This was an interesting weekend to say the least. We lucked out on a seat to the Oriskany with Scuba Shack on Saturday morning. We had to be at the boat by six so Eileen put us onto a reasonable hotel in Pensacola. The Seville Inn is right on Highway 98 (Garden Street). The Seville is one, maybe two, steps above the Holiday Lodge, but hey, it had a bed, a bathroom, and a TV. What more could one ask for in an eight hour stay. Rates were about $78. Dinner at McGuires and an Irish Wake made for a relaxing night.
We met at Scuba Shack on Saturday morning and checking in was a breeze. Just zip the old card and bring out a cart to carry all your stuff to the boat. There is something to be said about convenience. Gene and Eileen run a great operation and the Wet Dream is a roomy and comfortable boat.
The internet called the seas one to three but it was a bit more sporting that that. We traveled into the wind with at least four and sometimes five footers in some strange sets. It seemed the seas were dead calm for a time and then some big rollers made the next few minutes very exciting. When she was new the Wet Dream would do about 25 knots but shes getting old like us all and Gene keeps her to 15 or so knots now so the trip out was right at two hours.
There was a slight surface current but on the bottom all was calm and relatively clear. The visibility wasnt as wide open as some of the pictures Ive seen but the thing is so big how a diver cant possibly know how far that youre really looking. There is no way that even the island can be seen in a few dives. We used a custom mix of 26 percent that gave us more time and sufficient MOD to see the flight deck. We looked around for a couple of minutes before heading slowly back to the bridge. The algae is already thick and the fishes and crabs abundant. There was a huge crop of juvenile Orange Spotted Filefish. Really cute blennies and some very huge pelagics have already taken up home.
Aside from the overwhelming size, I guess the wreck is exciting because it still has paint on it. Years from now we will be able to say, Yeah, we dove her when the paint was still fresh. Old Glory still tops her mast and brings chills at the sight of the stars and stripes ruffling in the current.
When I slowly climbed the ladder the deck hand asked me if we were all right. Heck no, we said, We had to come up! All-in-all the Big O is sensory overload and worth whatever it costs or whatever it takes to see her! To top it all off Cathy had hand cranked ice cream waiting on the boat.
Before the second dive Gene came around and told us that we had a possible dive accident and we needed to pull hook and start in. I did what I was supposed to do and stayed out of the way so I dont know much about the accident. The only thing that I will say is that the crew and the Coasties did an outstanding and professional job in tending to and evacuating the injured diver. Hats off to the crew of the Wet Dream and to the Coast Guard for a job well done! The only downside was that one of the young Coasties was a Bammer (University of Alabama) fan. Bless his heart!
The trip back in was on a trailing sea, like I wish all my lifes journeys could be.
The whole experience with Scuba Shack was outstanding. They have a friendly and knowledgeable staff, a nice and roomy boat, and they dont tolerate whining. We started diving with them back in the 80s; we liked them then and we like them now. Under the circumstances we wouldnt have asked for a refund for the unused dive but Eileen stopped us on the way out and asked for our card so she could credit our account.
Thanks Scuba Shack for an absolutely fantastic experience!
We met at Scuba Shack on Saturday morning and checking in was a breeze. Just zip the old card and bring out a cart to carry all your stuff to the boat. There is something to be said about convenience. Gene and Eileen run a great operation and the Wet Dream is a roomy and comfortable boat.
The internet called the seas one to three but it was a bit more sporting that that. We traveled into the wind with at least four and sometimes five footers in some strange sets. It seemed the seas were dead calm for a time and then some big rollers made the next few minutes very exciting. When she was new the Wet Dream would do about 25 knots but shes getting old like us all and Gene keeps her to 15 or so knots now so the trip out was right at two hours.
There was a slight surface current but on the bottom all was calm and relatively clear. The visibility wasnt as wide open as some of the pictures Ive seen but the thing is so big how a diver cant possibly know how far that youre really looking. There is no way that even the island can be seen in a few dives. We used a custom mix of 26 percent that gave us more time and sufficient MOD to see the flight deck. We looked around for a couple of minutes before heading slowly back to the bridge. The algae is already thick and the fishes and crabs abundant. There was a huge crop of juvenile Orange Spotted Filefish. Really cute blennies and some very huge pelagics have already taken up home.
Aside from the overwhelming size, I guess the wreck is exciting because it still has paint on it. Years from now we will be able to say, Yeah, we dove her when the paint was still fresh. Old Glory still tops her mast and brings chills at the sight of the stars and stripes ruffling in the current.
When I slowly climbed the ladder the deck hand asked me if we were all right. Heck no, we said, We had to come up! All-in-all the Big O is sensory overload and worth whatever it costs or whatever it takes to see her! To top it all off Cathy had hand cranked ice cream waiting on the boat.
Before the second dive Gene came around and told us that we had a possible dive accident and we needed to pull hook and start in. I did what I was supposed to do and stayed out of the way so I dont know much about the accident. The only thing that I will say is that the crew and the Coasties did an outstanding and professional job in tending to and evacuating the injured diver. Hats off to the crew of the Wet Dream and to the Coast Guard for a job well done! The only downside was that one of the young Coasties was a Bammer (University of Alabama) fan. Bless his heart!
The trip back in was on a trailing sea, like I wish all my lifes journeys could be.
The whole experience with Scuba Shack was outstanding. They have a friendly and knowledgeable staff, a nice and roomy boat, and they dont tolerate whining. We started diving with them back in the 80s; we liked them then and we like them now. Under the circumstances we wouldnt have asked for a refund for the unused dive but Eileen stopped us on the way out and asked for our card so she could credit our account.
Thanks Scuba Shack for an absolutely fantastic experience!
