Cape Dive Club Meeting
Tuesday July 7, 2009
6:00-7:00 PM Social Hour/Meeting
7:00PM Presentation
Diving the Portland
Guest Speaker: Bob Foster
Where: Hyannis Golf Club - Route 132 Hyannis
Everyone is Welcome!
Email: capedive@capediveclub.com
The Steamship Portland, lost with all hands in a devastating storm at the turn of the last century, was thought to be beyond the reach of scuba divers.
In August of 2008, Bob and fellow divers Slav Mlch, Dave Faye, Paul Blanchette and Don Morse pushed the boundaries of technical diving and become the first to visit the Portland in 110 years.
Bob Foster will take you along on the first dives to the Portland, lost for almost 100 years after sailing into the "perfect storm" of November 26th, 1898. This elegant paddle-wheeler carried over 190 passengers and crew as it left India Wharf in Boston bound for Portland Maine, and was last seen as night fell off the coast of Cape Ann. The wreck was discovered in 1989 and positively identified in 2002, lying over 450 feet deep in what is now the Stellwagen Bank Underwater National Marine Sanctuary.
Bob has been an active diver since 1972, and became interested in wreck diving while living near the Great Lakes in the 80's. He has been searching for shipwrecks in Massachusetts Bay for the last 8 years, and has discovered and documented over 15 including the YF-415, Brenton Reef Lightship, and Augustus Snow. In 2007, Bob was among the first divers to visit the Palmer/Crary wrecks, 360 feet below the surface in Stellwagen Sanctuary. Bob's wreck diving interests have also taken him to Lake Superior and to the Florida Keys, as well as to New York/New Jersey to dive the U-869 and the USS Spikefish.
This presentation is not to be missed!
