salty
Contributor
Whats better then a weekend diving Montauk?.................... NOTHING!
Yep we were back at it over the weekend of 7/30 and 7/31. Once again we had booked the Seaturtle for the weekend with Saturday set up for some fun inshore stuff and Sunday would be an offshore trip.
Saturday opened up into a beautiful day, and everyone was ready for a great day of diving. As Captain Chuck came aboard he asked were we wanted to head to today, I quickly responded: Grecian and Pinnacles two of my favorite dives in the area. A short time later we were heading out of the harbor to a picturesque ocean scene. With barely a ripple on the surface and sunny skies the day promised to be awesome. First stop was the Grecian (95 feet); I was tying in so my buddy and I hopped in first after the grapple took hold. The lack of current allowed one tine of the grapple snagged on a lobster pot to be sufficient to hold the boat long enough for us to get down. I quickly located a more suitable tie in point and had us locked in. The clean sandy bottom around the Grecian helped the visibility out but due to a fine particulate the normally 20+ foot of visibility was reduced to a hazy 15, still not too bad. While I was hoping to shoot some fish I resorted to picking up a few bugs due to the lack of co-operation of the local piscatorial population. The light current made the dive a breeze and we spent a good 35 minutes on the bottom, water temperature was a bit colder than normal but nothing totally unusual.
The next dive on the Pinnacles (75 feet) was a blast; a large school of dogfish in the 3-5 foot range were hanging around and following divers. Mixed in were a few striped bass and cod fish. Lobsters abounded around this fantastic rock pile and were the focus of most of the divers. While the current and water temperatures were ideal the visibility was a bit off. At points it was as much as 15 feet but it could rapidly drop to 5. I would have to describe it as nutrient rich with particulate being the culprit of the reduced visibility. After several trips around this sea life magnet I grabbed the reel that Captain Chuck had run around and through the site and reeled in the line for a final swim around. Captain Chuck will often lay this line to help first time visitors to the site in seeing some of the outrageous rock formations. The trip back to the dock was relaxing as always and we were soon on our way to a wonderful potluck BBQ where the aforementioned lobsters were shared as well as fresh clams and a cornucopia of other culinary delights.
Due to the early morning start for Sunday the partying was kept to a minimum as 3 am comes quick. Due to the distance needed to arrive at the wreck of the Suffolk (180 feet) the early start was needed to beat the shark fishermen to the wreck. The Suffolk is a wreck of a cargo ship that sank in the early 40s during a storm. The wreck is fairly flattened after 60 some years of being pounded by the ocean. Despite this we were rewarded with a fantastic view of the ships keel and propeller. We were hoping for some giant lobsters to be occupying the wreck but they were not to be seen, we did have a chance to spot some big cod as well as several goosefish that could have easily swallowed a limb if disturbed. Needles to say we let sleeping fish lie. Several nice artifacts were spotted and future trips to the wreck are planned. The bottom conditions were good, a clean sandy bottom and warm bottom temps made for an enjoyable dive. The overcast sky and fog patches made for a dark bottom but visibility soon opened up as our eves adjusted. 25 minutes went quick and we were soon on our way, deco was uneventful and the thermo cline at 30 feet was a pleasant welcome. Now for the ride to the next dive .
The last dive of the weekend was on the Bass (155 feet), this was my and my buddies third or fourth dive on the wreck. We quickly hit the bottom and headed off down the starboard side towards the stern. Visibility was typical of the weekend with it hovering around 15 feet the bottom was a bit chilly but not uncomfortable at all. Several small 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound lobsters were seen but I didnt feel like dealing with them. This would be my first time reaching the stern and I was welcomed by the impressive sight of the propellers and rudders and the numerous fish that had congregated in this area. We headed up the port side and as we reached the brake and began heading for the bow I caught a sight in the corner of my eye of a huge bug in the sand at the base of the main section, I quickly got my buddies attention and dive-bombed the bug from above before he could dash away. It took a bit of force to get the 6 pound bug into my catch bag but he soon settled in. After a quick poke around the bow we were on our way up.
The nice thing about the early start was we were back at the dock by about 3 and had everything loaded back into our trucks by 4, traffic wasnt too bad and I was home relaxing by 5:30. Once again an awesome weekend of diving with Captain Chuck and his crew for Sunday Ted. If any one is looking to get some unforgettable diving in look up the Seaturtle, you certainly wont be disappointed
Yep we were back at it over the weekend of 7/30 and 7/31. Once again we had booked the Seaturtle for the weekend with Saturday set up for some fun inshore stuff and Sunday would be an offshore trip.
Saturday opened up into a beautiful day, and everyone was ready for a great day of diving. As Captain Chuck came aboard he asked were we wanted to head to today, I quickly responded: Grecian and Pinnacles two of my favorite dives in the area. A short time later we were heading out of the harbor to a picturesque ocean scene. With barely a ripple on the surface and sunny skies the day promised to be awesome. First stop was the Grecian (95 feet); I was tying in so my buddy and I hopped in first after the grapple took hold. The lack of current allowed one tine of the grapple snagged on a lobster pot to be sufficient to hold the boat long enough for us to get down. I quickly located a more suitable tie in point and had us locked in. The clean sandy bottom around the Grecian helped the visibility out but due to a fine particulate the normally 20+ foot of visibility was reduced to a hazy 15, still not too bad. While I was hoping to shoot some fish I resorted to picking up a few bugs due to the lack of co-operation of the local piscatorial population. The light current made the dive a breeze and we spent a good 35 minutes on the bottom, water temperature was a bit colder than normal but nothing totally unusual.
The next dive on the Pinnacles (75 feet) was a blast; a large school of dogfish in the 3-5 foot range were hanging around and following divers. Mixed in were a few striped bass and cod fish. Lobsters abounded around this fantastic rock pile and were the focus of most of the divers. While the current and water temperatures were ideal the visibility was a bit off. At points it was as much as 15 feet but it could rapidly drop to 5. I would have to describe it as nutrient rich with particulate being the culprit of the reduced visibility. After several trips around this sea life magnet I grabbed the reel that Captain Chuck had run around and through the site and reeled in the line for a final swim around. Captain Chuck will often lay this line to help first time visitors to the site in seeing some of the outrageous rock formations. The trip back to the dock was relaxing as always and we were soon on our way to a wonderful potluck BBQ where the aforementioned lobsters were shared as well as fresh clams and a cornucopia of other culinary delights.
Due to the early morning start for Sunday the partying was kept to a minimum as 3 am comes quick. Due to the distance needed to arrive at the wreck of the Suffolk (180 feet) the early start was needed to beat the shark fishermen to the wreck. The Suffolk is a wreck of a cargo ship that sank in the early 40s during a storm. The wreck is fairly flattened after 60 some years of being pounded by the ocean. Despite this we were rewarded with a fantastic view of the ships keel and propeller. We were hoping for some giant lobsters to be occupying the wreck but they were not to be seen, we did have a chance to spot some big cod as well as several goosefish that could have easily swallowed a limb if disturbed. Needles to say we let sleeping fish lie. Several nice artifacts were spotted and future trips to the wreck are planned. The bottom conditions were good, a clean sandy bottom and warm bottom temps made for an enjoyable dive. The overcast sky and fog patches made for a dark bottom but visibility soon opened up as our eves adjusted. 25 minutes went quick and we were soon on our way, deco was uneventful and the thermo cline at 30 feet was a pleasant welcome. Now for the ride to the next dive .
The last dive of the weekend was on the Bass (155 feet), this was my and my buddies third or fourth dive on the wreck. We quickly hit the bottom and headed off down the starboard side towards the stern. Visibility was typical of the weekend with it hovering around 15 feet the bottom was a bit chilly but not uncomfortable at all. Several small 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound lobsters were seen but I didnt feel like dealing with them. This would be my first time reaching the stern and I was welcomed by the impressive sight of the propellers and rudders and the numerous fish that had congregated in this area. We headed up the port side and as we reached the brake and began heading for the bow I caught a sight in the corner of my eye of a huge bug in the sand at the base of the main section, I quickly got my buddies attention and dive-bombed the bug from above before he could dash away. It took a bit of force to get the 6 pound bug into my catch bag but he soon settled in. After a quick poke around the bow we were on our way up.
The nice thing about the early start was we were back at the dock by about 3 and had everything loaded back into our trucks by 4, traffic wasnt too bad and I was home relaxing by 5:30. Once again an awesome weekend of diving with Captain Chuck and his crew for Sunday Ted. If any one is looking to get some unforgettable diving in look up the Seaturtle, you certainly wont be disappointed
