I finally got to dive the Hydro Atlantic! It was amazing, and definitely lived up to the hype. The dive itself was amazing. Visibility was 100'+. The wreck is huge, with so much life on it and interior areas to explore. The main bridge superstructure has collapsed on the starboard side, but you can still see the shape of it. We did a lap of the deck and then looked inside the stern and the Engine Room area. I strongly recommend talking to the Dive master before dropping, as he gave us a lot of useful information that made our dive a lot more enjoyable.
I dived HP120s with an Alu 40 of 100% O2 for deco. GF was 40/85. My buddy was diving LP95s with 80% for deco.
I definitely felt the effects of narcosis on this dive (breathing 24%), so I think a Trimix class is in my future.
We dived with South Florida Diving HQ who ran a great operation. This was my first time diving on a true "Tech" boat, with no recreational divers. On all my previous Ocean Deco dives I had been in the minority of tech divers, or I was the only diver doing deco.
A few things I learnt from the experience:
- This was a much more relaxed trip. Everyone was left to organize themselves, and it was noticably less stressful than being on a regular boat. The Captain (Jeremy) and Dive Master (Geronimo), were very professional, but relaxed at the same time. I didn't feel rushed in anyway. The crew on this trip were awesome!
- The Dive master came around and asked everyone their run times which he wrote down. There were no limits placed on runtimes. My buddy and I were planning a 100 minute runtime, which was the longest of the group. Most were between 60 - 75 minutes. There was a mixture of OC and rebreather divers. This goes without saying, but make sure you have a run time number ready to tell them, so they know when to expect you on the surface.
- The DM also asked how many DSMBs we would be shooting. Talking with the Captain later this was clearly a big deal. He said if that if he had 6 divers in the water, and he could see 6 SMBs, he knew they were all good. The preference was definitely for each diver to shoot a DSMB rather than one per team. This was to assist the boat crew with accountability.
- The Captain also stressed the need to shoot the DSMB as soon as you left the wreck, rather than waiting until later in your stops. This meant that the bag surfaced over the wreck where he was looking for you, rather than down current.
- The DM explained that their DSMB procedure was that one bag on one line meant all ok, two bags on the same line meant an emergency/ assistance needed. This seemed very clear and straightforward, but it is worth knowing ahead of time to ensure you have a minimum of two DSMBs / lift bags on you.
- Another nice touch that I really appreciated, was that during our 20' stop the Dive master dropped in to check on us! He made sure we were ok and checked how much deco time we had left. Afterwards he explained to me that if needed he could have brought extra O2, or arranged for assistance. He said he tried to check in with every diver / group during their deco. I was really impressed by this! I'm not used to having shore support!
In summary this was a fantastic trip! I hope my notes help anyone else doing this dive or any other trips with South FL Dive HQ. I cannot recommend them enough!!
I will definitely be back to dive the Hydro again!
I dived HP120s with an Alu 40 of 100% O2 for deco. GF was 40/85. My buddy was diving LP95s with 80% for deco.
I definitely felt the effects of narcosis on this dive (breathing 24%), so I think a Trimix class is in my future.
We dived with South Florida Diving HQ who ran a great operation. This was my first time diving on a true "Tech" boat, with no recreational divers. On all my previous Ocean Deco dives I had been in the minority of tech divers, or I was the only diver doing deco.
A few things I learnt from the experience:
- This was a much more relaxed trip. Everyone was left to organize themselves, and it was noticably less stressful than being on a regular boat. The Captain (Jeremy) and Dive Master (Geronimo), were very professional, but relaxed at the same time. I didn't feel rushed in anyway. The crew on this trip were awesome!
- The Dive master came around and asked everyone their run times which he wrote down. There were no limits placed on runtimes. My buddy and I were planning a 100 minute runtime, which was the longest of the group. Most were between 60 - 75 minutes. There was a mixture of OC and rebreather divers. This goes without saying, but make sure you have a run time number ready to tell them, so they know when to expect you on the surface.
- The DM also asked how many DSMBs we would be shooting. Talking with the Captain later this was clearly a big deal. He said if that if he had 6 divers in the water, and he could see 6 SMBs, he knew they were all good. The preference was definitely for each diver to shoot a DSMB rather than one per team. This was to assist the boat crew with accountability.
- The Captain also stressed the need to shoot the DSMB as soon as you left the wreck, rather than waiting until later in your stops. This meant that the bag surfaced over the wreck where he was looking for you, rather than down current.
- The DM explained that their DSMB procedure was that one bag on one line meant all ok, two bags on the same line meant an emergency/ assistance needed. This seemed very clear and straightforward, but it is worth knowing ahead of time to ensure you have a minimum of two DSMBs / lift bags on you.
- Another nice touch that I really appreciated, was that during our 20' stop the Dive master dropped in to check on us! He made sure we were ok and checked how much deco time we had left. Afterwards he explained to me that if needed he could have brought extra O2, or arranged for assistance. He said he tried to check in with every diver / group during their deco. I was really impressed by this! I'm not used to having shore support!
In summary this was a fantastic trip! I hope my notes help anyone else doing this dive or any other trips with South FL Dive HQ. I cannot recommend them enough!!
I will definitely be back to dive the Hydro again!
