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| |
2006 Dive Reports
Feb 10, 2006
The Olympus went to the Yancey. 40-50' visibility and tons of marine life.
Warmer on the bottom.
Feb 25, 2006
The Olympus went to the Papoose today, surface temp was 71 and the water was
the
bluest of blues, but a 3 knot current kept them from diving there.
They moved to the Sub and had no current, but the surface water was not as
blue.
Visibility was 15-20, and 61 degrees. The Aeolus had 40' vis and 66 degrees.
Evidently there was a Gulf Stream eddy moving around out there!
The ride out was smooth, but the winds increased during the day and surface
conditions
were bumpy by the time they dove the Aeolus.
early March 2006
Paul Payne, a regular crew member on the Atlantis has taken a trip to Truk this
spring! He's due to arrive back in the US today (3/20), and his stories about
the trip are sure to be great. We welcome him back to North Carolina!
May 2006
| |
Location |
Visibility |
Temp |
Comments |
| May 6 |
Naeco |
80 |
76 |
A great start to the season! A huge school of 3-4' blacktip
sharks hung around the divers throughout the dives! |
| May 7 |
Schurz |
60/25 |
74 |
A rough day on the ocean, but calm underneath. Plenty of
baitfish lowered vis on the wreck, and sandtigers are still on patrol.
Flounder are abundant, but.... |
| May 9 |
Papoose |
60-70 |
72 |
Still a bit rough, but nice conditions underwater on the
Papoose. Spinner sharks jumped out of the water near the boat. |
| May 10 |
Papoose |
70 |
71 |
A perfect day. Bluefish swarms are passing through, and we
got "blitzed" while releasing the anchor. You don't want to get
in the way of a crowd of bluefish when they attack the wreck, and anything
else in their way! |
| May 11 |
Papoose |
70 |
71 |
Rougher, but still OK. |
| May 13 |
Rock Ledge |
90 |
73/69 |
A great day for the lobster hunters! |
| May 14 |
Schurz |
60 |
69 |
Couldn't do the rocks again, but got a few fish on the
wreck. |
| May 26 |
1/2 DAY FISHING |
|
|
Fishing around the inlet, the blues and spanish were biting. |
| May 28 |
Cassimir |
15-20,
dark |
|
Strange conditions- dark on the wreck, but otherwise a good
dive. |
| May 29 |
Caribe Sea |
25 |
70 |
Seas too rough to go any further. A few nice sharks on the
wreck, but not as many as previous years. |
| May 30 |
Papoose
Suloide |
40
30 |
71 |
Vis not great offshore, just as good inshore without the big
seas!! |
| May 31 |
Box Wreck
Hardees |
40
25 |
72
71 |
Current! A good amount on the Rockpile, and more on the
Hardees!
A few sharks were cruising the Hardees. |
June 2006
|
|
Location
|
Visibility
|
Temp
|
Comments
|
|
June 1
|
Rocks
Spar
|
35
30
|
74
|
Hunting lobster on the rocks, "shooting"
sharks on the Spar.
|
|
June 2
|
Naeco
|
45
|
75/71
|
Tons of fish from top to bottom. Lionfish everywhere.
|
|
June 4
|
Schurz
Spar
|
40
|
72
|
A bit cloudy on the wreck. A few sharks still
cruising around.
|
|
June 5
|
Naeco
|
70
|
75/71
|
Fantastic conditions and tons of marine life on the
Naeco.
|
|
June 6
|
Caribe Sea
|
60
|
71
|
Great vis today on the Caribe Sea, a few sharks.
Fairly rough seas kept us from traveling further.
|
|
June 7
|
Box Wreck
Hardees
|
45
30
|
73
74
|
No more current here today. A nice dive, lots of
fish. A good amount of flounder on the Hardees, and a lonely shark.
|
|
June 10
|
Box Wreck
Hardees
|
50
40
|
74
|
Another good dive on the Rockpile, better vis today.
Not as many flounder on the Hardees, still a couple of sharks.
|
|
June 11
|
Schurz
240 Rocks
|
60
|
74
|
Nice blue water offshore, vis drops a bit on the
wreck. It's covered in baitfish. Nice dive on some rocks as well.
|
|
June 12
|
240 Rocks
|
xxx
|
|
Got 15 miles out and the weather turned ugly. 45mph
winds tested the strength of the curtains and it was good to be able to
close the back curtain on the bridge. No dive today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 17
|
Naeco Bow
|
60-70
|
75/73
|
Lionfish are everywhere! There must be 100 on the
wreck.
|
|
June 18
|
LobsterWrk
Cassimir
|
80/35
40-50
|
75
|
Lower vis on the bottom, but still good diving.
Excellent seas and fantastic temperatures.
|
|
June 19
|
14 Rock
Duhamel
|
15-30
|
74
|
Good fishing today, lots of flounder for dinner! And
a few trinkets were observed on the Duhamel- good eye!
|
|
June 20
|
Papoose
Schurz
|
50-60
|
75
|
Great seas and great dives!
|
|
June 21
|
NaecoStern
Sailboat
|
60+
|
77/74
|
Always a good dive on the Naeco, and another great
dive on the Sailboat!
|
|
June 22
|
Caribe Sea
Duhamel
|
60-70
25
|
77
|
A great dive on the Caribe sea: plenty of sharks and
good visibility. And a great repeat on the Duhamel!
|
|
June 23
|
Sub
Spar
|
60
|
77
|
The Spar is full of surprises: a 5-6’ white
shark cruised by and said Hello while I was ascending from tying the
anchor. We know they are out there, but it’s much different to see one
up close! Without question, it was a white.
|
|
June 24
|
Schurz
|
60-70
|
77
|
A bit rough today, but conditions underwater make it
worthwhile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 28
|
Schurz
|
80
|
77
|
A great dive, good enough to do twice!
|
|
June 29
|
Naeco Bow
Papoose
|
80
|
78
|
A bit choppy, but not enough to slow us down. Good
dives on both wrecks, and a few sharks showed up to mingle.
|
|
June 30
|
Sailboat
Papoose
|
60-70
|
78
|
Great conditions topside and on the bottom. A great
way to wrap up the week!
|
July 2006
|
|
Location
|
Visibility
|
Temp
|
Comments
|
|
July 1
|
Hardees
Ashkabad
|
60
50
|
79
80/76
|
Good Flounder fishing on the Hardees! A bit of
current on the Ashkabad today.
|
|
July 2
|
Papoose
Spar
|
100
60-70
|
79
78
|
Great vis and awesome temperatures.
|
|
July 3
|
Schurz
Rocks
|
80
30-40
|
80/78
|
A nice start to the week, good vis on the Schurz, but
the fish are somewhat wiley today!
|
|
July 4
|
Naeco Bow
Papoose
|
80+
|
80/77
|
Great spearfishing and great spearfishers! Great
visibility and watch out for the lionfish!!
|
|
July 5
|
Naeco Bow
Papoose
|
100+
60-70
|
79/77
|
Still good fishing on both wrecks. There’s nothing
like fresh grouper for dinner, but cleaning them… today that job was
outsourced!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 7
|
Suloide
|
20-30
|
78
|
One long dive on the Suloide finished the week.
|
|
July 8
|
Suloide
|
15-25 w/surge
|
78
|
All you need is a good knife to bring back flounder!
|
|
July 9
|
Anchor Rock
|
60-70
|
78
|
Good enough to do twice! Lobster, fish, great vis and
easy navigation. Watch out for lionfish!
|
|
July 10
|
Papoose
Spar
|
100/50
80/50
|
79/76
|
A day for everything: diving, fishing, spearfishing,
trolling… great seas before and after a small squall that livened things
up!
|
|
July 11
|
Rockpile
Ashkabad
|
60-70
20/surge
|
79/75
|
Good conditions on the Box Wreck, only a mild
current. Less good on the Ashkabad: lower vis and a surge that moved you!
|
|
July 12
|
Naeco Stern
Schurz
|
|
|
"I looked up and there was nothing but ling in
my face!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 16
|
Naeco Stern
Sub
|
80+
|
80/77
|
A fantastic day: who would have thought it after the
past 3 windy days!? The Naeco is nearly always fantastic.
|
|
July 17
|
Papoose
Spar
|
|
80/77
|
Looking for sharks, and found a Manta Ray on the
Spar! You never know what will happen on this little wreck!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Happy Birthday!
|
|
July 18
|
FarEst Tnkr
CaribeSea
|
80-90
30
|
78/70
77
|
Took a chance on the Far East, rather cool on
the bottom but great conditions otherwise. Less on the CaribeSea, but not
such a thermocline. Someone said there's a Tropical Storm Watch.... We see
flat seas and no sign of trouble. Strange...
|
|
July 19
|
Sub
Schurz
|
70
90
|
80/77
|
Another flat calm day- what a great storm this is!!
Great conditions topside and also underwater.
|
|
July 20
|
Papoose
Aeolus
|
100
50
|
80/77
|
Another slick day- still great conditions overall.
|
|
July 21
|
Papoose
|
100+
|
80/77
|
Can't get enough of the sharks around the stern of
the Papoose today! And a swim with dolphins made the day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
July24
|
Schurz
|
80-100
|
81/76
|
If it were sunny we would have had 100+ vis! But
still a great day- not much wind at all, just a swell leftover from that
front that (finally!) passed through last night. A big stingray was on the
Schurz, and we heard that a Spotted Eagle Ray was seen today on the
Spar! "Is that a shark or a ling in my spot?"
|
|
July 25
|
Papoose
|
80
|
82/77
|
Stingrays, sharks, turtles and great vis! Good enough for 2 dives. Did
anyone see that stingray with graffiti on it's wing? Who would have
thought it would sit still for that!!
|
|
July 26
|
Naeco
Sailboat
|
100
60
|
81/77
81/74
|
Nice dives today, calm seas and great visibility. Makes for great videos
of our dives!
|
|
July 27
|
Naeco Stern
Papoose
|
80
60
|
81/74
|
A bit cooler on the bottom, but good vis remains.
Lionfish are all around, and watch out for that rambling anchor!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 29
|
Hardees'
|
70-80
|
81/74
|
The best vis we've seen on the Yard Oiler so far this year. A few flounder
were there. A bit rough on top, enough to test the fortitude of the
strongest man.....
|
|
July 30
|
Schurz
Spar
|
60-70
70
|
81/75
80/74
|
We're all feeling better today, made 2 more good dives. It's noticeably
colder on the bottom.
|
|
July 31
|
Papoose
|
60
|
81/75
|
Good enough for 2 dives (other wrecks were too
crowded!). Turtles and stingrays abound!
|
August 2006
|
|
Location
|
Visibility
|
Temp
|
Comments
|
|
August 1
|
Naeco
Duhamel
|
50
15
|
81/76
|
Somewhat dimmer and cooler on the bottom: some of the same material we had
in 2003 is floating around down there. A shark approached descending
divers at about 40'... chances are it was a tiger. Not the sand tiger kind
either!! A few flounder were rounded up on the Duhamel.
|
|
August 2
|
Rockpile
Ashkabad
|
70
50
|
80/75
|
Slight current and good vis on both wrecks: you could see nearly all of
the Ashkabad from the hang line!
|
|
August 3
|
Papoose
Spar
|
40-50
60-65
|
82/74
80/72
|
Vis is down a bit offshore, but temperatures are very warm!
|
|
August 4
|
Schurz
Hardees
|
70-40
50
|
83/73
|
Still lower vis on the bottom, but conditions are nothing to complain
about! Got a few fish today and won't go home without dinner.
|
|
August 5
|
Naeco Stern
Hardees
|
100+
60-70
|
83/78
83/77
|
Not much wind at all today. Fantastic dive on both wrecks, vis has
improved dramatically in a very short time!
|
|
August 6
|
Schurz
Titan
|
60+
30
|
82/79/77
|
Nice weather remains for the weekend. 2 large stingrays were seen on the
Schurz!
|
|
August 7
|
Schurz
|
60
|
83/78/73
|
A rather strong current was present on the first dive, but had subsided to
only a gentle current by the second dive. Fantastic topside conditions:
light wind and flat seas.
|
|
August 8
|
Rockpile
|
100+
|
83
|
Had some current here and waves to start with, then a front moved in and
increased the seas to "quite snotty".
|
|
August 9
|
Naeco Stern
|
70-80
|
81/78
|
A fantastic day, especially compared to yeesterday! Light wind and calm
seas. Only had one thunderstorm and a small blacktip shark was seen on the
first dive.
|
|
August 10
|
Naeco Stern
Sailboat
|
100+
50-60
|
83/79/77
82/75
|
Even better conditions on the Naeco today, and another triple thermocline.
And we learned something! An underwater metal detector will find metal
under sand. Now we just have to figure out what the good kinds of metal
sound like, and find those!!
|
|
August 11
|
Schurz
|
80-90
|
82
|
Somewhat choppier on top, but great underwater. Warm & clear!! Who
wouldn't like another dive on the Schurz, especially when it looks like
this!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 13
|
Suloide
|
40+
|
81
|
A bit bumpy to be offshore today, but very good conditions underwater on
the Suloide. A nice clear 40' of vis and warm water!
|
|
August 14
|
Box Wreck
Hardees
|
100-35
80-35
|
81
|
Over the weekend a swell must have kicked up the silt: all the southern
wrecks were mucked up on the bottom. A tanker was passing the
rockpile, and it was very loud. At the same time, the morays were all
hanging out of their holes. They seemed stunned, possibly by the
vibration? (but they did photograph well!), but we don't know why they
were doing that. Later on we were surrounded by dolphins, passed a cruise
ship, and had some current on the Hardees.
|
|
August 15
|
Naeco Stern
Schurz
|
100+
80
|
81
81
|
Conditions cleared up overnight: the vis is back, evidently the mild
current has brought in more clear water. A turtle showed up on the first
dive.
|
|
August 16
|
Schurz
Suloide
|
100+
35-40
|
81/77
81/77
|
Fantastic vis on the Schurz, but the seas picked up and we headed inshore
for the 2nd dive. Still good vis there, and much nicer seas.
A school of about 2 dozen large sandbar sharks buzzed one of the divers
while he was on the hang line over the Suloide. He got them on video, and
it was a heart-pumping sight! They left as quickly as they had
arrived.
|
|
August 17
|
Papoose
|
80-90
|
83/77
|
The seas became much nicer as the day went on. A Sandbar shark was cruising the wreck, and a HUGE turtle was seen
feasting on the hull of the wreck! It stuck around for a long time,
allowing us to watch and interact with it.
|
|
August 18
|
Naeco
Papoose
|
100+
60
|
83
|
The sandbar shark is still on the Papoose, and on the stern there were a
group of about 6-8 sandtigers.
|
|
August 19
|
Schurz
|
90-100+
|
83/79
|
Warm, clear, calm water once again! A friendly stingray and 2 small sharks
visited the divers. Can you imagine someone missing the turn to Hwy 70
from I-95, and ending up at South of the Border?? And then, not stopping
to get fireworks from Pedro? ; )
And here's a question to ponder... is it possible to fart at 100'? If so,
have you ever done it? Be honest. (This took up a lot of time and serious
conversation today, and we need more input). Seriously!
|
|
August 20
|
Rockpile
Hardees
|
80-90
100-45
|
82/78
82/77
|
The amberjacks were actively feeding on the rockpile, giving quite a show.
Lower vis on the bottom at the Hardees, but still good conditions. And
wow- has the water been warm this summer!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 23
|
Schurz
Spar
|
90
80
|
83/79
|
Only a slight current today. After 2 days of wind, we were glad to get
out: and despite some rain, the seas were rather gentle. More of a swell
than seas.
|
|
August 24
|
Naeco Stern
Sub
|
70-80
|
82/79
81
|
Light current remains, and fantastic dives. The sun came out, and a
great time was had by all!
|
|
August 25
|
Papoose
Indra
|
70-80
40
|
81
|
Warm water, calm seas. Some current is still lingering. A trifecta of
sharks was seen on the Papoose: Sandtigers, Sandbar and Bull.
|
|
August 26
|
FarEast Tanker, stern
|
50-70
|
80/68
|
On the east side it's a different world sometimes!! Low vis and warm water
until you got to 125' deep. Beyond that it was cool, and very clear!
Refreshing! The stern is still coated with sandtigers, and interestingly
they are all small/medium size. A great day!
|
|
August 27
|
Manuela
Caribe Sea
|
70+
60-20, variable
|
81/73
82/75
|
A bit choppy, but getting to the Manuela was do-able. And once we got
there, it was worth it! HUGE lionfish abound down there.
The Caribe Sea was surprisingly clear: but on the bow the vis dropped to
20', while the boilers to the stern was 60+. It's always hard to tell what
will happen on the east side....
|
There are 3208 Diesel Cats in the boat, and now we have 2 kittens in the
house! After losing our long-loved cat of 7 years over the summer, it
seemed time to take in these 2 who needed a home.
About 13 weeks old, there's a small girl kitten (in the back), and her
brother, seen in the front.
 Introducing "Miss Priss"
and "Leo". She's small and dainty (but quite the instigator) and
he has distinct markings including spots that resemble a leopard.
Initially we thought she would be timid and he more outgoing, but instead
she's quite 'agressive,' while he's very laid back. They often turn the
house into a Nascar track and race around in circles. What a pair!
|
|
And then came Ernesto..... May he blow through and be followed by calm
seas.....
|
|
|
|
Sorry, Rec2Tec divers...the storm snatched your dives away. You've earned
an awesome trip next year!!
|
|
|
September 2006
|
|
Location
|
Visibility
|
Temp
|
Comments
|
|
Sept 3
|
Schurz
|
4' to 8'
|
78
|
Post-Ernesto: calm seas but low vis. With every storm we never know what
to expect. Sometimes vis is amazingly good....but not this time. Bobby
said he doesn't need more vis than that anyway.
|
|
Sept 4
|
Naeco Stern
|
50'
|
82/78
|
Great vis, considering!! The Papoose still had 15-20', but going 9 miles
further out made a huge difference. Great dive and great sea conditions. A
huge school of blue runners, and pompano were entertaining on the
ascent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 8
|
Indra
|
15-20
|
78
|
A bit too bumpy to go offshore, but conditions were good on the Indra. 2nd
dive consisted of an upper level exploration of the interior of the
ship.
|
|
Sept 9
|
Schurz
Spar
|
40-50
35
|
82/77
|
Better seas today but not exactly smooth. Great conditions underwater,
only a slight current. There was even a shark encounter! And as he untied,
Bobby saw the white stingray!! There are many large barracuda
hanging around on the upper levels of the Spar.
|
|
Sept 10
|
Papoose
Suloide
|
50
5' & less
|
82/78
|
Expecting the wind to increase later in the day, we got on out to the
Papoose. Anchored on the bow, some big sharks were seen, and the resident
sandbar shark made an appearance. Nice big lionfish were near the anchor.
Unfortunately, the wind did pick up and we retreated to the Suloide. But
the swells from Ernesto beat us there, and had stirred up the visibility.
I could see past my fins, but not much further. The good news: the sun was
out, seas were calmer and the water was warm!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 16
|
Ledge by the Papoose
|
|
|
Nice ledge, lots of fish, but not much visibility. Seas were up a bit, so
we stayed put for the 2nd dive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 18
Sept 22
|
Cassimir
Papoose
|
|
|
The Olympus went to the Cassimir on Monday Sept 18, and had fantastic
visibility. They went back on Friday the 22 and there was only 4'. The
Papoose on the 22 was also very murky, 5' on the top of the wreck. And
there's a big swell this weekend.
|
|
Sept 23-24
|
Cancelled
|
|
|
Due to the combination of poor, poor vis everywhere and a forecast for
wind, we cancelled the weekend. Storms suck sometimes.
|
|
Sept 29
|
Titan
Indra
|
30-40
20
|
74
|
The day started pretty rough, but diminished as midday approached. Our
newest mate, "Probie #2" got some good practice blowing up
balloons underwater!
|
|
Sept 30
|
Schurz
Spar
|
70-50
40-60
|
78/77
|
A much nicer day today! A few sharks on the Schurz, and many more on the
Spar. No flounder though. Strange algae blooms were on the surface while
we were underway. And a trigger fish attack was reported!! Probie#2 threw
the hook good today!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
October 2006
|
|
Location
|
Visibility
|
Temp
|
Comments
|
|
Oct 1
|
Papoose
Sub
|
70-50
80
|
78/76
78
|
Another nice day. A slight current against the wind, but we managed to
hook up just fine. Probie#2: did you throw or tie in today?
|
|
Oct 7
|
Titan
Indra
|
40
|
74/73
|
A good day, but going offshore was no good. The group did well to make the
best of what we had!
|
|
Oct 14
|
Duhamel
Fishing
|
10ish
|
71
|
Terrible vis at the anchor, but a bit better around the wreck. Strangely,
there were NO flounder to be seen. That's never happened before!! So we
caught a mess of bluefish instead!!
|
|
Oct 15
|
Rock Ledges
|
80-90
|
78
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We worked a ledge today, spearfishing underwater and trolling on top. A
good day overall!
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November 2006
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Location
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Visibility
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Temp
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Comments
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Nov 5
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Suloide
Indra
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20-30
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65
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Not the best weekend... finally made it out, but the air and wind made it
pretty chilly on deck. Don't forget your boat-coats!!
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Nov 11
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Papoose
Sub
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35
40-30
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71
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The water is still fairly warm offshore, and today the sun was out!
Anchoring the Sub was a challenge b/c there was a current running against
the wind. But it worked out, and one diver made his 100th dive on the Sub!
Lots of sharks on the Papoose, and even one on the Sub. Lionfish too!
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Nov 19
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Naeco
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25
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75
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Well... the good news was that it was sunny and not too rough! But even
this far offshore, the vis was stirred up. While releasing the anchor, we
drifted through a school of at least 50 barracuda and a few dozen big
sandtigers. Not bad for the last dive of the year!
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And a parting shot taken by "Fish-Man John" on our last day.
Sunset at the Fuel Dock.
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