Date: 7/31/2006
Dive Location: HMCS Yukon, San Diego
Buddy(ies): glycerin
Time: 8:58 am
Total Dive Time: 50 min
Max Depth: 102 fsw
Vis: 40-50 ft
Wave height: 1-3 ft
Temp at depth: 57°F
Surface Temp: 72°F
Tide information:
Gas mix: 31%
Comments: Josh and I took a little mental health day away from work on Monday and headed down to Mission Bay for a 3 tank Wreck Alley trip aboard the Lois Ann. Weather conditions looked pretty dismal in So OC early this morning. The skies were overcast with some light precipitation. The rain got a little heavier at times on the drive down to SD … easing up as we approached the Mission Bay area. We arrived at the marina just a couple minutes before the crew arrived. After taking care of all the paper work and money stuff, the crew started filling our new water heaters with EAN32 - pumped from their onboard membrane system. The ride out to the site was slightly bumpy, but pretty quick. We tied off on the Comm Tower morning. There appeared to be a decent current running from the NW, so we decided to start the dive headed into the current (i.e out toward the bow)
The first dive was planned as multi-level dive that would take us to a max depth of 100 fsw for the first segment. The primarily goal was to explore the exterior of the ship. As we descended down the line, we were awe struck when the wreck started to come into full view at a depth of ~35-40 fsw through the beautiful blue water. She looked very impressive, big guns adorned in numerous massive White Metridium Anemones.
Once we reached the end of the mooring line, we dropped down toward the bottom and started heading toward the bow. As we worked our way forward, we stopped briefly to peer into a few of the cut-outs. We eventually reached the mangled and twisted bow where we hit out max depth for the dive. We slowly worked our way up the starboard side of the hull and began to work our way back toward the stern and the shallower portion of the dive. Again, we stopped to peer into the holds of the ship through the numerous large cuts outs. We continued and eventually reached the area of the mortar well before making the turn back toward the mooring line.
As far as marine life goes, the size of some of White Anemones is incredible. Some appear to be as long as your arm. We encountered a massive sized Lingcod near the bow of the ship, visible thought the large dolphin shaped cutout. There also lots of typical So Cal marine life on the wreck, including various Nudibranches, tons of Painted Greenlings, large schools of BlackSmith and other fish. The highlight of the dive, however, came during the safety stop. Josh gave me a little tap then pointed out into the blue water. About 25-30 feet away was a good sized Mola Mola (Sunfish) in plain view. Damn … didn’t bring camera! So, we just hung there and watched it for a while until it was time to surface.
Date: 7/31/2006
Dive Location: HMCS Yukon, San Diego
Buddy(ies): glycerin
Time: 11:17 am
Total Dive Time: 49 min
Max Depth: 82 fsw
Vis: 40-50 ft
Wave height: 1-3 ft
Temp at depth: 57°F
Surface Temp: 74°F
Tide information:
Gas mix: 31%
Comments: After a nice long 90 minute surface interval, we were ready for the second dive on the Yukon. On the previous dive, we had evaluated some of the large cutouts on the starboard side, and agreed that a couple were conducive to a safe swim through. We decided to attempt these at the start of the dive, and then continue our way aft to check out the blower and the stern, which remained unexplored during the first dive. 80 fsw was the planned max depth for this dive.
That was the plan … that’s basically what we did. We started the dive, with a very cool swim through via a large internal corridor which popped us out on top of the wreck. We then headed aft along the starboard side (the top) of the ship to another a large cutout that let out ~10ft below; near the aft guns. The combination of current and surge made this one pretty exiting … the venture effect caused by the rush of water moving through this passage created a suction that sucked you in and spit you out the other end. That was fun. We continued past the mortar well to the stern then finally making the turn back. Off to the right buried in the sand, the big blower came into view. We viewed it from a distance while maintaining our depth. We made it back to the general area of the mooring with more than half of our gas supply remaining and plenty of bottom time remaining. I signaled to Josh, “which way do you wanna go ?” He gave me big grin and pointed back toward to the opening where we did our first swim though. OK … so we did it again. After poking around for a little while longer, we finally started making our way up the line. During our safety stop, Josh motioned to my wrist slate. He wrote down “100”. “Your 100th dive ???”, I motioned. A head nod confirmed. “Right on, bro!” A brief knuckle bashing celebration ensued. Damn … didn’t bring camera, again!
Date: 7/31/2006
Dive Location: Ruby E, San Diego
Buddy(ies): glycerin
Time: 1:19 am
Total Dive Time: 54 min
Max Depth: 76 fsw
Vis: 40-50 ft
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 57°F
Surface Temp: 74°F
Tide information:
Gas mix: 30%
Comments: We unhooked from the Yukon and motored over to the Ruby E for the 3rd and final dive of the day. After another long surface interval we started our decent down the stern line. Unlike the Yukon, the 165-foot long Coast Guard Cutter sits upright on the bottom. It’s been down longer and is completely encrusted with growth, particularly Strawberry Anemones. She’s a pretty little wreck and an easy dive.
Upon reaching the end of the mooring line, we worked our way forward toward the wheel house. We had a blast exploring this area, taking turns swimming through the large opening. We found the infamous toilet - it was on top of the smoke stack this time. After a while, we eventually made out way back to the mooring line and headed back up the line.
The marine life is similar to that on the Yukon, lots of Painted Greenlings, lots of Spanish Shawls, and large aggregations of schooling fish.
This time a brought the camera. Unfortunately, the housing fogged up again early in the dive. I didn’t get many pics
Ruby E plaque
Growth
101 is a nice palindrome
Strawberry Anemones
Painted Greenling
The Joshinator ... "I'll be back !"
CONGRATS ON DIVE #100, JOSH ! YOU'RE DOING GREAT ! :wave-smil
