Dive advice needed for Cape Ann

[dave4868]

After reading some of the dive reports, I'm thinking diving Front/Back Beach and Old Garden early in the week to get acquainted with the area and than hitting Halibut and Cathedral While I often dive solo, I also enjoy company, so if anyone is available and willing during between Sept 1st and 7th, let me know.

BTW, anyplace in the area to get Nitrox fills? I was rather surprised to find Cape Ann Divers doesn't do Nitrox or fill even Nitrox tanks with clean air.

I might be coming down to dive one of the days of the Labor Day Weekend, but won't be able to commit until a day or two ahead. (I'm getting pretty picky about conditions.... )

I'm not sure what kind of fills are available at Freedom Diving in Gloucester, but they're both retail and commercial diving, so they might have nitrox:

Home - Freedom Diving Corp.

20 minutes south is Bob Boyle's Undersea Divers in Beverly, MA. He's great guy running a great shop!

Undersea Divers Dive Shop serving the North Shore, Cape Ann and the greater Boston area since 1987

Dave C

 

[Tug]

After reading some of the dive reports, I'm thinking diving Front/Back Beach and Old Garden early in the week to get acquainted with the area and than hitting Halibut and Cathedral While I often dive solo, I also enjoy company, so if anyone is available and willing during between Sept 1st and 7th, let me know.

BTW, anyplace in the area to get Nitrox fills? I was rather surprised to find Cape Ann Divers doesn't do Nitrox or fill even Nitrox tanks with clean air.

The only shop on the North Shore that has nitrox is Atlantic Divers in Beverly. He partial pressure blends and occasionally has some banked. Both Cape Ann Divers and Undersea Divers will not fill tanks with nitrox bands, however both Freedom Diving in Gloucester and Atlantic Divers will fill nitrox banded tanks with air.

I dove Halibut Point a month or so ago and it was a great dive. The hike in was the worst part, best bet would be to make a few trips especially if you're diving dry. I didn't dive in the park itself but close by. I parked just up the street from the Lobster Pot in Rockport and there is a path up behind some houses that will lead you to the ocean. It's a rocky entrance and doing it at or close to high tide would be preferable as the rocks can get slippery.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the dive.

I am off that week as well, shoot me a PM if you want to meet up for a dive.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[dave4868]

Great diving with you, Bill!

We got some decent dives at Pebble Beach. Dive report link:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ckport-ma-pics-sun-9-06-09-a.html#post4693740

Dave C

 

[billsreef]

Worst part about vacation, coming home and playing catch up :lol:

Had a great time diving on the Cape. It was pleasure meeting and diving with Lewis and Erica to dive Old Garden, meeting and diving with Dave, trappist, and Yens to dive Pebble the following day. Nothing like diving with good company along with some perfect diving weather

 

[Tug]

Worst part about vacation, coming home and playing catch up :lol:

Had a great time diving on the Cape. It was pleasure meeting and diving with Lewis and Erica to dive Old Garden, meeting and diving with Dave, trappist, and Yens to dive Pebble the following day. Nothing like diving with good company along with some perfect diving weather

It was a pleasure diving with you as well. Hope you had a good rest of your vacation.

 

[veriqster]

Its a great dive lots to see, but you want to be there and ready to go about 1 hr or so before high tide, not a place to go solo..

not a place to go with somebody you don't trust 100% either;
i usually go solo, but i'm just a guy who went in there in 3+ ft waves.
it's all about knowing the site, the way the current push against the shore depending on the tide, the topography in general and to be able to find your way back to the entrance / exit site without surfacing. there is some magnetic variation on the site as well so it's not a place to go alone unless it's dead calm and you have some cold water experience, the stamina to bring your stuff down the slope and up after and not the last a little bit of adventure spirit.
visibility depends on the tide, HIGHLY. on the right from the entrance point (the "sewer outlet" is a boulder field, full of vegetation and life, on the left is a stony plateau, not so much life but much easier to observe. you can find stripers and blues in the inlet of the "sewer", other fish are usually a little more away. lobsters everywhere, quite a lot of keepers (why are the commercial guys complaining i have no clue, well, their traps are about as dense in there as the sardines in a can, i guess that's why, but the lobsters have no interest in them, plenty on other stuff to eat and places to hide). i recommend descending to the bottom right in the "sewer outlet" and following the wall on your right side and than continue further to about 30-40 ft, than go to right. on your way back you will bump into the stone plateau, at that point you turn around for like 50ft and head back to the shore. you will bump into the wall again and it will take back to the inlet. keep regulator in your mouth , fins on and don't be ashamed / afraid to crawl on your way back - if the waves are significant it's the only way to get out. if not sure you can make it straight into the inlet surface from where the bottom is about 30ft and get an accurate bearing on it. any mistake on a not very calm day might put you in hospital, or worse, ...
good luck.
p.s. some shops in the area arrange for shore dives at cathedral but it's quite rare, now you know why, ...
p.p.s. i know my advice is late but maybe it will benefit somebody else. I can make a sketch of the site as well.

p.p.p.s. if this is the "legendary" rebreather Dave Sutton, any chance you guys are running to the 853 this weekend? i was hoping to visit it this year.