dive #840 & 841 September 18 2011

Dive # 840 & 841 September 18th 2011.

As the Captain would say when this time of the year approaches with a nip in the air, "I can smell the turkeys cooking". In other words, fall is here and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. With that thought in mind I'd like to squeeze in at least another dive( or two or three )before the season ends.

My dry suit is nice and freshly resealed so the question of getting in the water despite of a growing sore throat wasn't something I was going to miss. Even if it was just a five minute dive.

Dive #840 Wreck of NH

Fred, Chris, Pete and Pat were in charge. We had a boat full of "froggies", AND Bill L hunting for dog-fish.

The first dive was at the wreck of NH. Pete led the group of froggies on one of his famous UW tours. "John" had a problem with his BCD. I was surprised to know that his inflator hose split because his BCD looked brand new (It was in fact only 3 years old!) As always, Chris saved the day by switching hoses from her BCD for the time being so he could go for his dive.

Water temp was 57F and viz was about 10 feet. I saw the biggest cunner I've ever seen. I think it was about 18 inches but it could have been 15 feet long. I also saw a very plump sea raven.

My hands were pretty cold. I couldn't feel my thumbs. I was debating on whether to sneak in a second dive with 800PSI left in my tank but I thought it might be a good idea to keep my dry suit on regardless just in case I was needed for assistance in the water.

Dive#841 I'm not sure the name of this dive but it was near Kettle island.

Pete had another "anchor rescue" mission for nearby fishermen. He was once again, "The hero of the day". There was a little bit of a sneaky current. I saw the group of froggies' moving off course. Those currents can be sneaky and can completely throw you off course without you even realizing it so I jumped in to lead them in the right direction towards the anchor line. I was just about out of air and Pete followed up in the rear to act as UW tour guide.

The water actually felt warmer at this dive spot and the viz was better closer to the rocks.

The air was nippy but at least it was sunny. At the end of the dive I noticed my primary air hose was cracked. I brought up to Russ's shop in Hampton and he fixed it lickity split.

Maybe I'll get to still get to do a few more dives before "the gate comes down"?

HA! We shall see!