Yukon Kudos

Well, the message at the top of my SB window is urging me to make a post--seems the system missed me these last two weeks. Go figure.

So what better time than now to say how impressed I was to dive the Yukon twice last weekend. Sure, there were lots of great kelp dives, but the Yukon really got its hooks into me. It's my first wreck--I'm sure that had something to do with it. When I first dropped down to her I finned away a bit and turned to get the big picture (as much as the viz allowed) and I was truly smitten.

So . . .

To Jay S., my host and dive buddy for three days: thanks for being a great guide; for showing me around and through; for the horizontal ascent practices; for all your hours of work on her; and for your friendship.

To Milt Beard: thanks for an afternoon of fascinating anecdotes; for cutting all those holes (esp. the dolphins); for all the rest of the work; for the videotapes, the chart, and the magazine souvenirs.

To Woody: thanks for keeping the buoy lines in working order every year; for the fat nitrox fills; for the lunches; for the calm seas!

To Nate: thanks for the laughs. And stop finding lead--start finding gold instead.

And thanks to SDOF, Dick Long, and everyone else who raised funds, got her here, prepped her, and in any other way helped out.

Well, enough emoting. It's almost dawn here in Oregon, and I've got firewood to stack.

Bryan

Little cold at the Yukon hey??

And today I am seriously considering diving the airliner the BC guys set down a couple of years ago. I might once again don my drysuit.

Where are these?

Cthippo:

Where are these?

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Yukon is out of San Diego, CA.

Guessing the airline in reference is this one? Boeing 737

Yukon is in SandyEggo, yes, and I've also dived her sister ship Mackenzie up in BC - Nanaimo, very close to the marina. I won't repeat the kudos I offered in the post above, but I have to again thank Milt Beard for a day spent interviewing him before he passed. Great stories, good footage, some treasured mementos. He did most of the torch work, including the dolphin cutouts at the bow which the society (he said) told him they didn't have time for. And he had to get an artist crawl in that cramped hot bow space with him to chalk out the figures, because Milt said he couldn't draw at all. Great guy.

Holy thread revival. 18 years and the OP wakes it up.

broncobowsher:

Holy thread revival. 18 years and the OP wakes it up.

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Yeah. Long surface interval. Life and family and passings got in the way for a time, then the pandemic, yadda yadda. Watching a special on the logistics of setting down the 737 this week got me thinking aboot coming back up to BC for a dive series, hope I can still fit into my Whites. Hope the thread-bump was not too confusing. I know that in my dotage I can sometimes drone on. Case in point, find the thread "I spent too much time reading SB" (not the OP for that thread) and my latest song parody.

eponym:

Yeah. Long surface interval. Life and family and passings got in the way for a time, then the pandemic, yadda yadda. Watching a special on the logistics of setting down the 737 this week got me thinking aboot coming back up to BC for a dive series, hope I can still fit into my Whites. Hope the thread-bump was not too confusing. I know that in my dotage I can sometimes drone on. Case in point, find the thread "I spent too much time reading SB" (I'm not the OP for that thread - that new red badge had me confused for a time.)

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Do you happen to recall the name of the 737 special? Sounds interesting.

Hi @eponym

Thanks for reviving your post, brought back very good memories. Your original post was from 8 days after I joined SB!

My first dives in San Diego were between 1972 and 1976 while I attended UCSD, well before the Yukon was sunk in 2000. Jump ahead and I was able to do 13 dives on the Yukon around 4 business trips to San Diego between 2007 and 2012. I have fond memories of all the white Metridium anemones and wonderful swim throughs from bow to stern along the "Burma Road", entering the starboard dolphin cutout and exiting a stern hatch. I dived the Yukon in water as cold as 50, but as warm as 61. Maybe I will still get back someday.

Thanks

@azstinger11 I recall reading the Metridiums on the Yukon were having a tough time with warming water, how is that going now, do you know?