wreckedinri
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Finally got the time to write up a proper dive report about last Saturday’s dive. Harry, Jan, and I put in up in the pond in the shadow of South County Hospital to head out to the Acid Barge. The Acid Barge is a seldom-visited wreck about 8 miles southeast of Block Island. It is seldom visited due to its location. Not only is it so far from shore – 23 miles – but also it is so close to the Bass that most opt to dive the Bass and not some ole barge if they’re in the area. Well, curiosity got the best of us and we had to check it out. After the 45-minute run from the West Gap we came upon the site. On cue, as we went over our numbers, the hulk of this now artificial reef showed itself on the depth finder. Published numbers for her are not very accurate, however, last year we spent a bit of time looking for her and finally marked the site.
With numbers for each end we passed over her, approaching from down current and promptly set the hook on the first try. With calm seas, great weather, good friends, and now being tied in, the day was getting better and better! It got better still, when after setting the geri line I could look down and see it at over 40 feet deep! We each silently hoped that the great visibility would follow us to the bottom.
Harry and Jan splashed first, with me following upon their return. With the glorious sunshine and light breeze it was almost a perfect day – except for the flies! With so little wind to keep them at bay we were inundated by Horse Flies. We had the same issue a few weeks earlier out of Boston. Other than that minor nuisance, I was free to relax, and wait for my friends to return. With a run time of nearly an hour to this dive of 160fsw, they would not be back for a while. I had plenty of time to chill and fight off the urge to take a nap. I guess I didn’t fight hard enough as I was suddenly startled from a state of half-consciousness by the unmistakable exhalation of several Dolphins near the boat. I jumped to my feet to see dozens – probably a hundred or so – of the marine mammals all around the boat. As luck would have it, Jan was hanging at his 30-foot stop and was given a fish eye view of the creatures encircling us. A chance of a lifetime!
When Harry and Jan returned and we were done hearing about the Dolphins, I got the news that the visibility at the bottom was nearly as good as at the surface. Have you ever had one of those days when you can’t suit up fast enough? Well, this was one of them. Still, gotta check and double check – gas on, isolator open, lights, camera, and action!
Oh how that water feels soooo good when you finally roll off the boat on a hot summer day. After the bubbles cleared and I checked the housing for leaks, I headed down the line into the emerald colored water. At 50fsw I hit a refreshing thermocline, not the typical ice-cream headache kind that we typically endure on some of the deeper Massachusetts wrecks, but about a ten-degree differential. At just past 100fsw I looked down and could see the wreck below me. Settling on the wreck at 143fsw I felt like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t know which way to go. First I moved the hook to where it would be easy to cast off. Don’t want to be messing with a problem at the end of a dive. That took a bit longer than expected – but hey; that’s why it’s done at the beginning of the dive. After attempting to fire up my video lights and failing (post dive I found that the switch was not working) I decided to simply take in the sites. Vis was an honest 25 feet with shadows being seen out to 40 feet. There is one large dragger net on the port quarter with a float pulling it up to resemble a telephone pole covered with camo netting. Several pipes run along the centerline of the barge, with numerous steel hand wheels dotting the deck which controlled valves within the barge. The wreck rises a solid ten feet above the sandy seabed. Being intact it is easy to navigate around. While this was a solo dive, the numerous Cunners, Sea Bass, and Dogfish never let me feel alone.
After my planned BT I headed back up the line after tossing the hook in the sand. I was hoping to be treated to the same Dolphin show that Jan saw but alas all I got to watch was a myriad of jelly fish and invertebrates wafting by with the current. I kept a vigilant watch for the streaming tentacles of any Portuguese Man-O-War, as we saw one earlier on our way out. After a warm and relaxing hang we stowed our gear and readied the boat to head over to the Idene for a second dive and experience conditions very similar to the barge. It was a great day to be diving around Block Island.
Be Safe,
Dennis
With numbers for each end we passed over her, approaching from down current and promptly set the hook on the first try. With calm seas, great weather, good friends, and now being tied in, the day was getting better and better! It got better still, when after setting the geri line I could look down and see it at over 40 feet deep! We each silently hoped that the great visibility would follow us to the bottom.
Harry and Jan splashed first, with me following upon their return. With the glorious sunshine and light breeze it was almost a perfect day – except for the flies! With so little wind to keep them at bay we were inundated by Horse Flies. We had the same issue a few weeks earlier out of Boston. Other than that minor nuisance, I was free to relax, and wait for my friends to return. With a run time of nearly an hour to this dive of 160fsw, they would not be back for a while. I had plenty of time to chill and fight off the urge to take a nap. I guess I didn’t fight hard enough as I was suddenly startled from a state of half-consciousness by the unmistakable exhalation of several Dolphins near the boat. I jumped to my feet to see dozens – probably a hundred or so – of the marine mammals all around the boat. As luck would have it, Jan was hanging at his 30-foot stop and was given a fish eye view of the creatures encircling us. A chance of a lifetime!
When Harry and Jan returned and we were done hearing about the Dolphins, I got the news that the visibility at the bottom was nearly as good as at the surface. Have you ever had one of those days when you can’t suit up fast enough? Well, this was one of them. Still, gotta check and double check – gas on, isolator open, lights, camera, and action!
Oh how that water feels soooo good when you finally roll off the boat on a hot summer day. After the bubbles cleared and I checked the housing for leaks, I headed down the line into the emerald colored water. At 50fsw I hit a refreshing thermocline, not the typical ice-cream headache kind that we typically endure on some of the deeper Massachusetts wrecks, but about a ten-degree differential. At just past 100fsw I looked down and could see the wreck below me. Settling on the wreck at 143fsw I felt like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t know which way to go. First I moved the hook to where it would be easy to cast off. Don’t want to be messing with a problem at the end of a dive. That took a bit longer than expected – but hey; that’s why it’s done at the beginning of the dive. After attempting to fire up my video lights and failing (post dive I found that the switch was not working) I decided to simply take in the sites. Vis was an honest 25 feet with shadows being seen out to 40 feet. There is one large dragger net on the port quarter with a float pulling it up to resemble a telephone pole covered with camo netting. Several pipes run along the centerline of the barge, with numerous steel hand wheels dotting the deck which controlled valves within the barge. The wreck rises a solid ten feet above the sandy seabed. Being intact it is easy to navigate around. While this was a solo dive, the numerous Cunners, Sea Bass, and Dogfish never let me feel alone.
After my planned BT I headed back up the line after tossing the hook in the sand. I was hoping to be treated to the same Dolphin show that Jan saw but alas all I got to watch was a myriad of jelly fish and invertebrates wafting by with the current. I kept a vigilant watch for the streaming tentacles of any Portuguese Man-O-War, as we saw one earlier on our way out. After a warm and relaxing hang we stowed our gear and readied the boat to head over to the Idene for a second dive and experience conditions very similar to the barge. It was a great day to be diving around Block Island.
Be Safe,
Dennis
