CapeFear
Registered
WOW, what a great weekend of solo diving. The weather was just fantastic for the 1st and 2nd of January. It was in the high 60s both days and the ocean was almost flat the 1st and a very gentle rolling swell on the 2nd. It just does not get any better. In a word gorgeous!! The perfect way to start off the New Year. If the rest of the year is half as good as this, its going to be a good one!
We went to the Neaco for the first dive and the Shurze for the second both days. The water was not what we expected as the warm clear water had moved off the Neaco just a little farther out so it was not the low/mid 70s like it normally is this time of year. Bummer! Both days it was 61-62F on the bottom and 64F at the hang and around 30 of vis on the bottom.
The first day there was a very slight current on the Neaco and the second it was blowing up top and I felt like a flag on a pole in a stiff wind. I like that tho as you get to watch all the critters that go by in the water column.
Even tho it was chilly there were still a lot of tropical fish, grouper, lionfish, the assorted regular characters and of course sand tiger sharks. Nice school of big bar jacks 70 on down to the wreck. It was really cool descending thru the jacks then thru the big sand tigers hanging above the wreck. Just loads of big fish everywhere. All the big grouper I saw managed to stay away from the spearfisherpersons the first day.
First day I did the stern to the boilers/engine and from the debris field up forward back to the engine/boilers on the second day. This allowed me to cover the whole wreck at a nice slow pace.
On the second day we saw a huge lionfish that was at least 18"-20" long and as big around as my thigh. Back on the boat everyone agreed it was the biggest one any of us had ever seen. While everyone else was looking at the lionfish I was focused on the bug just underneath it. When someone prodded the lionfish to move I shot in and grabbed and bagged it.
Hey, whats for dinner tonight? Lobster!!
A nice grouper was also taken by another diver on the second day.
Saw one big loggerhead the first day which promptly scooted away as soon as we saw each other. Also saw 2 big red snapper between the engine and boilers that played hide and seek, darting in and out of the bottom of the engine. A nice 40-50 pound grouper was also hiding under the engine. All three were there both days.
Neaco stats Day 1 ---- Day 2
Max depth 132 ---- 134
Run time 38 mins. ---- 36 mins.
Mix 30% ---- 30%
PO2 1.5 ---- 1.51
PSI start 3200 ---- 3650
PSI End 2150 ---- 2400
As always the Shurze is a great dive, in any conditions. Temps both days were 60F on the bottom the second day it was 70F on top down to 30, which made the stop a lot better. Vis was 15-20 the first day and 10-15 the second with no current. I have dove this wreck many times so getting around in the low vis was easy and allowed me to sneak up on the bigger fish.
Again I did the front half one day and the back the next. Only saw 3 sharks on both days and nothing in the water column but soup. There were more tropicals here than on the Neaco, strange, with lots of blue angelfish both adult and juveniles. The only big fish were groupers and they were not as smart as the ones on the Neaco, so 2 big ones were taken on the first day. The biggest was taken by the only female on the boat.
You go girl!!!!!
Spotted several nice nudis up on the bow and on the debris just off the bow.
The first day I got to spend some quality time up close and face to face with a smallish loggerhead wedged under the hull. I moved in real slow and laid on the bottom beside it for 5 minutes. We looked dead into each others eye and checked each other out. It is always such a awesome experience to be able to do that!! The second day I saw the same turtle (I could id it by the barnacles on its back) on the surface as we arrived and it watched us while we tied in, then submerged. I did not see it again when I went to the same place to find it. Bummer, I wanted to spend half the dive with it.
Shurze stats Day 1 ---- Day 2
Max depth 111 ---- 111
Run time 44 mins ---- 45 mins
Mix 30% ---- 30%
PO2 1.3 ---- 1.3
PSI start 2150 ---- 2400
PSI end 900 ---- 1150
Porpoises were out in mass both days. Several groups came up along side the boat and riding the bow wave allowing us a close look. They put on a show for us jumping, leaping and spinning. It made for a nice finishing touch on just two beautiful days diving offshore of NC that just rarely happens in January and on new years to boot!!
Wish ya could have joined me and hope you enjoyed the virtual trip.
Mike
We went to the Neaco for the first dive and the Shurze for the second both days. The water was not what we expected as the warm clear water had moved off the Neaco just a little farther out so it was not the low/mid 70s like it normally is this time of year. Bummer! Both days it was 61-62F on the bottom and 64F at the hang and around 30 of vis on the bottom.
The first day there was a very slight current on the Neaco and the second it was blowing up top and I felt like a flag on a pole in a stiff wind. I like that tho as you get to watch all the critters that go by in the water column.
Even tho it was chilly there were still a lot of tropical fish, grouper, lionfish, the assorted regular characters and of course sand tiger sharks. Nice school of big bar jacks 70 on down to the wreck. It was really cool descending thru the jacks then thru the big sand tigers hanging above the wreck. Just loads of big fish everywhere. All the big grouper I saw managed to stay away from the spearfisherpersons the first day.
First day I did the stern to the boilers/engine and from the debris field up forward back to the engine/boilers on the second day. This allowed me to cover the whole wreck at a nice slow pace.
On the second day we saw a huge lionfish that was at least 18"-20" long and as big around as my thigh. Back on the boat everyone agreed it was the biggest one any of us had ever seen. While everyone else was looking at the lionfish I was focused on the bug just underneath it. When someone prodded the lionfish to move I shot in and grabbed and bagged it.
Hey, whats for dinner tonight? Lobster!!
A nice grouper was also taken by another diver on the second day.
Saw one big loggerhead the first day which promptly scooted away as soon as we saw each other. Also saw 2 big red snapper between the engine and boilers that played hide and seek, darting in and out of the bottom of the engine. A nice 40-50 pound grouper was also hiding under the engine. All three were there both days.
Neaco stats Day 1 ---- Day 2
Max depth 132 ---- 134
Run time 38 mins. ---- 36 mins.
Mix 30% ---- 30%
PO2 1.5 ---- 1.51
PSI start 3200 ---- 3650
PSI End 2150 ---- 2400
As always the Shurze is a great dive, in any conditions. Temps both days were 60F on the bottom the second day it was 70F on top down to 30, which made the stop a lot better. Vis was 15-20 the first day and 10-15 the second with no current. I have dove this wreck many times so getting around in the low vis was easy and allowed me to sneak up on the bigger fish.
Again I did the front half one day and the back the next. Only saw 3 sharks on both days and nothing in the water column but soup. There were more tropicals here than on the Neaco, strange, with lots of blue angelfish both adult and juveniles. The only big fish were groupers and they were not as smart as the ones on the Neaco, so 2 big ones were taken on the first day. The biggest was taken by the only female on the boat.
You go girl!!!!!
Spotted several nice nudis up on the bow and on the debris just off the bow.
The first day I got to spend some quality time up close and face to face with a smallish loggerhead wedged under the hull. I moved in real slow and laid on the bottom beside it for 5 minutes. We looked dead into each others eye and checked each other out. It is always such a awesome experience to be able to do that!! The second day I saw the same turtle (I could id it by the barnacles on its back) on the surface as we arrived and it watched us while we tied in, then submerged. I did not see it again when I went to the same place to find it. Bummer, I wanted to spend half the dive with it.
Shurze stats Day 1 ---- Day 2
Max depth 111 ---- 111
Run time 44 mins ---- 45 mins
Mix 30% ---- 30%
PO2 1.3 ---- 1.3
PSI start 2150 ---- 2400
PSI end 900 ---- 1150
Porpoises were out in mass both days. Several groups came up along side the boat and riding the bow wave allowing us a close look. They put on a show for us jumping, leaping and spinning. It made for a nice finishing touch on just two beautiful days diving offshore of NC that just rarely happens in January and on new years to boot!!
Wish ya could have joined me and hope you enjoyed the virtual trip.
Mike
