STDC newsletter - Sea Turtle Charters.com
Transcription
STDC newsletter - Sea Turtle Charters.com
March 18, 2009 S EA TURTLE N e w s l e t t e r Block Island Beneath the Sea Side Mount Rebreathers Featured Wreck Plan a mini vacation with us on We’ll be there, booth 423. Information on Bill Gambrill’s This page is devoted to not so well Block Island, the “Bermuda of Stop by and see what we look new manufacturing company, known wrecks we dive. In this the North”. like after the winter. Side Mount Rebreather Systems issue it’s the Gurney’s Barge Inc.. wreck off Montauk. Page 3 Page 4 Page 2 Page 3 WELCOME TO THE SECOND ISSUE This is our second issue and it’s filled with information about local diving from our two boats, the Sea Turtle, out of Montauk, and the Sidekick, out of Shinnecock. After a rough January and February, we’ve been very fortunate thus far in March and Ted McCoy Ted is the featured crew member on page 5. Read about what he’s up to. have been out the the past three weekends with beautiful conditions above and below the water. The most memorable dive: the Larchmont on the 21st where we enjoyed over 50’ of visibility on the wreck, with ample sunlight, in 120’ of water! The Sidekick will continue to run out of Montauk through the month of April until the Sea Turtle is launched, then the Sidekick will return to its seasonal slip in Shinnecock. We have a very exciting schedule planned for the next few months and this can be a great time of year to experience some awesome visibility on the inshore wrecks. So, get your stuff tuned up and join us or one of the other great dive boats in the Northeast and go diving! Capt. Chuck Wade Sea turtle dive charters llc Top photo: Lightburne wreck by Ted McCoy Bottom left: Larchmont paddle wheel 03/21/09 www.seaturtlecharters.com March 18, 2009 B LO C K IS LA ND EX P ED ITIO NS Take a vacation close to home! Maybe this year would be a good year take a vacation to a small beautiful island with white sandy beaches, clear water and great diving? No I’m not talking about the Caribbean. I’m talking about Block Island “the Bermuda of the North”. We offer multi-day vacation packages to Block Island for both divers and non divers. Come out and explore the island both above and below the water! For divers, we offer wreck diving from 10’-300’. Shark cage expeditions offer two days of diving on wrecks and in the cage. Air and Nitrox fills are available on the island. For non-divers, we offer snorkeling and site seeing excursions during your visit. Stay on the boat at the dock. The Sea Turtle is equipped with six bunks for a camping like atmosphere. For those that want more privacy, the island hosts many hotels and B&B’s available at your cost. For someone traveling a long distance to dive with us, this is the best way to relax and enjoy our diving. A Block Island expedition is also a great way to complete dive training or take a full rebreather course with us. For more information or to set up your own expedition contact us by email [email protected] The Island Block Island is a picturesque island with rolling hills that lead to steep cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the land is preserved and the waters that surround it are clean and blue. Block Island was named by the The Nature Conservancy as one of twelve sites in its list of "The Last Great Places" in the Western Hemisphere. The one village, set on the water, comes to life during the summer season with restaurants, stores, boats, outdoor activities, night life and more. An expedition for everyone • Wreck Diving - These excursions are designed to explore the shipwrecks around the island ranging in depth from 10’ to 300’. Sign on to one of our scheduled trips or put together your own group and dive where and when you choose. •Shark Diving - On the shark expeditions, we do a combination of shark cage diving and open water/wreck diving. Usually, the day includes a morning dive around Block then off with the cage to the deep blue waters and the big fish. •U-853 - The German submarine, U-853, rests only 7 miles from B.I. This is a great way to get in multiple dives on this fascinating wreck with rich history. We have scheduled trips for individuals and are available for private groups. •Friends and Family - Block has the areas best snorkeling with some absolutely beautiful wrecks in only 10-20’ of water. Put together your own custom trip with divers and snorkelers for an exciting summer vacation. Sea turtle dive charters llc Sea Turtle tied up for the night in Old Harbor, B.I. Above: All rebreather B.I. trip 2007 www.seaturtlecharters.com March 18, 2009 S ID E MO UNT REB REA TH ERS Why side mount? “Setting the standard for serious underwater exploration” Side Mount Rebreather Systems Inc. has been formed by Bill Gambrill to provide parts and custom fabrications to convert a standard Megalodon, Prism or Hammerhead rebreather into fully functional side mount rebreather. Side mount has its advantages both above and below the water. Above the water the unit is disassembled in smaller pieces making it lighter to carry and easier to travel with. Below the water, the advantages include better trim and a lower profile. These two advantages alone make diving a side mount unit feel “like diving with no gear”. Want to get in that room that no one else has? Want to swim more effortlessly? Then maybe it’s time to convert your rig. SMR’s website www.smrebreathers.com includes a complete list of components available to make your own conversion. Bill Gambrill Bill Has been diving a rebreather since 1999 and in fact, was one of the first people to introduce me and a long list of other divers to the rebreather world. Over the years, his experience and tonacidy has led to his own side mount rebreather conversion and start of SMR. He was inspired by his obsession with finding wreck artifacts. Bill has traveled the world diving his side mount rig to places such as; Truk Lagoon, Dominican Republic, Florida’s Cave Country, Lake Huron and Catalina Island, Ca. For more photos of the rig in use see his “in use” page. www.smrebreathers.com/why_SideMount.htm Beneath the Sea Rebreathers, videos and beer Top right photo: Bill Gambrill diving his Prism conversion in Catalina, Is. October 2008 Above Left: Bill with fellow Prism convertee diver , Bill Graham. Photos by: Capt. Chuck Bottom: Capt. Chuck working out for BTS. Photo by: Carl Bayer BTS is one of the biggest and best dive trade shows anywhere and is taking place on March 27th-29th in Secacus, NJ. We will be there, booth 423, so come to the show and stop by to see us. We will be sharing a booth with Bill Gambrill and his collection of new side mount rebreather stuff. We will also be playing some great video footage of our local diving and introducing our prototype “rebeerer”. Sea Turtle Dive Charters LLC is also is Megalodon rebreather dealer/ trainer, so if you’re thinking about taking the plunge come talk to us about options, training and costs. Also at the show will be Innerspace (the creator and manufacturer of the “Meg” booth 605) This is one weekend the weather can do whatever it wants, so raise and glass and let it blow! Sea turtle dive charters llc www.seaturtlecharters.com March 18, 2009 F EA TURED WREC K Gurney’s Barge Not just another barge I’ve been diving since 1983 and started diving Montauk waters in 1986, doing shore dives such as the Culloden, jetties and Fort Pond Bay. In 1989, I started working for Uihlein’s Marina and boat rental. With this job came the perk of boat usage after hours or on days off. This perk led to my fascination with local wrecks and N.E. diving in general. From a local fisherman friend, I quickly learned of some well known wrecks in the area and was even given loran numbers. Sounds simple right? Okay maybe if I knew what loran was or if one of the rental boats at least had one... solution, buy one! So, I bought my first loran and rigged it with alligator clips and a make shift antenna holder to move from boat to boat and we were off to Gurney’s Barge (we being myself and now captain, Dan Guinta; I think Dan was still in grade school). Of course it’s fogging; that’s okay we have a compass, the new loran and a day off. We’re going! “Dan get on the bow and lookout for the beach or rocks or boats or anything we don’t want to run into”. After mistaking some rips for the beach and taking a zig zag course, we finally make it to the barge or at least we think we’re close. “Boy, a depth finder would be nice to have right now”. At this point we decide to just start throwing the anchor, not a couple times, more like hours of throwing and drifting with the anchor. Finally, we got it... let’s go diving! So we gear up and just before we get in, the anchor pulls out. Now we’re back to throwing, drifting, sweating, cursing and thinking about calling it a day when we hook it again. This time we get in real fast and have an incredible first dive on Gurney’s Barge. Compared to diving the beaches, the visibility is like something I didn’t think existed “up here” and seeing a real intact wreck for the first time was inspiring to say the least. This day led us to years of exploring the wrecks around Montauk, Fisher’s Island and Block Island in a 20’ rental boat equipped with one loran, a compass and a thirst for adventure. Those adventures led to Sea Turtle Dive Charters and the adventure continues! Top right: Skeletal remains from the inside out. Top left: School of scup inside the barge. Photos by: Ted Mccoy Sea turtle dive charters llc Wreck Facts: The name Gurney’s Barge comes only from the fact that the wreck lies 1 1/2 miles south of Gurney’s Inn in Montauk. Rumors have it that the barge sank during a storm in the ’70’s. The wreck is mostly intact and laying upside down in 60’ of water. The barge is much as you might picture: rectangular in shape and thus easy to navigate. Overall dimensions are 110’ long by 50’ wide. One side of the barge is almost completely buried in the sand, while the other side is totally exposed with 10’ of relief from the white sandy bottom. This is the side that faces south and is usually lit up by the sun. When we first started diving the wreck, it was almost completely dark inside with multiple rooms to navigate. Over recent years, much of the hull plating has started to cave in, leaving easy access to the inside of the wreck and allowing ample light to penetrate. The barge swarms with life. Looking out from the inside of the wreck is like looking into a giant aquarium of North Atlantic marine life. www.seaturtlecharters.com March 18, 2009 C REW P A G E Ted McCoy Ted McCoy really needs someone to write a book about his diving experiences, but I’ll do what I can in a paragraph or two; maybe we need a whole issue for Ted. Ted has been diving since 1984 and is currently an IANTD rebreather instructor, Favorite N. E.Dives: rebreather cave instructor and technical Norness, Coimbra & Lightburne. diving instructor. For now, diving is a part Best N. E. dive 2008: time business/obsession. Luckily, for me Coimbra with the mooring. No tie-in no untie, just dive and enjoy! he always finds the time to crew on the Sea Turtle and has been the “Sunday guy” Worst N.E. dive 2008: since our first season. All in all not a lot to complain about When he’s not teaching, crewing or just other than a couple bad vis days. helping divers on the boat in general, he Favorite U/W Activity: enjoys the opportunity to take his camera Photography and cave exploration. and never disappoints with some amazing shots. Ted has always got a new idea or philosophy about diving and believe me Some of Ted’s favorite gear • Megalodon rebreathers • Lar V rebreather • DUI CF 200 dry suit • Salvo 10 watt HID light • Oxycheq wings • Scubapro jet fins • Aquatica camera housings • Hogarthian and side mount systems it’s usually worth listening. When Ted is Top photo: Ted on the stern of the Sea Turtle not on the boat I often find myself saying, “I’m not sure; I’ll ask Ted” Above left: Self portrait on his Lar V in deep! Hey Dude, Thanks! Left: U-853 torpedo Above right: That was a long deco! Torpedo & self portrait by Ted McCoy. Upcoming Issue: Contact Us: Thank You * Sidekick - After Work Dives Sea Turtle Dive Charters LLC To all who read. * Summer Spear Fishing 76 Swamp Rd East Hampton NY 11937 Ted McCoy for his profile. * Crew member Jeremy Somero [email protected] All our customers and crew members. * Puszta Wreck 631-335-6323 Bill Gambrill and his inventions. Sea turtle dive charters llc www.seaturtlecharters.com
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