constant back and forth surge. Still saw some interesting sea life. Unfortunately the surge and the rocking of the boat took it's toll on my wife, as she lost her breakfast after the dive.
We did not dive in the gulf area. Everybody had the same opinion, not worth the money spent.
From Darth Vern . . .
Well we are off this Sunday with an Introductory to East Coast Wreck Diving charter aboard the Gypsy Blood with a group of 13! Should be a fun and exciting day! We have room for one or two more divers, if anyone is interested. 70fsw dive, plenty of bottom time.
I also want to add this news - Australia has created the WorldsLargest Reef Sanctuary, see the full article here!
Keep on diving and LIVE THE ADVENTURE!!!
|
|
||||
Home | Classes | Events | Equipment | Clothing | Instructors | Staff | Members
|
||||