The Atlantis Rangers' Visitors' Page - Details

Lee Wahler Dives the Oriskany
The USS Oriskany CV/CVA-34 was an aircraft carrier that saw action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. On May 17th 2006 she became the worlds largest artifical reef. She now sits upright in 212' of water about 25 miles off the coast of Pennsacola Florida. Divers reach the flight deck around 135', and the top of the structure at 69', so there are opportunties for divers of all skill levels. This is Ranger Lee Wahler's recent trip report.
I just got back from a weekend in Pensacola. We booked with MBT Divers and dove off their 36 open dive boat "H20 Below". It was a 2 hour voyage out as wreck is 22 nmi off Pensacola.
On Saturday, we did two dives on the Oriskany and allI can say is that's a big boat!!! MBT limits the depth of divers unless they know you are skilled wreck diver. I did set foot on the flight deck at 132 fsw,but most of my dives were around 90 ft. The water was warm! in the 80s. (I was told the temps drop off significantly later in the year.)
There was very easy access to the superstructure - everything is opened up. Not much sea life as yet. The site was crowded on the weekend - 6 dive boats on only 3 moorings, we actually waited until the others left to do our second dive. Nice dive boat and good crew - I was fed more food than any other coastal boat to include grilled hot dogs on the way back!!!
I would recommend MBT divers. Please be advised that the marina their boats are tied up in is about 5 miles west of shop & 1 mile west of NAS Pensacola back gate.
I spent all day Sunday at National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola Lighthouse (active historic) and Ft Barrancas (from Spanish thru modern period). All in all a very good weekend!
Lee Wahler (Atlantis Rangers southern branch)
Watch for the 2007 Dive Schedule for an opportunity to dive the Oriskany next May.

St. Lawrence River 1000 Islands: September 1-4, 2006

20 Rangers and guests traveled to Brockville, Ontario, Canada to dive in the surprisingly warm clear waters of the St. Lawrence River. The weather wasn't what we'd hoped for, but the well preserved wood and steel wrecks were what we came for. Early arrivers made a shore dive on Friday afternoon. On Saturday we completed morning and afternoon two-tank trips to Canadian-side wrecks. On Sunday we made a three-tank trip to American-side. Most of our group headed home on Monday, but a few stayed to complete two more shore dives.

Warm water in Canada!
The St Lawrence River gets up to 75F in late summer and thanks to zebra mussels the water is quite clear. We had hoped for warm sunny days to complement the good dive conditions, but tropical storm Ernesto followed us north and we had two overcast and occasionally rainy days. Perhaps due to the weather, the water temps dropped to 66F (and in one case lower) and visibility, while a lot better than the ocean of Maryland, wasn’t as good as it can be. Still, the wrecks varied and remarkably well preserved. We dove on everything from early 19th century wood to mid 20th century steel – each with a unique history and details to explore.

Our boat dives were booked with ABUCS Scuba and Dive Brockville Adventure Centre who also booked our hotel. On Saturday we were aboard the 50’ Admiral C out of St Lawrence Park just 10 minutes from our hotel. On Sunday we traveled about 30 minutes up river to Rockport, a scenic river town where we boarded the 40’ Emily C. Both boats are converted houseboats with benches, ladders, etc. added to make them into very practical dive boats. Each has a cabin large enough to accommodate 20 and a big sun deck on the roof from where we could enjoy the passing scenery.


The Emily C, a converted 40' River Queen houseboat
Saturday – 4 dives on the Canadian Side
Our Saturday AM trip was down river to the Muskellunge and the Gaskin, both 19th century wooden wrecks. We found a light current and fair (30’) visibility, but it was dark at depth due to lack of sunshine above. These two wrecks are perfect for studying wooden ship construction. The frames, timbers and planking are intact in some areas and exposed in other areas allowing one to mentally deconstruct and reconstruct the vessels. They also provide many opportunities for divers to swim over around and through.
We returned to St Lawrence Park at mid-day where the crew prepared lunch while we got a pile of tanks refilled for the afternoon dives upstream from Brockville. Both out dive boats carried gas grills and an all-you-can-eat on-board lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cookies was included in the charter.
Our first PM stop was the Henry C. Daryaw, a steel-hulled freighter that ran aground in 1941. The wreck sits upside down, wedged between massive rock walls. It is a prime example of the difference between ocean wrecks and many river wrecks. In the ocean we usually find wrecks alone on a vast stretch of sandy bottom. In the river, many wrecks are adjacent to rock walls, shoals and islands and it is not uncommon for the depth to vary between 20’ and 120’ in the area of a single wreck.

As with all the wrecks we visited, our dive boat tied off to a buoy above the wreck and we followed the buoy mooring line either directly to the wreck or to a marker with another line to the wreck. On the Daryaw, the mooring line brought us to the rudder and huge propellers. From there, we followed another line down to the gunwale and then forward – the hull to our left and a steep rocky slope of the shoal to our right. We soon discovered that the wreck is supported at each end and you can swim completely under the middle and then up into the now empty cargo holds. More adventurous divers can penetrate the fore and aft superstructures, but most of us opted to pull ourselves against the moderate current to the bow and drift back over the upside down hull to the rudder and the line back to our dive boat.

For our second PM dive, the Admiral C tied up in a cove on Sparrow Island in the middle of the river. We donned our tanks and BCs and hiked a few hundred yards across the island where we put on our fins and entered the water. Here a heavy chain lead us to the wreck of the Lillie Parsons. We had to hold on to the chain, because the current was strong, but once on the wreck we could penetrate or explore easily.

The Lillie was a small wooded schooner that sank in 1868 and now lies upside down. After exploring the wreck, we swam over the hull to examine the retractable centerboard and then let go. The current swept us off the wreck and along the wall that is the side of Sparrow Island. The drift is only a few minutes, but seems much longer. You think you’ll end up in Montreal, but in fact the current swept us back into the cove where our dive boat was waiting for us. If it hadn’t been so late in the day, we’d have hiked back across the island and done the drift again.

Saturday was a long day. We’d been at the dock at 8:00 AM to load our gear and returned after 7:00 PM. ABUCS rallied to our aid by agreeing to take our tanks back to the shop for overnight refills, while we headed back to the hotel to shower and change. We gathered at Buds on the Bay in Brockville for a late meal – one of three pleasant and inexpensive dinners we enjoyed on the trip. The others were at East-side Mario’s and the Keystorm Pub, all Brockville landmarks.

Sunday – 3 dives on the American Side

After the late night, we were happy to have a 9:00 AM start scheduled on Sunday. We gathered for the continental breakfast included with our hotel rooms and then carpooled to Rockport to begin a day of diving on the American side of the river. Although we would never reach the American shore, US Customs and Immigration requires that Canadian boats going to American side wrecks take their passengers through a checkpoint at Bolt Castle, an island in the river. There, we all disembarked, showed our passports, and visited the gift shop and coffee shop before heading to our first dive site.

Our first American-side dive was on the Vickery, a wooden schooner that struck a shoal and sank in 1889. We pulled ourselves against a moderate current down the mooring line to a marker on the top on the shoal. From there, a line led us over the cliff-like side of the shoal to the wreck. Our immediate impression was that it was much colder here than on wrecks we visited on Saturday and on penetrating the wreck we found the water even colder – as low as 56F! Despite the cold, the Vickery was an interesting wreck to explore and we had a great time playing in the current that. Ascending from the wreck we had 10-12 divers going hand over hand up the mooring line, with the wreck below and the rocky shoal in the background – an amazing sight, but no one managed to get a picture.

As we left the Vickery, it started to rain and we all huddled inside the boat. It was nearing 1:00PM and we were hungry. So, the mate donned rain gear and went up on the roof to fire up the grill. While we stayed dry below, she passed steaming hamburgers and hot dogs though a window into the cabin. About this time we also noticed that we could see our breath and that divers who doffed a jacket or layer of wetsuit also steamed. It did warm up later in the day, this cold spell and the chill on the Vickery caused the first of several divers to call it a day.
Picture by Robin Sparer. Click on picture for larger view.
Our second dive was on the Keystorm considered by many to the best dive in this part of the river. The 250’ steel freighter struck a shoal in 1918, rolled on its side and sank stern first. Divers can choose their depth from 20’ to 115’ or start deep and end shallow. The open cargo holds are like huge caverns and adventurous divers can penetrate the aft superstructure to see the engines or find the “flashing gnome" (an recent addition left by divers with a sense of humor).
Our final dive of the day was on the America, a drill-rig barge that sank in 1932. The wreck is in the shipping channel, so we first descended to the shoal then followed a line to the wreck. One of the attractions of the America is the prospect of having a large ship pass by during your dive. The sound of the engines and propellers is supposed to be quite a thrill, but unfortunately traffic was light on Labor Day and we didn’t get that experience.
Bonus – Unlimited shore diving
The short boat rides, lack of rough water and gorgeous scenery on the St Lawrence make boat dives here a real treat, but there is more for the taking. On Friday afternoon and again on Monday morning, some of our party dove on wrecks that can be reached from the shore. For the cost of an air fill, they enjoyed long dives in good conditions (70F and 20’viz). The St Lawrence shore dives are a good reason to arrive early or stay over when traveling to Canada for dive charters.

Picture by George Cathcart. He thinks this fish is a Round Gobby.
Click on picture for larger view.

The Rothsay is typical of these wrecks. We drove east from Brockville for about 20 minutes to a small roadside park. There we found a porta-potty, picnic tables and a stairway down to the river. A short swim took us to the first of two marker buoys where we descended to the bottom at 15’. A line from there led through a grass bed to the wreck at 30’. The fin action of many divers has actually cut a trench, so finding the wreck was no problem. The Rothsay was a side-wheel passenger steamer that sank when she collided with a tug in 1889. The wreck is not intact, but much of the structure and the engines and boilers are still recognizable.

Summary
In summary, we enjoyed the good company of our party, friendly service from ABUCS, and well preserved wrecks. We were disappointed with the weather – but what can you do? Dive conditions were not as good as those some of us had experienced on past trips, but they were better than typical Maryland ocean dives. We departed almost an hour late both days – but other than a smelly toilet on the Admiral C, we did not experience any boat problems and ABUCS service is great. There staff is friendly and always helpful. They quickly accommodated our changing rental needs, volunteered extra help handling tanks and even had a boat bring replacement equipment to one of our divers. No one complained and everyone enjoyed the diving.
Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.
Dive Report: U-1105, August 19th, 2006
I didn't expect to dive the U-1105 aka Black Panther Historic Shipwreck Preserve . I was out for a day searching for shipwrecks in the Potomac with Dave Howe as part of the SHIP Project. We didn't find anything worth diving to investigate, so near the end of the day, Dave suggested we go dive the submarine.
We reached the site near slack low tide so there was almost no current. It was dark on the bottom, but viz with lights was about 10 feet. Sort of like a night dive in a quarry, except that the water was warm. We measured 80F on the surface. The bottom was slightly cooler, but there was no noticable thermocline. Dave said the conditions were about as good as it gets.
We tied the boat to the buoy that marks the site. If you follow the chain from the bouy, you come to a big concrete block and must then pull a rope out of the muck on the bottom to find the wreck. There is also a float tied to the periscope. We swam to the float and followed that rope to the wreck.
The top of the periscope is at 70'. I explored little more than the top of the conning tower and reached a max depth of 80'. I'd have needed a much better knowledge of the wreck or a wreck reel and spare light before I'd explore much farther.
We'd been down about 15 minutes when my buddy and tour guide said he wanted to go up. On the ascent, I noticed that just a little above the wreck - about 60' - you could see a diver above you on the line' and at 40' I could read my gauges.
OK! Been there, done that, but still don't have the T-shirt ;-)
Dive Report - Beaufort NC, August 5-6, 2006
10 Divers joined the Atlantis Rangers' charter aboard Discovery Diving’s Sea Quest II for two days of diving in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". Images below are by Jim Graham. Click on each image for a full-sized view.
Saturday was overcast with seas 2-3 feet. We visited the U352 and the Aeolus. Viz was about 50 feet. Water was 85F on the surface and 70F on the bottom. We found lots of tropicals on the sub and sharks inside the Aeolus - a treat for our 2 divers making their first trips to NC.
Sunday was sunny, seas 1 foot, viz and water temps the same. We visited the "wreck formerly known as the Papoose" and the Spar. The Papoose was known to have two lionfish, but Jim Graham found 3 more. They were about 1/2 way between the bow and the break, low on the port side. He got some good pictures to back up the find. Also check the photo below by Dawn Lockhart of the octopus found near the break. Steve Smith videoed 3 very large sand tigers at the bow. Click to view via Google Video.

Three big Sand Tiger Sharks on the wreck of the Papoose off Beaufort NC (1 min 3 sec)

The Spar is a relatively new artificial wreck, but already teaming with fish – notably cobia and large schools of spade fish with a few tropicals. It's prime for penetration practice!


The sandtiger sharks we love to visit.
Oop! This one is definitely not a sandtiger.
(Probably a Sandbar Shark)
Additional images by Dawn Lockhart

Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.

Lake Tahoe Altitude Dive 07/02/06
by Gregory Constantios

Greetings fellow divers. I was fortunate this past weekend to take a trip to Lake Tahoe in Nevada with my adventurous half Christine. Sierra Dive Club in Reno NV helped me plan a high altitude dive (over 6,000') in Lake Tahoe at Sandy Harbor beach. I brought my own gear except weights and tanks.

My initial contact was with Keith Chestnut who is the owner of the Sierra Dive Club and informed me of the services his group provided for those who want to dive Lake Tahoe. I asked him if they provided instruction in altitude diving. He told me they provide PADI certification in Altitude Diving (ADC) and divers from all across the USA and other countries go to Lake Tahoe for certification in altitude diving. Discussing this with my spouse she said she needed a break and we could have a great time there because she has friends who live there. The rest is a no brainer. I contacted Keith and he assigned me to Joe Tartaglia for the ADC course. We scheduled for July 2 at 0730 at Sandy Harbor.

We flew into Reno on Sat. 1st of July and rented a car to drive to Lake Tahoe. What an awesome drive! The views were magnificent as we drove up the extinct volcano over a single lane narrow winding road that revealed the ancient volcanic dust that covered approximately 50 square miles south of the mountain with a thick cream colored powder coating. As we peaked the highest point of the road (over 8k') we descended into a view which left your mouth a gap! Snow covered peaks surrounded a brilliant azure blue colored lake that reflected the bright sunlight like a highly polished mirror! Trees over 10' in diameter and over 100' tall! Boulders and cream colored ash mixed with a plethora of wild flowers and vegetation.

On Sunday morning we were at Sandy Harbor. The park had 2 sections. One for boat launching and the other for swimmers and divers. There were about 10 in our group who were seeking ADC. Most students were from California, one from Scotland and 2 former New Yorkers like myself. Our instructor Joe was thorough with the theoretical material and the altitude dive tables. We all had good questions on the material and tables which were included in the course. After the thorough instruction we went to view the dive site from a trail platform overlooking the harbor. It was like looking into a blue crystal clear glass. Joe said the lake was over 1,600' deep and the wall was about 150 yards from our entry point on the beach. The wall was a sheer straight drop to over 1,000' and then a series of ledges to the 1,600'+ bottom. The lake bottom from shore was a gradual descent to the wall. Just before the wall at 94' actual and 130' theoretical was an old overturned pine tree with the roots still attached perfectly preserved. The water temperature at the surface was a cool 64 degrees F. and at the thermocline 34' below the surface it dropped to 34 degrees F.! Our bottom time for this dive was 34-36 minutes.

Picture Coming Soon

The aquatic life we observed were crawfish the size of 1-2 lb Maine lobsters, trout, bass, minnows, sunfish, and lots of small crawfish and freshwater snails. There was also the skeletal remains of an old barge with some planking still attached. Our safety stop depth was at 12' on the return. We just lay on the bottom of the lake at the 12' depth for 5-10 minutes and observes small minnows and baby crawfish swim and scurry across the bottom. If you laid perfectly still, the baby crawfish would climb up on your hand and stare at you. Absolutely awesome! Completing our safety stop, we exited and most of us still had between 900 - 1000 lbs of air left in our tanks. Joe was very happy to see we observed the 1/3 rule, i.e., 1k lbs for you, 1k lbs for your buddy and 1k for reserve. Nevertheless, like all divers we complained that the dive was too short in duration as we were having an awesome time.

Most divers wore 5 mm, 5/7 mm or 7 mm wetsuits. A few wore drysuits. Nobody complained of the water being cold as we were so focused on the beauty of the dive. NY types, like me, found the dive refreshing and reminded us of diving Lake George, Lake Ticonteroga, or Lake Champlain in upstate New York. When we were asked by the sunbathers as we exited as how was our dive, the comment was "like an ice cold beer at a frat party in Death Valley in July!" We just nodded with huge grins on our faces in agreement.

The second dive took place after a 90 minute interval during which time we ate our lunches, got hydrated, and basked in the sun. It was uneventful but a test of endurance in keeping the buddy system intact. Joe wanted to see what the overall physical condition was of our group in staying in pairs and keeping up with him. This he revealed after the second dive was over. Without bragging, I observed Joe was without a buddy when we started under and I decided I was to keep up with him from his 4:00 position about 5' away. When Joe surfaced 31 minutes later, the only one next to him was me - an Atlantis Ranger - at his side. The rest came in from 3-6 minutes later. After we got out of our dive gear, we assembled for our debriefing and log book signoff. Everyone passed having demonstrated knowledge, skills and preserving the buddy system. Time of course completion and signoff 1330 (1:30 pm)

Christine and I stayed a little longer to take in the cloudless sky and swim in the crystal clear water. It was a glorious day for us. Friends were made, email addresses exchanged and doing what we hoped for. A little R&R. Do I recommend this dive trip and the very friendly and highly trained professional team of staff at Sierra Dive Club? You have to ask!?

Dive Report July 29th: Ocean City MD

Robin Sparer
After being blown out the weekend before on the OC Diver, 6 divers from the Atlantis Rangers chartered "Too Dive For" to dive the fenwick shoals. At 10:30 pm Friday night we got the call from Capt. Gerry that something was wrong with the engine and we weren't going.We called everyone and got lot of messages and crossed our fingers that no one showed up the next day and the dock
I took a change and called Ted Green with the OC Diver just to see if he had any spots. Bingo!! They were going off shore to do the Bow Mariner and with the reported high seas they cancelled. Two divers ( former and hopefully new Rangers) Mark Nix and Greg Massi stayed.They wanted to dive and so did we.I was able to rally 3 ( Joe Spence , Fred Reed and me) of the 6 and we had an almost full boat.
We decided to go out and take a peak and then decide our destination. We ended up at the Gordon C Cooke wreck ( also known as the Porthole Wreck or Jake's Wreck) .The seas were fine, but I wasn't . I hadn't dove much this year and didn't have my sea legs. Despite taking all precautions I still was a bit queezy.
The wreck sits in about 90 feet of water. We tied into the bow which is still impressive and set a line to the rest of wreck and left it there. The vis was excellent in the 30 foot range and the temps were a stable 55 degrees. At the hang line at 57 feet I could see to the sand. There were plenty of flounder and one bug [aka lobster] came up. We did both dives there and by the 2nd dive I was feeling peachy.
In the words of Greg for those who didn't come... "wah ,wah, wah" ...stop your whinning and dive. The day was wonderful and the company on the boat was equally pleasant.
Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.
Rangers Find New (to us), Nearby Dive Location
On Wednesday evening, June 21, Atlantis Rangers Mark Ragan, Brian Hughes, and Rob Matthew tried out a new (for them) quarry located just outside of Westminster, MD. Deb Feng was there last weekend for the first time. She too has good things to say about the place.

Leased and operated by Undersea Outfitters of Westminster, this quarry may well end up a "must go there again this year" for the club. Its local, has decent visibility (20 feet in June - 55 in spring and fall!), a gentle sloping old gravel road entry and *lots* of fish. Max depth is somewhere around 60 feet, but we were warned the last five feet or so is nothing but goose poop on the bottom. No geese in sight that evening, but we decided to take their word for it. Cost was only $15.00. Here's the best part; in the summer they're open the first and third Wednesday evenings from 4:00 PM until dark. They even provided free hotdogs after our dive! Leave work early (beat the traffic out of town); go diving; and be home before it gets dark. The quarry is also open on weekends.

For those divers expecting a more developed site, this won't be for you. No hot water showers, no flush toilets (real live outhouse instead) and no air fills. But hey, the shop is 20 minutes away if you need a tank. One of the shop owners (George Carter) is very open to hosting an Atlantis Rangers Day. He's also open to Mark launching his K250 personal dry submarine so people can learn to dive a mini submersible as they putt-putt around the quarry. George also expressed openness to letting Brian bring along a couple of shallow water diving helmets so people can walk about on the bottom, feeding fish and experiencing this older form of diving.

It's close, easy access, decent visibility and a huge cloud of fish will follow you around. Just the thing for that early summer tune-up or a mid-week unwind dive!

Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.

Cape Hatteras: July 1-4, 2006
Steve Smith
I joined the Ranger 4-day weekend trip late on Sunday and dove only two days. I was told that Sat and Sun had delivered good seas and viz but also strong currents. Fortunately for me, things got even better. We dove the Proteus and Dixie Arrow on Monday and the Dixie Arrow twice on Tuesday with viz of 60' or better, bottom temp of 78F and just mild currents.
Three dives on the Dixie Arrow in such good conditions gave us an opportunity to appreciate the size of the wreck. 90' depth and appropriate Nitrox mix meant I also got long bottom times. Highlight of the trip for me was swimming the length of the 400'+ wreck from the high-relief bow section around the big engine and back. I might have stayed at the engine longer, but I encountered a large bull shark. It cruised over the boilers and passed about 30' over Deb and Rob who were busy searching for shells and shark teeth. I got some video of sand tigers on the Proteus (click links below), but unfortunately no pictures of the bull shark.
Following two Sand Tiger Sharks on the wreck of the Dixie Arrow off Hatteras NC (53 sec)
Approaching a Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the Dixie Arrow of Cape Hatteras NC (48 sec)
Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.
Trip Report - Tuckerton NJ June 18th
Four Rangers joined two local divers aboard the Tuna Seasure (Tuckerton NJ) to visited the wreck of the Astra, 10 miles east of Atlantic City NJ. Depth 90'; water 50F; vis 20 ft; wreck in large pieces with up to 15' relief; 4 lobsters bagged; 1 brass valve handle recovered; boat fast and comfortable] crew friendly and helpful; value excellent.
The Astra was a Norwegian freighter that sank in 1951 after a collision. Storms have broken up the wreck but large pieces are intact and offer swim throughs and hiding holes for lobster. The wreck is large and could provide new experiences for many visits. Its location, within sight of the Atlantic City casinos, means the boat trip is short - about 40 minutes.
We took 4 spots on the 6-pack Tuna Seazure. The boat is a fast 37' footeroutfitted for diving with custom benches, tank racks and a fin ladder. Below decks it has a large head, seating for 6 and three bunks. The only issue we had was the need to climb over the transom to get back into the boat. Captain Bill Allen is knowledgeable, gregarious and always standing by to assist divers. He seemed to enjoy using the boat's speed (28 knots) but adjusted to sea conditions to keep us comfortable.
Seas were less than perfect on this trip. We started the day with a 4 foot swell, and a 20 knot breeze from the southeast built on that all morning so that we had 3-5 moderately steep seas by the time we headed in. Water was 63F on the surface and about 50F at depth. Viz was about 20' everywhere and dark on the bottom. There was a 1/2 knot current on the surface, but none on the wreck.
Tuckerton is about 3 hours drive from Greenbelt, but directions provided by MapQuest are not to be trusted. At one point I pulled into a gas station for directions and before I could speak the attendant (you may not pump your own gas in NJ) said, "Let me guess, you got directions from MapQuest and can't find Rt. 42." He set us straight, but I was later told by local travelers to use NJ Rt. 40 instead of the Turnpike and Expressway. Tuckerton has lots of restaurants and convenience stores, but accommodations are limited to campgrounds. It is possible to sleep on the boat the night before a dive.
Although the pieces of the wreck are contiguous, it is irregular and in the low viz, a wreck reel was necessary, especially if you want to hunt lobsters or search for artifacts. This wreck produces plenty of both. Although the Rangers came back with empty catch bags, the mate and two local divers did much better. They brought up 4 lobsters, a well encrusted valve handle and a ceramic insulator that was part of the cargo.
At $85/diver the Tuna Seazure is now a bargain for Atlantic diving. It is also fast, comfortable and well run.
Lessons learned:
  • Don't jump in before you put your fins on (sounds like a Dippy Diver award).
  • If your bands are on backwards, you can just put your regs on backwards too.
  • Don't try a surface swim into the current; use the granny line.
  • Follow local recommendations for driving (see NJ map for Rt. 40)
  • Plan more tips on the Tuna Seazure.
    • Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.
    1st 2006 Dive Report - Warm Water off Myrtle Beach SC
    Daily dive log

    Sunday May 28
    Artificial wreck called "Bill Perry." Depth: 50-60 feet: vis (bad) 5-10 feet: water temp mid 70s on the surface but less than 70 at depth. We hooked to a scuttled Navy landing craft. Despite poor viz, the small, intact wreck was easy to navigate. Not a bad choice for our first ocean dive of the season.
    Monday May 29
    Civil War Wreck also known as the Govenor or Shawnee. Depth: 70-80 feet: Viz (worse) 6 feet. Water temp mid-70s on the surface dropping to upper 60s below 40 feet. This wreck is thought to be a side wheel steamer but only a debris field is visible. This is a true treasure hunter's site! Many artifacts have been taken from this site, and some (like cases of guns) still remain. We didn't find much, but we had fun diggin'.
    Tuesday May 30
    We had planned to dive the twin wrecks of the St.Cathan and the Hebe - well off-shore where we expected great vis. Everyone was excited about this dive including the crew and staff. However, on our trip back on Monday something happened to the boat and they couldn't get it fixed in time for the Tuesday trip.
    Check the Dive Schedule for other opportunities.
    Rangers Hold Two Spring Tune-Ups
    This year the Rangers needed two days and two locations to get ready for our active dive season. (Click to see latest schedule). In addition to our traditional tune up at Millbrook Quarry in Hay Market VA, a second group of eight Rangers met at a new (to us) site, Guppy Gulch at Delta PA. Guppy Gulch is convenient (just 90 minutes for Greenbelt), the facilities (including changing rooms with clean showers and flush toilets) were top notch, the grounds are shady and well tended, air fills are available on-site. While there were a few complaints about the cold water, there were only positive coments about easy entries, good viz a(20 feet ), and well marked underwater attractions.
    The Rangers thank Steve Deem and Aquatic Connection of Baltimore MD for their donation of Guppy Gulch admission tickets to our 2006 auction to benefit Divers Alert Network.
    Submerged Historical Inventory Project (SHIP)
    At the Friday, June 9 Rangers general membership meeting Dave Howe talked to us about Submerged Historical Inventory Project. HIP is a program of the Institute of Maritime History to reconnoiter and inventory shipwreck sites under the supervision of Historic Preservation Officers in multiple states. SHIP uses volunteer divers and researchers to scout for shipwrecks, assess them, gather archival data, and report their findings. Dive sites include oceans, bays and rivers, some with low visibility, strong current, or surge. You can learn more at the on-line project page

    Sonar image of a 1912 wreck in Maryland.

    Our speaker David Howe developed and now leads SHIP for IMH. He is a former president of the Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) and program manager for the underwater archaeology branch at the Naval Historical Center. He holds a Juris Doctor with honors from Syracuse University and before retiring from maritime law was Assistant Supervisor of Salvage (USN) and a trial attorney with the admiralty section of the U.S. Department of Justice. A retired USNR Commander, and a sailor since childhood, Dave currently and owns and operates Roper, a small research vessel for archaeological survey work in Chesapeake Bay. He is certified in SCUBA and hard-hat diving.
    Visitors are welcome at all Ranger meetings.Click here for time, place and directions.
    Rangers to Learn Equipment Maintenance
    The club is arranging with Divers Source of Owings MD to provide members with a short equipment specialty course. In addition to learning what divers can and should do, participants will get a technician’s-eye view of regulator tuning and repair, tank inspection and BCD service. Contact any club officer to inquire about the benefits of Ranger membership and this unique opportunity.

    The more you know about how your gear works, the more comfortable you are with it, the more performance you get from it and the better you can care for it.

    DAN Auction Big Success
    The Altantis Rangers raised over $1500 to support Divers Alert Network (DAN) with a live auction of goods and services. Many thanks to the bidders who participated and especially to members and local dive shops who donated items for the auction. DAN is a non-profit medical and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of recreational scuba divers. DAN has recognized the Atlantis Rangers as one of just four clubs nationwide for fund raising at the silver ($750-$2000) level.
    Contributors to the auction included:

    Rangers invited to dive on aircraft carrier
    Capt Ron Beermunder and the Pennsacola FL based Skull N' Bones Dive Club invited the Rangers to join them diving the new artifical reef Oriskani. The Oriskani was a 888' aircraft carrier sunk by the Navy 24 miles out and 200 ' deep in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship is so big that the superstructure is reached at 60' and the flight deck (bigger than 3 football fields) is at 120'. First underwater pictures ( http://uwex.us/051806.htm) show remarkably good visibility.
    The Rangers propose a trip to Florida November 10-12 to dive the Oriskany and Crystal River. If ever there was an incentive to join our club - this is it! For more info, close this page and click the "Benefits of Membership", "Directions to Meetings", or "Contact Us" button on the main Visitors Page.
    Special Offer to New Divers
    In an effort to expand interest in our club, the Atlantis Rangers have voted to offer reduced-cost membership vouchers to students in local academic dive programs. Come as our guest to a meeting and see how to take advantage of this offer.
    Members have access to the most active dive schedule in the area, plus free use of club owned tanks and regulators. In 2006 we scheduled 12 weekends of diving from the St Lawrence River to Ocean City to North Carolina to Florida. In addition, members arranged regular local dives (quarries) and trips to exotic locales from San Salvador to the Red Sea. Check out "Benefits of Membership" to see how you can join us.
    Dive Clubs See Behind the Scenes at National Geographic

    (Click for related story at NGS)
    The Atlantis Rangers arranged a special visit for members of four area clubs to the National Geographic Society (NGS) HQ in Washington DC. They had a talk by renowned underwater photographer Emory Kristof and got insight into how photos like this one are processed for print and on-line display. This tour is one of several activities sponsored by the Atlantis Rangers to promote cooperation among local dive clubs.
    Other clubs are invited to contact the Rangers (Click Here) about particpating in future joint events.