Gear packing for NJ wreck diving

[Jim Lapenta]

Couple of questions..

What’s your typical runtimes? 60mins, 90mins, 120mins?

Is it normal to ascend on the shot line or do you bag off (send up a SMB) from the wreck?

Typical depths?

What’s the current like?

Depends on the dives. Mainly I do Great Lakes so anywhere from 45 minutes to 90. Depends on deco time I want to do.

Water temps are anywhere from 38 F to 45 F. That dictates a lot of the run times on the lakes. Especially on OC. Longest I have done is 105 with 66 of that being deco.

Most of the wrecks have buoys on or just off of them. So ascending on the line is common.

110-165ft.

Current can be non-existent to 1 knot. Even though they are freshwater there is a lot of water moving through the lakes and it can be deceptive. You can also get a lot of movement near/on the surface if the wind picks up at all. Since the boat is moored, coming up on a bag can result in a long swim or wait if the wind picks up.
Been out on flat calm days and days where 2-4 ft waves were running.

Anything over that the boats don't usually go out.
25 ft waves have been recorded on Erie during storms and they can come up quick.

On the larger lakes even bigger waves have been recorded. It has been estimated and modeled by NOAA than the waves that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald could have been as much as 46 feet.

I've also been out in the Pacific off Monterey and had to deal with a fair amount of surge and surfacing in a kelp forest.
Not deep less than 90ft but challenging.

My first dive in the Pacific was also my first saltwater rescue assist. As my buddy and I completed our kelp crawl to the boat we heard someone shouting for help. DM dove out over our heads and I followed him.
AOW diver who had never dived colder water (56F) was in 7mm for the first time. Lost his buddy and wore himself out trying to swim through the kelp. On the verge of panic but not quite there yet. DM and I got to him and had to tow him back to the boat.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

A hotel is a good idea. I did that when I did some North Carolina wreck diving and drove to the coast the day before from Atlanta. Don't understimate the benefits of being well rested on your ability to dive safely.

This is so true.
Even when diving Erie which is a 3 hour drive for me, it makes a massive difference driving up the night before and getting a room. I can't do the early morning 2-4 hour drive and dive thing anymore. Too much wear and tear on my 63 yr old body.

 

[Marie13]

A hotel is a good idea. I did that when I did some North Carolina wreck diving and drove to the coast the day before from Atlanta. Don't understimate the benefits of being well rested on your ability to dive safely.

Tell me about it. A 3 hour drive is about my limit for same day diving. Any more than that, I head up the night before and get a hotel. Well worth it.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I know Jim and Marie understood what I was getting at with my suggestion of a hotel, but just for emphasis to others, my point was not so much about feeling okay as about being able to stay focused on a dive. Diving safely in cold, murky open water (NJ, Great Lakes, etc.) takes real concentration--maintaining situational awareness at all times. Be as well rested as possible if you've got a challenging dive.

 

[doctormike]

Not in the least bit unexpectedly, Excellent!

I fininshed the first draft at 2 AM... just made some updates, including something about cutting devices!

 

[doctormike]

No Sir, I leave around 1am to head that way. Usually I car pool with a buddy, but he's an hr north and needs to leave @ 2am. It's a long day, but beats paying a hotel.. I have thought about sleeping in my car but haven't done that yet. From what I understand most boats will let you camp if pre-arranged? Haven't tried that either.. I would assume it helps if they know you from previous trips.

The boats that I regularly dive on don't let you do that these days (sleep on the boat). Maybe there are some that do, but not the Gypsy Blood, the Indy II, or the Ol Salty.

I can understand that, there are big legal and insurance issues, and the Conception liveaboard fire probably ended that in our area for good.

When we used to dive on the John Jack, captain Rich would let people sleep on the boat, so we would drive down the night before, load all of our gear, head across the street to the restaurant, have a great night, fall asleep in our bunks and wake up over the wreck!

 

[rob.mwpropane]

The boats that I regularly dive on don't let you do that these days (sleep on the boat). Maybe there are some that do, but not the Gypsy Blood, the Indy II, or the Ol Salty.

I can understand that, there are big legal and insurance issues, and the Conception liveaboard fire probably ended that in our area for good.

When we used to dive on the John Jack, captain Rich would let people sleep on the boat, so we would drive down the night before, load all of our gear, head across the street to the restaurant, have a great night, fall asleep in our bunks and wake up over the wreck!

I haven't tried it, was just something I had heard. With the humidity I think I'd rather sleep in the van anyway. I've done my fair share of sleeping on boats.. never got the hang of it.

 

[mje113]

I would add that Blue Water Divers in Rochelle Park, NJ offer a beginner NJ wreck dive. They provide training and dedicated DMs. A good way to start if you haven’t done it before. They usually charter the whole boat.

South Jersey Scuba out of Marlton also has "New to Jersey Diving" trips on the Dina Dee. They sold out faster than I could clear my schedule so I didn't get on one this year.

 

[mje113]

I fininshed the first draft at 2 AM... just made some updates, including something about cutting devices!

Hey I can't thank you enough for this! Timing was right down to the wire as I read it yesterday at 4:30am on my drive to the Gypsy Blood. I missed a couple pieces of gear (strobe and reel), but your coverage of the procedures for boarding/storing gear, and the actual dive were invaluable. The crew on Gypsy was great and also covered a lot, but it was very encouraging showing up with some baseline knowledge.

 

[doctormike]

Hey I can't thank you enough for this! Timing was right down to the wire as I read it yesterday at 4:30am on my drive to the Gypsy Blood. I missed a couple pieces of gear (strobe and reel), but your coverage of the procedures for boarding/storing gear, and the actual dive were invaluable. The crew on Gypsy was great and also covered a lot, but it was very encouraging showing up with some baseline knowledge.

That makes me SO happy to hear..! Also glad that you were able to get out...

The crew is great (like most of them on the local boats), they take their jobs very seriously. They are there to help you with little stuff when you are getting started (like putting on your gloves), but they are also VERY well trained, experienced and professional. And that makes a big difference if there is ever a real emergency. I can't imagine diving without that kind of topside support.