Andrea Doria Divers

[AADiveRex]

But at the same time, I wonder how many deaths there would have been on the Doria if they did not allow penetration?

Most of the deaths had nothing to do with penetration. Only John Ormsby and Carig Sicola were likely due to penetration. Other who were in the wreck more likely died from balckout. Some I'm not sure of, anyone have more info?

1981 - John Barnett - Inside wreck, untangled - Possible deep water blackout
1984 - Frank Kennedy - Floated to the surface unconscious - Possible deep water blackout
1985 - John Ormsby - Entanglement inside the wreck
1988 - Joe Drozd - ???
1992 - Matthew Lawrence - Ran out of air - using half full tanks
1992 - Mike Scofield - ???
1993 - Robert Santuli - ???
1998 - Craig Sicola - Most likely lost inside wreck, exited with no time or gas.
1998 - Richard Roost - Inside wreck, no entanglement. Possible deep water blackout
1998 - Vince Napoliello - Isolator closed, thought he was out of air, Erratic Behavior, possible panic, swam right past the ascent line
1999 - Christopher Murley - Never made it below the surface, heart attack
1999 - Charlie McGurr - Never made it to the wreck, likely CO2 buildup from fighting a strong current during descent

I truly believe that although so much is written and recounted about this wreck, and the dangers are well publicized, these dangers are almost always taken more lightly than they should be. I have been there on good days and bad days. On the best days, it is a very challenging dive, and a very dangerous penetration. On bad days, it can be your worst nightmare. Conditions can and do change so rapidly that some dives start off good and end up bad. Currents pick up rapidly out of nowhere, at different depths, and even change direction. The bottom is very cold, and there is little relief on the hangs. Surface conditions change rapidly as well, and I have actually seen video shot on the surface during my hangs, where schools of sharks were litterally circling the anchor line.

The number of seasoned, expert divers that died there should be a loud warning. If you are planning to dive the Doria, you should be very comfortable diving deep north atlantic wrecks. There are plenty of deep, challenging wrecks here to build up to the Doria on. I'm sure that the Gunilda is a very challenging dive, but every region has its peculialarities, and the North Atlantic is a unique animal. I would never presume to know the Great Lakes region conditions, but I assume they are unique too. Becoming an expert at one type of diving does little to prepare you for the other aspects of the dive that you will never have been exposed to before.

Dive Safe
Adam

 

[crawford]

Most of the deaths had nothing to do with penetration. Only John Ormsby and Carig Sicola were likely due to penetration. Other who were in the wreck more likely died from balckout. Some I'm not sure of, anyone have more info?

1981 - John Barnett - Inside wreck, untangled - Possible deep water blackout
1984 - Frank Kennedy - Floated to the surface unconscious - Possible deep water blackout
1985 - John Ormsby - Entanglement inside the wreck
1988 - Joe Drozd - ???
1992 - Matthew Lawrence - Ran out of air - using half full tanks
1992 - Mike Scofield - ???
1993 - Robert Santuli - ???
1998 - Craig Sicola - Most likely lost inside wreck, exited with no time or gas.
1998 - Richard Roost - Inside wreck, no entanglement. Possible deep water blackout
1998 - Vince Napoliello - Isolator closed, thought he was out of air, Erratic Behavior, possible panic, swam right past the ascent line
1999 - Christopher Murley - Never made it below the surface, heart attack
1999 - Charlie McGurr - Never made it to the wreck, likely CO2 buildup from fighting a strong current during descent

I truly believe that although so much is written and recounted about this wreck, and the dangers are well publicized, these dangers are almost always taken more lightly than they should be. I have been there on good days and bad days. On the best days, it is a very challenging dive, and a very dangerous penetration. On bad days, it can be your worst nightmare. Conditions can and do change so rapidly that some dives start off good and end up bad. Currents pick up rapidly out of nowhere, at different depths, and even change direction. The bottom is very cold, and there is little relief on the hangs. Surface conditions change rapidly as well, and I have actually seen video shot on the surface during my hangs, where schools of sharks were litterally circling the anchor line.

The number of seasoned, expert divers that died there should be a loud warning. If you are planning to dive the Doria, you should be very comfortable diving deep north atlantic wrecks. There are plenty of deep, challenging wrecks here to build up to the Doria on. I'm sure that the Gunilda is a very challenging dive, but every region has its peculialarities, and the North Atlantic is a unique animal. I would never presume to know the Great Lakes region conditions, but I assume they are unique too. Becoming an expert at one type of diving does little to prepare you for the other aspects of the dive that you will never have been exposed to before.

Dive Safe
Adam

Great post. Well put about the differences between N. Atlantic and Great Lakes wrecks. Everyone should read this twice.

 

[tthv40]

Hi I spent alot of time on the Wahoo and the Seeker. Knew Steve Belinder and his staff well. Gary Gentile and his mates. Couple of things to know. The Doria is deep. Lots of decompression time. Trimix is used. Very strong currents. I have been told it like being on a flag pole in a strong wind. The easy stuff is gone and whatever remains NO ONE IS GOING TO TELL YOU WHERE IT IS!!! Lots of very good divers have told me they found it very easy to get lost. Some find things and then cannot carry all yhe suff back or the lift bag is not ample to raise it. If I was to dive it again I would take some video or pictures and be very carefull about going inside, VERY CAREFUL. Another thing is it is an expensive trip and the window to make the dive is about 8 weeks.
Good luck if you go!!

 

[PhotoTJ]

You know what's sad (metaphorically speaking of course, because I don't wish tragedy on anyone) is that with all the modern technology keeping ships aware from each other and out of wx, there may not be any more new victims sent to the bottom for us to explore. snip....

Never, NEVER underestimate Murphy! As long as ships go to sea, Murphy will sink them.

 

[tthv40]

Hi
I would say 60 divers per year hit the Doria. A very difficult and deep dive. Major Decompression stops and currents. The Doria still has treasure on board. Problem is getting to them, getting them out and finding your way out. The other problem is not being greedy when you do find treasure you ned to get yourself and it OUT. Good luck!! :07:

 

[mike the brit]

the name of the ship which sank in Europe carrying BMW' was called the Tricolor (might have spelt that wrong), alas they salvaged it by cutting it into about 13 pieces and made a great web site. Used a huge diamond encrusted cable and cut through engine blocks the lot, quite amazing stuff.

but they also swept the sea bed so nothing remains!! Also, just for the record, two ships hit the wreck before it was salvaged because the French did not bouy it off, despite it being in shallow water and in the shipping lane..........what class!!!

 

[SnakeRiverPirate]

U869 would seem to be in the Andrea Doria class for difficulty. The dearth of artifacts will probably keep it out of the running.

 

[Ocean County Diver]

There are still quite a few trips a year to the U869 and the Doria. I see them posted on the local dive boat schedules, however they are definitely don't appear to be run with the same frequency as in years past.

 

[parrothead725]

be careful out there

MyFox Boston | Diver Died Exploring Andrea Doria Shipwreck off Nantucket

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

What's going on with legal block on divers, or has that been resolved? I haven't paid too much attention.

My understanding is: "Thou Shalt Not Dive The Edmund Fitzgerald. It has been designated as a Maritime Grave Site." I recall reading that there was opprobrium expressed over a documentary film crew using sonar to image the wreck from a distance without seeking permission first.