Ah, Spring is here and the disinformation is in full bloom...
Sean Smith @ the Pensacola News Urinal was capitalizing on Dr. Wells attempt to get more funding for the department at Baptist Hospital. They've always had a chamber, but they closed it to divers a few years back. Now they're trying to get more staffing - it's all politics. The article, like most, was written purely from a sensationalist standpoint, and would be better suited for the enquirer or CDNN.
The Oriskany will essentially be a "wall dive", without the current. The 212' depth to the SAND is not at all too deep -you won't have to go down there. The structure will rise to within 55-60' of the surface, and with the Flight Deck between 110 and 130', most of the intersting stuff will be well within rec limits. It's really not going to be that hard to do- it's just another dive site - a REALLY cool one, but just another one.
Anyone that says the diving in Pensacola is not good has never REALLY dove in Pensacola - one charter trip on a crappy day to a crappy site isn't a fair measure. There is a wide variety of stuff to see - rigs, reefs, wrecks, etc... and the conditions are usually good to excellent - vis averages 30-50' inshore, and 50-80' offshore. Days with 100+ are not uncommon. I'll put the quantity and Quality of the marine life here up against anywhere in the world, and yes the fishing and spearfishing is excellent.
That the Oriskany is "being put down for the fishermen as primarily a fishing reef" is a negative PR campaign that was started by folks down south a few years back when Pensacola was in competitiuon with Miami for the O. In reality the fishermen aren't all that excited about it because it will be a bigger draw for divers and will have too much traffic on it for the fishermen.
