Iron Eagle
July 26-28, 2002
Background
Our local dive shop in Napa, Mako Marine set up this Channel Islands expedition.
Nobody up in this neck of the woods had ever heard of the Iron Eagle before. We typically have done our shop trips out of the Santa Barbara or Ventura boats. But this being a shop trip, (and my wife being a shop instructor), we kind of had to show the flag and sign on.
About this time, I started seeing some disturbing postings on diving related message and bulletin boards. Most of these posts included some form of warning to stay away from the Iron Eagle, including references to abandoned divers, running aground, dumping diesel and even the prediction that the boat would sink. To be honest, these posts concerned me greatly, I mean, the Channel Islands can be unforgiving and the last place Id want to be on an unsafe boat. One thing I did notice about these dire predictions, though: They seemed to be lacking in direct witness observations. Most of the messages were posted anonymously and contained vaguely worded statements or hearsay.
In the midst of these negative postings, I received a message from the Iron Eagle DM, Kendra. She went to great lengths to assure me that the boat was perfectly safe and advised that the derogatory postings appeared to be the result of competitive dive operations.
Im a cop, and know from experience that when you have two sides of an issue so far apart, that the truth lays somewhere in the middle. Also, there is no substitute for viewing the scene of a crime first hand, rather than relying on witness observations. With all this in mind, we headed out.
Logistics
The Iron Eagle is moored at the Port of Los Angeles, in Long Beach, California
http://www.oceansportsadventures.com/
From Napa, it was about an 8 ½ hour drive. Several of the folks flew down to LAX and took a cab to the dock. Im a big boy scout when it comes to California diving and pack a spare everything, plus I like to dive my steel 95, so flying for me wasnt an option. This boat, unlike several of the other CI boats Ive been on (Peace and Truth), provide AL80s and has about 50 or so on board (including Nitrox tanks). Weights are also provided, so if you wanted to pack light, flying certainly would be something to consider.
When I first pulled up to the wharf, I was immediately impressed by the sheer SIZE of this boat: its HUGE!
The Eagle is 100 feet long, which is about 40 feet longer than most of the traditional CI boats. Upon boarding, I was shocked at the amount of open space on the dive deck; you could practically play volleyball and not bother the divers gearing up. This should have been a real advantage. Unfortunately, there is virtually no stowage area for dive bags and miscellaneous gear. This resulted in bags and coolers being left on deck in a chaotic hodgepodge which drastically reduced the dive decks effective area. I tripped over bags several times, and witnessed other fully geared divers nearly fall due to this congestion. To be fair, though, this was a full boat with 30 divers. Most of the divers had never been on a CI live-aboard before and seemed to have little or no concept of gear management (i.e., packing gear in plastic tubs stowable under the dive bench). **
For a large boat, the layout is interesting. The dive deck occupies a large percentage of the main deck. The galley is built into the starboard dive deck adjacent to the main cabin. Dining is on portable tables and chairs in the center area of the dive deck (something which additionally reduces the diver set up area**)
Sleeping accommodations are forward of the main deck and forward and below the main berthing area. The berthing areas are very spacious, which is a very welcome surprise compared to the other boats. The bunks are divided up into several staterooms which contain a variety of single and double bunk configurations. There is also a common bunk area below deck with double bunks arranged in a mail-cubby configuration with privacy curtains. It was into one of these snuggle-bunks that MrsNapaDiver and I were assigned. These so-called doubles, arent. With both the Mrs and I wedged into this bunk, we were forced to sleep on our sides in a perpetual spoon. Thats nice, for newlyweds. Otherwise, its good for about five minutes before the elbowing starts. This being a full boat, there was only one spare double bunk and I grabbed it at the earliest opportunity. I think, realistically, these should be advertised as singles. Otherwise, the berthing accommodations were great. Plenty of room to change, and the large boat had the smoothest ride Ive ever had. Slept like a baby! The other REALLY nice thing about the living area is the plentitude of bathrooms. There were five total, two downstairs, two in the main cabin and one outside on the dive deck. All five were large and had enclosed showers (except for the deck head). Only once during the 3 day trip did I have to wait for a head, which is especially surprising considering that half the boat was female (no offense intended, ladies, but you DO tend to take a bit longer in the potty
Otherwise, there is a large hot tub on the aft deck. The crew mentioned the record capacity was 12; I saw up to six in it with lots of room to spare and the resident Jacuzzi expert (MrsND) gave it a big thumbs up. For photographers, there really isnt a designated camera table or charging station for batteries, etc.
I took over a table in the lounge for my video rig, which worked, but I never felt very secure with the arrangement. There were a couple of MX10 divers on board, but if there had been any more serious photogs this arrangement would have failed miserably. **
The Crew
The crew consisted of the owner/operator, Capt Dan, a second (night) Capt, the cook/purser/cruise director/back-up DM, Corey, the Divemaster, Kendra and two deckhands. For a boat of this size, I think it could have used at least one additional deckhand/cooks assistant. When things got busy during dive ops, you could tell that the crew was somewhat over-tasked. This occasionally resulted in Corey filling tanks instead of cooking and Kendra running errands while one of the deckhands handled something in the engine room or below decks. Again, to be fair, this was the first trip for one of the hands and he was learning much of the boat as he was doing the jobs. Without exception, this was the friendliest Channel Islands crew I have ever had the pleasure of diving with. They all were juggling at Mach speed, but somehow dealt with the I need toilet paper NOW! emergencies without dropping a ball. Capt Dan, Corey and Kendra were especially courteous and receptive. Throughout the trip I never saw any of the crew frown much less argue or grouse (which can be a frequent sight on some of the other boats).
Dive Operations
The dive itinerary began on Santa Barbara Island Friday morning. Conditions werent very good, and the dive sites were limited to the leeward sheltered side of the island.
The first dive had us anchored near Arch Point. This dive presented probably the biggest safety issue I observed on this trip. A current was blowing toward the stern of the boat at about 1.5 knots (maybe a bit more); I was the first in and notified Kendra that the current was a bit stronger than anticipated, suggesting that a drift/current line be deployed. After making my dive and returning to the boat, I noted that the current line had been deployed and several divers were queued up along its length, having been caught to some degree by the current. Two divers then surfaced some 200 yards astern, well beyond the line. They signaled ok, but it was obvious that A) they were not going to descend and try to swim to the boat, and B) they were making negative progress on the surface. Capt Dan deployed the zodiac, however, could not get the engine started. At this point, this could have presented a serious situation, as the divers were still drifting away to open sea. Fortunately, the current slacked (or turned) and the divers began to make headway on the surface, eventually reaching the current line. The entire incident took less than 10 minutes. I spoke to all the parties involved later. The divers had been caught off guard by the current and mis-navigated, hence surfacing so far astern with insufficient air to descend. They reported having no other distress and were confident that they would be recovered. Even tho they were making no headway, they continued to try to surface swim, and eventually found that the current allowed them to swim in unassisted. Capt Dan readily admitted that this was a screw-up and believes that he flooded the engine (which started later without problem); he advised that he was prepared to pull anchor and recover the divers with the Eagle, however, with the current turning, this was not necessary. Kendra said that she was fully prepared to enter the water and render whatever assistance needed, even if it meant to simply gather and calm the drifting divers while the recovery could be made. One option she considered was deploying one of the DPVs to tow the divers back to the boat. Again, the situation resolved itself, but it appears that the crew was aware and considering the available options. At no time did the divers in the water signal or show any signs of panic or distress. While not defending the Eagle crew, it should be noted that currents in the Channel Islands are very unpredictable. As a comparison, I have personally been blown out on the Peace boat (current went from zero to 2 kts during the dive) and had to swim back because the zodiac was leaky and the crew did not want to deploy it. This swim back was accompanied by the crew yelling profanities at my wife and I.
The rest of the diving on Santa Barbara was unremarkable, although I got some great sea lion footage. We ended up pulling anchor after three dives and steaming to Catalina for the night dive.
Second day of diving started on the Farnsworth Banks. This dive had many in our group drooling in anticipation, as by reputation, it is a spectacular advanced dive. After anchoring in moderate seas, the Capt gave a thorough dive briefing. Our group consisted of a complete spectrum of dive experience; from brand new OW students to senior instructors and dive professionals. The Capt organized the lesser experienced divers into groups and he and Corey (the backup DM) led them in a semi-guided dive. Experienced divers were allowed to dive on their own. Again, Lorri and I were first in the water, following the granny line to the anchor line for the descent. On the way down, I noted the water get progressively darker, until about 50 when it got pretty much black. At 105 we still hadnt hit bottom and were getting absolutely smashed by the anchor chain; viz was reduced to about 5 feet. One particularly violent surge slammed the chain into me (and my video housing, knocking one of the lights loose) and I signaled to Lorri to abort and ascend. We surfaced as the rest of the divers were gathering for the descent. Although everyone tried, this dive was a complete washout. Lots of VERY big eyes getting back on board. I later heard Capt Dan mention that this site was a 40% success, meaning that 6 out of 10 dives were aborted. My suggestion would be to have one of the DMs descend and check go/no go conditions in the future. Theres no reason to put divers in the water in those conditions. Ive been in some less than ideal conditions before (I dive black water for dead things) and I have to admit, this one was hairy.
The rest of the diving on day 2 was on the back side of Catalina Island. Excellent! Great viz, luscious kelp forests and nice water temps (64!)
Day 3 found us anchored off San Clemente, an island that few of us had ever dived. For me, these three dives were the highlight of the trip. Fantastic visibility 60+ feet with purple coral formations, and the thickest kelp beds Ive ever seen. I dove with my new macro port on these dives and got some great nudibranch shots. Water temps here were the coldest of the trip, hovering in the low 50s. Very calm, no surge, no current.
We pulled anchor for the trip back to Long Beach at 1PM, and arrived at the dock around 7.
Summary and Conclusions:
Overall grade: B I would absolutely recommend this boat to anyone eager to explore the California Channel Islands diving in a relaxed easy-going format. Of note: the diving on the Eagle is far less regimented as on other CI boats (I ended up with 10 dives out of the max possible of 13). For those expecting the dive/eat/dive/eat/dive/dive/dive/sleep routine, the pace is a little slower.
Dive Ops Grade: B- Most dive sites were chosen well and the Capt and crew were very knowledgeable in their selections (with the exception of the sites noted above). Of note: the air fill station is located in the middle bulkhead on the dive deck, requiring either the divers or deckhands to schlep the tanks from the dive stations (not the most efficient setup)**
Crew Grade: A Courteous, efficient, pleasant and capable. Corey did some magical things in the galley, and whipped up a great ceviche' using the Sheepshead caught by the hunters, his tequila chicken was also great. Kendra was a superb divemaster! She was always observant, constantly watching over the dive ops. She was ready to get in the water if needed, managed the dive rosters, helped the newbies and somehow managed to always have a smile and joke ready. When not on duty she took the time to hang out with the guests and has a great, humble attitude (very refreshing compared to some of the other dive gods out there). Capt Dan has an open mind and is very proactive regarding his boat, receptive to criticism and eager to make changes to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for his passengers.
Boat grade: C+ Needs some tweaking as far as the configuration to make the dive deck and stations more efficient and safe. Otherwise, this boat is very spacious and a very smooth ride, even in rough seas.
Asterisks** The issues described above were thoroughly discussed with both Capt Dan and Kendra. Most of my concerns regarding deck configuration were already in the think tank, and should be rectified by modifications being made as this report is written. A dedicated camera/gear storage island is being placed on the aft deck, permanent galley tables will be installed and a whip air fill station is being considered. I think I should address the party boat misnomer: Yes, they do offer alcoholic beverages (extra$$) on board, however, they closely monitor any alcohol consumption. You pop a beer and youre dry for the rest of the day. Otherwise, divers are adult and responsible for their own consumption and safety. We all know that alcohol consumption will increase the risk of DCS, and if we do consume, do so accordingly and in moderation. I personally did not witness (nor hear of) any diver drinking to excess. Any other consumption is the business of the diver.
Bottom Line
Id go back in a heartbeat. I believe that the boat and crew, from the leadership on down are perfectly capable and as safety conscious as any of the other boats Ive experienced. This was a very fun trip with a different and fresh approach to the Channel Islands. But dont take my word for it, give it a try and make up your own minds.
