Neque est ullum certius amicitiae vinculum, quam consensus et societas consiliorum et voluntatum ~ There is no more sure tie between friends than when they are united in their objects and wishes. ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
One of our own is leaving for 400 days of sun and fun in Iraq on Sunday. We have been trying to get as many dive days in with him as we can and today we did a private charter on the Stingray.
He got to pick the wreck and carry his own tanks, we got to spend some time with him diving, talking, telling stories, old and new, eating and drinking a beer or two. And of course laughing, with him and at him.
There were 7 of us this morning. It was 78F at 6AM and would near 100F before the day was over. The guys had finished my neck seal in record time, since its untimely demise on Friday, but I had my wet gear with me just in case there was a problem. Long story short….there was not…woo hoo!! They are the best.
With every one on board we headed out on perfectly flat seas for the Pinta. I was excited since I have never been on this classic wreck and I understand it is quickly deteriorating. But it was not to be. As we arrived there was another boat on the site and we were not destined to share, so we moved on to the “Secret Magical Mystery Wreck”. That is all I know… I believe that if Captain Henrik told us more he would have to kill us…so it will have to suffice.
We geared up as we waited for the mate to tie in and Mark and I were the second group over the side. The water was a cool 46F and that old familiar Jersey green in color as we went down the line.
90 fsw later, at the bottom, the green remained with us but the visibility was respectable and we headed out to explore. There was a tangle of wreckage and hull plates and wood and it seems the tautog know they are out of season and therefore abounded, swimming all around us. We swam the length of the wreck over the top getting a look about and noted hydroids, anemones and sponges were everywhere and an assortment of fish in every size swam past us. As we peered about we could see fish and divers bustling in every direction and streams of bubbles rising from the wreckage gave notice of the path of each group as they swam along.
Monofilament was everywhere and I was tangled on more than one occasion, starting at the tie in and grabbing Marks fin to get his attention as I pulled free. I am sure he thought I was crazy….OK, crazier than usual….as each time I got caught, I would grab some piece of equipment or other of his and when he looked at me I would signal OK and swim on. Weights and lures dangled about like fruit on a tree. Obviously this place was not a secret among the fishing crowd. If I didn’t know better, I might guess this ship sank from the weight of all the lead sinkers attached to her.
As we turned to go back to the tie in, we came across two of our divers tangled between the fishing line and their wreck line, and stopped to help out before heading up.
Once back onboard, we lounged about the front deck of the boat just talking and soaking up some of the days sunshine while the crew stoked up the grill. The rest for the surface interval was spent eating burgers and shish kebobs and snacking on pretzels and fruit while we exchanged stories and information from our first dive and readied for round two.
Again we headed down and, while the temperature was the same as earlier, it felt slightly colder in the water. There was a definite thermo cline this time at about 30 ft.
For this dive we headed southwest and in the sand following the curve of the wreckage. Immediately upon reaching the sand I picked up a few pieces of wood half buried in the sand, but couldn't tell if they were charred or not. This was definitely a wooden ship and from this side you could make out whole pieces of the hull still intact rising up from the sand, the railings in place at the top. There was a slight bit of a current here and I took advantage of it, letting it take me slowly along as I laid at the sand peering in amongst the tangle of debris for whatever life was hiding there. I found a shell in the sand here, suitable as a souvenir of the dive and placed it in my pocket for later.
Again the fish were swimming all about and I poked one or two and grabbed for tails along the way, actually catching one only to have it immediately wiggle from my fingers. Oh well.
From this side you could make out the fallen masts and wood planking amid the rubble of the wreckage and it was interesting to try and imagine where it all fit in.
It was quickly time to head up once more and we slowly made our way up the line.
On deck, as each group exited the water, they described the different parts of the wreck they had seen and what was there. Everyone had something to add from the description of portions of wreckage to the bull nosed eels lurking in the shadows.
Once our gear was stowed and we were on our way back in, the Captain let me steer the boat a bit. While there may not have been much for me to hit, I still had to steer towards the inlet and home, and I am happy to report I did not get us lost.
We all gathered on the deck, chatting and talking diving and gear, pictures and trips, sipping some cold ones, and taking pictures of us all together and making a memory to keep until we get Josh back to dive with us again.
Stay safe buddy and hurry back. We have fish to poke ya know.