Conditions

Winds: South East 15 knots

Seas: 2-4 ft

Air Temp: 79

Water Temp: 76

Current: n/a

Visibility: 50ft

I missed the maiden voyage of the new boat “Depreciation” last Saturday, but couldn’t wait for the Monday night dive! There is still ample deck space for 4-6 divers. After piloting her out of the marina, Jody let me take the helm. Before throttling up he warned me, “be careful, she’s throaty!” I checked the gear and got the go ahead to cruise. The boat jumped up on plain in seconds as I slid back in the seat and the people standing about came off their feet. Wow!

Dive 1: Princess Britney

8:52 PM

S: Matt and Robert

A: 32%

D: 80’ plan 76’ max

D: 50” plan, 40” bottom time, 47” run time

D: around the site

D: 40/1 30/1 20/3 10/3

PSI: 3100/900

The cable from the transducer to the depth finder is still missing in action, so we were diving by GPS only. We choose a big target with good numbers; the Princess Britney, a 165 freighter sized by customs and sunk a year ago in April 2003. Jody and Ralph dove first.

While topside, I rearranged the deck to figure out the best plan for stages, doubles, gear to allow for back roll entries and re-boarding by the new steel ladder. Then I took some pretty photos of the sunset. When Jody came back we learned the anchor was 50ft from the wreck and tied in with a spool. There were 50 plus barracudas waiting for us, good vis, warm water, and no current.

Robert wanted to get practice with bottles, so he geared up his 104s, AL80 stage, and two AL 40 stages for the dive. Ralph and Jody both tended him while I waited all geared up. Robert almost fell on his back on the deck, but they were there with save. Then he jumped in the water to finish attaching bottles. When he was ready, I dropped in and we headed for the line.

We descended down and found the wreck. At the stern, Robert signaled he was having a problem. After tracing the mess of clips on his left side D ring, I found his SPG buried under his dry suit argon inflation system. After getting that pulled out, we settled and started exploring the wreck. There is a narrow passageway under the bridge that still has cable in it. I stuck my head in to look around and got flashed in the corner on my eye. I backed out and tilted up enough to bang my head on the railing. By the time I was out, Robert was ok. We passed a strange creature that has become a favorite of mine. I looks like a sea fan, but it moves and reacts to the light of the HID by retreating to the underside of the ledge and recoils its outstretched limbs. After 5 minutes with Reef Creature Identification I learned I was looking at a Giant Basket Star, which are common to South Florida.

We dropped down into the cargo hold and headed back for the engine on the starboard side. The entrance was open, but either we had to turn around, or squeeze up by the engine to get to the next deck. I saw the stairs, rotated and slid up past the engine. I turned and knew Robert would have to get through as well with all the bottles. He freed the bottom clip and pushed the bottles ahead of him over the engine. As he ascended, he didn’t hug the stairs and got his tanks blocked by the exhaust tube. As he worked, the silt flowed out and I started having visions of his ripping his suit. As the clouds enveloped me, I had visions of him getting stuck well. Then I started flashing for attention to tell him to turn around and I’d meet him on the outside.

Then Robert saw the exhaust ended by the stairs and he could get up. There was one piece of electrical cable looped out and Robert caught it with his isolator. He dropped down and I freed it and he popped up with all the bottles past the engine. Wow, I was impressed!

After our narrow experience, we swam over the cargo hold covered in concrete for the bow. There were several anchor lines fouled in the upright mast along with a long cylindrical fishing weight attached to lots of line. Several surgeonfish were asleep in dark colors nestled against the side of the ship.

Being only a year old, there wasn’t a lot of life of the wreck yet. The one this that really caught my attention were the numbers of sea urchins on the wreck. I counted over 7 of them, mostly this lighter variety and a few of the dark black kind of used to seeing.

At the chain locker at the bow was a juvenile Spiny Lobster. We swam back and decided to explore the bridge a little. Entering from the port side there wasn’t anything left inside except of a box of small cubbies holes. I’m guessing it used to hold maps, we know it holds lobsters.

Inside, there was a narrow passageway down to the next level from the bridge. I asked Robert if he wanted to go down and got a no. I guess he was tired of playing follow-the-leader-from-hell. As I exited the bridge from the starboard side I found the cool orange crab crawling around the doorframe. I don’t have a macro lens, so this is the best I could do with what I had.

I swum out and watched Robert exit making a good “stage bottle” 90 degree roll to clear the door way. We were both covers in rust orange, it must have been a good dive! I wound up the spool and we ascended up the anchor line. Robert does a great job keeping time, trim, and buoyancy with the task loading of the wing and dry suit. And yes, that is an AL 40 behind him, between his legs, on a leash, the way it’s supposed to be. But I’m not going to make a DIR joke.

We packed up and headed in. Ralph had the wheel and paused as what appeared to be a coastguard helicopter was in perfect hover of the water. The searchlights showed the waves of salt spray getting blown up and sucked into the turbine. On the way by we saw one person getting winched up into the copter. In the distance, there was a second helicopter behind us. We do not know if this was a drill or rescue, but it was interesting to watch.

–Matt