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Click To Enlarge
From Bob Hanna . . .
Ed Schwartz, Natasha Harmuth, Bill Hockley, Ralph Spayd, Dennis Dierolf, Gregg Bahney, Layne Wonica, Howard from Baltimore went Wreck Diving in N Car. diving with the Olympus Dive Center July 16,17,18 &19 for a maximum of 7 dives. We saw somewhere between 35-40 Sand Tiger Sharks plus a variety of other marine life and 6 different wrecks. Here are some of the details.
INDRA Formally a US Navy Landing Craft Repair ship, was sunk August 4, 1992 as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program. My bottom time was 47 minutes with a Max Depth of 73'. On this dive while scootering around the wreck, Natasha spotted her first Sand Tiger Shark.
lympus does not require Advanced Certification, but uses wrecks like the Indra and the Carrib Sea to introduce the inexperienced diver to the ocean. Dive Masters and Instructors are available to mentor the newer divers. Olympus does require an estimate of the divers number of dives along with proof of certification. Proof of Nitrox certification is required when obtaining Nitrox fills.
CARIBSEA torpedoed and sunk on March 11, 1942 by U 158 in the early days of Operation Drum Beat is the second best Shark Dive in the area. We did 2 dives, saw Sharks ranging in size from small, medium and a couple of 10-12 footers. My times and depth were 41and 40 minutes and 89' and 87' respectively.
The Olympus is roughly 60' long with hang lines at 15' on both sides leading to the front of the boat. At the front the lines gradually descend to about 40' where they join and connect to the anchor line via a ring. We descend to the wreck. The crew on every dive runs about 200' of line from a wreck reel beginning near the anchor line. Divers bring their own reels to be used, for example, if the VIZ is bad. On our Carrib Sea dives the VIZ was similar to Dutch Springs, about 50' making navigation very easy. Cookout On The Deck That is not a ship. Lauren, who is responsible for booking groups at Olympus arraigned for this cook out where our group photo was taken.
SCHURZ formerly a German Ship called the Geier. It was seized during WWI, renamed and used by the US Navy. In 1917 it collided with another ship and sunk.It is about a 115' foot dive, covered with bait fish, and known to produce artifacts. Natasha's collection included an encrusted pocket knife. This off shore wreck was the first of our deeper dives. My bottom time was 31 minutes and max depth 112'. The ship's bell is on display at the Olympus Dive shop.
This wreck produces a steady stream of artifacts. In 1994 my daughter-in-law brought up a case of small arms ammo. Small arms bullets are brought up on almost every dive. On a previous live-aboard our group dug its way into a supply area and brought up smoking pipes, ink wells, an intact razor kit. Sharks were present on our dive along with bait fish.
SPARR is a ship sunk last year to become an artificial reef. It lies in 110' of water. I do not know its history. My bottom time was 39 minutes and Max Depth 104'. Arguably the largest Sand Tiger we saw was on that wreck.
U-352 This German submarine is unquestionably North Carolina's most popular wreck dive. On May 9, 1942 she attacked the US Coast Guard cutter Icarus. Her torpedo exploded prematurely, which revealed her presence and led to her demise. Thirteen German sailors lost their lives in the battle. Today the submarine lies in 115 feet of water, upright but listing approximately 40 degrees to starboard. While most of the outer hull has rusted away the pressure hull remains intact.
The VIZ was terrific. The ship is 220' long. From the middle of the wreck you could virtually see it all. Ralph Spayd took some of the best pictures I have ever seen of the wreck. ED entered the Sub through the forward torpedo loading hatch. He reported seeing in the forward area a lot of sand. It is possible but risky to swim aft and exit through the gally hatch. Most divers would have to remove their air tank(s) to do so. Ed did not make this trip on this dive. My Total dive time was 35 minutes, max depth 114'
PAPOOSE This tanker was sank during WW II by the U-124 March 19, 1942. The wreck lies upside down in 130 feet of clear, warm water. Her large, flat keel rises to within 85 feet of the surface. In recent years schools of Atlantic Sand Tiger Sharks have been present on this wreck throughout the year.
True to its reputation this final dive of our trip produced approximately 20 medium to large Sharks. Most were located near the Bow of the wreck. But a tiny by comparison beautiful Lion Fish photographed by Howard stole the show. Total Dive Time was 37 minutes with a Max Depth of 118'. It is likely that I will continue my 11 straight years of Olympus Diving by organizing a trip for the summer of 06.
From Jim Brown . . .
Congrats to three new PADI OW Divers, certified on July 24, 2005!
Jerri Rowlands, Matt Eshenaur and Mike Geisinger of the Reading Fire Department. You did a great job with your training and I'm proud of all of you for your individual accomplishment, as well as the teamwork you displayed in the classroom, pool and on the open water dive site. I enjoyed working with all of you! Thanks to Captain Bob Stichter for spearheading your training on behalf of the RFD.
Many thanks to Beth Hess, our Divemaster for the OW certification dives. Our experience at Bainbridge would not have been the same without you. Kudos to Joe Dormer for completing another Divemaster Candidate Practical Training Exercise, assisting with students on/in the open water dive site. Good work Joe! He earned a new nickname with the help of our beloved Huckster and maybe a little support from Kulpy; JoeD now fondly known as powder puff or maybe even burger boy. You'll have to join us on the dive site next time if you want the inside scoop on how nicknames are earned (or assigned!).
Three of Jerri, Matt and Mike's compadres will be following with their OW training most likely in August: Matt Dillon, Ronnie Helbert and Lisa Dowd. We'll keep you tuned in to their progress.
Remember these upcoming events:
Sat., July 30, 9am, BSC - Kent Hirsch & Mike Nast Memorial Dive
Sun, August 14, 9am, BSC - Smokey's Lady's Day Diving
Wednesday evening diving continues at BSC. As autumn approaches we'll be enjoying pseudo night diving. Join us in the fun and get the most out of your diving summer. Descending again,
Keep On Diving and Live The Adventure!!!
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