MadisonK:
i still haven't figured out the where to post what question on this board so if this is in the wrong place please tell me. Also, the search function hasn't turned up too much for me.
I am planning on doing a dive on the Chester Polin in Gloucester, MA. I am a new diver with approx. 25 dives in the last two months. The deepest has been to 75'. The Polin is in 95'. There will be 6 of us diving from my boat. Two of the guys are 1000+ dives with multiple dives to this wreck. They will be leading us. I would like to know as much as I can before we do the dive and not depend on them for everything.
Here are my questions.
Any tips on anchoring over a wreck. Tips on descend/ascend lines? High tide will be at 11:12am that day. Slack tide is obviously preferable. How far on either side of the 11:12 can we dive safely.
What kind of bottom time can I expect?
Any other special considerations?
We will not be entering this wreck or anything else unsafe. The Polin is an oil barge and is apparently a relatively safe dive.
The Chester Poling has two moorings on each side. Both will be marked by white buoys with a red stripe around the middle. You don't need to ask anyone to use the moorings. They are maintained by a group of commercial charters. Of course, be a steward of the site and tie lines that snap, reattach buoys, etc. help out in anyway you can. Be polite if there are other boats out there, etc. If both moorings are occupied most boaters/charters will allow you to tie off to their boat. Cape Ann Divers goes out to this site more than anyone in this area. If you notice a problem with the mooring call them. They updated the mooring tackle at the beginning of this year in fact. The moorings are in great shape.
The Poling is approx. 95' to the sand and 75' to the top of the deck. My last dive on her was last Thursday night. We had a bottom temp of 50 degrees exactly. We had a super high tide (full moon) and were able to reach 100' to the sand.
Slack tide is usually best but it does not really matter for this site. You also can't get lost unless you swim away from the wreck. If you ascend the wrong mooring line you will only be about 70' from the correct one. If you have really experienced locals going with you I'm sure you're fine there. When I dive this at night, I attach a strobe to the mooring line for added safety. One side of the wreck looks "normal" and the other side looks like a beer can torn in half (jagged edges, etc.)
I'm not insulting you with the following, but from your questions I am a bit concerned about your comfort for this dive. What concerns me specifically is your question about expected bottom time. Are you diving air or Nitrox; tables or computer? What is your planned time and depth? Will the entire group be following the same plan? Has your diving experience been in New England or the tropics? Again, forgive me if I misunderstood your post above.
As for the Poling as a dive site, it's a classic Massachusetts wreck dive. It has real history and it's fascinating to see it with your own eyes, especially for the first time. Vis totally varies with conditions and really you can never predict it until you are down there. I have been on this site with 3' vis to days with 30' vis. Last Thursday we had great vis. There is a fair amount of fish net and monofilament line around this wreck. Whenever you are going around a wreck "cycle your head" as I describe it (look all around and above you in the direction you are heading) every few kicks to make sure you will see any net before you swim into it. The biggest sea life I have seen in NE has been at this site. Once I saw a giant fish (COD as I recall), a school of 7 Spiny Dogfish (local sharks), and the biggest lobster I have ever heard about, read about, or seen anywhere. Fortunately I have one buddy who can attest to this lobster! It was a night dive - I thought I was hallucinating. I looked away, blinked my eyes a few times, then pointed my light back at it. I grabbed my buddy and when his light hit it he jumped literally in the water. When we got to the surface he said he jumped because he thought it was a human body based on the distance between the claws. Crazy big lobster....I would estimate between 3-4' long with claws the size of a legal size sheet of paper. You would probably have to see it to believe me.
Anyway - fantastic site with lot's to see. Have a great dive but be sure you have a plan and feel comfortable with the conditions relative to your experience and comfort.
--Matt
). I have very good gear including a dive computer from Suunto. I'm not a risk taker but I honestly don't know how to decide when I'm ready for the next step.
