I just wanted to write up a little report about the dives I did off of the John Jack from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.
My buddy John was teaching an advanced wreck diving class, and asked me to assist him. I jumped at the opportunity to do some New Jersey wreck diving...
We got to dive the Algol, and the Coney Island. The Algol was a great wreck for training dives, so we did that one twice, since it was very conducive for what we were trying to do. This course had a lot of skills, so we wanted to keep divers shallow, and stay within the No Decompression limits, and be able to penetrate the wreck.
The diving in New Jersey (my first time) was great. First of all, I can’t say enough good things about the John Jack, Captain Rich, and the amazing crew he has. The crew was extremely professional and helpful. They made short work of the tie in, and helping all of us get into and out of the water. Overall, the boat was comfortable, and easy for diving. The wide beam of the John Jack makes her a stable vessel in the water, and the 3-4 foot seas were no problem at all.
The diving itself was a lot of fun. On the Algol, we had about 30-40 feet of viz on Friday. The temperature above the thermocline was about 70, but a balmy 62 degrees deeper than 80 feet. I was surprised by the good visibility, and relatively warm water. Diving the Coney Island on Saturday wasn’t as nice though. The visibility was only about 5-10 feet at best (below 90 feet) and the water temp at 110 feet was only 55 degrees. While it was a cool wreck, it was difficult to run skills with the poor visibility and deepish depths. Sunday, we got blown out… Monday the conditions were great, and we went back to the Algol. It was a perfect way to finish up the class. The visibility was good, and the water still warm. It seemed like the thermocline got pushed even deeper which is nice for this Florida boy.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed diving in New Jersey, and would like to head back next year if my buddy is up for more cold water diving, and visits to his old home. Thanks again to the John Jack and crew for making the diving weekend amazing, and thanks to Blue Water Divers in Rochelle Park for putting together this class.
Thanks to Pete Bucknell for the pictures.
My buddy John was teaching an advanced wreck diving class, and asked me to assist him. I jumped at the opportunity to do some New Jersey wreck diving...
We got to dive the Algol, and the Coney Island. The Algol was a great wreck for training dives, so we did that one twice, since it was very conducive for what we were trying to do. This course had a lot of skills, so we wanted to keep divers shallow, and stay within the No Decompression limits, and be able to penetrate the wreck.
The diving in New Jersey (my first time) was great. First of all, I can’t say enough good things about the John Jack, Captain Rich, and the amazing crew he has. The crew was extremely professional and helpful. They made short work of the tie in, and helping all of us get into and out of the water. Overall, the boat was comfortable, and easy for diving. The wide beam of the John Jack makes her a stable vessel in the water, and the 3-4 foot seas were no problem at all.
The diving itself was a lot of fun. On the Algol, we had about 30-40 feet of viz on Friday. The temperature above the thermocline was about 70, but a balmy 62 degrees deeper than 80 feet. I was surprised by the good visibility, and relatively warm water. Diving the Coney Island on Saturday wasn’t as nice though. The visibility was only about 5-10 feet at best (below 90 feet) and the water temp at 110 feet was only 55 degrees. While it was a cool wreck, it was difficult to run skills with the poor visibility and deepish depths. Sunday, we got blown out… Monday the conditions were great, and we went back to the Algol. It was a perfect way to finish up the class. The visibility was good, and the water still warm. It seemed like the thermocline got pushed even deeper which is nice for this Florida boy.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed diving in New Jersey, and would like to head back next year if my buddy is up for more cold water diving, and visits to his old home. Thanks again to the John Jack and crew for making the diving weekend amazing, and thanks to Blue Water Divers in Rochelle Park for putting together this class.
Thanks to Pete Bucknell for the pictures.
