Tug on this

4-27-08

Independence II trip

Despite the ugly forecast for most of the week Capt Dan decided to give it a try when NOAA downgraded it a bit yesterday. Heading out the inlet we found decent seas inshore but the horizon was bearing its toothy grin which meant the Stolt would have to wait for another day. We ended up on the Venturo tug which sits in ~70 fsw. This tug was sunk intentionally as an artificial reef and sits upright and intact. I found the shot in the sand right off the bow making for an easy tie in. Visibility on top of the wreck was a decent 10-15 feet with a slight current/surge. On the bottom the visibility dropped down to 5 feet or so. Temperatures were 46-48F on the bottom depending whose computer you checked with a slight 2 degree increase near the surface so it looks like the temperature is easing up slowly.

I did a couple tours around the tug and poked inside the engine room. I ran my reel out in the sand looking for edible creatures and some of the APCs (armored personnel carriers) that have been placed around the wreck. After finding only sand dollars and a lonely skate with a bent tail I headed back. I took advantage of my rebreather and spent a couple minutes staring down a school of bergalls (only fish I saw on the wreck) along the railing who looked like they were hoping I had (or was) something for them to eat. There were reports of a rather large bug in an undisclosed location that eluded its captor.

I wouldn’t want to dive the Venturo every weekend but it is a nice little dive and gave everybody the chance to work out the rest of those early season cobwebs.

Thanks to Mark Clark for the pictures.