Lursxt
Guest
Well the weather this past weekend was really nice. So nice, that I couldn't pass up not diving. I joined the Froggies who were headed out to Fort Sewell. I hadn't yet dove this site, so I was really looking forward to it. Dan H. told me the site is good for scalloping, lobsters and artifact collecting.
I arrived at 11am to find the site looking like this:
Actually, that's not quite right. This picture was taken after the dive and the tide had fallen quite a bit from the high tide mark.
Getting to Fort Sewell is somewhat difficult as the streets in this part of Marblehead are all one way. Dan recommended getting directions to the Barnacle restaurant which is right next door. There is a small parking lot across the street which is good for 10 cars. The lot was full so I parked along the street in a legal space. Parking spots turned over quickly, however as people did not stay too long. I wouldn't visit here on the weekend during high season unless it was very early in the morning.
I dove with Dave and Matt who had both visited the site before. Entry was easy. There is a stairway leading down to the beach. I went in at high tide so it felt like walking into a pool! Viz was very good. I would estimate 30feet. Water temp was 36deg. The recommended course is to stay to the left of the cove and head out around the corner. The left side is rocky, and the center of the cove is flat, open and sandy. There were numerous sand dollars in this area. We slowly headed out and around the left side stopping to pick up scallops. Max depth was 32fsw, with an average of 26fsw. We were in for 42 minutes. Seas were flat, and the current was slight. There was a breeze from the west as well. Heading back in, we picked around the rocks and I found this plate:
Apparately there was a hotel at or near this site, and trash was dumped here. The makers mark is J&G Meakin. After cleaning the plate I noticed the word 'hotel' stamped on the back and the letters JJ ?? stamped underneath it. I'm still doing some reseach, but if anyone can share more information, I'd appreciate it.
Marine life was scarce. I did see a small lobster, scallops, moon snail, a whelk and a solitary hydroid.
Upon exiting, there were several spectators waiting to greet us and ask many questions. Back at my truck, removing my gear, several people stopped to chat. A friendly bunch here!
All and in all an interesting site, which I think is a good place to dive in the off-season when crowds are light and parking is easy. Entry is easy too. The Barnacle restaurant is next door, which makes for a very nice apres dive spot to hang out. The cove looks to be well protected too.
I arrived at 11am to find the site looking like this:
Actually, that's not quite right. This picture was taken after the dive and the tide had fallen quite a bit from the high tide mark.
Getting to Fort Sewell is somewhat difficult as the streets in this part of Marblehead are all one way. Dan recommended getting directions to the Barnacle restaurant which is right next door. There is a small parking lot across the street which is good for 10 cars. The lot was full so I parked along the street in a legal space. Parking spots turned over quickly, however as people did not stay too long. I wouldn't visit here on the weekend during high season unless it was very early in the morning.
I dove with Dave and Matt who had both visited the site before. Entry was easy. There is a stairway leading down to the beach. I went in at high tide so it felt like walking into a pool! Viz was very good. I would estimate 30feet. Water temp was 36deg. The recommended course is to stay to the left of the cove and head out around the corner. The left side is rocky, and the center of the cove is flat, open and sandy. There were numerous sand dollars in this area. We slowly headed out and around the left side stopping to pick up scallops. Max depth was 32fsw, with an average of 26fsw. We were in for 42 minutes. Seas were flat, and the current was slight. There was a breeze from the west as well. Heading back in, we picked around the rocks and I found this plate:
Apparately there was a hotel at or near this site, and trash was dumped here. The makers mark is J&G Meakin. After cleaning the plate I noticed the word 'hotel' stamped on the back and the letters JJ ?? stamped underneath it. I'm still doing some reseach, but if anyone can share more information, I'd appreciate it.
Marine life was scarce. I did see a small lobster, scallops, moon snail, a whelk and a solitary hydroid.
Upon exiting, there were several spectators waiting to greet us and ask many questions. Back at my truck, removing my gear, several people stopped to chat. A friendly bunch here!
All and in all an interesting site, which I think is a good place to dive in the off-season when crowds are light and parking is easy. Entry is easy too. The Barnacle restaurant is next door, which makes for a very nice apres dive spot to hang out. The cove looks to be well protected too.
