The top of the ship is basically at about 70', with the sand being just over 100'. Much of the ship's hull can be explored "cavern style," meaning that you do technically get into some overhead, but there's no way to get lost or silted out... So the risk factors are low.
A PADI OW diver is certified to 60'... And that wouldn't do you on this dive unless you'd be willing to hover 10' above the topmost part of the ship.
...But your question... "Is AOW required?" The answer is no. I am not a divemaster, and nobody on the boat is going to tell you that you can't dive the ship because it's out of your certification level. I've seen many divers who are plenty capable of diving to all recreational dive depths who never bothered to get certified past the OW level.
That said, I don't know how comfortable you are diving to 70' or even 100'. If you're comfortable with it, then by all means... Come with us.
Just so you can make an educated decision... This is what the dive is typically like:
At about 7am (Captain's rules... I hate early mornings, but it seems that they all do that) we meet at a local dock and board the 30' rigid hull inflatable that you see
here. the boat is fast and capable, the captains wonderfully experienced and friendly. In case you're not familiar, that rigid-hull inflatable is the same kind of boat that the U.S. Coast Guard uses to chase "Gofast" drug smuggling boats offshore in the Caribbean. It has twin four-stroke outboards which are quiet and smoke-free. They'll make that boat get up and walk 60 mph on a good day, with 8 divers and gear aboard. It's pretty awesome.
The captains spend some time stowing your gear... And everyone gets to know each other as we slowly motor by the docks on our way out of the sound.
When the river widens and we begin to leave civilization behind, and if there's smooth water, Captain Mark will open 'em up... Which is fast and exhilirating. An hour later (just about the time you're tired of the boat ride) we arrive on-site, at an invisible point in the water... Far from land and any reference point. If it wasn't for the onboard GPS, you couldn't tell north from south from east or west.
The Captain typically spends about ten or fifteen minutes circling and using a depth finder to find the wreck, and when he does, he throws an anchor overboard and ties up. He then gets busy helping everyone with their gear.
Typical swells in this area are 2' or 3', although I've seen glass-smooth waters in this area. If you're prone to seasickness, it'll get to you at this point. We recommend meds, even if you don't think you'll get sick.
From there, you hop in. You can't immediately see the bottom, but the water is surprisingly clear and you can see your buddy just fine. The water is 72* to 74* during most of our diving, so you feel the chill of seawater when it enters your wetsuit, but a moment later it gets nice-n-comfy.
That's when you notice the sea life. All around you are moon jellies, about the size of the circumference of a mayonnaise jar. Good thing you're wearing your wetsuit today... Even though moon jellies don't really have much of a sting.
You might see the occassional flash of a curious barracuda, too. They're especially alarming when you're floating at the surface and being tossed around a bit and you just sorta catch a glimse out of the corner of your eye. Rest assured that nobody's ever been attacked... But they are curious, and more than a little menacing-looking.
When your buddy jumps in with a shower of bubbles, you watch him do a quick check and situate himself. Then the two of you head toward the bow of the boat, find the anchor line (which sits at a 45* angle in the water) and look down it's length. It simply disappears into the blue. With a decisive action, you deflate, and as the pressure of the salt water around you begins to increase, you move down the rough hemp of the anchor line. With every passing foot of depth, the sea around you gets more still... The bottom's going to feel very different from the shiny, salty, glistening wave activity of the surface.
A shudder runs down your spine as you reach over and grab your light and turn it on. Daylight has been left behind, and less than half of it gets down this far. 40... 50... 60... Shouldn't you be seeing the wreck by now?
That's when it appears... Like a gloomy shadow out from another time, the silhouette of the wreck appears before you, and you can begin to make out the pale sandy bottom which it sits upon. You check your guages... 72 feet and increasing. Now, at least, you have a reference point so that your body can comprehend where you are in the water column.
There's marine life everywhere... As you shine your light across the bow of the
Betsy Ross, spots of color burst into the water around you. Urchins and corals of all types, colors and sizes cover the hull of the doomed ship. Mullet and jacks swim in great, shaping schools and swarm like schoolchildren on a playground. Another barracuda - maybe the one that visited you topside - pokes his toothy snout out from a crevice, and in the distance a wide manta stealths away, hoping to not be discovered. There is no sound except for the bubbles which stream in a hypnotic beat from your regulator.
You hit your inflator button (
ssssssssshhhhhhhttttttt!) and dump a surprisingly large amount of air into your BC and suddenly the forces at work stop pulling on you. For a moment, you hover there, 20 feet above the sand, taking it all in. You check your guages - still 3100 psi left. In your mind you know that you've got 30 minutes or less here, and so you're going to make the best of it. You look to your buddy, who meets your gaze with wide eyes of excitement, and the two of you begin to glide effortlessly over the bow of the ship...
Now... Does that sound like fun to you? That's the 'Ross, y'all... Nobody's going to check your C-card to make sure that you're AOW or above... But it's not the "step off the dock into 20' of water" kind of dive. It's a little more involved than that. I would encourage everyone to go, but if you don't think you'd be comfortable in that situation, please understand that there will be lots of other dives and that you don't have to go...
...But if you think this is for you, then by all means... We need you.
