The Boynton Dive Chronicles (new and improved)

[HilaryRN71]

I found the source of that banging, an open gate on the port side of the superstructure.

and the creaking and groaning?

 

[Bryan]

and the creaking and groaning?

If the boat's-a-rockin', don't come-a-knockin'

 

[Scubakevdm]

and the creaking and groaning?

My knee had been acting up for a while there, so it was either the wreck splitting or my knee.

We snuck out today to try to squeeze a dive in before the big waves came... vis was about 35' with a dark layer about 3 feet thick of 3 foot viz on top. Water temp was warm.. 84ish. The seas were pretty flat when we left, but by the time we headed in, it was starting to get snotty.

Between that layer and the lack of sun due to clouds it was pretty dern dark down there. I think I took four pictures total. If any came out I'll throw them up tonight when I get home.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Okee Doke! No pics came out great, but I'll put a crappy one up to document the water. Sorry Staci, for chopping you up!

 

[HilaryRN71]

My knee had been acting up for a while there, so it was either the wreck splitting or my knee.

We snuck out today to try to squeeze a dive in before the big waves came... vis was about 35' with a dark layer about 3 feet thick of 3 foot viz on top. Water temp was warm.. 84ish. The seas were pretty flat when we left, but by the time we headed in, it was starting to get snotty.

Between that layer and the lack of sun due to clouds it was pretty dern dark down there. I think I took four pictures total. If any came out I'll throw them up tonight when I get home.

Dark and snotty...sounds like CA. 84ish....not so much. Your pics make bad viz look crystalline.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Whoa! I was in the process of sorting through pictures from last weekend to email them to the divers, and I made an important discovery! The Ike swell seems to have taken a toll on the Tony as well, though the damage is not as heavy as the damage to the Castor.

This occurred on the 20th, which I think was a Saturday:

I was swimming around down there, and noticed two excavations in the sand along the outside of the hull... starboard side just about where the cargo hold probably ends. I thought it was odd, and dipped down to check it out. I took some pictures to document it, but I didn't think much of it. Above the center of each pit, on the hull, there were large sections where the hull's surface had flaked off, and there were some flakes in each pit.

I was shuffling through the pictures today, and where I saw these flaked patches of hull, and was reminded of the damage to the Castor. Suddenly, it dawned on me that there were cracks emanating from the patches, and that the excavations must have been caused by the surge blowing through the cracks. I'll try to get down there again this weekend and take some better pics.

The two pits, I didn't really care a whole lot about getting a good pic, but I wish I had now. This is taken on the stbd side, looking back a bit towards the screw.

I can't remember if this is the forward pit or the after one,I think forward though. You can see the cracking quite clearly.

The other pit and hull damage.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Quick... everybody join me in the good viz dance!!!

I just got back from the reef and here's the low down:

Viz was horrible, 10-15', and there was a moderate surge from about a 6' groundswell. Water temp was 83º up top, 84º down below. Slight south current. The dives were actually pretty good, despite the murk due to a very high density of life including three loggerheads and a very curious requiem shark of some sort, about 4' long. Maybe a baby bull, but it's so hard for me to tell them apart when they're that size, who knows. It circled each of us about 6' out, I think it was seeing if we would flush anything tasty out from the ledge, and at one point it almost swan right into me. The reason that we were graced with this encounter was that, of course, I had elected to leave the camera behind, in favor of a lobster snare. There were zero lobsters spotted all day. I did take the camera on the second dive, and I'll put anything interesting up once I get home tonight.

The swell is supposed to die off throughout the day, and be only slight tomorrow, so vis should improve dramatically by then.

Here is a diver from about ten feet away, no strobe and the most honest exposure of the water I could get.

Hey! The green water really made the blues and purples pop more!

The reef was absolutely carpeted with fish... there were times that, even if the water was gin clear, we couldn't have seen more than ten feet because of all the fish around us.

 

[Randy43068]

Uh-huh Kevin, likely story. A shark encounter with no camera around. We all know how the fishing stories go... it was "T H I S B I G!" *holding arms out as far as they'll go* same with diving...

Quick... everybody join me in the good viz dance!!!

I just got back from the reef and here's the low down:

Viz was horrible, 10-15', and there was a moderate surge from about a 6' groundswell. Water temp was 83º up top, 84º down below. Slight south current. The dives were actually pretty good, despite the murk due to a very high density of life including three loggerheads and a very curious requiem shark of some sort, about 4' long. Maybe a baby bull, but it's so hard for me to tell them apart when they're that size, who knows. It circled each of us about 6' out, I think it was seeing if we would flush anything tasty out from the ledge, and at one point it almost swan right into me. The reason that we were graced with this encounter was that, of course, I had elected to leave the camera behind, in favor of a lobster snare. There were zero lobsters spotted all day. I did take the camera on the second dive, and I'll put anything interesting up once I get home tonight.

The swell is supposed to die off throughout the day, and be only slight tomorrow, so vis should improve dramatically by then.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Uh-huh Kevin, likely story. A shark encounter with no camera around. We all know how the fishing stories go... it was "T H I S B I G!" *holding arms out as far as they'll go* same with diving...

If I was lying, I would have made him bigger!

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thnx for the updates