Proper technique for anchoring at a wreck

[Maximillion]

Well, I own a boat and I want to dive a wreck. I live in Virginia, near the CBBT area. I'm back into diving and thought - great! I can now go out and dive the local wrecks - but I haven't got a good feel for how properly to locate, anchor and safely dive them. I think I'll go out on a local charter and watch a time or two, but perhaps thought I'd get your thoughts as well on how to drop the first anchor, locate the wreck, locate a grapple hook or granny line or other device, or just what everyone uses or recommends. To be honest, I'm not even sure I understand exactly what those are or how they are supposed to be used, having heard about them from local divers. (I grew up diving off shore in So Cal and boat diving here is all new to me!)

i not only want to be safe, but keep my boat in tact, and importantly, not disturb the serinity of the w\reck site or the wreck itself.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

MAX

 

[fireflock]

Your best bet is to go with people who have done it before, and always leave someone on the boat. In some parts on NC, the mate on a charter will physically jump in holding onto the anchor, swim it to the wreck, and tie in by hand. In other places, they drop the anchor on the wreck and a mate will check to see where and how well it is hung. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not as easy as it looks sometimes. Did I mention to ALWAYS keep someone topside who knows how to run the boat?

 

[anytime]

Buy a Mighty Might anchor and drop it on top of the wreck when you mark it on you depth finder. The first person down makes sure it is caught in the wreck good. The last person up takes it out of the wreck and lays it in the sand. If you forget to take it out of the wreck you can just use the boat to unlodge it because the tines on anchor can be easily bent back.

Or you could just make sure you have a good boat driver to watch the bubbles and do a free acsent and decsent onto the wreck and then you don' t have to worry about making it back to the anchor line.

 

[RAD Diver]

Or you could just make sure you have a good boat driver to watch the bubbles and do a free acsent and decsent onto the wreck and then you don' t have to worry about making it back to the anchor line.

I wouldn't recommend that in Virginia. We have the Labrador Current that will take you off the site quick. Diving the sand is not quite the same experience as a good Virginia wreck.

 

[Spearo]

I do this all the time.
There are some wrecks you do not want to drop an ancher on them for many diffrent reasons but for most is fine.
The first thing you need to do is to locate the wreck, use a good fishfinder and have someone with a float/line/weight ready to trow it in to mark the spot when you're over it, then you can determin which way the current is running and how fast is going over your float. Some times the site is not safe to dive do to strong currents and the float will show you this as water runs over and around it as soon as the weight hits the wreck.

Option A - With a line 2x the depht you may want to try to hold on the sand next to the wreck (not recomended for a number of reasons)
Option B-Find your metal on the bottom, drop your marker on the wreck and then try to hook it with a Wreck Anchor and a long chain (look out for dive flags or diving boats on the site before you drop it)
If you're NOT alone on the site..you may want to ask the other boat if there are divers down or try to tie to boat to theirs for the safaty of the others on the bottom IF that is possible.

When you "hold" on the bottom try to take as much line in (less angle) as you can or it will be a l..o..n..g way down to the dive site. Have someone stay on the boat if you can. Bring down with you a short pc. of chain (3' + -) and a shackle to secure your anchor or the anchor chain to the wreck. At this point use a wreck reel and mark your way out from it. I sometimes leave the reel on it (if it's fishi) to be use and retreave on the second dip.

Best of luck to you.

Spearo

 

[Spearo]

and another important thing..never try to secure a line by standing in front of the anchor with the line going over you head. Always work it with the line going AWAY from you from the start! Anchor can get loose and if you're in their way and boat drifting..it can make a bad divin day.