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We had an incredible day of diving on the Vandenberg on Saturday. Spree Expeditions, along with Captain Gary from Conch Republic Divers put together another Vandenberg double dipper for Saturday the 17th. Only 5 divers signed up, but seeing as theyd driven all the way from Canada, we didnt want to disappoint them, so we went for a dive. We had 4 rebreathers (all inspo/evos) and 2 open circuit extended range divers, so they opted for one long run-time dive rather than 2 recreational length dives. We left the dock at about noon and headed out to the Vandenberg about 40 minutes out. As we crossed the reef line, I noticed the water was that incredible shade of blue that you dont usually see in Key West. We arrived at the Vandenberg, and I kept thinking something was wrong with the wreck. I could clearly see the wreck, clearly see divers on it, and it looked like the bridge was going to break the surface at any minute. I couldnt see bow to stern, but could easily see a couple hundred feet of wreck. Incredible. We tied up on Buoy number 3, and set current lines. Surface current was mild running from bow to stern, below 30 feet there was no current at all. We could see the squall line crossing Key West in the distance with 2 waterspouts touching down between us and Stock Island.
The wind hit us as we were launching divers. 20-25 knots and seas blowing but less than 2 feet. The tops of the whitecaps were blowing off, but the mighty Spree was hardly rocking. The divers were able to cover the whole wreck in a single dive, although didnt really take the time to explore much. I think this wreck is good for a long weekend of diving if you really want to see the whole thing. A single 2 hour dive is only kind of a teaser to me. All divers were back on deck by 3 PM, and we were back at the dock around 4 PM, gear washed and hanging to dry. 4 of the divers chose to stay on the Spree that night to see a bit of Key West and have a nice meal at Conch Republic.
Capt Gary and I will do this again maybe in December. Call Conch Republic divers if you are interested in really getting a chance to see the Vandenberg.
Capt Frank
M/V Spree
Stock Island, FL
The wind hit us as we were launching divers. 20-25 knots and seas blowing but less than 2 feet. The tops of the whitecaps were blowing off, but the mighty Spree was hardly rocking. The divers were able to cover the whole wreck in a single dive, although didnt really take the time to explore much. I think this wreck is good for a long weekend of diving if you really want to see the whole thing. A single 2 hour dive is only kind of a teaser to me. All divers were back on deck by 3 PM, and we were back at the dock around 4 PM, gear washed and hanging to dry. 4 of the divers chose to stay on the Spree that night to see a bit of Key West and have a nice meal at Conch Republic.
Capt Gary and I will do this again maybe in December. Call Conch Republic divers if you are interested in really getting a chance to see the Vandenberg.
Capt Frank
M/V Spree
Stock Island, FL