Day 2 of Emerald Coast diving.
Set out from Sandestin at 6:10, picked up tanks and weights at Bay Breeze 7:20 (running late, again - does anyone here know
how yankees drive? It's like 10,000 Jim Ignatowski's on the road...), got to H2O Below at 7:53, Mike and Doug 2 grab my
gear and I park - on the boat just before 8.
DM's for the day are Rich and Mike, Captains are Doug 1 (driving) and Doug 2.
Gear set up: my stuff (Sherwood Avid, Atomic B2 plus SS1, Mares Volo fins,
SeaVision mask, 5mm boots, 5/3 gloves, 3mm L/S shorty, etc plus LP95's (27% and
29%) and 10lbs.
Rich pairs me up with Mike as a buddy/DM, boat and site briefings done. At the
site, we can see one of the marker bouy/ball (around 40') from the boat. Gear up as
tech crew (rebreather students plus some tech/deco guys) and Mike and I hit the
water and start down at 10:20AM (dive #65 for me).
Dive #1 on 27%. Blue water from the surface down to between 90 and 100', viz at about 70'.
Below 100' viz drops off to 30'-40'. We drop down the descent line to the tower and then
drop just below the nav bridge - my DC reads 129' as Mike pops up and into the nav bridge at
around 120' - 125'. (narrowly avoiding the 130' violation). My camera malfunctions - reads card error!!!!!
Luckily after about 4-5 power down/up cycles it comes back on line. After swimming through the nav
bridge we climb a few feet as we cruise around the tower and then enter the primary flight ops (PriFly).
From here we work our way up along the tower to the crow's nest and then out to the boom and
US Flag. After a swim around the crow's nest and a few more pics, I'm back on the line with 1080 psi
and begin to work my way up past all of the barracuda. Total dive time 30 minutes.
On the USS Oriskany
Mike and "his" arrow crab
On the USS Oriskany
Looking up at the crow's nest from about 120'-125')
Me at the flag - In Remembrance
The crow's nest of the USS Oriskany
DM Mike from the H2O Below
One of many barracuda hanging out between 80' and 20'
Dive #2 on 29%:
With no real current on the wreck today, Mike tells me to drop in and head straight to
the tie in, Rich will then take us down to 120' to do a cross deck "fly over". After hitting
the tower Mike spots one of the biggest turtles I've ever seen, so I drop down and take
a pic, then join Rich as he drops to 120. Viz below 110 has closed in even further (maybe 30') and he calls the fly over. I rejoin Mike and he signals for me to take the lead.
Right at this point I turn on my UK C8 - looks weird - @#*@#*@@ - it's flooded.
Mike and I circle down the tower to 127' and then work our way up and around the tower until
we're at the smoke stack. We cruise over that and back and my DC now reads 7 on the NIBG
and 2 minutes NDC. I head to the rope and begin my ascent back, total dive time 27 minutes.
Green turtle on the USS Oriskany
School of red snapper and one unknown (help) on the Oriskany
Buttefly (type of spotfin?) on the Oriskany
Another butterfly species on the Oriskany
Coronet or Trumpet? on the Oriskany
All in all an awesome day - great boat, great crew, good hot dogs, awesome dive!!!
Set out from Sandestin at 6:10, picked up tanks and weights at Bay Breeze 7:20 (running late, again - does anyone here know
how yankees drive? It's like 10,000 Jim Ignatowski's on the road...), got to H2O Below at 7:53, Mike and Doug 2 grab my
gear and I park - on the boat just before 8.
DM's for the day are Rich and Mike, Captains are Doug 1 (driving) and Doug 2.
Gear set up: my stuff (Sherwood Avid, Atomic B2 plus SS1, Mares Volo fins,
SeaVision mask, 5mm boots, 5/3 gloves, 3mm L/S shorty, etc plus LP95's (27% and
29%) and 10lbs.
Rich pairs me up with Mike as a buddy/DM, boat and site briefings done. At the
site, we can see one of the marker bouy/ball (around 40') from the boat. Gear up as
tech crew (rebreather students plus some tech/deco guys) and Mike and I hit the
water and start down at 10:20AM (dive #65 for me).
Dive #1 on 27%. Blue water from the surface down to between 90 and 100', viz at about 70'.
Below 100' viz drops off to 30'-40'. We drop down the descent line to the tower and then
drop just below the nav bridge - my DC reads 129' as Mike pops up and into the nav bridge at
around 120' - 125'. (narrowly avoiding the 130' violation). My camera malfunctions - reads card error!!!!!
Luckily after about 4-5 power down/up cycles it comes back on line. After swimming through the nav
bridge we climb a few feet as we cruise around the tower and then enter the primary flight ops (PriFly).
From here we work our way up along the tower to the crow's nest and then out to the boom and
US Flag. After a swim around the crow's nest and a few more pics, I'm back on the line with 1080 psi
and begin to work my way up past all of the barracuda. Total dive time 30 minutes.
On the USS Oriskany
Mike and "his" arrow crab
On the USS Oriskany
Looking up at the crow's nest from about 120'-125')
Me at the flag - In Remembrance
The crow's nest of the USS Oriskany
DM Mike from the H2O Below
One of many barracuda hanging out between 80' and 20'
Dive #2 on 29%:
With no real current on the wreck today, Mike tells me to drop in and head straight to
the tie in, Rich will then take us down to 120' to do a cross deck "fly over". After hitting
the tower Mike spots one of the biggest turtles I've ever seen, so I drop down and take
a pic, then join Rich as he drops to 120. Viz below 110 has closed in even further (maybe 30') and he calls the fly over. I rejoin Mike and he signals for me to take the lead.
Right at this point I turn on my UK C8 - looks weird - @#*@#*@@ - it's flooded.
Mike and I circle down the tower to 127' and then work our way up and around the tower until
we're at the smoke stack. We cruise over that and back and my DC now reads 7 on the NIBG
and 2 minutes NDC. I head to the rope and begin my ascent back, total dive time 27 minutes.
Green turtle on the USS Oriskany
School of red snapper and one unknown (help) on the Oriskany
Buttefly (type of spotfin?) on the Oriskany
Another butterfly species on the Oriskany
Coronet or Trumpet? on the Oriskany
All in all an awesome day - great boat, great crew, good hot dogs, awesome dive!!!
