The barge

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mobeeno

Contributor
Messages
710
Reaction score
89
Location
California
# of dives
500 - 999
Is it unreasonable to do a shore dive from Breakwater on a steel HP80 with no scooter to the barge and how much surface swimming is recommended?
 
I would not do it. It would be unsafe to do so... Lot's of surface traffic from inside the harbor... It's pretty much right in the middle of the boat lane

When we dive the barge we consider it an overhead... so no surfacing out there... Kicking it'll take you about 30-45 mins to get there (most of that at 45-50 fsw) with scooters you are there in 7 mins (starting point the bend in the wall)

At the least have enough gas to get there and back to the wall... (doubles)
 
Use a boat, raft, car, or Ben to get to the Barge. Use Ben instead, just make sure you fill him up with fuel. :wink:
 
RoyN:
Use a boat, raft, car, or Ben to get to the Barge. Use Ben instead, just make sure you fill him up with fuel. :wink:

:rofl3: :rofl3: :rofl3: :rofl3: Dont worry Ben we still love ya!!

By the way Ben , good info , thanks I actully didn't know that and have never been to the barge!!
 
The barge can be done from the beach. I do it once a year for the California Beach Dive
Photo Competition (no boats allowed). It's about 35 minutes one way on the surface,
then drop, and do the dive, returning UW mostly. The trick is knowing where to
drop. Line up the "telephone pole" (it's actualy a light pole) at the end of the concrete
part of the breakwater, and line up the daymark at the end of the breakwater with
the middle of Monterey Bay Kayaks over on Del Monte Beach (problem: you can't see
MBK from surface level, so you got swim out a bit and not what the ridge behind it
looks like).

Do be careful about boats.
 
When I get home, I'll post some HD video of the barge.

We took a 14' zodiac out and anchored about 10' north of the wreckage (using GPS). We left one person in the boat (it is right in the middle of the waterway!) for safety and we did a 40 minute dive. I was wearing my doubles, but my buddy was wearing his AL80. On one of the videos I shot, you can hear a boat go overhead.

Definitely consider it unsafe to surface at the barge unless you're on an anchor line or have a large safety sausage.
 
rainman_02:
We took a 14' zodiac out and anchored about 10' north of the wreckage (using GPS).

It would be better to anchor about 30' south. That puts your boat more out of the
traffic lane.
 

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