NJ/NY Wreck Dive Reports

[Marcos]

Greetings fellow wreckers,

Do any of you have any recent trip reports from wreck dives in the North Atlantic? I'm not going to doing my first NJ wreck dive until mid June because I'm still diving wet. I would love to hear some of your adventures plus what conditions are like out there right now as far as viz, bottom temps, etc. I'd like to hear what dive boat you were on and your likes/dislikes about the operation. Once I start my season I'll be sure to share my local dive experiences as well.

Thanks!

Marc

[wrekdiver2]

Greetings fellow wreckers,

Do any of you have any recent trip reports from wreck dives in the North Atlantic? I'm not going to doing my first NJ wreck dive until mid June because I'm still diving wet. I would love to hear some of your adventures plus what conditions are like out there right now as far as viz, bottom temps, etc. I'd like to hear what dive boat you were on and your likes/dislikes about the operation. Once I start my season I'll be sure to share my local dive experiences as well.

Thanks!

Marc

Let's see...

Note: All trips on the Dina Dee out of Pt. Pleasant, NJ.

Sunday, April 25th: 2 dives to the Gulftrade. Vis 15-20', but surface vis was much better and a clammer was dragging around the wreck. Bottom temp 41F, 43F at about 30', 45F last 15'. Couple of nice lobster came up and a few nice fish were seen.

Sunday April 18th: 2 dives to the Stolt. Vis 60'+ (yes I said 60'+!). You could see the lift bag at 60' from the bow of the boat. At 70', you could look up and see the boat as clear as day! You didn't even need a light to see the colors of the anemones on the top of the wreck (lots of oranges reds and yellows). Several lobster seen, but left due to eggs. Couple of nice blackfish were seen. Bottom temp was 41F, 43F at the surface.

Sunday April 11th: 2 dives to the Delaware. Vis 15-20'.
Couple of decent lobsters brought up, several more with eggs left behind. Several blackfish hanging around the engine and bow. Some miscellaneous artifacts (or parts thereof) brought up as well. Bottom temp around 41F.

Hope that answers your questions....

[salty]

Hey you saw my report. Im not going to be back in the water untill I get my Drysuit back with a new zipper. Im looking forward to my next dive (the 22nd) to be some what warm and definatly DRY.

[ScubaK-Dawg]

I'm going out on the Dina Dee this Saturday. I let you know how it is.

[FrankF]

A bunch of us are diving the Tuna Seizure on Saturday. I'll post a report when we get back.

[wrekdiver2]

I'm going out on the Dina Dee this Saturday. I let you know how it is.


Not if I let him know first! See ya on Saturday.

[Marcos]

Very nice Brian! You're reports were great to read and very informative of the conditions. Wow I can't wait to get out to the Stolt again, especially with that great Viz! I've always noticed great viz in the top and middle water column on that wreck, but down on the bottom it is usually murky. Hmm maybe because that's at 130'! Hey thanks again and it's great to see you are diving so much already. I'll be out there soon.

Marc

[SueMermaid]

Dammit! 70' visibility!? WHY do I have this puking/passing out curse?! I wanna go! I wanna go! :sad:

[Marcos]

Sue,

Take some dramamine or get the Transcop patch, they work for me.

Marc

[SueMermaid]

Were it only that simple. I think I will try to to some closer wrecks this summer though.

[wrekdiver2]

First a couple of messages to fellow WV'ers:

ScubaK-Dawg: Nice diving with you today, Kevin. Darn shame about your "buddy", eh?

SueMermaid: You would have LOVED today! Yes, I'm being very sarcastic.

Marcos: Here's your dive report.


Due to the NE wind and the gloomy marine forecast, the Dina Dee and her full boat of passengers headed for the Pinta. When we got there, we found a boat fishing the wreck so we opted for a nearby barge.

Conditions on the barge (sorry, I can't remember the name) were not too bad. The barge is relatively intact in 85' of water, but some wreckage extends out into the sand. We encountered (depending on who you asked) 10-15' of visibility. Several nice blackfish and sea bass were seen. One lobster and a rusted pair of needle nose plyers were brought up. There were even two sightings of a fishing pole, but it definitely wasn't worth bringing up.

The anchor was pulled and we headed inshore to the Cranford for a second dive. This former car ferry/restaraunt sits in 70' of water . She is quite broken up. Here, we encountered (again, depending on who you ask) 15-20' of vis. I believe a pair of lobsters came up and there were a couple of nice blackfish hiding amongst the wreckage

The all-important water temperature has not changed in two weeks: 41F at depth, 43F at 30', 45F at 15'.

Capt. Tom put the new grill to work and we had our fill of hotdogs and hamburgers.

For anyone interested in doing some diving, the Dina Dee will be going out at least one day next weekend and hopefully both days!

[DEEPLOU]

Did the Iberia outside of Jones Inlet (long Island). Unfortunately the vis was at most 10 feet but more like about 5. Water temps were about same as Brian reported. Piled on those undies and three fingered mits were a must. Saw some small begauls and not much else. Topside was little lumpy. Checking the weather bouy later it showed we were getting almost 5 footers at about 6 second interval. After getting into calmer waters, Capt Frank of the Sea Hawk broke out the grill. Thanks to Capt Frank, mate Eddie and myself we feasted on hot dogs, kilbasa, and chicken.
Lookin foward to what awaits next week.

[ScubaK-Dawg]

Damn Brian, you beat me too the report. Great diving with you too. Oh, by the way, thanks again for the lobster, It was excellent. I'm looking forward to many more of those this season.

[TTSkipper]

You guys are killing me, I can't wait another month for my drysuit to come in!

[SueMermaid]

Thanks for the report, Brian, I really really wish I had been there, especially in light of the hot dogs on board. :sick:

[wrekdiver2]

SueMermaid: You wouldn't have liked yesterday, but today you would have loved...

TTSkipper: Read the end of this post and you may not want to wait for the drysuit to come back...

Beautiful sunny day with maybe 2' seas...

Went out on a friends boat today for a single double-tanker...

We hit the Arundo and had about 25' of vis....bunch of lobster were down there, but I was only to bring up 1 that was legal, didn't have eggs and I could actually catch....managed to find a single scallop as well.

One of the guys I was out with found an intact box of rifle ammunition....I knew beer bottles were down there, but not the ammo...of course, they found it after I came up...oh well, maybe next time.

Water temp at depth was still 41F, but at about 40' it came up to 43F.

Better yet? The top 20-30' was 50F!!!! Boy, that sure felt good after freezing my...umm, well you know whats...off!

[TTSkipper]

I can typically deal with the cold, I did two 35 minute dives to 90 feet at Dutch a few weeks ago, 45 deg top to bottom in my 5 mil but I had a 4 hour SI. My concern is that if I go on a chartered boat I will really be freezing my butt off on the 2nd dive.


SueMermaid: You wouldn't have liked yesterday, but today you would have loved...

TTSkipper: Read the end of this post and you may not want to wait for the drysuit to come back...

Beautiful sunny day with maybe 2' seas...

Went out on a friends boat today for a single double-tanker...

We hit the Arundo and had about 25' of vis....bunch of lobster were down there, but I was only to bring up 1 that was legal, didn't have eggs and I could actually catch....managed to find a single scallop as well.

One of the guys I was out with found an intact box of rifle ammunition....I knew beer bottles were down there, but not the ammo...of course, they found it after I came up...oh well, maybe next time.

Water temp at depth was still 41F, but at about 40' it came up to 43F.

Better yet? The top 20-30' was 50F!!!! Boy, that sure felt good after freezing my...umm, well you know whats...off!

[DEEPLOU]

Unfortunately I had to cancel out on a trip to the Oregon last Sunday. What really hurt was the report that they had excellent vis and flat seas.
Some nice bugs and artifacts were brought up.
Well its time to pack for tomorrow morning. Won't know where we are going till we hit the end of the inlet and see how the ocean is.

[DEEPLOU]

Sat. May 15 went to a wreck called "Happy Days". Not sure where the name comes from but... Seas were little lumpy, half the paying customers developed a little green around the gills. (i not one of them). The wreck itself is somewhat scattered. I am told it was an old wooden scooner. Although the temp on the bottom was very northeast, 41 deg, the visability was very Carribean, 50 to 60 feet. Loads of scallops were brought up as well as 8 lobsters of varing sizes. Half of them were in excess of 3 lbs each.
Due to the somewhat heavy seas, the ride back was interesting.

Tommorrow ,if mother nature cooperates, it will be the Oregon. Hopefully she will cooperate. reports indicate they had similiar visability last week on this wreck also.

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday 5/22
We headed to the 120 wreck. Flat seas. 20-25' of vis and lots of fish and a few lobsters. Water was 43F on the bottom, definitely warmer up top.

2nd dive was to the Cadet. 45F on the bottom. 20-25' of vis. Some fish and a pair of bugs came up. There's a new addition to the Cadet that I don't think was there a week ago when I dove it. It seems a memorial/tombstone was place on the wreck for an Angelo Polcardi (1948-2004).

Sunday 5/23
We headed for the Parking Lot and ended up on the Coney Island. Nearby, were the Venture III and Jeanne II sharing the Algol and the Ol' Salty on the Stolt. In the distance, the Diversion appeared to be on the Beth Dee Bob. They sure don't call it the Parking Lot for nothing! 41F on the bottom and 54F up top. A pair of bugs were brought up in the 30' vis

We moved over to the Captain Bart for our 2nd dive and found similar conditions.

For those that are interested
The Dina Dee has an open boat to the Arundo on 5/29 and an open boat on 5/30 that will be kept inshore.

[nyresq]

5/22 headed out on the wreck valley (with deep lou on board) to the oregon. fog was thick all day with the surface vis about 100 yards on perfectly calm seas... was kind of spooky, it seemed like we were on a calm lake, not ten miles out in the atlantic. temp on the bottom was between 34 and 38 depending on who's computer you looked at. the vis was incredible on the bottom with 50 feet common. We tied in on the bow winches (which could be seen halfway down the line) and had a awsome day of diving. With the extreme cold most were running bottom times of 20-30 mins, more then that and hands and fingers started to hurt. Bottles were found (10) by Capts Dan, ED and mate Jimmy. Some real beautiful ones with nice colors and raised lettering. All had a good day and the conditions could not have been better (cept 20 degrees warmer maybe).

[DEEPLOU]

5/22 headed out on the wreck valley (with deep lou on board) to the oregon. fog was thick all day with the surface vis about 100 yards on perfectly calm seas... was kind of spooky, it seemed like we were on a calm lake, not ten miles out in the atlantic. temp on the bottom was between 34 and 38 depending on who's computer you looked at. the vis was incredible on the bottom with 50 feet common. We tied in on the bow winches (which could be seen halfway down the line) and had a awsome day of diving. With the extreme cold most were running bottom times of 20-30 mins, more then that and hands and fingers started to hurt. Bottles were found (10) by Capts Dan, ED and mate Jimmy. Some real beautiful ones with nice colors and raised lettering. All had a good day and the conditions could not have been better (cept 20 degrees warmer maybe).

YOu left out my bugs. 3 for the day.

[Marcos]

3 Bugs? What's your secret? :o) I'm going out this saturday to dive the Pinta, I'd be happy with one bug (if he's big ;)

[NEWreckDiver]

3 Bugs? What's your secret? :o) I'm going out this saturday to dive the Pinta, I'd be happy with one bug (if he's big ;)

What boat are you going to be on?

[Marcos]

What boat are you going to be on?
I'm going out on the Spring Tide (Brielle, NJ) on Saturday 5/29, are you going to be on that boat? It's supposed to be a nice day, I just hope I don't freeze my ass off in my wet suit!

[DEEPLOU]

3 Bugs? What's your secret?

No secret, but its been couple of years I been trying. Last year I was lucky to get one per trip. This year, first trip was zero, but it was the Iberia which usually doesn't have any anyway. Next trip to the "Happy Days" got 4. But this was great wreck and hadn't been hit yet by any other boat.


Marcos: U gonna freeze u Ass off in your wet suit. If you are lucky you will have bottom temps in low 40's. Don't forget to bring your hot water bottle!

[Marcos]

You know I'm hooked on diving if I'm going out Saturday in a wet suit! Hoo Rah!

[NEWreckDiver]

I'm going out on the Spring Tide (Brielle, NJ) on Saturday 5/29, are you going to be on that boat? It's supposed to be a nice day, I just hope I don't freeze my ass off in my wet suit!

If you are diving WET, then yes, you will freeze your ass off. Two weeks ago, it was 41 degrees on the bottom.

I may be out there on a different boat. Good Luck and Dive Safe.

[Sean326]

Greetings fellow wreckers,
Do any of you have any recent trip reports from wreck dives in the North Atlantic? I'm not going to doing my first NJ wreck dive until mid June because I'm still diving wet. I would love to hear some of your adventures plus what conditions are like out there Thanks!
Marc
I went out this past Sunday (May 16th) on the Tuna Seazure and had a great day.

My buddy Jim and I met the boat at about 6:30. The Great Bay Marina was easy to find and not a bad drive maybe 25 min. off of the AC expressway. You can back your truck right up to the boat, maybe 10' from the stern and loading gear was easy... Everybody helped and it went real quick. The D.M. (Dive Master) quickly introduced himself to everyone as Dan Martinez and offered up donuts. There were 5 customers, two captains (one was Bill and I forgot the other guys name) We quickly got underway to escape the bugs, that boat can move. Bill was telling me he has two new John Deere turbo diesels that can push the boat at 30 knots (if he wanted)

The water was glass smooth like Dutch on a calm day, the temp was nice I guess about 78. we took about an hour to get 10 miles out (not a straight line). and anchored over an old clam dredge called the John Marvin. It was very intact sitting upright in about 70' of water.
Vis was good about 20' and water temp was about 42. I was able to penetrate two compartments into the wreck until I got tired of snagging on the cables. I spent the rest of the time exploring the hatches and portholes on this 3 deck moderately encrusted ship.

Both the captains dove (not at the same time) and brought up some brass covers for a pipe the size of dinner plates. Someone brought up a light bulb cage as well. Most of the divers on the boat were interested in spearing fish and they got tons... well within limits i'm sure. one guy got a lobster.

The captains and mate were great at helping get you into and out of the water quickly, The "T" ladder made it very easy to get out no matter how much gear or fish you had.

We were out of the marina at about 7:00, over the wreck by around 8:00, we dove the wreck twice and I think we got back by noon. The boat had plenty of room below deck to crash after dive. I fell asleep in the "V" berth other guys slept on the sofa in the galley.

When I was loading my gear I discovered that my doubles I was planning on using were empty even though I had them filled at Dutch the previous afternoon. because of this I was rushing at the last minute to bring my 2 single 120s on the boat and take my doubles off.... "No problem they don't care how many tanks you bring just leave them"...

Also I forgot (until I splashed in) that I loaded weight for doubles and failed to bring additional weight when I switched to my 120s.... No problem need extra weights... we got them... Thanks Captain.

I guess it could have been a better dive boat, better crew, better weather.... but I can't see how.

[nyresq]

If you are diving WET, then yes, you will freeze your ass off. Two weeks ago, it was 41 degrees on the bottom.


On the Oregon, at 120' my nitek had 38 degrees, some of the suuntos and Uwatecs had as low as 34.... no one was diving wet... it just hurts to think about it.... my butt was freezing in a drysuit with two layers...

[Marcos]

I think the water has warmed up a little bit. Besides I'm diving the Pinta which only goes to 90'. I don't care if I get cold down there. I want to go diving :) WITH the wet suit.

Dive report next week.

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday we headed out to the Arundo in 3-4' seas. Once tied in, we found 30'+ visibility! A few lobster and fish were caught. Bottom temp was 41F, but warmed up to 57 on the surface. There were even several dogfish keeping us company on the hang line. We did a quick dive on the Beth Dee Bob on the way back in for some mussels that will no doubt be served at a Memorial Day BBQ.

Sunday we stayed inshore and hit the Middle Barge. Seas were calm. Vis was 15-20' and there were lots of bugs...with the exception of two I caught, the rest were too small, had eggs or out of reach. Bottom temp was 47-50F depending who you asked. On our way to the 2nd wreck, we saw a huge pod of dolphin. Next we hit the Cadet. Bottom temp was about the the same, but vis was maybe 10'-15'. On my way down to free the hook, I ran into another couple of dogfish. Very few lobster but a decent amount of fish on the bottom.

[Marcos]

Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 4:58 pm Post subject: 5/29 Dive Report

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I went out on the Spring Tide out of Brielle, NJ on Saturday 5/29. We were met by clear skies and a sunny day. Our destination was originally the Pinta, but after some difficulty finding this wreck we settled on a tug boat on the Sea Girt Artificial Reef. Viz was pretty good 20-25' with bottom temp at 51 degrees F and depth to the sand was 70' The wreck was teeming with fish and one diver speared two Sea Bass. We did two dives on this tug. A good start to the local dive season for me and I can't wait to get out there again. SeaCobra from this board was on the boat and did some diving as well. He knows his stuff!

[NEWreckDiver]

On the Oregon, at 120' my nitek had 38 degrees, some of the suuntos and Uwatecs had as low as 34.... no one was diving wet... it just hurts to think about it.... my butt was freezing in a drysuit with two layers...

34 degrees, I would be freezing my butt off too.

[NEWreckDiver]

Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 4:58 pm Post subject: 5/29 Dive Report

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I went out on the Spring Tide out of Brielle, NJ on Saturday 5/29. We were met by clear skies and a sunny day. Our destination was originally the Pinta, but after some difficulty finding this wreck we settled on a tug boat on the Sea Girt Artificial Reef. Viz was pretty good 20-25' with bottom temp at 51 degrees F and depth to the sand was 70' The wreck was teeming with fish and one diver speared two Sea Bass. We did two dives on this tug. A good start to the local dive season for me and I can't wait to get out there again. SeaCobra from this board was on the boat and did some diving as well. He knows his stuff!

Yes is was a good day, I thought is funny when you guys busted our chops for not leaving the marina sooner and then we passed you on our way to the Pinta Saturday.

How did you make out in your wet suit? I hope you stayed warm.

[DEEPLOU]

To celebrate Memorial Day, went to the local war memorial, the USS SanDiego on the Eagles Nest . Its in about 110 ft. it is upside down, The tie in point is about 75 ft. At the bottom of the line, it didn't seem to have been that cold, but when you dropped over the side to the bottom, the temperature seemed like it dropped about 15 deg. The bottom temp was about 39 deg. A wopping one deg warmer than last week. This wreck is starting to deteriorate quite a bit.
The visability was about 30-40 ft.
We tied in on what is called the bilge keel, its on the starboard side (but on the pix it would be on the left), about a third of the way from the bow. First dive went up to the bow, and around to the port side where there are two anchors still in place. Second dive, went toward the stern
Because it is considered some sort of "historical" site and supposedly still owned by the Navy, you are not allowed to take any artifacts from it. Bugs however are not artifacts. I only found one, but it didn't measure up, so it remained on the bottom.
Toward the end of the day, the sea started to pick up a bit, but not too bad, but then, I slept most of the way home

[Marcos]

Yes is was a good day, I thought is funny when you guys busted our chops for not leaving the marina sooner and then we passed you on our way to the Pinta Saturday.

How did you make out in your wet suit? I hope you stayed warm.

That is too funny. As a matter of fact, I was the guy who yelled if you guys were waiting for high tide when we were pulling out. I didn't see you guys pass us, but you sure did beat us to the Pinta. That was our destination too, but I think our Captain had bum #s for the wreck. We searched the bottom for an hour to no avail, then looked and saw you guys and another boat and we figured you guys were on the Pinta. We headed back in some and dove on a tug on the Sea Girt Reef. Depth to sand was only 70 fsw and the bottom temp was 51 F so I faired well in my wet suit. I really need to buy a dry suit to handle the current bottom temps on the off shore wrecks though. I may have to suck it up until next season because of my exhausted scuba budget.

Next time I won't let out any wise cracks and maybe we'll get to the wreck first!

[NEWreckDiver]

That is too funny. As a matter of fact, I was the guy who yelled if you guys were waiting for high tide when we were pulling out. I didn't see you guys pass us, but you sure did beat us to the Pinta. That was our destination too, but I think our Captain had bum #s for the wreck. We searched the bottom for an hour to no avail, then looked and saw you guys and another boat and we figured you guys were on the Pinta. We headed back in some and dove on a tug on the Sea Girt Reef. Depth to sand was only 70 fsw and the bottom temp was 51 F so I faired well in my wet suit. I really need to buy a dry suit to handle the current bottom temps on the off shore wrecks though. I may have to suck it up until next season because of my exhausted scuba budget.

Next time I won't let out any wise cracks and maybe we'll get to the wreck first!

You just need to be on a boat that can run 22+ knots.

[DEEPLOU]

. I really need to buy a dry suit to handle the current bottom temps on the off shore wrecks though. I may have to suck it up until next season because of my exhausted scuba budget.

!

I have been saying that when I first got started I spent about $1000 for gear and thought I had it all.

Trouble is its been $1000 a year ever since.

Always something new, or better or lost.

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday 6/12

We headed out to the Stolt for the day. We stayed for two dives and had visibility in the 30'-40' range. Bottom temperature was still 41F. Surface temperature was 61F. A couple lobster and a bunch of scallops came up. Plenty of winter flounder around the wreck, but no fluke. Kinda funny how all of the winter flounder come out now that the season has ended.

Sunday 6/13 AM

We headed back out to the parking lot, but hit the Algol this time for a pair of dives. Water temps were the same as the day before. Visibility was probably about 25'. A few lobster sighted, but I don't think any (legal ones) made it back up on the boat.

As a side note...there were a few divers on the 2nd dive that probably had to check their drysuits when they got back on board (if you know what I mean). While they were diving we watched a tugboat approach with a barge loaded with rocks and proceed to dump them about 1/2 mile away. Needless to say, the sound of the rocks hitting the bottom was deafening!

Sunday 6/13 PM

Well the weather started getting rough...well you know the song goes. For the afternoon trip, we made it as far as the tugboat Colleen. Bottom temperature was about 47F, while the surface was 64F. Visibility was 20-25'. Almost everybody made it in for the first dive, but less than 1/2 made it in for the 2nd.

[Marcos]

Dive Report 6/12

We were treated to a gorgeous day on the North Atlantic with air temps in the 70's and flat seas. The Diversion II hooked into the wreck of the Pinta for two dives. Depth to sand was 85' with the bottom temp at 49 F. Viz was 15'-20'. The Pinta is a great wreck. A few sea bass were speared and about 4 lobsters came up over 2 dives. The wreck seems well picked over for lobster with all the dive boats that hit it. I had a nice nap on the way back to the dock :)

Marc

[DEEPLOU]

Went out on Sea Hawk from Freeport. As previously reported, the seas were fairly calm. We ventured out to the G&D, which is actually the Yankee. (but that's another story).
Vis was in the 40 foot range, 41 deg bottom temps. Couple of short lobsters seen, and then there are the big ones in the boilers. Unfortuately they sit just far enough back that there is no way you can get them. But that did not stop me from trying.
Several large Monk fish were spotted in addition to the usual ling, and sea bass.
After giving up the search for bugs, ventured out into the sand and collected scallops.
So far despite lack of bugs, was one of the best days this season.

[Sean326]

I guess I posted this in the wrong spot originally

We had a great dive on the Spring Tide this Sunday thanks to Captain Ron and John the mate. We dove the wreck of the Arundo about an hour and a half out of Brielle. We were underway by 6:45 the boat was easy to find but harder to load than the Tuna Seizure. The weather perfect but the water was a little rough (not alot just a little) maybe 1' to 3 '.

The Spring Tide is a nicer boat than the web page would lead you to believe. It was comfortable for 6 divers (8 including Ron & John)

We hooked the wreck quickly and we were able to splash in as soon as people got geared up.

The wreck was huge and the depth where we hooked it was about 125' deep, vis was about 20' to 30' and I think I heard the temp was about 44.

Once on the wreck it was easy to make out several large truck tires and whole trucks. I ran a 150' wreck reel out to the end and never found any thing cool to pick up and never was really able to identify any parts of the wreck just a vast debris field. This may have been my own fault as I kept my mask in the mud looking for relics and never hovered far enough above the wreck to try to see the big picture. One of our group found a really nice pair of brass binoculars. several divers also got bugs, maybe 4 or 5 for the boat.

Before going in my buddy Jim and I had dropped a deco hang bottle with two regs down to about 20'. We did this mostly because I was Planning on doing both my dives using my twin 100 HP's and I thought that I would rather not use the air in my tanks for deco on the first dive. Several other divers dropped gear lines as well.

While doing our deco hang after the first dive we looked down and saw about 6 or 7 sharks circling below us. They were 3' to 4' and they kept striking and sniffing at the weights at the end of the gear lines. After we got back in the boat another returning diver then told us he saw the sharks sniffing around our hang bottle, especially my yellow hose and yellow trimmed reg. I already give leisure pro enough business so I brought up the hang bottle.

We all took about a two hour surface interval and most of us did a second dive, still no relic. We were back in the the marina by 3:45pm.

Great dive, great weather, great boat, Thanks Ron & John

[MB104]

The Scuba Connection chartered THE OUTLAW diveboat out of Belmar. Plans to go the Mohawk were scrapped when we found there were already two boats on this wreck, including a dive boat. We ended up going to the Hankins and then to the Dykes.

Seas were FLAT! I mean LAKE flat!
Current was ZERO! I mean hover hanging ZERO!
Temps were in the mid 40's on the bottom.

Hankins viz was 10 feet on the line but opened up to 30 feet on the wreck. Max depth was 77'. Lots of black sea bass and a 3 pound lobster brought up. Dogfish (small sharks) were swimming around Wes as he was bringing up a full bag.

Dykes viz was 5-7 feet on the line but opened up to 40 feet on the wreck. Max depth was 63'. HUGE black sea bass and Black fish on the bow and stern of this wreck. The ribs in the wreck made for an interesting hunting experience as Frank, Scott and I tried our best to fill out bags. I shot my first big black fish which Scott had to help me bag. Came up to find a 2 foot chop and a moderate wind. I'd definately do this wreck again and this time head right for the bow or stern instead of wasting time and air in the mid-section.

It was an awsome weekend for NJ diving! All that was missing was Capt. Bob Nash!

[DEEPLOU]

Happy Father's Day!
For Father's day, Long Island Scuba ran a charter on the dive boat Sea Hawk out of Freeport, LI, NY.
The original plan was to do a wreck due south of the inlet, but winds that started Saturday night and still blew a bit out of the north prevented us from venturing in that direction.
An alternative site of the RC Mohawk was chosen. It is protected on the west by NJ, and is not that far south to be out of the protection of Long Island.
The water had warmed up compared to previous weeks. Visability was in the 20 foot range. The sea flattened out after the first dive. And the sun was shining all day.
One of the divers realized as we were leaving the dock that he had forgotten to pack his dry suit. Luckly he is about my size. so as soon as I surfaced from my first dive, I removed my suit and he donned it. He did an extensive single dive which gave me a 3 1/4 hour surface interval.
Several bottles were recovered and all had an excelllent time. On the return trip, the crew electrified the grill and hot dogs and sausage made for a tasty finish for the day.

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday we hit the Stolt for a pair of dives. Vis was 25' or so.....

Saturday evening we hit the Cadet for a single dive. 20' of vis and 46F were encountered on the bottom.

Sunday we hit the Mohawk for a pair of dives. 46F on the bottom with around 25' of vis...

Sorry the report is not as detailed as in past week, but I wasn't on the boat Saturday day and (while on the boat Sunday) I did not dive after injuring my leg the night before. Hopefully, I'll have a better report next week.

[SueMermaid]

Brian, what happened to your leg?

[wrekdiver2]

Brian, what happened to your leg?

Climbed up the t-ladder haphazardly after getting everybody on board (I was just wearing my drysuit)....foot slipped off the last step and raked my leg across a stainless steel bracket from my knee to mid shin...needless to say it hurt....

most people on the boat thought I hurt my you-know-whats....I guess I'm luck they water was really cold, if ya know what I mean...still sore as of today, but I'll be back out on Saturday

[SueMermaid]

Oh, ow. Ow. Ow.
Well, glad to hear your you-know-whats are okay.

[wrekdiver2]

Oh, ow. Ow. Ow.
Well, glad to hear your you-know-whats are okay.

Thanks. They are at home with me....resting comfortably

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday 6/26

We headed to the Pinta and encountered a disappointing 15' of vis and 45F. A few small bugs and and egger were found but not much else. Next we headed to the Marilyn D, a nearby wooden barge. Again, visibility was not so great and the water was the same temp.

Sunday 6/27 AM

Stayed inshore and did the tugboat Venturo. 40' of vis and temps in the upper 40's. Lots of fish were seen. The schooner Dykes was the second stop and the vis was also around 40' with a bottom temp of 49F.

Sunday 6/27 PM

Based on the earlier reports of 40', we took the 2nd charter of the day back to the Dykes. Visibilty was about 25', but the water was still 49F. Lots of fish were seen including several huge blackfish. Conditions were so nice, we opted to stay for two dives!

[JerseyDevil]

I went out on the Tuna Seazure to the Great Isaac and Double East on Wed. The conditions were perfect, sunny, clear, less than 3 ft seas. As usualy Capt. Bill got us out fast and the mate Bart got us tied in to the Isaac. Visibility was a good 30' and bottom temp was 49 degrees. It was my first time in the ocean with my doubles, so I just toured the wreck for about 20 minutes. After surfacing we headed in to the Double East, a barge that sunk carrying huge marble or granite slabs. Still 30' vis and 49 degreee bottom temps. The wreck isn't much to look at, but the slabs create a nice environment for fish (tons of black bass) and lobsters. Bart pulled up 3 lobsters and another diver got one. All in all a great day of diving off NJ. We pulled anchor and got back quick. I was on the road home by 1:40.

[weekender]

ok, that is just plain crap JerseyDevil. im at work and you get to dive on a beautiful weekday. then you have to come on here and stick it in everyones face. your a bum!

[JerseyDevil]

ok, that is just plain crap JerseyDevil. im at work and you get to dive on a beautiful weekday. then you have to come on here and stick it in everyones face. your a bum!
sorry, just think of it as living vicariously through me

[SueMermaid]

I concur. My fiancee keep sending me pics that he is taking with his phone-cam of the view from the banner plane he is flying today over Wildwood. No fair! :blahblah: :cussing: :crying: :mad1:

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday 7/10 we headed for the Arundo. Surface temp was 72 and the temp on the bottom was 46. We had 50' of vis on the bottom. About a dozen bugs were brought up. Lots of flat fish (mostly winter flounder, I think), but none brought up. Next we hit one of Capt. Tom's scallop wrecks and brought up a couple HUNDRED scallops. A heck of a day to be out diving!

Sunday 7/11 I was lucky enough to be driving the boat, so there was no diving for me. Once again conditions were ideal as we headed for the Stolt but ended up on the Coney Island. Temps were similar to the day before, but the vis was only 30'. Alot of small bugs were seen, but no keepers. We headed inshore for our 2nd dive and hit the Sea Girt. Vis was 25' or so and the temp was a little warmer. Two bugs and a fluke were brought up.

[wrekdiver2]

Saturday 7/17: For the 2nd week in a row, we headed for the Arundo and did two dives. Although the surface temp was down to 68F, the bottom had warmed up to 49F. Vis was around 30'. A couple lobster came up including a 4 lb'er that everyone swam by that was sitting in an old overgrown lobster pot 20' from the anchor line. An old spoon (hopefully from the wreck) came up as well.

Sunday 7/18 AM: We stayed close to shore with the gloomy forecast, so we headed to the Hankins. Vis was close to 30' and the bottom was 51F. A half dozen bugs came up. We headed for the Delaware for a 2nd and were greeted with pretty crappy vis.

Sunday 7/18 PM: With the threatening forecast, we stayed even closer to shore for the afternoon charter. First dive was to the Railroad Barge where we had 15-20' of vis. Unfortunately, there were several divers who reported seeing a dead sea turtle on the wreck that was tangled in rope. 2nd dive we hit the Spartan on the way back in and had similar vis. Oh yeah, the rough seas never materialized as we had 2-3' seas until we docked at 7:30pm.

[octotat]

One more degree of bottom temp and I'll come back out of the high country to dive again ;)

[qglad]

We took the Outlaw out of Bel Mar on 7/17 to the Algol.

The weather and seas were perfect for diving. The temp off the coast was high 70’s with a slight breeze. Seas where light chop.

For anyone who has not been on the Outlaw. This is an older boat. She shows her age quite a bit. It is a single level deck with a VERY narrow cabin. If the weather gets rough or wet it gets quite crowed on the ride out and back as all the divers jam together to stay dry. This, however, leaves quite a bit of space along the sides of the boat for tanks, gear, etc. Given the two, I’ll take more deck space… I can always put on my dry suit to stay warm and dry.

We got out of the harbor about an hour late due to the Mate having car trouble. As Wes (the Mate) stated it’s a sad day when all the divers have arrived and are on board before any of the crew. This was an unfortunate situation… but in the interest of fair reporting, facts are facts.

We pulled out and followed the Venture III out to the parking lot. We originally planned on diving the Stolt… but it seems the Venture is a faster boat and to the swift goes the spoils. There was another boat tied off on the Coney Island… so it looked like another dive on the Algol.

Wes drops over and we watch him drop down. After he sets the hook we can see him on the line on the way up.... The visibility is awesome! Wes climbs back on board and gives the brief:

“The sand is at 130 (140 in the cargo holds and wash out near the haul), bottom temp is low 50’s, the hook is set at the high point at the stern of the ship. Watch out for the current, it is ripping at both the surface and the wreck”

Suit-up… over the side… and down to the sand at 128... Visibility is about 30 ft. There is quite a current, but I wouldn’t say “ripping”… My buddy is at the railing so I don’t have much time before I need to go back up to him. I just want to take a quick look with the hopes of catching a lobster unaware. I swim along the haul for about 3 min and don’t see anything. Up I go back to the railing at 100’. A Big OK sign with my buddy and we swim off along the side of the ship. We have both dove the Algol before so we are somewhat familiar with the lay out. We cruise along the railing poking our heads in holes and sight seeing. After a bit, Larry signals it’s time to hunt. So using all our stealth and cunning, we sneak up on a clump of Muscles and wrestle them into the goodie bag. We stuff the bag and then Larry gives the signal that he’s running low on gas. DAMN! I really need to get him on a diet and excercise routine. Up we go… 50 for 2… 30 for 2… 15 for 3… a quick swim under the boat to the ladder and we are out.

Surface interval: Change over the tanks. The Mate takes a headcount. Everyone is up and accounted for. I wolf down my crackers and juice (I’m happy to report that they stayed down) and then took my usual service interval nap laying in the sun on the bow of the boat! Does it get any better than this?

Second dive: Drop over the side with Larry and Frank. We meet at 15. A quick bubble check and then drop down to the deck of the wreck. This time we spend the whole time site seeing. Looking into rooms… we do a couple of fun swim throughs. I REALLY need to get the skills and training to start doing penetrations. I felt like I was at the prom again. I could look and play a bit… but until I figure out how to do it safely I’m not supposed to penetrate. I guess I’ll be signing up for the wreck course soon. Up we come 50, 30 15 again. This time there is a bunch of us on the line doing our hangs. Maybe a john line is in my future too… in the end, I hung to the bottom of the group and did an extra 5 min on the line so I could stay below them and do my 15 hang without all the traffic.

Up on the boat. Strip down…. Have a snack and watch the boat crew struggle with the anchor for about 45 min. What a drag. Wes has to drop down for a 3rd dive to figure out what the anchor is hung up on (he is having a bad day, first the car problems and now this). Finally we are free… Muscles in a nice red wine sauce for dinner!

The Boat Crew did an excellent job. They were true dive professionals. We were assisted into and out of the water. Attention was always on safety. Which makes up for the boat itself, which has seen better days. The divers on the boat were mostly experienced Jersey divers which is nice. I consider myself a rookie still and it is nice to dive with people who know what they are doing and are always willing to give advice on technique, gear, or whatever.

And the quote of the day “NICE DIVE”

[MB104]

So using all our stealth and cunning, we sneak up on a clump of Muscles and wrestle them into the goodie bag.

Outstanding dive report...and funny too :jestera:

[DEEPLOU]

Wed went out on Jean Marie out of Hampton Bays, LI with group from Long Island Scuba. Destination the wreck of the Oregon. A two and a half hour ride from the Shinnicock Inlet, I note that the ocean could not get any flatter. Well by the time we are at the wreck and tied in, I am proved to be wrong. My bathtub had more ripples.
The tie in is on top of the engine. While usually I would be jumping in alone, today I am joined by buddy Vince and another friend from the shop Kaz. As my dive plan called for 35 minuted bottom time and Kaz was planning on only 20, I ran a line from just below the engine. Some on the boat were planning on artifacts, I was planning on bring home dinner. Going foward on the starboard side, several bugs were found. Unfortunately, some had eggs, some were short, and for this dive only one was right. While at first glance one might say unfortunately its shell was more like leather (recently molted), I later found that this "soft shell" bug was the most tasty I have had so far.
For the surface interval our friend Nick brought hot dogs and hamburgers, Jeff brought Italian sausage, I brought some dogs also, but Nick and Jeff brought so much, mine didn't even get out of the cooler.
Nick did learn an important lesson about lighting the BBQ. Take the lid off! Lighting it w/o doing that just blows it off anyway.
After two hour surface interval it was back in gear, and the water. This time Kaz decided to sit it out. For the second dive, I proceeded to the port side. Similar to the first dive, found some w/eggs, some short, some that just got away, and two that met the standards. The plan was for another 35 min bottom time. But lobster fever got me, I over extended bottom time to 40 minutes. Ouch, the computers are giving over 50 minutes ascent time. Only about 1400psi. oh, in dbl lp 98s. In addition, the main concern is that O2 bottle is only about 1200psi. Slowly I ascend, stop at 60, 50, etc. Noting the shortage of O2, I adjust my program from immediately switching to O2 at 20 ft stop to using my 30% back gas at the 20 ft mark until I am cleared for 10 foot stop. Then I remain at abt 17-18 ft on O2. (using computer capable of gas switch). I figure if i run short on O2 can always go back to 30% and extend stop time if needed (based on rough calculation I only had about 2 hours of gas at 20ft). The concern proved unnecessary, computers cleared w/ 50psi remaining in the O2 bottle. Switched back to 30% did extra 5 minutes of safety stop and ascended slowly.
The ocean remained flat for the ride home, and dinner was delicious.

[PeaceDog]

We took the Outlaw out of Bel Mar on 7/17 to the Algol.

The weather and seas were perfect for diving. The temp off the coast was high 70’s with a slight breeze. Seas where light chop.

For anyone who has not been on the Outlaw. This is an older boat. She shows her age quite a bit. It is a single level deck with a VERY narrow cabin. If the weather gets rough or wet it gets quite crowed on the ride out and back as all the divers jam together to stay dry. This, however, leaves quite a bit of space along the sides of the boat for tanks, gear, etc. Given the two, I’ll take more deck space… I can always put on my dry suit to stay warm and dry.

We got out of the harbor about an hour late due to the Mate having car trouble. As Wes (the Mate) stated it’s a sad day when all the divers have arrived and are on board before any of the crew. This was an unfortunate situation… but in the interest of fair reporting, facts are facts.

We pulled out and followed the Venture III out to the parking lot. We originally planned on diving the Stolt… but it seems the Venture is a faster boat and to the swift goes the spoils. There was another boat tied off on the Coney Island… so it looked like another dive on the Algol.

Wes drops over and we watch him drop down. After he sets the hook we can see him on the line on the way up.... The visibility is awesome! Wes climbs back on board and gives the brief:

“The sand is at 130 (140 in the cargo holds and wash out near the haul), bottom temp is low 50’s, the hook is set at the high point at the stern of the ship. Watch out for the current, it is ripping at both the surface and the wreck”

Suit-up… over the side… and down to the sand at 128... Visibility is about 30 ft. There is quite a current, but I wouldn’t say “ripping”… My buddy is at the railing so I don’t have much time before I need to go back up to him. I just want to take a quick look with the hopes of catching a lobster unaware. I swim along the haul for about 3 min and don’t see anything. Up I go back to the railing at 100’. A Big OK sign with my buddy and we swim off along the side of the ship. We have both dove the Algol before so we are somewhat familiar with the lay out. We cruise along the railing poking our heads in holes and sight seeing. After a bit, Larry signals it’s time to hunt. So using all our stealth and cunning, we sneak up on a clump of Muscles and wrestle them into the goodie bag. We stuff the bag and then Larry gives the signal that he’s running low on gas. DAMN! I really need to get him on a diet and excercise routine. Up we go… 50 for 2… 30 for 2… 15 for 3… a quick swim under the boat to the ladder and we are out.

Surface interval: Change over the tanks. The Mate takes a headcount. Everyone is up and accounted for. I wolf down my crackers and juice (I’m happy to report that they stayed down) and then took my usual service interval nap laying in the sun on the bow of the boat! Does it get any better than this?

Second dive: Drop over the side with Larry and Frank. We meet at 15. A quick bubble check and then drop down to the deck of the wreck. This time we spend the whole time site seeing. Looking into rooms… we do a couple of fun swim throughs. I REALLY need to get the skills and training to start doing penetrations. I felt like I was at the prom again. I could look and play a bit… but until I figure out how to do it safely I’m not supposed to penetrate. I guess I’ll be signing up for the wreck course soon. Up we come 50, 30 15 again. This time there is a bunch of us on the line doing our hangs. Maybe a john line is in my future too… in the end, I hung to the bottom of the group and did an extra 5 min on the line so I could stay below them and do my 15 hang without all the traffic.

Up on the boat. Strip down…. Have a snack and watch the boat crew struggle with the anchor for about 45 min. What a drag. Wes has to drop down for a 3rd dive to figure out what the anchor is hung up on (he is having a bad day, first the car problems and now this). Finally we are free… Muscles in a nice red wine sauce for dinner!

The Boat Crew did an excellent job. They were true dive professionals. We were assisted into and out of the water. Attention was always on safety. Which makes up for the boat itself, which has seen better days. The divers on the boat were mostly experienced Jersey divers which is nice. I consider myself a rookie still and it is nice to dive with people who know what they are doing and are always willing to give advice on technique, gear, or whatever.

And the quote of the day “NICE DIVE”

My one and only trip to NY/NJ wrecks was last Memorial Day weekend, and we dove two tanks on the Algol. Vis, unfortunately, was only about 3-5 feets so I never really was able to appreciate the wreck. I would love to get back out there on a good vis day, but it ain't like you can predict them or order them in!

Dove off the Eagle's Nest, by the way. As a New Englander not used to the way NY boats are crewed and run, it was an eye opener, to say the least. Runs a great boat, though, and is a hellof a captain and grillmaster.

[DEEPLOU]

My one and only trip to NY/NJ wrecks was last Memorial Day weekend, and we dove two tanks on the Algol. Vis, unfortunately, was only about 3-5 feets so I never really was able to appreciate the wreck. I would love to get back out there on a good vis day, but it ain't like you can predict them or order them in!

Dove off the Eagle's Nest, by the way. As a New Englander not used to the way NY boats are crewed and run, it was an eye opener, to say the least. Runs a great boat, though, and is a hellof a captain and grillmaster.


Must have just missed you. I was on Eagle's Nest on Memeorial Day going to the San Diego.
Howard is a character. And true patriot.

[DEEPLOU]

Despite the weather, we got out to the G&D (which is actually been identified as the Yankee)which lies in abt 110 ft of water. The seas were less than pleasant, with prospect of them getting worse. In view of this, the plan was to just do one dive.
My plan was to do 35 min on the bottom. Visability was in the 20-25 foot range. Within first 5 minutes on the bottom had my first bug. Already the dive was a success. In the next 10 minutes another two were bagged. The balance of the dive was spent trying to coax a huge bug out from under the boiler. I had it out to just about a reachable point, but it side stepped and went back under the boiler, never to be seen again. Oh well, next time.
As the clock ticked closer to my terminal time, my fingers became more and more cold in the 44 deg water. Relief came as the water temperatures soared as I approached each shallower deco stop. By the time I reached 20 ft stop, the water temp rose to 72 deg.
Capt John came up with a bag full of scallops, while the other divers came up with a couple each.
We then pounded our way back home.

[XJae]

We took the Outlaw out of Bel Mar on 7/17 to the Algol.

The weather and seas were perfect for diving. The temp off the coast was high 70’s with a slight breeze. Seas where light chop.

For anyone who has not been on the Outlaw. This is an older boat. She shows her age quite a bit. It is a single level deck with a VERY narrow cabin. If the weather gets rough or wet it gets quite crowed on the ride out and back as all the divers jam together to stay dry. This, however, leaves quite a bit of space along the sides of the boat for tanks, gear, etc. Given the two, I’ll take more deck space… I can always put on my dry suit to stay warm and dry.

We got out of the harbor about an hour late due to the Mate having car trouble. As Wes (the Mate) stated it’s a sad day when all the divers have arrived and are on board before any of the crew. This was an unfortunate situation… but in the interest of fair reporting, facts are facts.

We pulled out and followed the Venture III out to the parking lot. We originally planned on diving the Stolt… but it seems the Venture is a faster boat and to the swift goes the spoils. There was another boat tied off on the Coney Island… so it looked like another dive on the Algol.

Wes drops over and we watch him drop down. After he sets the hook we can see him on the line on the way up.... The visibility is awesome! Wes climbs back on board and gives the brief:

“The sand is at 130 (140 in the cargo holds and wash out near the haul), bottom temp is low 50’s, the hook is set at the high point at the stern of the ship. Watch out for the current, it is ripping at both the surface and the wreck”

Suit-up… over the side… and down to the sand at 128... Visibility is about 30 ft. There is quite a current, but I wouldn’t say “ripping”… My buddy is at the railing so I don’t have much time before I need to go back up to him. I just want to take a quick look with the hopes of catching a lobster unaware. I swim along the haul for about 3 min and don’t see anything. Up I go back to the railing at 100’. A Big OK sign with my buddy and we swim off along the side of the ship. We have both dove the Algol before so we are somewhat familiar with the lay out. We cruise along the railing poking our heads in holes and sight seeing. After a bit, Larry signals it’s time to hunt. So using all our stealth and cunning, we sneak up on a clump of Muscles and wrestle them into the goodie bag. We stuff the bag and then Larry gives the signal that he’s running low on gas. DAMN! I really need to get him on a diet and excercise routine. Up we go… 50 for 2… 30 for 2… 15 for 3… a quick swim under the boat to the ladder and we are out.

Surface interval: Change over the tanks. The Mate takes a headcount. Everyone is up and accounted for. I wolf down my crackers and juice (I’m happy to report that they stayed down) and then took my usual service interval nap laying in the sun on the bow of the boat! Does it get any better than this?

Second dive: Drop over the side with Larry and Frank. We meet at 15. A quick bubble check and then drop down to the deck of the wreck. This time we spend the whole time site seeing. Looking into rooms… we do a couple of fun swim throughs. I REALLY need to get the skills and training to start doing penetrations. I felt like I was at the prom again. I could look and play a bit… but until I figure out how to do it safely I’m not supposed to penetrate. I guess I’ll be signing up for the wreck course soon. Up we come 50, 30 15 again. This time there is a bunch of us on the line doing our hangs. Maybe a john line is in my future too… in the end, I hung to the bottom of the group and did an extra 5 min on the line so I could stay below them and do my 15 hang without all the traffic.

Up on the boat. Strip down…. Have a snack and watch the boat crew struggle with the anchor for about 45 min. What a drag. Wes has to drop down for a 3rd dive to figure out what the anchor is hung up on (he is having a bad day, first the car problems and now this). Finally we are free… Muscles in a nice red wine sauce for dinner!

The Boat Crew did an excellent job. They were true dive professionals. We were assisted into and out of the water. Attention was always on safety. Which makes up for the boat itself, which has seen better days. The divers on the boat were mostly experienced Jersey divers which is nice. I consider myself a rookie still and it is nice to dive with people who know what they are doing and are always willing to give advice on technique, gear, or whatever.

And the quote of the day “NICE DIVE”Hey Q, “NICE DIVE” really does sum it up, nice diving with you again, as well.

Excellent dive report.

So this is the second time I tried to get out to the Stolt on the Outlaw, and wound up leaving late from the dock. It’s not like I didn’t wake up at 4am and show up at the dock at 6. But, I’m easy going and the day’s dives turned out great, so I’m not complaining. You know what they say about strike three though.

I had two great dives. Dropped down the line, which was tied in at the stern. Took a little tour with my bro along the deck at 110’. Lots of mussels and sea stars, this is not really a bug wreck. Bottom temps coming up a bit at 52º. I thought the vis was good, but at 20-25’ it wasn’t working out well for the wide angle lens I put on my camera. We did a few nice swim throughs and checked out the rear gun turret, well really the tub where the turret once was.

Second dive I dropped over with Jim and Jamie. The plan, to collect mussels. Back down on the deck the vis cleared a little to maybe 30-35’, maybe I shouldn’t have ditched the wide angle topside but I did, it doubles the weight and size of the camera. Twenty five minutes and a couple of bags of mussels later, we were back to the line at the stern.

For those who do not know, the USS Algol is the largest ship in the NJ artificial reef program. It is an old Navy freighter stretching 459’. Built in 1942, having seen service in three wars and being moth balled for twenty years, it was laid to rest on Shark River Reef in 1991.

Back on board, and ready to head back, we were surprised to learn that the anchor was hung up. Turns out that the Captain dropped the anchor through a vent hole not much bigger than the anchor. A hole in one for a captain, I suppose. Hats off to Wes for doing a third dive to free us and more importantly not loosing a limb in the process. And many thanks to John for giving him the gas to do it.

All in all a really great day, calm seas, great surface temp, good visibility, excellent bottom temps and a load of mussels to boot.

I got a few good pics, you can check them out here (http://gallery.wreckvalley.com/album14), at the wreck valley gallery.

[wrekdiver2]

First of all, I'm a bit disappointed that this thread was way back on Page 2.

Made it out yesterday (8/14). We weren't going to let the weatherman scare us into staying home. We headed out in calm seas with a 3-5' swell (8 second period). Saw a couple turtles on the way out to the Pinta. On the wreck, we had 52F on the bottom with 15' of vis, which is 15' more vis that the Diversion had on the Delaware. The surge we had was expected considering the swells.

2nd dive was inshore on the Rockland County. The swells subsided and the ocean was like glass. You would never have guessed a hurricane was on its way. We had 15-20' of vis on the top of the tug, but 5' on the sand (mud). Bottom temp was about the same. Several nice size 'tog were seen and only 1 lobster spotted, but not caught.

Unfortunately we cancelled today's charter (8/15) based on everybody's predictions of 7'-9' seas, but of course they were wrong....again!

[DEEPLOU]

Capt Frank wasn't going to call it until he saw what the weather really was like. When I spoke to him on Thurs, I indicated that looking at the forcast, we were going to have a window of opportunity for Sat morning.
As it turned out the window was open all day.
We headed out to the Yankee. Considering the swells, the vis was in the 30 to 40 ft range, much better than expected. There was some current on surface which made getting from the stern to anchor line a little tedious, (but not as bad as last week).
We were tied into the stern near the prop. The water temp was colder than expected, abt 48 deg. I grabbed two descent sized bugs, and another three were bagged by the others on board.
After we were all up, I was the only one interested in doing a second dive. While the Capt didn't care, I didn't want everyone waiting for me for another 3+ hours (2hr SI and abt another hr in water) So we called it a day.
It seems the other divers were worried about the weather. The weather did hold but when we reached the inlet it was near dead low tide but still going out. This combined with the swells created an inlet that would have been great for surfers, but not for boaters.
Coming in Capt Frank timed it perfectly. Including keeping just ahead of the wave that was getting ready to curl over the stern.
back at the dock it was BBQ, beer and BS. A great day overall.

[wrekdiver2]

Hey Lou,

Glad there's someone to back up my story, albeit from the NY side of Lake Atlantic!

Glad you had a nice dive!

[MB104]

The Scuba Connection (http://www.tscscuba.com) chartered the Blue Fathoms (http://www.bluefathoms.com) for a Wednesday night dive to the Riggy Barge. 3-5 foot waves and wind greeted us as soon as we exited from the inlet, but I think there were a few waves much bigger. Once in the water, it was calm. At 75', viz was about 10', but since this was a night dive, it was DARK. Temps were in the mid 50's I think, but my computer BROKE so I'm not sure. Scott Previte and I got one lobster that was a keeper and two that got away. Not many fish were seen except for some black seabass that were in some kind of crate (not trapped). 37 minutes on the bottom and back at the dock by 9:30 pm. All in all.....FUN!

[SueMermaid]

:11: Mike, I hope you will forgive me, but that sounds like a dreadful dive!

[MB104]

:11: Mike, I hope you will forgive me, but that sounds like a dreadful dive!

I'll forgive you
:07:

It wasn't a dreadful dive. Making it to the dock and NOT GOING....now that would be dreadful.

[SueMermaid]

You speak truth. Or worse yet, making it out to the dive site and puking too much to make it into the water. Now THAT sucks. Don't ask me how I know this. :05:

[wrekdiver2]

Don't ask me how I know this. :05:


Oh please....do tell!!!!

I was out that night as well....I could have written the exact report, but substitute the Cadet for the Riggy. Got 2 lobster and had to leave a nice size female with eggs.

[wrekdiver2]

8/28 AM
Saturday morning found us on our way to the Tolten. Once there we found 30' of visibility and 52F bottom temp. About a dozen decent size bugs were brought back aboard and many others were just out of reach.

Our second dive brought us back to the Mohawk where we had maybe 20' of vis while tied into the Mohawk's anchor chain up on the bow. A couple bugs were brought up.

8/28 PM
After a bumpy trip back out to the Mohawk, we anchored up and did a dive ala Daylight. Visibility was 15-25’ depending on who you asked. After a hearty bar-b-q, we were treated a beautiful sunset. Around the same time the 7/8 full moon came up out of the East. 30 minutes later divers started back down the anchorline to see the dark side of the Mohawk not everybody gets to see. Fortunately alot of bugs came out of hiding. Unfortunately, only a few were legal enough to bring up.

Labor Day Weekend
The Dina Dee will be running an Open Boat on 9/5 leaving at 6am with the intended destination being the Gulftrade. Give Capt. Tom a call at 732-899-7840 if interested.

The Dina Dee will be also be running an Open Boat on 9/6 (Labor Day) leaving the dock at 7am. No destination at this time. Max 130'. Give Capt. Brian a call at 732-613-4560 if interested.

[octotat]

8/28 AM
Give Capt. Brian a call at 732-613-4560 if interested.


I'm interested, I just can't get my boss to let me leave Colorado! Hope you guys are having a good summer of diving. Think of me crawling on my belly in resevoir mud on your next dive.

[wrekdiver2]

Think of me crawling on my belly in resevoir mud on your next dive.

Thanks, we'll try. Sorry you can't make it.

Good luck with that MUD!

[MB104]

The Scuba Connection chartered the Outlaw dive boat for what was supposed to be a trip to the Maurice Tracey. Due to the rough seas and expected poor bottom viz, we stayed inshore and looked for wrecks with some bottom relief. Seven divers made the trip including one first timer NJ wreck diver.

Seas were 3'-6' with a few rolling waves to make it interesting.

The first dive was on the "Half Tanker" or "the bow", which is just that. Its a three story bow of a ship sitting upright in about 70 feet. ZERO viz. on the bottom and 5-7 feet everywhere else below 40'. At 40', there was a clear view up to the dive boat. Temp was 63 degrees on the bottom. No fish were taken and the only fish seen were inside the tip of the bow. The surge was rough...40 minutes was enough.

The second dive was on the Reef barge. Same surface conditions but rougher in the water. There was a strong current on the wreck which made it feel like a river dive. The surge was also making this a not-so-fun dive. 63' max. depth with viz. of 5-7 feet all around, even on the sand. Temp was 64 degrees on the bottom. Several very nice sized black fish were brought up.

[wrekdiver2]

9/11 AM

Headed out to the Sea Girt Reef in snotty seas and hit the Venturo tug and had about 5' of vis. 2nd dive on the Dykes produced around 10'. Bottom temps warmed up to low 60's.

9/11 PM

Headed out to the Mohawk for a 2-tank night dive. Seas calmed down a bit. Vis was about 15' and the bottom temp was 63F. A couple bugs were brought up.

9/12 AM

We headed out to the Mako Mania out at the Shark River Reef (aka the Parking Lot). Vis was 15' or so on the wreck and closer to 5' at the sand. Bottom temp hovered around 50 (brrr). Not much in sea life seen, except for a small bug or two.

Our 2nd dive brought us close to shore as we hit the Sea Girt. Vis was close to 20' on the gravel bottom and temps was once again 63F. Quite a few decent size bugs were landed. We even spotted a lawn chair on the bottom.

On the way back in we spotted something on the surface around a lobster pot buoy. Upon closer inspection and several guesses what it was, we saw a 4' leatherback turtle tangled in the buoy line. After a few attempts, we were able to free the turtle of it predicament and he swam away apparently ungrateful. This turtle was extremely luck as we have seen three (3) turtles dead on wrecks this summer after all got tangled in rope.

9/12 PM

After getting a 30' vis report earlier in the day from the Eagles Nest, the afternoon charter headed to the Pinta for two dives. We had an honest 30' on the Pinta and slightly less on the bottom. All had a great time.

[wrekdiver2]

9/26

We headed south in calm seas to the Gulftrade for a pair of dives. Vis was about 30' and bottom temps were 66F. Lots of fish were seen around the wreck and a few bugs grabbed. I even managed to bring up a brass porthole backing plate.

9/27

We headed out once again in calm seas for the Stolt. Here we found 66F down to approximately 100' and 61F below. Vis was 30'-40'. Several bugs were brought up including a 6 lb'er and 3 lb'er and several more were left on the bottom. A 4' dogfish was cut loose from some monofilament, but a few were already dead on the bottom.