DiverDave65
Contributor
Did three days of diving on the Oriskany last week and had a great time! I like wrecks, have done Truk Lagoon twice and think the Oriskany is right up there with some of the best wreck diving in the world, esp since it is accessible to recreational divers.
I did two days with MBT divers and one day with Capt Ron with the Pensacola dive Company. Two tank dives on each trip, MBT used H20 Below and Ron has his own boat.
Both operations are EXCELLENT in every way; I cannot say enough good things about both of them!
H20 Below is a bigger boat, but slower. Takes about 1:45 to get out to the site. Had 16 divers on it one day plus two divemasters and it was crowded. Next day only had around 9 clients so easier to move around. Great dive briefings and very safety oriented. They always had one divemaster in the water with us just to keep an eye out for trouble without much interference. Great support on the boat getting in and out of the water, and lots of help with any gear problems if you needed help or had a question. Special kudos to Rich, Randy and Josh, the MBT divemasters. The Captain of the H20 Below is also super and also assisted on the surface. These guys do have some pretty stringent rules and if you bust them they let you know you might sit out the second dive! MBT has a GREAT dive shop with all the gear you might ever need or want.
Great snacks during surface interval and fresh-grilled hot dogs on the way back!
Capt Ron from Pensacola Dive Company has a smaller boat but VERY high speed and a smaller group of divers. Takes about an hour to get out to the site. He and his assistant Steve help you with gear and Ron leads the dive. He is a very colorful guy and great to dive with...also a bit more laid back, which I appreciated. I took a Nitrox course from him and tried EAN32 on my last two dives, so now I feel like a real tech diver! (Just kidding!) Ron does NOT have his own dive shop....you actually meet him in the parking lot of MBT and he frequently subcontracts for them.
Great snacks during the surf interval, and not to be out-done, he grills burgers on his boat!
As far as the Oriskany itself, I thought it was fabulous! The ocean was almost flat all three days, no current on the surface or the wreck and visibility from 50-75 feet. Water temp at the surface in the 80's and around 76 on the flight deck. I wore a 3/2mm full suit, which was more than adequate....the thermocline was around 90 feet, pretty chilly under that. We had some small jellyfish on the last day so I wore a new Henderson stretch 3mm hood on the last two dives and liked it for a bit of head warmth and sting protection from the little *******s.
My profile was generally go down the line and head for the flight deck for a couple minutes at 125 feet, then work your way up around the superstructure/bridge area for the rest of the dive. Plenty to see, lots of small "swim-throughs" through various ports and intact ladders inside, including the air boss' station and admirals cabins. Had to stop at the suspended flags for pics. Some sea life hanging around, a couple of good sized groupers and barracudas.
I thought three days of diving the Oriskany might be overkill, but I enjoyed it every day and was never bored on the dives. The trip out and back was fun, too.
I think you'd have a good time with any dive shop on the Oriskany, but I certainly had a great time with the two dive shops I used and would strongly recommend both of them!
Feel free to PM me with any other questions.
DiverDave65
P.S. Just tried to upload dive pics of the trip but the files are too big...I will post this report for now and try posting pics again later!!
I did two days with MBT divers and one day with Capt Ron with the Pensacola dive Company. Two tank dives on each trip, MBT used H20 Below and Ron has his own boat.
Both operations are EXCELLENT in every way; I cannot say enough good things about both of them!
H20 Below is a bigger boat, but slower. Takes about 1:45 to get out to the site. Had 16 divers on it one day plus two divemasters and it was crowded. Next day only had around 9 clients so easier to move around. Great dive briefings and very safety oriented. They always had one divemaster in the water with us just to keep an eye out for trouble without much interference. Great support on the boat getting in and out of the water, and lots of help with any gear problems if you needed help or had a question. Special kudos to Rich, Randy and Josh, the MBT divemasters. The Captain of the H20 Below is also super and also assisted on the surface. These guys do have some pretty stringent rules and if you bust them they let you know you might sit out the second dive! MBT has a GREAT dive shop with all the gear you might ever need or want.
Great snacks during surface interval and fresh-grilled hot dogs on the way back!
Capt Ron from Pensacola Dive Company has a smaller boat but VERY high speed and a smaller group of divers. Takes about an hour to get out to the site. He and his assistant Steve help you with gear and Ron leads the dive. He is a very colorful guy and great to dive with...also a bit more laid back, which I appreciated. I took a Nitrox course from him and tried EAN32 on my last two dives, so now I feel like a real tech diver! (Just kidding!) Ron does NOT have his own dive shop....you actually meet him in the parking lot of MBT and he frequently subcontracts for them.
Great snacks during the surf interval, and not to be out-done, he grills burgers on his boat!
As far as the Oriskany itself, I thought it was fabulous! The ocean was almost flat all three days, no current on the surface or the wreck and visibility from 50-75 feet. Water temp at the surface in the 80's and around 76 on the flight deck. I wore a 3/2mm full suit, which was more than adequate....the thermocline was around 90 feet, pretty chilly under that. We had some small jellyfish on the last day so I wore a new Henderson stretch 3mm hood on the last two dives and liked it for a bit of head warmth and sting protection from the little *******s.
My profile was generally go down the line and head for the flight deck for a couple minutes at 125 feet, then work your way up around the superstructure/bridge area for the rest of the dive. Plenty to see, lots of small "swim-throughs" through various ports and intact ladders inside, including the air boss' station and admirals cabins. Had to stop at the suspended flags for pics. Some sea life hanging around, a couple of good sized groupers and barracudas.
I thought three days of diving the Oriskany might be overkill, but I enjoyed it every day and was never bored on the dives. The trip out and back was fun, too.
I think you'd have a good time with any dive shop on the Oriskany, but I certainly had a great time with the two dive shops I used and would strongly recommend both of them!
Feel free to PM me with any other questions.
DiverDave65
P.S. Just tried to upload dive pics of the trip but the files are too big...I will post this report for now and try posting pics again later!!
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