Down too long in the mignight sea...: February 2008

I don't really like to post quarry reports but what the hell there is nothing else going on so here is the over dramatized version of today's dive...

Diving Bainbridge is no joke

If today was a month it would be March because it came in like lamb and went out like a lion. Morning was bright and sunny and not too cold, by the time we got out of the water an arctic wind was howling, the temperature plummeted, and a part of the drive home from Bainbridge was in blizzard like conditions. But enough about the weather we had a mission. The past couple times we visited Bainbridge we have tried unsuccessfully to find the mythical "barn". Today the elite team was Dan Martinez, Dr. Gozum, and myself stepped up to the challenge one more time. This time we took some tips from yesterday's seminar by John Yurga on shipwreck research and got information BEFORE we hit the water.

We threw caution to the wind (light to none at this point) and chose to ignore the ominous warning sign left by some previous traveler (above) as we took a different tact than previous missions by entering on the other side of the little peninsula in hope of surprising the barn before it had a chance to hide. Armed with sophisticated reconnaissance equipment we set out in conditions about the same as last week at 39-40F and a solid 20 feet or more of visibility. We wasted no time dropping to 90 ffw and bypassed the boat via a jump to "A" line. After that the details get sketchy and we followed a trail of destruction on are singular mission to find the "barn". Some evil force has left in its wake upturned vehicles, leveled buildings, and great rocks shewn about like they were nothing more than marbles. They say discretion is the better part of valor... we chose the lesser part. Finally out of the gloom appeared the silhouette of the remains of the great hall. After all these weeks we had arrived at the "barn". Dan and Marvin wasted no time storming the entrance while I remained outside snapping pictures in a state of great trepidation and awe. At last the draw of the mystery of the great barn was too overwhelming and I entered and was instantly basked in the green glow filtering down through the holes from above like rays from heaven. After some congratulatory high fives we triumphantly headed for home (and a chilly deco). To the victor belong the spoils!!

Discovery!

(This is not a barn)

Last weekend Danny and I took a break from diving to take a little field trip out to Beach Haven, NJ (LBI) where we met up with Capt. Bartone to check out the Museum of New Jersey Maritime History. This non-profit museum contains a ton of information on the Jersey coast and is a great resource for wreck divers. There are lots of artifacts recovered and donated or on loan from divers from local wrecks on display as well as binders full of shipwreck research and photos. In addition there is a nice library and DVD collection that are all available to borrow. There is a great S-5 exhibit complete with personal artifacts recovered from the wreck and underwater images of the wreck as she sits today. The museum is definitely worth the trip out to LBI for the serious wreck diver on anyone with a general interest in the maritime history of our coast.