Diving under ships.

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Diver below 83

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I'm a Fish!
So I remembered watching a local news piece about the Miami dade police divers being tasked with going under and visually scanning the bottoms of cruise ships for explosives etc in the port of Miami. This was a while ago and closer to 9/11 and cruise ships were expected to be the next target. They showed some clips and interviews of the divers going down the whole ship under water and checking out the propeller pods as well. Of course they were At the docks and the ships were not moving.

This got me wondering. Have any of you ever dove under a true “ship”? Clearly almost all of us have dove under a “boat” at some point but I’m talking full on ship? What’s it like, especially when you get near those giant propellers?

Then that got me thinking more. Has anyone been diving under a “shipping lane, jetty/port outlets etc where “ships” are actually moving above you visually in some way? I know this is going to be extremely rare because those types of places are not for typically divers, but I’m sure some of you on this board may have had a good reason(work, military etc).

Ok well thanks for letting me share my random thought. As a newer diver sometimes I just find certain things intriguing
 
I believe the barge America in the St. Lawrence river lies just next to the shipping lane. I''ve been told the sounds of the big freighters passing above is pretty amazing, and the pressure from the bow wave can be felt all the way to the bottom.
 
Diving the Straights of Mackinaw you do hear the freighters when you are down on the wrecks, it is a very interesting bass line that is added to your dive. There are several wrecks that are close/in the shipping lanes so it is possible for a freighter to be very close while diving.
 
There are a couple of wrecks in Lake Ontario near Point Petrie that are under shipping lanes. When we dive there, we broadcast our position and ask ships to take a slight detour.

Diving in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior, there are several wrecks in the mouth of the St Mary's river... Again a "Security" call on the VHF is prudent.

And then in the St. Lawrence, some wrecks are near, or under the shipping lanes. As @crcobb mentions, the bass line is hard to miss!
 
Diving the Straights of Mackinaw you do hear the freighters when you are down on the wrecks, it is a very interesting bass line that is added to your dive. There are several wrecks that are close/in the shipping lanes so it is possible for a freighter to be very close while diving.

I’ll be diving the Straits in a month so I’ll be sure to be listening for that if a freighter is near!
 
I dive in the st. clair river year around and live on it as well. What would you like to know - diving under 1000ft+ freighters is just another day for me.

Stay away from the props and stay below 30' most freighters 600'-1013ft have 20-30' draft depending on cargo and type of freighter - don't surface under the freighter as they will pull you toward them as they move. if you have no where else to go and you can't avoid them - hold onto something as it passes over. Do not panic.

You will know when they are coming as the engines vibrate your ears - it is very loud.

I get 10-20 freighters passing my house daily. Our dives are very much overhead and you cannot surface anywhere except where you entered at. On top of the ship traffic we have extreme currents in this river.

There's really nowhere like it on earth - the diving is unbelievable, we have access to over 50+ wrecks on this river at various depths. Wooden ships, steel ships, barges, etc. You want a wreck - we got it.

If you would like to know more about diving under ships / in active heavy traffic shipping lanes - pm me.
 

Holy schnizzle that is close!

Been under the people ferries here in Cozumel out at the wall in 80' of water when they are coming and going - plenty load enough for me...
 
Did it way too much, always creeped me out.
Had a man in the engine room.

At first it was looking upward at the hull, but then realizing that gap between that big heavy thing above and the muck bottom became much more of a preoccupation.

Much less stressful jump diving inside a nuclear reactor- better light, great viz, warmer water. Never did want kids anyway
 
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