Hetland
Contributor
The weather forecast looked great, and several folks from the Gulf Coast Dive Society signed up with Captain Douglas for an Oriskany charter aboard the H2O Below. Captain and crew got us loaded quickly, and we were off in mostly calm seas. The trip was quick and comfortable. The sun didn't poke out too much, but we were seeing blue water before we left the inshore sites behind, so we were all expecting excellent visibility.
Divemaster Robert tied us in, and returned to report that the current was howling. Once I splashed, I saw that it was indeed on the high side of sporty. Luckily the H2O uses a travel system that minimizes the inconvenience of surface currents (as long as you do your part by hanging on). It really makes diving this site much easier.
After the first 30ft of haze, the current dropped off, and we were greeted by a beautiful clear tungsten blue water that offered a good 80ish feet of visibility. From about 90ft, you could see the terminus of the port side flight deck. It was a beautiful sight, and I always love seeing the Oriskany bathed in the blue water she deserves.
The water was mostly warm, but you could sense temperature variations while stationary, and at different depths. You would be hot one moment, chilled the next, and back to hot again without moving a muscle. Thankfully, it never stayed too cool for too long, at any point in the dive.
All of the usual critters were present, though it did seem a little less populated than my last visit. I think our extended "Winter" has kept some of our Summer residents a little further offshore, as some other sites I've visited this year were a little less crowded than usual for this time of the year.
Erin and I were the last ones up on the first dive, and we were entertained by two beautiful sandbar sharks at about 40ft. One, seemed to be stationary in the water column, while the other flew a wide circuit around us.
On our second ascent, a very friendly remora decided it was more fun to cuddle with Erin than it was to dodge the hungry stares of the barracuda skulking nearby. Once about half of our safety stop was over, he decided he wanted attach himself to my tank, again, I think, in an effort to avoid less friendly interactions with the toothy crowd a few feet away.
Once everyone was back on board, Robert fired up the grill, and threw down some deco dogs. A new, and welcome addition since my last trip, was a jar of candied jalapeño slices to go with the usual hot dog fixin's! I had to force myself to stop at the second dog, but I'll definitely be looking for candied jalapeños on my next grocery trip.
The ride back in was even nicer. The sun finally poked out, and the seas laid down to less than a foot. Some folks even napped on the way back in.
All-in-all, it was a great day with some great GCDS friends and dive buddies. As usual, Captain Doug and crew made everything for the divers as easy and as fun as possible. I can't wait for my next trip on the H2O Below. Charter Boat H2O Below - Scuba dive the USS Oriskany
Divemaster Robert tied us in, and returned to report that the current was howling. Once I splashed, I saw that it was indeed on the high side of sporty. Luckily the H2O uses a travel system that minimizes the inconvenience of surface currents (as long as you do your part by hanging on). It really makes diving this site much easier.
After the first 30ft of haze, the current dropped off, and we were greeted by a beautiful clear tungsten blue water that offered a good 80ish feet of visibility. From about 90ft, you could see the terminus of the port side flight deck. It was a beautiful sight, and I always love seeing the Oriskany bathed in the blue water she deserves.
The water was mostly warm, but you could sense temperature variations while stationary, and at different depths. You would be hot one moment, chilled the next, and back to hot again without moving a muscle. Thankfully, it never stayed too cool for too long, at any point in the dive.
All of the usual critters were present, though it did seem a little less populated than my last visit. I think our extended "Winter" has kept some of our Summer residents a little further offshore, as some other sites I've visited this year were a little less crowded than usual for this time of the year.
Erin and I were the last ones up on the first dive, and we were entertained by two beautiful sandbar sharks at about 40ft. One, seemed to be stationary in the water column, while the other flew a wide circuit around us.
On our second ascent, a very friendly remora decided it was more fun to cuddle with Erin than it was to dodge the hungry stares of the barracuda skulking nearby. Once about half of our safety stop was over, he decided he wanted attach himself to my tank, again, I think, in an effort to avoid less friendly interactions with the toothy crowd a few feet away.
Once everyone was back on board, Robert fired up the grill, and threw down some deco dogs. A new, and welcome addition since my last trip, was a jar of candied jalapeño slices to go with the usual hot dog fixin's! I had to force myself to stop at the second dog, but I'll definitely be looking for candied jalapeños on my next grocery trip.
The ride back in was even nicer. The sun finally poked out, and the seas laid down to less than a foot. Some folks even napped on the way back in.
All-in-all, it was a great day with some great GCDS friends and dive buddies. As usual, Captain Doug and crew made everything for the divers as easy and as fun as possible. I can't wait for my next trip on the H2O Below. Charter Boat H2O Below - Scuba dive the USS Oriskany
