diving the Luisitania today

[capeofstorms_pierre]

Hi all, just a short note to tell you that the weather has played game and for a select we will be diving the Lusi today.

off to blow bubbles

 

[AndyT]

So where's the report ?????

 

[capeofstorms_pierre]

So where's the report ?????

As requested.
Charter: Blue Flash
Skipper: Marc
Divers: Grant, Alister, Graham, Jeff, Monty, Terry, Mike, Myself(Pierre

For those of us who where on leave or could take leave on short notice friday the 22 December. When the Call goes out "we are going to the Lusitania" most cape divers arrange to be available for this dive. The wreck sits in 40m of water on the eastern side of a blinder. Most of the year the blinder is subjected to waves and swells, so the sea conditons have to be right to dive Her.

8 of us met at Milllers Point slipway at 08h00. We assigned buddy pair and had a dive briefing. Most of the divers where diving 15l singles Nitrox, with exception of Monty and my self, Monty twin 11l aly and myself twin 7l min. It was decided that this would be a none deco dive. with 2 groups of 4 entering the water 10 min apart

The trip to the blinder lasted about 40 min in nice calm flat conditions. the was almost no curent arround the blinder but it had a definate break over it. When one surfaces we have to be sure to swim away from the rock as the boat cannot get to close to collect you. Divers have been know to surface near the rock and get washed away in the white water to be spat out on the toehr side fo the blinder.

First group kitted up and entered the water ( Grant, Mike, Graham & Jeff) once the decended we kitted up and soon it was our turn to enter the water. Once in the water there was alot of suspended particels for the first 6m but it was wonderfully warm at 18 deg. Below 6m it started to clear up with Viz approx 10m . there was a 4 deg thermocline at 15m. At 38.6m i was on the bottomand found my sefl a little narced so have to go up a few meteres to clear my head. there is not much of the intact wreck left, just debre and steel littered on the floor. One finds loads of floor tiles and other stuffont eh wreck , One even come accross sum intact port holes. the engine room and machinery can still me seen. makes for sum interesting swim throughs

 

[capeofstorms_pierre]

part 2. (damn finger troubles)

We swam along the length of the wreck. at 25 min I was into 3 min deco. so we left the bottom to the crayfish and started our ascent. Opted to do a deep stop at 20m for 1 min and then the rest at 6m.

max depth: 38.4
total divetime: 36min

When we surfaced there was smiles all arround. Another amazing and enjoyble dive on the Lusi, Graham was no longer a Lusi virgin and Monty had a great find on his Birthday.

On the way back we stopped at a cave that the sea had erroded into the coast and took a swim with our torches in to explore.Alister spotted a 2 m Gully Shark.