Oil Wreck (porthole)

Independence II –6-24-07 - Ayuruoca (Bridge) dive report

Today I joined a group of 10 divers from Diver’s Den on a trip to one of New Jersey’s best wrecks. The more we dive the Oil Wreck this year the more apparent it is how much she has changed since last year. After seeing how much the stern section has broken down and opened up it was decided to hit the bow section of the wreck and see if the bridge superstructure had also undergone a facelift. We were soon tied into the top of the bridge at ~135 feet courtesy of Capt. Terry Martzall and the divers were off. Coming down the line on my dive I was surprised to see the wreck materializing below me at about 115’. The visibility on top of the wreck was quite nice and probably pushing 20’ with lots of ambient light. Arriving at the railing it didn’t long to see that the bridge has been altered just as much as the stern. The top deck which used to be perfectly level is now lying at about a 45 degree angle. I dropped down one deck level and looked for someplace to enter the wreck but due to the collapse most of the corridors that used to be wide open now fade down to low ceilings. I decided to drop down another deck level and look for something a little more accessible. Dropping down to about 150 feet the visibility also dropped down to maybe 10 feet or less. Here the decks were not collapsed as much so I tied off my reel and I was able to easily swim into the wreck even with two stage bottles. Looking around inside it looks like walls have been collapsing as you could easily cut in between rooms this way and that. About 30 feet inside I came across a large porthole backing plate just like the one Capt Dan recovered a few weeks ago. It was lying loose on a piece of the steel wall. There are still many backing plates on the Oil Wreck because they were sealed with lead and very difficult to recover. Until now.

With the deteriorating condition of the wreck they are now falling off the walls and easier to get. After some miscommunication via light signals with my buddy (I might as well have tried to build a fire and send smoke signals) to come help me lug it outside the wreck so I could shoot it to the surface I put my bag on it inside to lift it. I was a little stupid here as I didn’t tie my choker on that well and had a length of rope that was too long and let the bag hit the ceiling of the wreck. So I had to alternate between pushing the bag down to get past obstructions on the ceiling and dragging the porthole and plate all while trying not to lose sight of my line. Finally I got it out and wished it well on its way to the surface.

What a great weekend of diving!

India Arrow

2/4/1942

“So hot was the explosion that Winter ordered the U-103 backed away. Several of his men were allowed topside to see the results. What they saw must have sickened them. The India Arrow was engulfed with flames and the men were burning.” - From Torpedo Junction

6/23/2007

The India Arrow was a tanker (sister ship of Dixie Arrow sunk off Hatteras) sunk in WWII and today rests nearly turtled in 190 fsw about 60 miles off Cape May. My buddy Bill Bedford and I were looking forward to diving this wreck, which has been described as “have to see” by Gary Gentile, for a long time. We finally got the chance to dive her on Saturday off Harold Moyer’s boat the Big Mac. Tom Packer and Steve Gatto tied us in pretty quickly and let us know via a com’s unit “holy shit that’s a huge propeller” that we were tied in near the stern. Coming down the line the visibility was crystal clear on the surface. The wreck came into view at about 130’ and we hit the top of the wreck (the keel) at about 165’. The visibility was great on the bottom and probably 40-50’. We did a quick orientation and systems check before heading over to check out the massive single propeller. This prop cannot be described as anything but huge. It rises 20-30 feet off the bottom and the equally huge rudder has broken off and lies just aft resting on the fantail.

Coming back across the hull my light caught a reflection off something in the hull and sure enough one of those round things. I brushed some of the sand and growth off to reveal a perfect porthole.

We got back near the tie in and it was easy enough to swim right inside the wreck past a huge set of bollards that loomed on the deck overhead. I did a quick look to see if I could get to that porthole but there was a bulkhead preventing access but low and behold there was another porthole just before it with the swing plate hanging down. The glass was missing and the backing plate was brass but solidly enough attached that it was more work than I was interested in.

Heading forward it didn’t take long to come across several brass cage lamps, one with the glass globe still intact. At this point I am now zipping about like a kid in a candy store with a huge smile on my face. I through the lamps in my bag and put them by the tie in so I wasn’t dragging them through the wreck. Back inside and forward and I came to the engine and boilers which were truly impressive. Being inside this wreck was just incredible. It was so wide open and the ceiling (keel) so high that it was like being in a huge dark cathedral. Here and there rust holes allowed emerald green light to filter through and at points along the center line you could look port and starboard and see out both sides of the wreck. After passing the boilers the wreck is broken and I came out here and reluctantly headed back to the anchor line on the outside of the wreck and had to keep reminding myself to leave the scallops littering the white sandy bottom alone.

On my second dive I took my camera but it was giving me too many problems. That’s why the pictures you see are pretty terrible. So I headed forward toward the break again. I found a couple more portholes with the glass in them but again they need work. It was another awesome dive on this awesome wreck. I can’t wait to go back to the India Arrow.

Random old image

Here is a picture I shot in 2005 of the conning tower of the US submarine S-5. I had just got my camera (you can tell), and was before I got my strobe. I shot this without any flash because there was so much particulate in the water.


If you are not familiar with the incredible story of the S-5 do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Under Pressure

This coming weekend...

Fri/Sat: India Arrow - 190fsw
Sun: back to Ayuruoca! - 175fsw

Gear: Neoprene neck seal review

Ok so I got a new drysuit this past winter and have been slowly but surely "pimping my ride". First thing I did was put in a p-valve (best invention EVER). Not so recently however has been my battle with latex neck seals... I dont know if I have an allergy or not which seems to be relatively common but latex seals have always torn my neck up (doesn't bother my wrists though). I would get a very bad rash after dives and it would even become uncomfortable/painful in the water during longer dives. Diving is supposed to be fun so I have resolved to make it as comfortable an experience as possible (plus I can't tell my boss I was working when I was diving if my neck looks like a tried to hang myself), so upon the suggestion of a fairly prominent wreck diver I decided to give a neoprene neck seal a shout. The only problem with this is that I would have to send my suit out to get the work done. So after returning to my trusty old suit (you can always trust it to leak) for a weekend and shelling out extra for rush service and delivery I was happy to have my new suit back with a spanking new neoprene neck seal.

I hadn't used one of these before and had heard mixed reviews so I was a bit hesitant to try it for the first time this past weekend on the Oil Wreck, but I decided to dive right in (bad pun) and give it a go anyway (I didnt want to go another week without my p-valve). I did give it a test pullover the night before and after nearly suffocating myself I wasn't feeling very warm and fuzzy about it and almost took my old suit "just in case". Neverless, dressing on the boat I got it on a little easier and I was glad Charlie Firtion was there to square me away with the folding it under routine.

The verdict: it was better than I could have hoped! Hanging at 20 feet I didn't get the feeling like circulation was being cut off to my brain and I could turn my head without cringing in pain like with the latex seal. It didn't leak at all and it was probably the driest I have ever dove. With my latex seal I had it trimmed so loose to try and prevent it cutting into my skin that it would often burp quite a bit. Another added benefit is that the neoprene keeps your neck a little warmer. All in all one it was definitely money well spent.

Morehead City, NC trip report

Morehead City, NC trip report – 6/1-3 2007

I joined John Cogan and Paul Galligan from NESS on Thursday morning to make the leisurely 8 hour road trip down to Morehead City, NC. We met up with the rest of our crew of 7 at Olympus and prepared for the next few days of diving. A front was moving in so we decided to get the best dives in while we still had good weather. The decision was made to go to the Hutton (formerly known as the Papoose but recently er… re-identified? WDM article). This wreck is outstanding and is one of my favorites of anywhere. It was large tanker that fell victim to German torpedo attack in WWII and now rests nearly turtled in 120 fsw. Dropping down the line with camera in hand I quickly realized this was going to be a great dive as I could see the top of the wreck which comes up to about 90 fsw from the granny line at 20 feet. Hitting the sand I got my camera ready as I waited for Cogan who was right behind me with his new video setup. It was great to just kneel in the sand and look around and really get a feel for the wreck in the 80 feet of visibility that we had. In the distance off the wreck several sand tiger sharks were circling while up ahead I spotted a very large silhouette of what appeared to be a huge grouper. Later on the boat the mate said that this was in fact a goliath grouper that has set up shop on the wreck. Our plan was to head aft and enter the engine room. As we swam along we spotted several lionfish and schools of amberjacks accompanied us. Arriving at the rudder I snapped a couple shots before heading into the wreck.


I ended up going into a different hole than I intended and the entrance was a little tighter than I remembered. Passing a beam I looked up and saw the larger opening I had meant to find. Unknown to me Cogan had had a minor entanglement coming in the smaller opening and we got separated, mostly due to the huge clouds of baitfish inside the wreck. Further in at the boilers I had a perfect shot of sunlight coming into the cathedral like engine room from above and lighting the side of one of the huge boilers but every time the camera was ready the baitfish would come in and block me. The flash my light and try to quickly set up before the bait came back routine was pushing me to the point of screaming through my reg when I starting wondering where the hell Cogan was to chase them away.

I finally decided I was fighting a losing battle and headed out. I met up with Cogan outside the wreck and we turned back towards the tie in but heading out into the sand away from the wreck to photograph the sharks along the way. We also came across a huge stingray pretty far off the wreck just chilling. As we began our ascent I paused at the top of the wreck and get some silhouette shots of the divers above us when I realized you could see the boat 100’ away. Truly an awesome dive, and what an introduction to North Carolina wreck diving for those first timers on board!


For our second dive we headed to the Aeolus, which was a cable layer sunk as an artificial reef. While artificial reef wrecks aren’t really my thing, this turned out to be a pretty cool dive. The visibility was less here and around 40 feet. Again the sand tigers were in full effect. Unfortunately my camera was on the fritz and didn’t really get any good pictures on this dive and spent most of my time fiddling and cursing at the thing. There is a large circular opening in the top of the wreck and into the next deck below where the cable was spooled out of. If you go at the side of the lower deck where the wreck is torn open and look through you can see the light shining down and it looks like a huge cylindrical aquarium with the fish swimming through.

On Saturday the seas had already started to pick from Friday but we still managed to get out to the U-352. This is one of the most popular dives out of Morehead City as there aren’t many places to dive a German U-boat in recreational depths. Hitting the wreck, which sits in 115 fsw, we again had great visibility which was probably at least 60 feet if not more.

For the second dive we were going to hit the Spar which is another artificial reef and only sunk a couple years ago. I have to admit I gave a bit of a sigh of relief as there were 2 other boats already there when we got there and we would have to go somewhere else. Capt Bobby was planning on heading inshore as the weather was picking up and hit the Indra another reef wreck but was happy to oblige our request to dive the Ario (formerly called the Hutton). The Ario is another tanker sunk by U-boat in WWII, but unlike the real Hutton, has been blasted/wire dragged/ and otherwise reduced to a rubble pile. Being inshore the visibility was less at 20 feet and the water temp a little cooler at 73 compared to the 77 on the offshore wrecks. The wreck has a max depth of about 80fsw and I had a blast exploring around this huge wreck and it felt more like being at home on a Jersey wreck. We were tied into the prop shaft near the boilers and seeing the big sand tigers come around the boilers was really a cool sight. Also they would get much closer here since the vis was not as good as the other wrecks. It was a great dive to end the trip!

Here are some more pictures from this trip

Overdue Hatteras report

11-May-2007

We booked a couple days of diving a couple months in advance to get a couple familiarization dives in with Capt JT Barker and his boat the Under Pressure out of Cape Hatteras, NC. Originally we were booked to do the Manuela (160fsw) followed by an overnight trip of strictly recreational type dives. Well the weather had other plans (this is Hatteras in May we are talking about). Early in the week we were supposed to head down 25' swells were rolling through and the area was getting hammered by a big storm so it looked like the trip would be a wash. We talked with Capt JT who was very accommodating in trying to get us early word of a blow out to save us the 8 hour drive if he could. Finally the decision was made to cancel Thursday but still dive the Manuela on Friday so that at least if we drove down for one day we would get the main wreck we wanted to dive.

We made the leisurely drive down on Thursday and arrived with plenty of time to BS with the Capt and get familiarized with the boat (which is set up very nicely), cut some tables, and also take note of the fact that it was a beautiful day and we could have gone diving. After a good nights rest we woke up ready to dive and headed out to the Manuela a freighter torpedoed by the U-404 on 6/25/1942.

Dolphin and Danny cut tables

Bedford and Dolphin cut tables

We arrived on the site and it was immediately obvious that the current was ripping along at about 1.5kts. Also since the plan was changed to dive the Manuela there was a change up in the crew and Danny and I were asked to tie in which we agreed to do. It was questionable whether we would be able to dive at this site, but it was decided that we would try it and if we could get down it was a go, otherwise don't be a hero and if the current is too rough call it. Danny jumped in and could not get past 20' because of some allergy related sinus issues, but said the current was manageable. He was going to give it another shot getting down and I splashed right behind him. I hauled my way up the granny line to the anchor line where I met up with Danny. He said his ears were still a no go and he was heading up so I was going to go down and tie in by myself. I was fighting to get down but it wasn't that bad. I got to 50-60' and the current still wasn't letting up and I was about to turn when a school of BIG amberjacks came flying up from the bottom and gave me some reassurance that the wreck was near. Visibility was about 40' and the wreck came into view just past 100' and I saw a great upturned steel hull. The hook had snagged the very lip near the sand of the turtled hull and when I got to it there wasn't much to wrap the chain around. With the current pulling hard against it I got a little wrap around a plate and figured it wasn't going anywhere.

Swimming down the edge of the hull you could see up and in the wreck, and I was surrounded by some very large amberjacks as well as some barracuda. I got to the end of the section we were on and it was a break in the ship and it was very easy to get inside. I didn't want to go to far since I was planning on cutting my dive short so I wasn't hanging in the current, but I took a quick peek inside. I saw back in the dark some white "tentacles" waving at me and I thought they were lobsters but upon closer inspection I found 2 large lionfish huddled together in a deep recess of the wreck.

For dive 2 we were going to hit the Proteus but another boat was already there and lying on the wreck such a way that we couldn't hook it. We did snag something and Dolphin went in to dive but found we were on a small piece of junk away from the wreck. The decision was made to head in to the Dixie Arrow. I has happy to hit this wreck since I hope to be diving her sister ship the India Arrow at the end of June. The Dixie Arrow was another U-boat casualty of the second great war. Capt JT was gracious enough to divulge some intel with on on the whereabouts of 2 portholes. I went in armed for the mission and found the grapple secured to one of the massive links of the ships anchor chain which made my orientation with the wreck easy. We were at the very bow, which is partially intact and rises a good bit off the bottom. I had no trouble locating the first porthole but it wasn't near as ready to come off as I hoped. I instead opted to check out this wreck which is pretty outstanding. I saw more amberjacks (which if you haven't figured out I really like) and even shared some time with a large turtle. I got back to the bow ahead of time and decided to whack on the porthole a little bit. No dice. Getting back to the tie-in (I had run my reel) I was a bit dumbfounded to find the anchor line missing. I was already running a bit late at this point and didn't want to waste any time. I took a quick spin around the area to see if I somehow missed it, then shot my SMB and tied it off. I did my ascent and got on the boat and everyone was looking at me funny and asking if I was ok. I thought they must have known the boat pulled out but they said it didn't. ??? So long story short it turns out there was a very "helpful" diver on the boat who thought he would get in the Capt's good graces by saving us all some time and pulling the hook at the end of his dive. WTF?!?! Anyway it all worked out and I had 2 really good dives.

Seas were beautiful

Capt JT does have the Under Pressure set up real nice. It is only a 6 pack and there is plenty of space. He even has individual headsets for each bunk and grills during the surface interval.

http://www.capt-jt.com/

First China

6/17/2006 – Independence II trip to the Oil Wreck

I said it last week, I’ll say it again this week… the Oil wreck (Ayuruoca) is absolutely one of my favorite wrecks! Today I joined Capt’s Bartone and Tempe on another cruise to this massive intact Brazillian freighter in the Mud Hole of New Jersey. We had beautiful weather and calm seas making for an enjoyable (almost too short) ride out to the wreck. Arriving on site I splashed with Capt Jay and Christina Young to tie-in. We found the shot in the mud (172fsw) right next to the wreck at the break of the stern section and I was able to scout out openings in the decks I could enter on the way down. We quickly retrieved the chain and brought it up to 135’ in the same general location we were last week. Once my working portion of the dive was complete I set off to explore. The visibility was a decent 15 feet or so at the main deck level but I tied off my reel and headed inside. I headed a good ways down a corridor which had many doors tempting my way off here and there but this being my first time in this section of the wreck I decided to keep it simple and stay straight. On the way out my light reflected bright white off the edge of something under what appeared to be a fallen table. I carefully reached down and plucked it from the muck and managed to keep the black cloud to a minimum. I inspected my find and sure enough my first piece of china! It was just a broken saucer but it still had most of the Rio de Janeiro stamp on the back so I gingerly placed it in my bag. I thought maybe there would be more and hopefully intact pieces in the area so I did some minor excavation of some tables and after plunging my hand into the muck and feeling around all I accomplished was a completely blacked out room and some pissed off eel pouts. After my 30 minutes was up I reluctantly headed up but had a pleasant deco reflecting on another awesome Oil Wreck dive.

Not much, but its mine ;-)

6/10/07 - Ayuruoca (Oil Wreck)

6/10/2007 - Independence II trip to the Oil Wreck (Ayuruoca)

Today I joined the group from Village Divers on a trip to what is probably one of my favorite wrecks – the Oil Wreck. The Ayuruoca is a large freighter sitting upright and intact in 2 separate pieces in the Mud Hole of New Jersey. The mud bottom is at about 175fsw but the main deck is at ~150 and in areas the superstructure comes up to as high as 120fsw. The best part is that even though it is in deeper water it is still a short boat ride and we were on site well under an hour even with some slightly bouncy seas.


I splashed in with John Yurga to tie in. Coming down the shot line (which landed in the mud) we passed right down the side of the wreck which is covered in anemones, and it was like descending down a beautifully carpeted 30’ wall. The visibility was a dark 10’, which isn’t too bad for this wreck. We secured the tie at about 135’ near a railing which made navigation pretty easy. Cruising down slightly off deck level I noticed that the railing was bent in more, almost like the wreck caved in towards the middle some and that some of the deck appeared to have opened up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw through one rust hole a large piece of porcelain that looked like a nice bowl, but as soon as I grabbed I realized it was just a broken off toilet still attached to the tiled floor . I got as far as one of the trucks sitting on the deck (part of the cargo when she went down) and decided to head back before I got myself thoroughly lost. Back near the tie I found an entrance to a room and took a quick peak inside. There was a brass backing plate from a porthole still in place but it probably wont be going anywhere for quite some time. There is so much to see on this wreck that is really unbelievable.

Back on board we compared notes and decided we were on the bow section near the bridge, which may have collapsed some over the winter. One buddy team surfaced with one of the buddies having a large rust spot on his hood and reported getting clonked in the head by falling debris. This seemed to give supporting evidence to the collapse theory until they said they were OUTSIDE the wreck when the debris came raining down on them. This mystery was solved when Frankie reported finding a “loose” porthole backing plate still on a small beam that required some “man-handling”, but he was unable to float it with his bag. With a set of directions Capt Dan and Mark Clark were able to go in and finish the job and within minutes a lift bag popped up with a nice backing plate that still had one dog on it. All in all it was another great weekend out and under the Atlantic.

Capt's Clark and Bartone with porthole

Capt's Clark and Pellegrino with porthole

(photos courtesy M. Clark)