Shipwreck Hunting by towing a diver via boat?

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Hostage

Contributor
Messages
219
Reaction score
12
Location
Rochester, NY
# of dives
50 - 99
I recently started helping a group of guys from club that looks for lost wrecks off lake Ontario. Right now we drop anchor do a sweep, then try some where else. They do log where they dive on a chart and use a GPS to make where they searched. They mentioned they tried to do a tow, though had issues. From what I have been reading it looks like you need to tow at about 1-2mph and have the person in tow have a dive flag so if they let go you know to stop. I also read the sled takes a bit of getting use to. The main concern the guys I dive had was the speed as well as ship to diver communication. By having the boat go only a couple miles an hour max (accounting for current) and having the dive tow a dive flag, wouldn't/shouldn't this be fairly simple? I also know you need to watch out as you can increase or decrease your depth very quickly with a sled. The bottom of the area would be well within rec diving limits.

-Hostage
 
Side Scan is a much better way than towing divers. Side scan can be towed or newer ones with the transducer can go around 4-6 mph and never gets tired or runs out of air. Here in the lakes, visibility is a limitation even on the best days you may only see 80' on both sides. On bad visibility days, you have to get close to the bottom and can only see a few feet, but side scan doesn't have that problem. A 500khz sonar or higher can pick a beer can off the bottom, with sacrifice to range. Another downside with side scan is that in the summer months, the thermocline will mess up your picture, possibly obscuring a smaller object that may interest you. For $500-2000 you can get a depth finder transducer with sidescan capability, or you can take a regular depth finder and put it on it's side, and now you have sidescan. Sledding is a fun way to dive though if you do it right.
 
We just spent five months in Tonga and did a lot of Manta tows looking for wrecks that the locals said were "over there!"..but only with free divers who could stay under three minutes..quite fast too, as no gear to drag...BUT our vis is 30 mtrs so very easy and most just done with the diver dragging on the surface..to me it would be scary towing a SCUBA diver at depth that you cannot see...for us, Sidescan is no good because of all the coral shapes...we found three wrecks ..more next year, but that will be by Magnetometer...
 
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