Andrea Doria Discussion

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AhoyFed

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Location
Ontario
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello. I’m newly registered but not new to the forum, been a “lurker” for a couple years reading many threads but never registered until now. A bit about me, I’ve been diving for 6 years always recreationally and have done about 50 dives. Not always able to dive as often as I’d like between work and family but I try to do about 10 a year.

The story of the Doria fascinated me before I was a diver, and it is still cool now. I’m not sure if I think of it as the Everest of diving, but a cool wreck nonetheless.

I’d like to train over the next few years and work my way up to doing the Doria. If I fall short and conclude my training before reaching the Doria due to reaching my limits, no problem. Not worth dying for.

What courses would you recommend, as well as gear setup? I’m very flexible with gear as I have a bunch of steel 72s as well as aluminum 80s, plus bands and manifolds. Used to run double 72s for a couple years. I’d prefer to do it on OC rather than CCR.

Feel free to chime in and add anything you feel is worthwhile.
 
Gonna need bigger tanks. Get used to double 130’s and save the 80s for stage/deco bottles. It will (should) take a few hundred dives and many courses to dive that deep safely. It will also cost a small fortune, especially once you get to trimix on OC. If you dive at that level as often as you should to maintain skills, CCR starts to look attractive.
 
the gas to do the doria in oc, with training etc is more than 5k right now , you might want to start ccr asap and build up to it , but alas the ccr will cost 3-12 k depending on used or new .....decide which way you want to go early it will save money in long run , talk to some recent doria divers, i hear its in real bad shape
 
As posted above. I've never done the doria and likely never will. I do know people who have, it sits between 190 and 240 feet down.

So its a trimix dive I'm not sure how far into the tec classes you need to go (depends on agency) but it is a very challenging dive and with the increasing cost of helium a very expensive dive.
 
IMO, you need to concentrate every bit as much on gaining experience diving wrecks along the north Atlantic east coast as working your way to deep water. You might find some useful ideas in this thread: Wreck Penetration

You should also pay attention to your maritime skills. This thread might be helpful: Diving and Seamanship.
 
Other divers will know better than me, some on this board may even have been there in the last few years, but isn't the Doria said to be far past it's prime? I've heard it's collapsing and covered in nets to a point that it's far more dangerous even than it was in its heyday. But maybe access to new areas opening up.

That said, it's great to set a big goal to strive for in your training. Go for it.
 
Thank you all for the responses. Since I’m located on the Great Lakes I do have access to plenty of areas to train and gain experience. I’d like to hit a bunch of wrecks up in Tobermory like the Forest City and Arabia, as well as the George A Marsh which I’ve heard is a better and safer version of the Arabia.

Good point about the tanks, those are the least expensive parts of the process right now. A cave diver friend of mine once told me that if you can’t do the dive on 72s you should not be diving, which I suppose is true but not in this case. I’ve seen him sling 2 and wear 2 more in his back while carrying a pony.

Another point about the tanks, would it be better to get a set of LPs 120s and give them a nice cave fill? I know divers personally who routinely take them to 4K+ when doing caves in Florida.

I’ve never really considered doing CCR, never thought I was the type or had the mindset for it. I’m not closed mind about anything though, any reading materials or resources I could browse to learn more about proper CCR? And I’m not talking about that PADI encyclopedia of Diving crap LOL.

The Doria definitely isn’t what it was once, especially in its heyday. Not the same as when Gimbel and the other divers went down the first time and again and again. I don’t suffer from “China Fever” which has taken the lives of many divers on all wrecks including the Doria. It sure would be nice to have a souvenir but that’s what stories and photos are for.

Can you dive the Doria wet or is it strictly Drysuits only? I’ve faced some chilling water in my time up in Tobermory especially when I went a few weeks ago for the year end dive.
 
Doria would be a drysuit dive, given prolonged deco in relatively cold water, breathing helium, current, and need for redundant buoyancy. Can you do it with a wetsuit? Sure, but not a good idea. Just like diving it on air which was common early on. Don’t bother with lp tanks for Great Lakes as you wont find a place that will cave fill them for you. HP130s will take you about as far as backmount OC can go. Double 72’s are nice for dives in 100-150’ range, especially if you can overfill them to 2700-3000. As far as cave diving, double 72’s would be considered the bare minimum for entry level dives these days, most cave divers chose the biggest tanks they can get, HP130 or LP108 are the most common for backmount.
 
Personally, i would recommend to look into rebreathers, if you are planning to do that kind of dives. The fact that you are not into OC technical diving yet may also be an advantage when learning to dive with a rebreather, as some OC habits would need to be changed and they are more difficult to unlearn for very experienced OC divers. A good starting point for more info would be the rebreather forum on here.
You will find out that opinions about rebreathers differ a lot, and everyone will say their own rebreather is better. Don't let that confuse you. If at some point you will feel that a particular rebreather is tempting you, maybe a course with a rented unit will give you a better idea of the beast. Go for reputable instructors, rebreathers from companies that have been around for a while, and importers/manufacturers that offer good assistance in your area. You will find that just looking for a rebreather that ticks all those boxes will restrict your choices to one or two units. Sounds like you have a great goal in mind, and maybe even greater dives after that. As for the Andrea Doria, I have never been there and the reports on the condition of the wreck are not tempting me, but I believe that @Akimbo has been there in one of the very first expeditions, so if I ever planned to dive the Andrea Doria I would listen carefully to his advice.
 

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