"Mount Everest" of scuba diving

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Rhone Man

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It always used to be said that the Andrea Doria was the "Mount Everest" of scuba diving (to the extent that Google even suggests it as a term: Google mount+everest+scuba+diving).

However, what used to be tremendously challenging dive during the days before trimix, rebreathers and sophisticated dive computers has lost some of its lustre. It must be seriously doubtful that skilled technical divers would consider the wreck the apex of challenging dives any more.

So if we were going to relocate to a new "Mount Everest", and assuming we want to stick with deep wrecks, where would we put it? If the parameters are (i) it has to be a dive that only very skilled and experienced divers could reasonably contemplate, and (ii) it has to be somewhere with the infrastructure to dive it, which wreck would you nominate?

I was reading about the Transylvania in the latest edition of Wreck Diving, and I thought that would make an excellent candidate. At 450 feet deep, and located off the northern coast of Ireland, it strikes me as a pretty worthy successor. The Brittanic might be another, although I think access to the wreck is restricted?
 
Just noticed that the first link on that Google search was someone asking the same question on SB about 8 years ago...
 
8 years of technological advancement.......looking forward to seeing the different the responses/opinionsyou get. :popcorn:
 
Everest used to be a tremendously challenging climb, too. Since it has become a cliche, however, people have been flocking there by the hundreds. There are now other, lesser known "Everests" that are even more remote and even more difficult. Everest itself has become a tourist destination, much like the Andria Doria in a way. Still challenging, but not nearly what it used to be.
 
One thing hasn't changed in 8 years - the previous thread everyone spent ages talking about "what does the Mount Everest mean" too before anyone started venturing suggestions...
 
Everest used to be a tremendously challenging climb, too. Since it has become a cliche, however, people have been flocking there by the hundreds. There are now other, lesser known "Everests" that are even more remote and even more difficult. Everest itself has become a tourist destination, much like the Andria Doria in a way. Still challenging, but not nearly what it used to be.

Everest isn't quickly becoming just a pile of rubble though...
 
The Doria was never the Mt. Everest of diving because of depth or size. She was the Mt Everest because there just are not many wrecks with the changeable surface and dive conditions and because of what we did inside of her.

Conditions: On a good day, a newbe could get down to her, on a bad day very experienced divers who had paid $800-$1,000 for the boat ride (1980’s dollars) would stay in bed if they could. The difference between a good day and a bad day could, and often is, the period of your dive. A change of wind or tide brings up the chop, changes the vis, and maybe also the dive temp.

The Dive: You could tap her at 180 no problem. It was going into Gimbals’ Hole, going down and then over in all the cables, falling walls and ceilings, etc. to a place where you knew you were going to make a silt out by collecting china and crystal wear, bagging up, and then getting back to the hole, anchor line, and boat with the goodies. If someone had been there before you, it just got worse as it was already silted out.

Do that on air with only double 80’s and a 30 or 40 pony with maybe boat supplied 100% O2 at 20 and 10 feet and you better have your Shi* real tight.
 
Everest used to be a tremendously challenging climb, too. Since it has become a cliche, however, people have been flocking there by the hundreds. There are now other, lesser known "Everests" that are even more remote and even more difficult. Everest itself has become a tourist destination, much like the Andria Doria in a way. Still challenging, but not nearly what it used to be.

There are still challenging routes on Everest, as long as you're not on one of the tourist routes (SE or NE ridges). And you can still die quite easily on either of them. But because of the crowds, top climbers have been avoiding Everest to some extent, and there really aren't a lot of new routes left to do.

Guy
 
:popcorn: My popcorn is running low....gotta reload....was hoping to hear more about diving and less about climbing.....
 

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