We're planning a dive on the Oriskani for MLK weekend. Looking for suggestions of sites to see within rec limits.
Oriskany recreational dive planning
- Thread starter Armymutt25A
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the island.
the rest is deeper than recreational limits
the rest is deeper than recreational limits
OP
I figured that part. I also have heard that the island is rather large. Looking for some specific things to look at.
bs63366
Contributor
I would recommend stopping by the bridge and looking down into the stacks if you want to see some really good coral. They have grates over the stacks so no one can get into the coral that has built up in there. When I went there was also a barracuda in the tower when I got to dive it.
If you have the option rent some bigger tanks and opt for some Nitrox in the 27 percent range. I dive HP 100's and carry an AL 30 filled with 100 percent O2. Even if I don't go into deco I am right at the limits so breathing the O2 for 10 minutes at 20 and 15 while my computer burns down just gives me a little added cushion.
The flight deck according to my computer is at 147 feet. It was nice to lay on the deck look at the blast shields and think about all the history of this ship.
You can swim through the bridge, look at the flags and take in a great view. The biggest drawback is the two hour boat ride each way. Be sure and take some seasick medication. For me that's Bonine.
In May we had 19 warm souls onboard and before we got there we had three that were down for the count. After the first dive we had two more go down. The bow was the sickbay area even though we had relatively calm seas.
OP
Thanks. What kind of seas are normal for Jan? Off NC, we'll go out in 5ft seas with no issues. Two hour boat rides are about normal. As long as there's room on the deck for a couple of us to take a nap, we'll be good. I'll definitely be wearing my Scopalamine patch.
ARMYMUTT and company,
Interesting thread and noticing there are no locals chiming in (though obviously some with first hand experience on the "O"), I thought I'd put my $0.02 in. I'm Capt. Jim, I run Dr Dive, a local dive charter in Pensacola. We go to the "O" on a regular basis and wanted to try to answer your original questions, i.e. what to see.
You have three bridge structures, 2 on the front (South facing) end of the island and 1 on the back (North facing) end. You have the Flag Bridge at 130-135 ft. That is the lowest of the structures. As the name implies, it was where the admirals ran the battles from. Above that, you have the Navigation Bridge, where the ship was run on a day-to-day basis. This is at 100-110 ft. These two structures make a great first dive tour, with the remainder of the dive spent working your way up the tower, checking out the swim-throughs, and watching out for big fish and critters. Check out the flags on the starboard refueling boom on the way up.
Take a nice SI and on the second dive go to the back (North) end and check out the Primary Flight Control Bridge. Middle of the door is about 95 ft. It's a great swim-in structure, lots of room and windows, really cool. Come out of the Pri Fli and work around to the "new" swim-through created when some of the sheathing came off in a storm. It's just forward of the bridge structure and is a cool, though unintended feature of the ship. Again, work on up to the top of the island, check out the view and keep an eye out for the big critters off the edge of the ship.
That being said, it doesn't always take 2 hours to get there, depending on your boat of choice. You have choices between the larger boats and some faster, 6 pak cats, that can get you there in an hour or so depending on sea state. Some of the operations, mine included, get off the dock a little earlier, run faster and get you back in time for lunch.
At this time, there are a number of great operations to choose from. Each has it's strengths and gives great customer service. I hope we can have you aboard Dr Dive some time soon.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if I can assist in any way with your planning. We look forward to seeing y'all in Pensacola soon.
Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
www.drdive.com
drdive@drdive.com
Dr Dive | Facebook
Interesting thread and noticing there are no locals chiming in (though obviously some with first hand experience on the "O"), I thought I'd put my $0.02 in. I'm Capt. Jim, I run Dr Dive, a local dive charter in Pensacola. We go to the "O" on a regular basis and wanted to try to answer your original questions, i.e. what to see.
You have three bridge structures, 2 on the front (South facing) end of the island and 1 on the back (North facing) end. You have the Flag Bridge at 130-135 ft. That is the lowest of the structures. As the name implies, it was where the admirals ran the battles from. Above that, you have the Navigation Bridge, where the ship was run on a day-to-day basis. This is at 100-110 ft. These two structures make a great first dive tour, with the remainder of the dive spent working your way up the tower, checking out the swim-throughs, and watching out for big fish and critters. Check out the flags on the starboard refueling boom on the way up.
Take a nice SI and on the second dive go to the back (North) end and check out the Primary Flight Control Bridge. Middle of the door is about 95 ft. It's a great swim-in structure, lots of room and windows, really cool. Come out of the Pri Fli and work around to the "new" swim-through created when some of the sheathing came off in a storm. It's just forward of the bridge structure and is a cool, though unintended feature of the ship. Again, work on up to the top of the island, check out the view and keep an eye out for the big critters off the edge of the ship.
That being said, it doesn't always take 2 hours to get there, depending on your boat of choice. You have choices between the larger boats and some faster, 6 pak cats, that can get you there in an hour or so depending on sea state. Some of the operations, mine included, get off the dock a little earlier, run faster and get you back in time for lunch.
At this time, there are a number of great operations to choose from. Each has it's strengths and gives great customer service. I hope we can have you aboard Dr Dive some time soon.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if I can assist in any way with your planning. We look forward to seeing y'all in Pensacola soon.
Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
www.drdive.com
drdive@drdive.com
Dr Dive | Facebook
OP
Thank you for the info Jim. The trip is in the recon phase at the moment. Do you do 3 tank trips out to her? We're driving down from Ft. Bragg NC just to dive this wreck, so we're looking to spend some time out there.
We usually cap our three tank trips at 4, because of the gear load but can run more. How many you got?
Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
www.drdive.com
drdive@drdive.com
Dr Dive | Facebook
Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
www.drdive.com
drdive@drdive.com
Dr Dive | Facebook
Chuckitall
Contributor
No mention of but I would figure in Jan water temps could be in mid 50's. Need to dress for the diving and boat ride.
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