Hi All:
Well, RAD Diver (Bobby) and I tried to dive Nags Head (the Advance and the U-85) with OBX Dive Center last weekend, but Mother Nature didnt cooperate. Winds were northeast Friday night and Saturday, meaning wave height Saturday morning exceeded 6 FT. Bill canceled his Saturday charter on Friday afternoon. He also lost the Sunday charter because most of the people scheduled for the boat were 2-day divers, so he was way short. Typical spring weather
This left Bobby and I looking for a dive on Sunday starting at 4 PM Saturday afternoon. I tried the Hatteras dive operators but had no answers on phones or got answering machines so we went local. Lynnhaven Dive Center had Super-Dive weekend going on with all trips ½ price, so Bobby and I signed up for the Morgan again on Sunday. The boat was basically full, so it looked promising.
When we got to the dock at 07:00 AM on Sunday morning, the wind had switched to the Southwest so waves offshore were only 1-2 FT, maybe 3-4 FT. We waited on some out-of-town folks and were loaded and headed out by 08:30. All told, we had 12 divers and 3 crew on the 60 FT boat. Not crowded at all. There was a little chop heading out and we starting hitting 2-3 FT swell maybe 10 miles offshore, but all-in-all, it wasnt bad. Air temp dropped into the low 60s and the wind was blowing SW at 15 KTS. The sun kept it nice, however.
About 2 HRS later, we arrived at our dive site. The Morgan was a pretty big ship, but it has broken up over the years so most operators hook into whats called the hospital section, a large portion of superstructure where medical supplies were previously found. The crew seemed to plant the hook quickly, but for some reason things went down hill from there. Bobby and I like to be geared and ready to go 5 minutes after the boats hooked in, so we were fully dressed and waiting when the DM went over to verify the hook. He came up a short while later and confirmed placement. The boat was obviously hooked because we stopped all movement and swung around to face the wind.
Then, we played a waiting game. For whatever reason, they decided to re-verify hook placement. I swear to God it seemed like the crew took forever. Another DM went over and came back and THEN came up to rig the hang bar to the anchor line. We spent 45 minutes (45 minutes!) sitting in full gear (including hood) on a hard bench waiting for this process to finish. Last weeks crew did the same operation in less than 10 minutes. Needless to say, the A game guys need to talk to this bunch.
FINALLY, the word came and over we went. Bobby was diving twin 95s and a 40 pony, I was diving a single 121 and 40 pony. Visibility at the hang bar was less then 10 FT and didnt get any better on the way down. We hit the top of the hospital at 70 FT, followed by tying in a wreck reel and heading off. Bobby ran the reel. Bottom temperature was 51 degrees. We wound through some structure checking out the fish. Eventually we came around the hospital, wrapped the top and descended to about a 100 FT bottom. Visibility dropped to 5 FT near the bottom. I briefly came off the line to check out some stuff and when I looked up I had separated from Bobby. I was oriented to the hospital so re-traced and found him a few minutes later.
The Morgan is a complex wreck. Orientation is difficult in lower visibility but if you focus in on the small stuff you can have a good dive. A main sprocket allows you to identify a WW II era tank. Treads and wheels, along with the turret appear when you look carefully. Otherwise it looks like so much junk. Close to 20 minutes into the dive we turned and headed back to the anchor (we were diving 32% EAN with 40% deco gas). We ended up looking around near the anchor and headed up at 30 minutes. I had to cut some mono to free the line. If you dive the Morgan, make certain you have a couple of knives handy, its covered with entanglements. Were training deep so we switched to our stages at the bar and did a 10 minute hang. Its a little more interesting in 4 FT swell then when its flat. Surface temperature was 56 degrees and I never got cold during the wait.
Lunch followed on the Miss Lindsey (world famous Lindsey Dogs) along with a one hour and 45 minute SIT. Unfortunately, at least one diver did some fish feeding during the SIT, the swell getting to him. Most divers did a second dive, including one guy who was wearing a 5 mm wetsuit and one of those Caribbean beanie hoods (he said he was from Seattle and could take it ). We also had 4 teenage boys, their dad and their instructor on board all who did a second dive. It was good to see the kids getting some real experience offshore and they were grinning ear-to-ear.
Bobby and I hit it again, this time with me running the reel. For some reason (probably running the reel) I felt a little pushed on the second dive and wasnt as comfortable. I had also zipped my hood all the way down and it was a little tight, so that may have contributed to the problem. Again, we took a tour and ended up back at the anchor after 30 minutes. I was running IANTD 32% tables (my computer busted last week) so I had a 13 minute planned hang. We spent about 20 minutes on the complete ascent, stretching it a little long. I learned NOT to put knick-knacks in the same pocket with your tables on the SAME side as your stage. When I pulled out the tables on the hang, I watched my stuff join the wreck 100 FT below. Bobby did a valiant save on one item, but I dropped it a second time when I tried to put it back (DUH!).
We were the last team up and, thankfully, the crew pulled the hook quickly and put everything away in less than 10 minutes (makes you wonder ). We pulled back into Rudee at 04:30 PM and headed home. All in all, it was a GREAT day and even though I *****ed some, the diving made up for it.
Some pics:
Loading up
RAD Diver (note Dr. EVIL grin!)
A glorious day at sea!
Underway
Heading back
Hope yall liked the story .
Well, RAD Diver (Bobby) and I tried to dive Nags Head (the Advance and the U-85) with OBX Dive Center last weekend, but Mother Nature didnt cooperate. Winds were northeast Friday night and Saturday, meaning wave height Saturday morning exceeded 6 FT. Bill canceled his Saturday charter on Friday afternoon. He also lost the Sunday charter because most of the people scheduled for the boat were 2-day divers, so he was way short. Typical spring weather
This left Bobby and I looking for a dive on Sunday starting at 4 PM Saturday afternoon. I tried the Hatteras dive operators but had no answers on phones or got answering machines so we went local. Lynnhaven Dive Center had Super-Dive weekend going on with all trips ½ price, so Bobby and I signed up for the Morgan again on Sunday. The boat was basically full, so it looked promising.
When we got to the dock at 07:00 AM on Sunday morning, the wind had switched to the Southwest so waves offshore were only 1-2 FT, maybe 3-4 FT. We waited on some out-of-town folks and were loaded and headed out by 08:30. All told, we had 12 divers and 3 crew on the 60 FT boat. Not crowded at all. There was a little chop heading out and we starting hitting 2-3 FT swell maybe 10 miles offshore, but all-in-all, it wasnt bad. Air temp dropped into the low 60s and the wind was blowing SW at 15 KTS. The sun kept it nice, however.
About 2 HRS later, we arrived at our dive site. The Morgan was a pretty big ship, but it has broken up over the years so most operators hook into whats called the hospital section, a large portion of superstructure where medical supplies were previously found. The crew seemed to plant the hook quickly, but for some reason things went down hill from there. Bobby and I like to be geared and ready to go 5 minutes after the boats hooked in, so we were fully dressed and waiting when the DM went over to verify the hook. He came up a short while later and confirmed placement. The boat was obviously hooked because we stopped all movement and swung around to face the wind.
Then, we played a waiting game. For whatever reason, they decided to re-verify hook placement. I swear to God it seemed like the crew took forever. Another DM went over and came back and THEN came up to rig the hang bar to the anchor line. We spent 45 minutes (45 minutes!) sitting in full gear (including hood) on a hard bench waiting for this process to finish. Last weeks crew did the same operation in less than 10 minutes. Needless to say, the A game guys need to talk to this bunch.
FINALLY, the word came and over we went. Bobby was diving twin 95s and a 40 pony, I was diving a single 121 and 40 pony. Visibility at the hang bar was less then 10 FT and didnt get any better on the way down. We hit the top of the hospital at 70 FT, followed by tying in a wreck reel and heading off. Bobby ran the reel. Bottom temperature was 51 degrees. We wound through some structure checking out the fish. Eventually we came around the hospital, wrapped the top and descended to about a 100 FT bottom. Visibility dropped to 5 FT near the bottom. I briefly came off the line to check out some stuff and when I looked up I had separated from Bobby. I was oriented to the hospital so re-traced and found him a few minutes later.
The Morgan is a complex wreck. Orientation is difficult in lower visibility but if you focus in on the small stuff you can have a good dive. A main sprocket allows you to identify a WW II era tank. Treads and wheels, along with the turret appear when you look carefully. Otherwise it looks like so much junk. Close to 20 minutes into the dive we turned and headed back to the anchor (we were diving 32% EAN with 40% deco gas). We ended up looking around near the anchor and headed up at 30 minutes. I had to cut some mono to free the line. If you dive the Morgan, make certain you have a couple of knives handy, its covered with entanglements. Were training deep so we switched to our stages at the bar and did a 10 minute hang. Its a little more interesting in 4 FT swell then when its flat. Surface temperature was 56 degrees and I never got cold during the wait.
Lunch followed on the Miss Lindsey (world famous Lindsey Dogs) along with a one hour and 45 minute SIT. Unfortunately, at least one diver did some fish feeding during the SIT, the swell getting to him. Most divers did a second dive, including one guy who was wearing a 5 mm wetsuit and one of those Caribbean beanie hoods (he said he was from Seattle and could take it ). We also had 4 teenage boys, their dad and their instructor on board all who did a second dive. It was good to see the kids getting some real experience offshore and they were grinning ear-to-ear.
Bobby and I hit it again, this time with me running the reel. For some reason (probably running the reel) I felt a little pushed on the second dive and wasnt as comfortable. I had also zipped my hood all the way down and it was a little tight, so that may have contributed to the problem. Again, we took a tour and ended up back at the anchor after 30 minutes. I was running IANTD 32% tables (my computer busted last week) so I had a 13 minute planned hang. We spent about 20 minutes on the complete ascent, stretching it a little long. I learned NOT to put knick-knacks in the same pocket with your tables on the SAME side as your stage. When I pulled out the tables on the hang, I watched my stuff join the wreck 100 FT below. Bobby did a valiant save on one item, but I dropped it a second time when I tried to put it back (DUH!).
We were the last team up and, thankfully, the crew pulled the hook quickly and put everything away in less than 10 minutes (makes you wonder ). We pulled back into Rudee at 04:30 PM and headed home. All in all, it was a GREAT day and even though I *****ed some, the diving made up for it.
Some pics:
Loading up
RAD Diver (note Dr. EVIL grin!)
A glorious day at sea!
Underway
Heading back
Hope yall liked the story .
