What's it like to dive a Jersey Shore shipwreck...?

[doctormike]

I tried something a bit different with this dive video.

Usually I just edit together the best clips, stick a Grateful Dead song over them and post. People who actually dive on these wrecks in the NYC area seem to enjoy it, but I suspect that many people watching them are not divers at all, or divers who don’t dive locally. So I thought that those people could use a little more context and explanations about what we are actually doing here.

This is a recent dive to the wreck of the Arundo, a Dutch Freighter that was torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat in 1942, sending it to the bottom in five minutes, with six casualties. I have been on this wreck a number of times, but while fascinating, it is in the “mud hole” and fairly deep. Therefore, it tends to be both dark and in poor visibility. However, the conditions on this particular dive were a welcome exception - we were able to see it more like the ship that it was than just a pile of tires and beer bottles!

In this video I go into some detail explaining how we do these dives, with some supplementary photos, diagrams and maps. I hope that you like it.

 

[BoltSnap]

Most excellent!! This is very helpful, thank you for your kind effort and for sharing the video. I hope that you continue to produce this type of educational video.

 

[doctormike]

Most excellent!! This is very helpful, thank you for your kind effort and for sharing the video. I hope that you continue to produce this type of educational video.

So glad that you like it! Thanks so much. I did get a lot of good feedback, so will try again soon...

 

[OTF]

Nice video. Even as a diver who has done that wreck off that boat I found the narrative explanation to be helpful. Definitely makes the video more interesting. You had some great viz there!

 

[doctormike]

Yup! That was unusual for a mud hole wreck!

 

[BoltSnap]

I think that you should go back to your older videos for the NY/NJ wreck and do with them what you did with this video (at least close to the same excellent idea).

 

[doctormike]

I think that you should go back to your older videos for the NY/NJ wreck and do with them what you did with this video (at least close to the same excellent idea).

That's an excellent idea! I don't want to overdo it, but would look for videos that have unique stuff to see.

Did you see my video from the Stolt Dagali from a few weeks ago? Even better vis:

 

[johndiver999]

Cool videos. I am surprised people are running lines on the bottom in that visibility. It looks so cumbersome and navigation looks pretty easy.

 

[doctormike]

Cool videos. I am surprised people are running lines on the bottom in that visibility. It looks so cumbersome and navigation looks pretty easy.

Yup, and I do bring up that point! There was one big intact piece right near the tie in, and that's why I was OK using that for navigation, but elsewhere it's pretty much a junk pile and the vis can be variable, so a line is always reasonable if there is any question.

 

[BoltSnap]

Did you see my video from the Stolt Dagali from a few weeks ago? Even better vis:

No, this is the first time I've seen it. You bring up a lot of memories from my days living in NY (Brooklyn, LI, and Westchester) and owning a dive center in Rockland County, 1987 - 2004ish. I dove most of these wrecks, but I can't remember the details now. Thank you for the memories.