First NJ Dive: Pinta. What to expect?

[Matt19380]

I'll be going on my first NJ dive in a couple of weeks. I'm going with an instructor. I'll be in a drysuit, with a single 95. We'll be headed to the Pinta. I hear it's a good beginner dive. That's me: a beginner. I've got approx 25 dives, AOW cert. I've done a handful a caribbean boat dives. The rest have been in the local quarry in a drysuit.

I'm not quite sure what to expect. Will most of the other divers be carrying a pony bottle? What are some of the local boat-etiquette rules? Should I expect a strong current? How bad is the visibility? Any new NJ divers want to tell me about your experience? Any salty old NJ divers want to give the new guy some advice?

All input is appreciated!

 

[garyfotodiver]

I also would like to learn. My first (and only) NJ wreck dive was over 35 years ago. Quarter inch wetsuit, steel 72, no pony, and the ride back was very rough. Oh, it was December 1970.

 

[RJP]

Will most of the other divers be carrying a pony bottle?

I don't know of any NJ boats that do NOT require a pony (or doubles).

What boat are you diving with?

 

[scubadobadoo]

Some boats will allow you to dive without a pony if the depths are shallow, like under 60 feet but of course you rarely get tha shallow unless the charter is specifically a beginner dive charter.

What to expect? Cold, say 50's f or less at depth. Visibilty could be 2 feet or 40+ but usually darker and greener than you are used to. Seas could be flat or 6-8ft. Current could be so strong it's not worth diving or could be non-existant. Basically expect the worst and be happy with anything better, lol. Stay close to your buddy, don't lose the line, and keep the navigating very simple. Oh, if you don't feel comfortable then stop, breathe, think, and act. If you don't feel right after that, then abort. Don't board until you ask or get the ok. Try to keep your gear tucked away and leave the large luggage at home. Try to fit as much gear as you can into a mesh duffel that can be tucked away. Listen to the dive briefing, conditions and dif. boats have dif. rules for getting in and out. Have fun!

http://www.njscuba.net/sites/site_pinta.html

 

[diveh3]

Yeah, Scubadobado pretty much hit Jersey diving right on.
I have been on the Pinta when it was like a bath tub with good vis, then, I have been on it where the surge and current were ripping and we had to time the surge just right and drift into the up line. One diver missed the line and the surge took him head over fins over the wreck.
Take your time and have fun, it is usually a good bug wreck, take a light and look between the timbers that are spilled out over the wreck.
It will be a great experience dive!

 

[ScottNY]

Any new NJ divers want to tell me about your experience? Any salty old NJ divers want to give the new guy some advice? All input is appreciated!

Disclosure first: LIke you I've done mostly warm water or quarry for training and I've only been on a couple of NJ dive boats, but here's what I came to realize about NJ boats so far. If anyone else sees me being wrong here, please do correct/add.

* True enough, it is a bit more gritty then Caribbean/FL, etc. The seas will likely be a bit rougher, a bit colder. (ok, significantly colder.) Also, the sites may take a bit longer to get to than in other places. But you'll know time to site upfront anyway. In terms of the roughness, this means a couple of things:

- If you have a tendency to get sick, take whatever meds you take at least the night before as well as day of. Try to stay upwind of any diesel fumes.

- Be STRONG on your legs; that is, deliberate when you move about the boat; especially with heavy equipment. That may be obvious and always true, but it bears repeating if you've been really used to wholly calm waters. (BTW... we're not talking Perfect Storm here; just something a bit more than what you're maybe used to is all.)

- There may be a line from wherever you splash in to the anchor line. Get hold of it and follow it. Anticipate its moving around if the boat is pitching. Be careful of how the boat pitches. If you lose it, it's not the end of the world. The thing is to get to the anchor line; just be aware of where the boat is. Don't get knocked out by any part of the hull. This would be bad.

- Whatever ladder the boat has, (maybe a Christmas Tree style), be ready to have it moving about more so than what you've been used to when you're ready to board. Be careful with this if things are pitching about. Keep your reg in your mouth. Go SLOWLY. Take your time. Watch others if you want. If you have to wait until the stern pitches down to get a good step up, do that. If the ladder system, (such as Xmas tree), is one you haven't used before, make sure to just ask about it. Your dive isn't really over until you're safely seated on the boat and you're removing equipment.

* Equipment

- You may find a lot of guys use milk crates; possibly cut up or modified, for their boat gear. Seems to be a kind of NJ thing. Whatever. I went home and made some myself to be like the cool kids. But the fact is, it's probably easier just to have a little mesh bag. Same as any boat. Keep your gear compact. Personally, I have a medium mesh duffle and also in it a small drybag in which I put a small towel and dry shirt for afterwards. (It may get wet anyway, but at least it starts out dry.) They probably have snacks and such on the boat. Bring a powerbar or something anyway, just in case.

- Save-a-dive kit. Other guys probably have extra stuff anyway, but a small little bag with some spare O rings, maybe a fin/mask strap, etc. can matter.

- There may be carts or something to haul your gear to the boat. Like any boat, don't board until told it's ok to do so. But when ok, do your regular set up. As another has said, leave behind anything you don't really need. Like you don't need you're whole mondo huge everything gear bag. Just carry your BC and tanks and smaller mesh for all the little stuff. But - obviously - make sure you transfer the critical stuff to your boat bag.

The Dive

- If it's colder than you're used to, you'll likely burn air faster. Keep an eye on this. You may be going with an instructor, but you're still responsible for yourself. Know what your turnarund PSI is going to be. Work this out with your buddy beforehand. Don't think it's ok to stretch this. Think of this as a training dive; not one where you have to keep up with anyone else for any reason. I'm not sure why, but it seems the moment the boat is hooked, guys are scrambling to splash in. Some may have huge double-tank set ups or spearfishing equipment or who knows what. IF that seems to be the vibe on your boat, ignore it. Just relax. It's YOUR dive too. Chances are you're going to come up around the same time as them anyway even if others dump in a couple minutes before you. I'm not the greatest with air myself, so I prefer to jump in close to last.

All this is a lot to think about. Maybe too much. And you're there to have fun. So definitely do that too!!!

 

[Matt19380]

I don't know of any NJ boats that do NOT require a pony (or doubles).

What boat are you diving with?

I haven't trained with a pony yet & certainly not doubles. I'm not sure if I will have one. I'm diving with my instructor at the quarry this weekend & we're going to talk about things like that.

My assumption at this point is that I will not have a pony. I believe I've heard in the past that a pony isn't required b/c the wreck is only 90 fsw and I have an instructor. I don't know if this is true or not but will find out definitely tomorrow.

Either way - I want to start diving with a redundant air source. I don't know whether it should doubles or a pony. I have no plans on cave, wreck penetration, or deco diving. So, maybe a pony is the right answer for me? But, that discussion is probably a whole other thread.

 

[Matt19380]

Disclosure first: LIke you I've done mostly warm water or quarry for training and I've only been on a couple of NJ dive boats, but here's what I came to realize about NJ boats so far. If anyone else sees me being wrong here, please do correct/add.

...

All this is a lot to think about. Maybe too much. And you're there to have fun. So definitely do that too!!!

Scott - Thanks for taking the time to write that out. Lots of good stuff in there. I really appreciate that.

Diesel fumes - ohhh, right. I've been out on those "head" boats off of NJ to fish for blues. The diesel was bad. I ended up in the back of the boat. One guy up wind of me got sea-sick. He leaned over the rail and tossed his cookies. It was a very windy day. Thank God I was wearing a rain coat. Ugh!

Colder than I'm used to...well, I'm used to the quarry. I've been down in the 85 ffw range in June. Yep, that was cold. Should I expect colder water on the Pinta? Or will it be similar? I'm trying to decide what to wear under my drysuit.

I have a mesh bad very similar to this one. I was planning on bringing it on the boat.
http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?product_id=BG320

 

[Matt19380]

Some boats will allow you to dive without a pony if the depths are shallow, like under 60 feet but of course you rarely get tha shallow unless the charter is specifically a beginner dive charter.

What to expect? Cold, say 50's f or less at depth. Visibilty could be 2 feet or 40+ but usually darker and greener than you are used to. Seas could be flat or 6-8ft. Current could be so strong it's not worth diving or could be non-existant. Basically expect the worst and be happy with anything better, lol. Stay close to your buddy, don't lose the line, and keep the navigating very simple. Oh, if you don't feel comfortable then stop, breathe, think, and act. If you don't feel right after that, then abort. Don't board until you ask or get the ok. Try to keep your gear tucked away and leave the large luggage at home. Try to fit as much gear as you can into a mesh duffel that can be tucked away. Listen to the dive briefing, conditions and dif. boats have dif. rules for getting in and out. Have fun!

http://www.njscuba.net/sites/site_pinta.html

Thanks for the link - that site has some good info. Nice to see some pics before hand too.

 

[genxweb]

I haven't trained with a pony yet & certainly not doubles. I'm not sure if I will have one. I'm diving with my instructor at the quarry this weekend & we're going to talk about things like that.

My assumption at this point is that I will not have a pony. I believe I've heard in the past that a pony isn't required b/c the wreck is only 90 fsw and I have an instructor. I don't know if this is true or not but will find out definitely tomorrow.

Either way - I want to start diving with a redundant air source. I don't know whether it should doubles or a pony. I have no plans on cave, wreck penetration, or deco diving. So, maybe a pony is the right answer for me? But, that discussion is probably a whole other thread.

Anything deeper then 60 feet from all the ops I called in NJ require a redundant air source. Now with that being said do they all enforce that when you show up? I am not sure. I personally carry a 40 cf bottle with 28% mix in it on any boat dive. I have the bottle slung like a deco bottle would be to easily reach the guages and to turn it on.

I would suggest asking the local shop if they rent one and using it in that manner. It would not require extra training and make for a good hand / arm rest while you are in good trim .

Other then that the water temp been in about the 50 range the last month with some sites being a bit different and vis has been a hit or miss. It seems in shore wrecks have had the best vis in Nj from the reports we get from the divers at the shop. Either way have safe fun dive.