Indian River Inlet Dive Report at the bridge South of Dewey

[NYCDVR]

Ok I dove Indian River Inlet this weekend. I do not mean I dove a boat out of the Inlet I mean I dove the Inlet right under the bridge.

This was a very difficult dive. First you have to carry your gear over a rail and climb down rocks to get to the water. Second the current is very strong. I had to stay close to the bottom and rocks as the main current would pull you out very quickly. I went with a spear and did see several fish, however there was no chance of shooting them as they were moving very quickly. I put in on the bay side and basically was pulled through by the current as it was going out to sea. This dive can take you down the entire stretch very quickly. I believe the depth in the center was about 90 feet. I know I made it to the center by the pillings. I did see several large horshoe crabs and fish. I was bumped by something large. There are a lot of rocks and pipes going across the channel making this a dangerous dive not to mention boats overhead. I went down to 300psi.

Overall not a dive I would recomend as visibility was low and I literally had to brace myself on rocks against the current several times. You will get turned around by the current and rocks going every direction. I personally came up in the middle at the pillings(I saw a vertical wall and thought it was the far side but it was the middle) then had to swim accross the current at the end of the dive.

I couldn't find a boat and I wanted to dive it wasn't the caribean or even a nice wreck, however I did it while everyone else was sleeping

 

[francousteau]

It doesn't sound like you did this dive during high slack tide because you say the current was so strong. Did you just dive it at a random time?

 

[NYCDVR]

Well that was the plan but I missed it, I was an hour late so just decided to have breakfast then it was probaly 8am by the time I did the dive instead of 5am as planned

 

[francousteau]

Well that was the plan but I missed it, I was an hour late so just decided to have breakfast then it was probaly 8am by the time I did the dive instead of 5am as planned

Dangerous to do that in that inlet especially because it really rips when the tide is moving. :shakehead Couldn't you have just dived it at the evening high slack? Did you at least have a flag? LOTS of boats coming and going there.

 

[NYCDVR]

Dangerous to do that in that inlet especially because it really rips when the tide is moving. :shakehead Couldn't you have just dived it at the evening high slack? Did you at least have a flag? LOTS of boats coming and going there.

A small flag would not have helped I came up on the wall so as to avoid boats

 

[DanBo]

I was in Ocean City, MD the week after you. I am familiar with that spot where you dove and have seen marine maps and the place where you dove has a 90 foot "hole" in it. That's the spot off the jetties where people usually fish for stripers.

I did bring my dive gear with me as well as my 2 other business partners who were on vacation with me. I too was tempted to dive that same spot. We even thought of doing a beach dive just to get wet and did not think we'd see anything of interest that close to the beach.

Glad you made it safe though! I guess that gets scratch off my to-dive list. I go to OC, Maryland everyyear off 139th street, just off the border of Delaware and always forget to book a dive in advance. Oh well....

Dive Safe,

Dan