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Capt JT- Glad you enjoyed the video. As I told Jim, it was shot entirely from charter boats, so I had no control over who was there or how their gear was rigged. Also, I'm a paying passenger - I'm not running the show so I don't get to decide how everything is done. I have learned, however, that techniques that work very well in one area, like NJ, can be totally unworkable in another. Ya gotta be flexible. That said, I'll try to answer your questions. As to the slate thing, it's like this. When conditions permit, most captains will have the first dive team down drift into the wreck and tie off the float line into a convenient place. The divers are all told to follow the line down, sign in when they reach the wreck and sign out when they leave. Visibility usually makes this pretty easy, NOT like the conditions up North where you can get lost on some wrecks. From the order in which you hit the water and your dive plan, you usually know if you're likely to be last up. Frequently, we delay putting the last divers in the water for just that reason and they are usually the more experienced divers, less likely to forget to check the slate. If everybody else has signed in and out at the end of your dive - no problem. If not, leave the line (so what if the boat captain gets PO'd about losing his line - better than losing a diver). In my experience, we usually discuss whether we will use a float line or not with everybody on the boat before the dive and take a vote. Even on no or light current days, the divers sometimes vote to forgo the float line and just rely on their own lift bags and lines. On a strong current day that's the only way to fly. You're right that in the early part of the video not all divers had lines and bags. These days most are better equipped. As to currents, If we were to cancel diving every time the Gulf Stream brings strong current here, we'd hardly ever get to dive. It's a relatively rare day when we can put a float line on the SkyeCliffe. Strong current is the rule there. I have seen days when we tried to use a float line with 2 of the big (18 inch?) float balls on it. The first divers down drifted into the wreck and tied the balls to the railing around the wheelhouse, at 130 ft. Within seconds, the balls were trailing in the current at about 90 ft! When I dove NJ, we used to snag the wreck with a grappling hook and then one of the crew would go down and tie into the wreck and later pull the hook at the end of the day. I crewed on a charter boat up there and we ALWAYS did it that way. It won't work here. You would not be able to pull yourself down against the current. It took a while for me to get used to it, but the best way, if the current is blowing, is to drop upstream of the wreck, crash dive to near the bottom and drift into it. Not everybody makes the wreck. Sometimes you see it go by but can't get to it before the current blows you past it. Sometimes you never even see it, but you know if you don't see it within 5 minutes, it's time to surface and hit the beer cooler. I've been lucky so far, but there was one dive where I made it and my buddy didn't because he was looking the wrong way at the crucial second. I hooted and banged on my tank to get his attention but....too late. He surfaced and I joined up with another guy (who I know well) who had also lost his buddy to the current. No biggie - like I said, you gotta be flexible (and self-sufficient). As to the guy with the travel mix - that's what it looked like to me. I don't know the guy at all. I never saw him before or since, We just happened to be down there and come up at the same time. I ran a few deco numbers and, if you're using 'mix for the bottom and pure O2 for deco, you can shave a few minutes off your deco (for a typical SkyeCliffe dive profile) by using nitrox 50 as travel gas, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. Oh yeah- the smokestack!. It is a bit of a mystery to me why it took me 6 years to find it. I had never dropped all the way to the sand on this wreck before because there is so much to see higher up that it just never seemed like a good idea to waste time and gas just to hit the sand. I had been on the stern many times and looked over the rail but I just never spotted the smokestack until the day that Tony and I dropped down near the sand and circled the stern. Even more interesting is that I was the first one (at least of everybody I know) to spot it! All those years and all those divers - very odd. I usually plan my profile on this wreck for about 25 at 180 and stick to it. There's PLENTY to see at 180 and above on this wreck - main deck level is about 170. You're right - compared to what this dive would be if it was off NJ, it's a piece of cake. BUT, like I said in my reply to Jim, the same physics and physiology still apply. You have to e careful not to get overconfident just because conditions are so nice. Whew! Long answer. Happy now? Ray ========================================================= At 06:23 PM 1/14/99 -0500, Capt JT wrote: >Hello Ray >First let me say you did a good job making the tape and it was nice to >watch ,the dive in which the bait fish were all over the wreck was picture >perfect and the big Jew fish was a hit with everyone.I have several >questions about the dive and things I saw on the tape . >As you said you were from the north and had dove in New Jersey ,you claim >that it is much easier to dive down there and we both know that is true.You >are correct when you said that it is so easy that you forget how deep you are. >My first question,what was your plan had someone not sign the slate going >up ,you should know that would not work up here and I saw that not every >diver had a lift bag and reel.There are so many things wrong with that way >it is unthinkable to say all the things that could go wrong.Please help me >understand as I think a permanent line to the wreck is the way to go or the >mate goes down at a predetermined time and pulls the hook after counting >the people to see that they all are on the line and all should be on jon >lines during deco,being on a jon line may have even saved Jane down there >even with all the excessive gear she had on her. >Why was it 6years before you went to the bottom and found the stack. >Why did at one point during the tape you said that a diver was going on his >travel mix ,that depth does not need that. >Mind that I'm not trying to give you a hard time ,but a chance to enlighten >me.Those who know Jim and me will be quick to tell you we butt heads on >alot of things ,but we both agree the dive should be a cake walk if done >correct and that means if the current is so bad then wait for it to die >down ,the boat there will not let you do that I'm sure as they do half day >trips.If that is why you dive it anyway then get the boat for the whole day >, for two dives .If the current is so strong you simply do not dive it ,go >to another site or wait.Lets face it the wreck is only a half mile out of >the inlet .I hope I have not offended you and look forward to your answers. > >Capt.JT > > > > > > > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. 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