Saturday 1/13 Poling Dive

[wreckedinri]

My friend Jan and I managed to sneak in a nice day of diving with NADE during this past dreary weekend. We made it out to our planned destination – the stern of the Chester Poling - through intermittent rain showers. The moderate chop leveled out as the day wore on and we enjoyed a dive with relatively good visibility – 10 to 15ft – considering the overcast conditions and sea state of the previous few days. The warm dry cabin and the camaraderie of the other divers and Captains typically make winter diving aboard the Gauntlet a comfortable and fun experience, and this time was not an exception. As for the dive itself; it was the usual Poling dive – a cruise around the hull, a little poking around inside, and a visit to the humongous Codfish ensconced deeply under the hull. I must make note of a tiny feeling of inadequacy during the dive. With all the divers except Jan and me using scooters, I came to understand how the horse and buggy drivers of times past must have felt when they heard the rumblings of the model A Fords overtaking them on the road. As we crept along exploring this steel reef we would hear and see these 21st century aquanauts zipping by, which led me to one unquestionable conclusion; those machines are VERY COOL! We also came to understand how true the mantra of scooter divers is – “It’s a sin to fin”!

Another added “bonus” to yesterdays dive was getting to meet a few members of SB’s NELD. It was a pleasure meeting Aaron, Roman, Scott, and Pat (please forgive any misspelling guys). It’s always fun when you can put a face to a name. And the pre-dive discussion about a particular type of surgery was really a kick!

Be Safe,
Dennis

 

[Soggy]

A great day out on the water, indeed. Too bad I couldn't dive due to a minor injury caused by an incredibly graceful and dignified fall into the water last weekend.

So, instead of diving, I pulled out my camera...here we have Dennis getting psyched up for the dive and preparing to take over the underwater world....

 

[jduncan]

Lisa and I would like to go to the Poling with you guys some time this winter. Maybe we can discuss the details. We've got single HP80 or HP100 steels. Probably need to get a backup air source? At some point we will get a doubles rig, but for now we just have the singles with BP/wing. While we have plenty of local boat dives, we don't have many deep New England dives, so we are looking to get some experience here.

Beyond the obvious, what type of gear would we need (second air source, etc)?

p.s. What was the water temp?

Jeff

 

[Soggy]

Lisa and I would like to go to the Poling with you guys some time this winter. Maybe we can discuss the details. We've got single HP80 or HP100 steels. Probably need to get a backup air source? At some point we will get a doubles rig, but for now we just have the singles with BP/wing. While we have plenty of local boat dives, we don't have many deep New England dives, so we are looking to get some experience here.

Beyond the obvious, what type of gear would we need (second air source, etc)?

p.s. What was the water temp?

Jeff

A good rule of thumb regarding minimum tank capacity requirements for a dive within recreational depths is 1 cft of gas per foot of depth. The sand on the Poling is about 95 fsw and the deck is 75-80 fsw, so I would suggest using 100 cft tanks at a minimum. A redundant gas source is definitely a good idea whether that be through a reliable buddy, pony bottle, doubles, or some combination of the above. The most important thing is to figure out how much gas you need to reserve in order to get both you and your buddy to the surface if one of you should run out of gas (rock bottom). On this dive, I'd suggest ~30 cft so you can make a controlled ascent and safety stop, but definitely spend the time to figure out the rock bottom yourself.

I wasn't diving this weekend, but last weekend temperatures were in the mid-40s on the Holmes at 160'. The mild winter has really delayed cooling of the ocean this year. Normally we're down into the high 30s by this point.

I would say, during the winter, that a drysuit is required gear as you won't get much time out of a deep dive and you'll be miserably cold.

 

[Soggy]

And the pre-dive discussion about a particular type of surgery was really a kick!

snippity snip.

 

[jduncan]

We are fairly experienced drysuit divers. We are just now considering doubles. I'm having a tough time convincing Lisa that if we are going to be NE wreck diving, we need doubles - if not for redundancy alone. Jokingly, she's afraid the Andrea Doria is next. I assured her it's NOT. I think we are going to get two LP steel 72's for Lisa's double setup- which will leave me with the double HP 80's.

The alternative is to get a 19CF pony setup for each of us. I figure after a couple dives, we'll wish we saved the cash and went doubles.

j

 

[Soggy]

I figure after a couple dives, we'll wish we saved the cash and went doubles.

Probably. Doubles are a much better solution than a pony bottle most of the time. If you do get a pony bottle, consider getting a 30 or 40 cft tank and stage rig it, rather than a dinky 19cfter. It is mostly unnoticeable in the water, gives you a much more reasonable quantity of gas for solving problems, and you can use it for a deco bottle later when you decide to take a deco class. The only time I notice having a tank under my arm is when I am diving an al80 stage.

 

[Soggy]

More pics from the weekend
http://www.soggydiving.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=54

 

[wreckedinri]

Dude,
Nothing wrong with the quality of the pics from that camera. It was a fun day, hope to meet you guys out there again sometime. We'll have to get you on some of the wrecks in RI waters in the future.

Dennis

 

[LobstaMan]

jduncan:

I'm no grizzled veteran of the Poling, but I dove there last year using a single HP100 w/ a 19cuft pony(just in case) and came up w/ plenty of gas(regular air). I was able to circumnavigate the entire stern at a leisurely pace before coming back up the mooring line. I didn't hit the sand, but probably max'd out at 90fsw or so. Of the other divers on board CAD that day, some were diving dry(like me), some wet, some with air, some w/ nitrox, some w/ LP95s, some w/ 80s, etc. So, it is a very attainable dive using a variety of configurations. Doubles, stages and bail out bottles are not necessary, but it never hurts to have a bit more gas just in case.

Next time I dive the Poling, I'll probably use a nitrox mix of around 32EAN. Two guys dove w/ that and had noticeably longer bottom time on the wreck than those diving regular air.

Another nice wreck at a similar depth is the Pinthis off Scituate. Great viz on a rare(although turtled) intact NE wreck. Did two w/ the Daybreaker there last summer. Highly recommended, although I will be taking some Dramamine next time:l: .

LobstaMan