Not a dive goes by that someone doesn't ask me if there's anything else to dive in Pensacola other than the Oriskany. So I sing them a little song...kind of like that song the ray sings in Finding Nemo
"Oh, we've got coal barges and Seoul barges, Merry Go Round Barges, and Politically Correct Barges. There's Tanks from the Army and planes from the Navy; Lost Tugs, Sylvia Tugs, Tugs that were Born Again. We have Towers from Gulf Power, and buses topped with trusses, and Bridges we'd be drivin' if it hadn't been for Ivan..."
There are so many sites to dive in the Gulf just off our beaches one could dive a new spot every weekend for years and still not get to see every one. Ive had the good fortune to see most of them in the last 20 years, and I wanted to share one with you. So aboard the charter boat, Dr. Dive, with my longtime friend Captain Jim Meyers, we set off the other day to explore one of our favorites.
Without exception, the Brass Wreck is my favorite site along the Gulf Coast and the day Captain Jim and I dove it, it was the best dive ever on her.
About fourteen miles southeast of the pass, it lies in 85 feet of emerald waters. The ship was built back in the eighteen hundreds when ships were made of wood and iron, and used ballast rock to help cut through the water. Its known as the Brass Wreck because of all the brass fasteners used in the construction of the ship. Some can still be found lying on the soft sand.
The day we went the seas were flat and the winds were calm, and it took us less than a half hour from the pass to get to the site. Before we anchored, we spotted a loggerhead turtle on the surface. Captain Jim idled the boat as the turtle drew in closer for a look. It stayed around for a few minutes, then dove, and was gone. Just watching him for the few short seconds I had, it gave me hope that Id see him again.
The first thing you notice about the Brass Wreck when you approach it are the ribs sticking out of the sand like a giant hand welcoming you to its palm. The ribs rise from the floor about ten feet and are covered with coral and sponges. Red Snapper, silver at this depth, hang near the structure, facing into the gentle current, mindless of our approach. Small amberjack in schools of hundreds dive and swim around the ribs, then climb to do it again. The ribs hold an incredible amount of life, but its only the beginning.
Along the floor, the wooden deck is still in tact with a clear delineation of the thick planks. The wood, though scarred by years of seawater, feels solid and unyielding. Flounder, bristle worms, and small crabs live amongst each other on the thin layer of sand that cover the timbers. Beyond the planking the ballast rocks lay in a long, straight pile, making homes for slipper lobster, octopus, and crabs. As I approach the octopus, he instinctively changed not just his color, but his texture to better blend in with the rocks. The slipper lobster werent so tricky though. It was only when I had a firm grasp on them did they try to retreat.
A little further along the ballast pile, I found the turtle again. He was suspended in the water, tilted to one side, with his head pointing up. He was motionless. And as I swam closer, I could see he found a cleaning station where dozens of fish pecked at the turtles shell, cleaning it of any parasites.
With so much life to experience on the Brass Wreck its easy to lose track of time. And my 32 minutes passed very quickly, so with a couple lobsters in my bag and having the best dive on the best site, I headed to the surface for the next spot.
So if you come to dive the Oriskany, make sure you make time to stay for the other beautiful beautiful sites that grace the bottom of our gulf so you can go back singing, "Oh, we've got coal barges and Seoul barges..."
Photos by Captain Jim Meyers
"Oh, we've got coal barges and Seoul barges, Merry Go Round Barges, and Politically Correct Barges. There's Tanks from the Army and planes from the Navy; Lost Tugs, Sylvia Tugs, Tugs that were Born Again. We have Towers from Gulf Power, and buses topped with trusses, and Bridges we'd be drivin' if it hadn't been for Ivan..."
There are so many sites to dive in the Gulf just off our beaches one could dive a new spot every weekend for years and still not get to see every one. Ive had the good fortune to see most of them in the last 20 years, and I wanted to share one with you. So aboard the charter boat, Dr. Dive, with my longtime friend Captain Jim Meyers, we set off the other day to explore one of our favorites.
Without exception, the Brass Wreck is my favorite site along the Gulf Coast and the day Captain Jim and I dove it, it was the best dive ever on her.
About fourteen miles southeast of the pass, it lies in 85 feet of emerald waters. The ship was built back in the eighteen hundreds when ships were made of wood and iron, and used ballast rock to help cut through the water. Its known as the Brass Wreck because of all the brass fasteners used in the construction of the ship. Some can still be found lying on the soft sand.
The day we went the seas were flat and the winds were calm, and it took us less than a half hour from the pass to get to the site. Before we anchored, we spotted a loggerhead turtle on the surface. Captain Jim idled the boat as the turtle drew in closer for a look. It stayed around for a few minutes, then dove, and was gone. Just watching him for the few short seconds I had, it gave me hope that Id see him again.
The first thing you notice about the Brass Wreck when you approach it are the ribs sticking out of the sand like a giant hand welcoming you to its palm. The ribs rise from the floor about ten feet and are covered with coral and sponges. Red Snapper, silver at this depth, hang near the structure, facing into the gentle current, mindless of our approach. Small amberjack in schools of hundreds dive and swim around the ribs, then climb to do it again. The ribs hold an incredible amount of life, but its only the beginning.
Along the floor, the wooden deck is still in tact with a clear delineation of the thick planks. The wood, though scarred by years of seawater, feels solid and unyielding. Flounder, bristle worms, and small crabs live amongst each other on the thin layer of sand that cover the timbers. Beyond the planking the ballast rocks lay in a long, straight pile, making homes for slipper lobster, octopus, and crabs. As I approach the octopus, he instinctively changed not just his color, but his texture to better blend in with the rocks. The slipper lobster werent so tricky though. It was only when I had a firm grasp on them did they try to retreat.
A little further along the ballast pile, I found the turtle again. He was suspended in the water, tilted to one side, with his head pointing up. He was motionless. And as I swam closer, I could see he found a cleaning station where dozens of fish pecked at the turtles shell, cleaning it of any parasites.
With so much life to experience on the Brass Wreck its easy to lose track of time. And my 32 minutes passed very quickly, so with a couple lobsters in my bag and having the best dive on the best site, I headed to the surface for the next spot.
So if you come to dive the Oriskany, make sure you make time to stay for the other beautiful beautiful sites that grace the bottom of our gulf so you can go back singing, "Oh, we've got coal barges and Seoul barges..."
Photos by Captain Jim Meyers
