Atlantic Divers

Scuba Class Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:28:00 +0000

SUMMER SCUBA COURSE CALL TODAY!

Scuba Fun at Mainland Pool

SUMMER Scuba Course!
Now taking names for Fall Scuba Program.

Course fee $280.00 includes all seven class and pool sessions, text kits, dive tables, registration fees, all scuba equipment for all pool sessions.
Additional fees are charged for open water dives.
Students get a 10% discount on equipment purchases of mask, fins, snorkels, boots and mesh carry bag.

Call for more information and details. (609) 641-7722

NAUI OPENWATER SCUBA

______________________________________

Richard Stockton College Scuba
Register for Fall 2012.

Sponsored by Atlantic Divers
visit the Stockton Athletics office for more information.
Price includes all openwater dives for Stockton registrants.
Course will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays this FALL

LIMITED SPACE REGISTER TODAY!

There are a limited number of spaces available for our spring and summer sessions.

Let's Go Wreck Diving!

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:49:00 +0000

On the top of the R.P. Resor
Photo by Gene Peterson

Lots of Choices for 2012

Wreck Diving is more than just an activity. It is a unique experience, where we share adventures, life's highest peaks of emotions and the fullest bonds of friendship.

Join Atlantic Divers this season for the best experiences in wreck diving...

Don't Miss the Boat. Go Diving!

Atlantic Divers 2012 Wreck Expedition Schedule is here!!!

Register Today for Adventure!
2012 Atlantic Divers Wreck Expedition Schedule

Atlantic Divers Wreck Diving Season has begun,
Here is some shipwreck history fun to keep you in tune.

Wreck Matching Fun

2012 Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:18:00 +0000

ATLANTIC DIVERS
Leftovers on Sale!

There are still some good deals left scroll down....

Wreck Divers-Bug Hunters, Spearfisherman, Watermen: We now have CAMO bug bags!!! Plus Carter 200 pound lift bags, line reels and All new BARE dry suits and wetsuits for 2012 season. We have lot's NEW Style Bare, Henderson, Akona, Neosport gloves , mitts, hoods and boots to keep that wreck divers warm this winter or spring! Check out our inventory of Dive Rite, Sherwood and Genesis regulators and BCDs. Plus Bare's latest Drysuit underwear..... Get warm for this season.

Save 25% on all band spearguns in stock!

Great stripper guns in stock

ATLANTIC DIVERS' The oldest name in South Jersey Diving .

Nautilus Lifeline - Sea Life Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Every wreck diver or boater should have a Lifeline for offshore wreck diving or fishing.

Lifeline GPS- VHF Radio information

Other features include:
Emergency VHF Channel 16 communication
Rechargeble and more....

Now in stock at Atlantic Divers.

A great Holiday gift for any aquatic activity whether you are offshore fishing, diving sailing or kayaking.

MSRP $299.00 US

January Special!

NOW AVAILABLE at a Great LOW Price!

Sealife-cameras information here

SEA LIFE DC1400 Cameras ONLY $499.95

Add a Digital Pro Flash for ONLY $349.95

Mini II Sea Life

Original List: $259.99
$229.99 discount and get a $30.00 rebate from Sea Life

Final Cost: $199.99

Sea Life Rebate Details! Here!!!!

Drysuit & Wetsuit CLEARANCE

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:01:00 +0000

DRY SUIT and Wetsuit CLEARANCE

2011 stock til gone....

Starts November WETSUIT SALE

SAVE 20 to 40 % OFF on NEW and Used in stock BARE CD4, XCD2, and Tri-lam Pros size medium to large. Plus save 10% OFF any new ORDERS.

Harley Sager took advantage of our dry suit sale.

Click Here For Comparisions

Call (609) 641-7722 or shop today for special sale on these drysuits and water accessories.

Dry Bags & Fins

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:51:00 +0000

BAGS
for all DIVES in stock

AKONA DRY BAGS

MATERIALS: .55mm 500D PVC Tarpaulin. Puncture and tear resistant material that withstands elements and abrasion. Welded for a waterproof bond.

Dry bags are perfect for longer trips to protect your clothes and accessories.

Now In stock

FUSION FINS
FOR DRY SUIT DIVERS extra large boot pockets

Performance engineered center channel and side rails direct water flow off the end of the fin for uncompromising power and efficiency; water does not “pour” from the sides of the blade.
Stainless steel spring straps allow easy one-hand removal with a secure fit.
Will not deform from being overstretched.

Shipwreck Stories

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Shipwreck Stories

Captain George Hoffman- Sea Lion, A dive on the Stolt Dagali 1974

By Captain Gene Peterson
The sun is breaking and a frosty coating glazes my van windows. I unzip my sleeping bag, stretch and quickly bundle up in wooly bear underwear, flannel shirt, jeans and work boots. I hear others outside knocking around on the dock. I slide open the side door and step out onto the cold pavement and look down toward the end of the street at the boat. Nestled amongst the Bertrams, Posts and other prestigious fishing yachts, like Popeye’s tug floats the Sea Lion. A couple divers are loading their doubles and a preponderance of dive gear over the wood rail of the boat.

Sea Lion with Bill Hoodiman on ladder

I have yet to see any vessel quite like the Sea Lion. Bright red and white paint outline the trim on her black hull and gray decks. A walk around bow is covered over with a gray fiberglass roof where a smoking stove pipe protrudes through the center deck. On the bow three anchor roads are fastened to the railing along with some chains, grapnels and a sand anchor. These weathered fixtures are clearly organized in a specific dutiful manner. The smooth cover abruptly ends where a curved wheelhouse forms. Four large windows provide a 180-degree view forward. On the starboard a set of steps lead to sleeping quarters below deck. Here spacious bunks run to the bow. In the center stands an oil stove providing radiant heat below. Semi-attached on the port, the facility provides a relief station with adequate room and ventilation.

Astern a separate enclosure houses the engine room and a small open deck area where there is much activity. Here more divers have begun storing their tanks. They are a motley crew with a disheveled look wearing sunglasses, Greek fisherman hats, black leather or jean jackets. A barber could do well here cutting long hair and trimming the beards and mustaches. Most are dressed more like bikers than sailors. Noticeably they sport sheathed Buck knives and knee high brown boots. Inside the engine room, crew members huddle. They are checking the oil and fluid levels as they clutch cups of coffee. Intimidating eyes glance back through the dark doorway as they quickly dismiss their conversation. Packed in the center with the tanks, a worn plywood box occupies most of the back deck space. I hand over my set of double seventy-twos as another diver slides them back into the pile. They seem hopelessly wedged behind a block of other assorted cylinders.

A peg board lined canopy partially covers the aft-deck and the stern walk around. Various tools, hooks, gaffs, crow bars, pipes, chains, mallets, lines and pulleys lay stowed in the overhead pockets and interior engine wall spaces. An orange life raft and a surf board are strapped to the top of the engine house. I peer through the open gray framed wheelhouse window. On the table, behind the wooden helm, lay loose note papers, binoculars and yellowed charts marked with pencil and ink notations. A clock and barometer are mounted on the wall space between the window. A number of photographs surround the operator’s ticket on the back wall. A side scan sonar is mounted through the hull attached to the rear of the steering station. To the right of the chart table assorted electronics surround the forward overhead. A radio mic dangles from the ceiling and a handle for a spot light is fixed in the center. Inside the smell of drying paint and linseed oil is prevalent. Closer to the helm the air is seasoned with the remnants nicotine and spilt coffee. In the middle of this tight quarter a worn metal stool sits like a throne waiting for its honorable occupant.

You call that a bell. Now this is a bell.

In the cabin below a few divers have begun stretching out in their sleeping bags. The heavy black oil stove is burning with a pot of coffee on top. Some others have gathered warming their hands by the heat. Hanging on the paneled wall behind them is a hand-carved wooden fish. On it reads Captain Nice. Murna, the captain’s wife is in a bunk with her elbows propped up, reading a paperback. She glances up from her book, smiles and says. "Someone go tell George his coffee is ready." One of the crew answers distantly. "He’ll be right there. He just finished checking the engine." The air is a little foul down below and I decide to go topside. I stumble up the steps and bump into a heavy set, middle-aged fellow. He is wearing a tan ski jacket a sock hat, brown knee high boots and has a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. It is Captain Nice in person, George Hoffman. He grins and complains. "That doorway is a little tricky this early in the morning." My embarrassment is relieved by his quick humor.

Thankful to get his coffee, he barks out a few commands from the wheelhouse and in a matter of minutes his loyal band of mates frees us from the slip. The Sea Lion cruises toward the inlet. The little gray and black boat steams out along the rock jetty and plows through the swells. Most of the divers stay zipped in their sleeping bags anticipating a long ride to the wreck. Today’s destination is the Stolt Dagali. The Stolt was a 580-foot Norwegian tanker, rammed by the Israeli luxury liner S.S. Shalom on November 26, 1964. Only half the ship went to the bottom. The rest was salvaged and attached to another stern. The stern section remains in 126 feet of water eighteen miles east of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. This remaining wreckage rises to seventy feet, where the gigantic features of the Stolt make it a spectacular dive.
The diving history is being related to the crew and divers by Captain George as we venture out. "We were the first ones to find the wreck." He reminisces. He continues. "Back then, it took all day just to find something to dive. We were lucky. An oil slick was marking the wreck. On the bottom, I had a dozen lanterns tied to a full lifting bag. I had to cut them off one by one, until I could get it to float. What a great day to be diving!"

A caption on an Oatmeal wrapper.

I sit on the bow, next to the open window of the pilothouse catching brief excerpts of the captain’s story. The crew is jammed in the smokey little wheelhouse like mackerel waiting to be canned. George makes light of the rough weather. "This is just rough enough to keep the tourists on the beach." He grins. I am thinking, we must be crazy to be out here in this bone chilling cold on a lumpy sea. Listening to George we are inspired by the adventure and the challenge.
Soon we are over the wreck. A master boat handler, Captain George promptly marks the wreck and calls for a buoy to drop on the site. His concentration is unbroken by the crash of falling dive equipment, as we circle in our wake. Like a well rehearsed marching band, the mates move lines as Captain George orchestrates setting a snare. The grapnel plummets and within minutes the lines are secured and the engine is shut down. Finally, he signals to his mates. Without hesitation they dash over the side and descend to tie in the hook. There is a slight pause as we wait. Now, securely tied in, few hesitate to follow in the quest for lobster. Anxiously, divers have been sitting back to back on the plywood box, while others hang over the rails and the rest have been set to leap off the bow. When the word is given the boat steadily empties.
　

Searching for gold

The Stolt is a massive wreck. I could easily swim through the corridors and rooms uninhibited. I'm amazed at the humongous rocker arm of the engine and the wide stairwell that drops to the muffler room. I swim tenaciously though the top corridor dropping past the baths and wind out through the skylight to the debris field on the sandy bottom. I grab a couple lobsters and a few scallops and ascend.
After three quarters of an hour divers are ascending with mesh bags bulging with lobster and scallops. George suits up after his mate Bill Hoodiman boards the boat. Bill has a couple ten pound plus lobsters. As Hoodiman empties his bag, George quietly proclaims. "He’s one of the best and always will be. Hoodiman has caught more lobsters by accident then most people will ever catch in their lifetime on purpose."

As he suits up George announces. "I can dive anywhere in the world with just a bug bag full of gear." I am amazed at the simplicity of his equipment. It is functional, low tech and well used. Although, I wonder why he needs the giant wooden box on the back deck to store it in and noticeably all the cubby holes filled through out the boat with tools and lift bags marked G.H. He feverishly dons his tanks and disappears over the railing.
After Captain George splashes, we brag a little and joke. This continues as each diver surfaces, until all are back onboard. When George finally climbs the ladder, his bag is full of big lobsters. We stand silent with jaws hung open. He too boasts that we must have overlooked the easy ones. "Someday I will take you to the land of the big lobster and show you all how to catch them." He laughs. George knows how to put us in our place.

Bow of Sea Lion with Carl Fenton and John Moyer

Today I still run trips to the Stolt Dagali. George sold his second boat to Captain Al Pyatak. Captain Al carries on the Sea Lion legacy with pride. A lot of good times are still had getting there and back. That first trip has a special memory for me. Nothing too exciting happened, but Captain George made you feel like there was no better place to be. In January 1997, Captain George Hoffman passed away. His family and close friends spread his ashes over the S.S. Mohawk, one of his favorite wrecks. Whenever I dive it today, I often think back of the fun times George shared with us. There were many adventures and many laughs. George was a good time. His contributions to wreck diving were many including the decompression reel and redundant air (pony bottle system). His wreck discoveries range from Montauk, New York to Hatteras, North Carolina, including the submarine Bass to the German sub U- 85. He dotted the charts discovering and diving hundreds of other wrecks. George’s passion for wreck diving was contagious. George would often say. "Diving is just a good time shared on the water with friends." Perhaps that was his greatest gift, Making hundreds of wreck divers feel like they were his best friends.

George with his lifetime achievement award. 1992

Equipment Updates

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:32:00 +0000

Sherwood BCDs Sherwood Women's Luna The Jacket-style BC Designed Just for Women. We cut the air cell, shoulders and cummerbund on this BC to conform to female curves for superior fit and comfort. It’s also no accident that it’s extremely stylish. Luna also features the CQR-2 weight-pocket system for a more secure, comfortable dive—plus two, non-releasing, trim weight pockets that can hold up to 10 additional pounds. Jacket style, this BC wraps air completely around the body for easy floating on the surface. Sherwood Tortuga BCD Now Available at Atlantic Divers The best of both worlds! Maximize utility and convenience. This new BC features a back mounted air cell to leave the chest area open for freedom of movement, but also provides some wrap around buoyancy for added lift and vertical stability. Patented CQR-2 Weight System is standard plus two rear pockets for up to 10 pounds of non-releasing trim weights. This BC is the ultimate blend between two of our most popular styles and features. Bare D6 Dry Suit Atlantic Divers best seller for economic, warm wreck diving. features and benefit

3mm neoprene comfort-fit neck seal for warmth and durability

2mm nylon/smoothskin warm collar with vented neck drain provides an improved seal with the BARE dry hood
360 degree swivel inflator valve (default placement on the center of the chest)
Adjustable low-profile exhaust valve (default valve placement on upper left arm)
HD Bottleneck latex wrist seals with talc bag
Pre-installed suspender tabs – ready to accept optional suspenders
K-PADz knee protection
Your choice of HD vulcanized 4mm compressed density neoprene BARE boot, or compression-resistant Soft Boot (see accessories for BARE boot options)
Premium badging and reflective patches
LIFETIME GUARANTEE*

DIVE RITE TransPlate Harness
A hybrid harness designed for divers who want the support of a backpack-style harness for better weight-load distribution, yet wish to dive a hard metal backplate. Designed like a mountaineer's backpack, the TransPlate harness disperses weight across the hips and back, minimizing shoulder strain. When used with a 6-pound steel backplate, divers can remove or minimize weight pockets. Adjustable straps adapt to a wide variety of exposure suits and means easy donning and doffing. The modular design allows for customization with a wide variety of pockets and accessories. Available in sizes S to XXL. Made in the U.S.A.\ In stock at Atlantic Divers

HALCYON

Explorer BC Systems

Our classic Halcyon Explorer carries a time-honored tradition; in fact, its rugged construction is the foundation for an entire lineage of Halcyon buoyancy compensators. The Explorer wing is available in two lift capacities and is appropriate for a wide range of double-tank gear configurations. The Explorer series offers a proven design that remains popular in a wide range of diving environments. In stock at Atlantic Divers For Commercial or Sport inquire at the shop for below

Ocean Technology Systems offers a wide variety of full face masks (FFM). Each manufacturer has designed special features which enhance the performance of their FFM. You should take some time to understand the characteristics of the mask and make sure the mask will perform for your application.

Ocean Technology Systems specialises in manufacturing state-of-the-art underwater communications that can be installed in any style of FFM or Diving helmets.

Student Memories

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:13:00 +0000

Some of Atlantic Divers past student dives and highlights.

Let's go diving!

Last scheduled dive of 2012 Annual Bonfire-Barbecue

Cu-dos on our last bonfire and barbecue dive for 2011

Classes are starting.... Sign up today!

How to Catch a Porthole

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Life would be pretty boring if we were relagated to walk only the same path...

fortuna juvat.

PORTHOLES

How to Capture a Porthole

by Gene Peterson

Artifacts recovered and properly restored by wreck divers generate great enthusiasm for wreck diving. Self regulated activities need to promote safe procedures and accepted methods to maintain our wreck diving freedom.

The number of portholes that are recovered from the vast variety of shipwrecks throughout our waters would certainly overwhelm most museums. Such objects displayed in homes, private museums or in public areas will have little effect changing the history of our nation. In fact, such displays encourage enthusiasm, further curiosity and inspire others to our maritime past. Properly restored, labeled and displayed objects insure the wreck divers place supporting the welfare of shipwreck history. One might argue that few get to see private home collections or these items will be sold for personal gain. That may be but, it is better to be rescued, restored and privately displayed, than to end up crated in some government archive, due to the lack of museum space or lost forever destroyed by nature and man.

Reflect on the curious disposition of the U.S.S. Monitor, where the dive sight was destroyed by N.O.A.A. to recover the anchor, turret, prop and other assorted key components. A gutted skeleton is all that remains of a once exciting intact underwater monument. The American people paid millions for the salvage by the Navy. Americans citizens continue to pay to maintain the recoveries and for further decimation of the site. If you want to see it, you must pay a fee each time you go to dive the exploited wreck or to visit the hulk’s bones in a museum. Non-divers are wowed by the recoveries, but it is ironic that only the government knows what is best for the people? There is no virtue in government, only a cloaked carpetbagger selling snake oil.

1990 Monitor Project, An Epic Moment in Wreck Diving.

Portholes remain the most meritorious reward among dedicated wreck divers. Portholes are simply windows made for ships. Windows are designed to endure great effects of wind, wave and most importantly remain watertight under tremendous force. Most portholes are numbered and cut to fit in specific locations. When put in place, they are bonded with a watertight sealant, a rubber gasket and/or caulk. They may be attached with steel or brass bolts, which may be square, hexagon, rounded or riveted. They can be located above the waterline for cabins, galleys, or are attached to the wheelhouse or deck houses above the deck. Most are round, yet many are oval, rectangular, square or custom shaped to fit in specific areas. Experienced porthole collectors can identify the specific design characteristic of various wrecks.

There are few human experiences that parallel the sensation of sending up a fifty-pound brass porthole on a lift bag. Hundreds of portholes are just waiting to be recovered off the Jersey coast. A porthole enthusiast will find no better hunting grounds than the North Atlantic coastal waters, where thousands of ships terminated their voyages. Victims of winter gales, collisions, wars, poor decisions and fate, these shipwrecks remain testimony to man’s vulnerability to nature and him. What remains of these noble, stalwart vessels will soon be but memories or written notations. The caustic effect of salt water, combined with the devastating effect of ship worms, the plowing by draggers and the voracity of storms will leave little reminders of these lost time capsules.

To appreciate the art of porthole recovery, one must first know the basic parts of the typical round porthole. A circle is cut into the ship’s hull plate at a designated location. There, the backing plate which is the inner ring of the porthole is attached directly to the ship’s hull. It is fastened to the hull with eleven or more bolted nuts and sealed with watertight gasket and sealer.

Dogs are round or oval shaped nuts attached with bolts pinned and able to swivel on the backing plate. There may be one to five of these which lock down the glass window or swing plate. The swing plate holds the thick glass hinged to the backing plate with a brass pin locked in with cotter pins or pin with a head and one pin. An additional storm cover may be hinged over top of the swing plate to further protect the swing plate in severe conditions. All these parts may be brass or steel depending on the cost of metals at the time of manufacturing. Toward the end of World War II many liberty ships, tankers and colliers were fitted with steel portholes, covers or metal frames sealing the glass call dome ports. Brass and copper were being conserved for munitions. In other case’s portholes from more luxurious ships or yachts may be coated with chrome.

Portholes open inwards. The swing plate and storm cover are found on the inside of the hull. To recover these on an intact wreck, you need to penetrate the wreck. On scattered, broken up wrecks portholes may be found loose in the sand or attached to the hull plates facing upwards as the hull opens up. They may be exposed or buried under twisted metal or sand. The unique circumstances of each recovery offer an unlimited opportunity to capture the brass ring or the possibility of failure.

I once witnessed a diver work feverishly attempting to recover a porthole stuck under a titanic, teetering boulder. The more the diver pried, the more unstable the boulder became. Eventually the exhausted diver abandoned the project to avoid being crushed by the behemoth pebble. The following year when he returned, the porthole and the rock were both gone. Either the Jolly Green Giant got the porthole or a storm washed it down the rocky cliff, uncovering it for some lucky diver.

Other similar hindrances may complicate the recovery. Divers have discovered loose portholes with steel I beams through the center. These rogue porthole puzzles have become legendary. In this case the porthole remained for more than twenty years until a magician’s touch captured the find. Numerous portholes lie just out of the diver’s reach on a large upside down wreck. Frequently visited, creative divers have fashioned special hooks tethered to plumbers snakes and have retrieved the prizes much to the chagrin of others who found their arms too short.

Happening upon an exposed porthole on a deeper wreck, two divers worked as a team to remove it. Narcosis hindered the recovery, when they broke it free and finally shot the lift bag to the surface. After they filled the bag, they were so excited about their perceived handy work, they drunkenly shook hands and ascended. Neither realized they had failed to tie the porthole to the lift bag. Fortunately for them, another, more sober comrade completed the task. This benevolent diver sent it to the surface for them with no questions asked.

Without complications, some lucky divers have done little more than unknowingly land on a loose trophy. Having found a loose porthole, I observed two divers digging feverishly at the bottom of a washed out area below me. I could not resist rolling the porthole down through the wreckage like a wheel just above them. As they rummaged through the silt, I rolled the brass wheel stealthily into their hole, when they were distracted. As the silt cleared, you could see the two celebrating their find.

Diving on a virgin wreck gives one a greater opportunity to score. When opportunity beckons, don’t hesitate. Take advantage of the moment and the environment. I once unbolted a porthole using the tools I luckily found from a tool box inside a recently sunken tugboat. They were better tools than what I went down with. I remember tossing out my rusty bag of worn wrenches and quickly upgrading to a sleek set of Snap-ons ratchets and a generous number of sockets.

Recognition is your best tool. Marine life camouflages the wreck with coral, anemones, mussels, kelp and other growth leaving hunters confused and bewildered. Look beyond this proliferation of tissue and understanding ship construction can help guide you to your treasures.

Locating an intact porthole can be a difficult task. The easy finds are already cleaned and polished. Often discouraged divers happen upon an attainable find, but fail because they are unprepared. Those who seek will find. Sand shifts, structures break apart and growth cycles change to unveil virgin areas open to discovery. Pay your dues. Luck is on your side if you are properly equipped and dive often.

Once you discovery that elusive porthole, anxiety may reduce your potential. If you have planned for this moment, the probability of success is great. First analyze the situation and the territory surrounding the goal. Safety is your primary consideration. Check you gas, decompression debt and any possible obstacles that may cause a hazard. I once found a loose porthole on a deep wreck. When I wiggled it free, I also pulled down a wire fence which rolled over top of me and snared my tanks. If not for the assistance of two other divers, I would not be writing this. I did not make the recovery. More importantly nor was I recovered. Again, be wary of your surroundings. No piece of brass is worth getting hurt for.

The right tools will increase the potential. A five to an eight-pound hammer, a heavy duty coal chisel and two feet plus crowbar will get the hunter started. Additional tools include channel locks, a drift pin, breaker bar, various sockets from 3/4 inch on up and don’t forget your plumbers snake and your car jack. Creativity and thinking beyond the curve will increase your prosperity. In most cases a crowbar may be all that is needed . . . If it is tangled in wreckage or buried under a boiler you may have to get creative. Look at all the possibilities first. You may not need any tools at all to procure your porthole.

On a steel-hulled ship, gently tap open the dogs and turn them counter clockwise until swing plate and/or the storm cover can be opened. You may have to carefully pry open them with a chisel or with a crowbar. Next pull the cotter pins with vise grips and drive out the hinge pins with a drift pin. It will move easier if you rock the plate and cover as you drive out the pins. Once the pin is removed, you can lift the outer plates from the backing plate. That sounds pretty straight forward but be aware that you may be hindered by coral growth, poor visibility, narcosis and increased air consumption. Dropping tools can ruin your plans. I spray all my tools’ florescent orange to help find them quickly in low visibility. Keep focused, stay organized and keep calm.

Removing the backing plate is much more difficult. You may have to drive out the bolts, unbolt or crack nuts, chisel pins, or torque the plate to break it free. If you have trouble loosening nuts, a good technique is to turn the wrench, or breaker bar clockwise tightening the bolt until it breaks. If this doesn’t work, a sharp chisel and heavy hammer may be needed to cut the bolts. Once the bolts are removed, you can now pry around the lip with a large crowbar in alternating areas to manipulate and break loose the remaining plate. A crowbar will give you greater leverage, if you slide the hooked end under the lip. Be careful not to crack or break the plate. Continue manipulating the plate until you see the corroded metal smoke around the ring. Soon the entire backing plate will pop out.

To assure recovery, use the proper lifting equipment. A minimum 100-pound lift bag, an up-line reel with sisal line and 10 foot a lifting strap should be used. When you inflate the bag, make sure that all is bagged or tied up, then secure the sisal line directly to the porthole before you release it to the surface. Secure the line to the wreck, so that it won’t drift away when you make your ascent and decompression stop. Sending a bag to the surface without tying it off will insure a loss. Take care to position yourself up current of the lift bag, in case it drops back down from wave action, current or a chafed line.

When you get to the boat, run a chase line out to the bag as soon as possible. Lift bags are designed to temporarily float. Tie the chase line directly to the porthole and cut your sisal line from the wreck.

Get some muscle on the boat to help you lift your treasure onto the boat. One person should lift the top of the bag as the other lifts the porthole connected to a heavy nylon line.

Get some pictures and enjoy your grab. Portholes make great memories and sharing your recovery will fodder future diver’s passion for wreck diving. It is important too document your find to authenticate it’s recovery. If you decide to donate it to a museum, pass it down as a family heirloom or sell it to a collector, a picture will add to it’s historic and monetary value.

Begin restoring your rescue by soaking it in freshwater as soon as possible. Change the water frequently and soak for a few months. The marine growth will brush off with as it dies in the fresh water. To encourage the process, drop your porthole in a 50/50 solution of muriatic acid. Within a few minutes to a few hours most of the light coral concretion will start to bubble off. Handle the bath with care, avoid the fumes, wear safety goggles, latex gloves and use a heavy line to lower the brass port into the acid. After the growth dissolves, remove it from the acid bath and neutralize it in fresh water. Then brush with baking soda. Continue to soak in fresh water for another month or more. This helps to release the chlorides that remain saturated into the metals.

After this second soaking, dry the porthole and begin the cleaning and polishing process. You can brush with a wire wheel checking various stiffness of wheels. The stiffer the wheel the hotter and greater change to the surface metal. Be careful not use too stiff a wheel that may scratch the metal. Proceed with different wheels and switch over to a buffing wheel with jewelers’ rouge polishing to the desired shine level. Some divers prefer to buff their porthole to glitter like gold. I like to keep my artifacts in a preserved state, clean but with a low luster. I like to leave barnacles and other concretions which indicate it is an ocean-recovered artifact. Patina also adds an element of age and beauty to certain recoveries. Your desired level of restoration will add to the uniqueness of your discovery.

Portholes can be taken to a new level by adding pictures of the wreck, your favorite underwater vista or diving friends. They can be artistically displayed in gardens, turned into clocks, lights, barometers, mirrors, display cases or tables. Use your imagination, but share your passion with future porthole captures.

Whether or not you every recover a porthole will depend on many things. Research and become familiar with wreck structure. Being prepared and attentive will increase your recognition skills. Luck also plays a part, but you create your own luck. Dive, Dive, Dive often on a variety of wrecks. Keep your eyes open and always bring a lift bag...

Good Wreck Diving!

Atlantic Diver

Fall Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:15:00 +0000

NEW CLASSES

Get Ready for 2012 Dive Season

NAUI OPENWATER SCUBA CLASSES
Winter Course Starts in January...There are limited spaces still available for our
NAUI Openwater Scuba Classes

Register Now! Sign up now and save or

Buy a Scuba Class as a gift!

Pre-register and save $20.00 on the course fee...
Call today for details
(609) 641-7722 ask for Gene for specials!

Course will meet from 6 to 9 p.m.
on Tuesdays at

Mainland Regional Pool.

see detailed information on Training Page.

Nitrox Class - Sign up now for Winter Classes...Get Ready for Spring Dives 2012

$200.00 with Text Kit.
Jen Patterson Instructor

First aid/ CPR/ O2 Provider

See:Training Information and Registration details...

Atlantic Divers Advanced Course (Introduction to Wreck Diving).

Next Course: Register for Winter-Spring 2012

This unique course will cover lifetime wreck diving skills that will make you a safer, and more proficient diver. Take the class and pool sessions during the winter season and complete your openwater dives in the spring and summer. A great way to keep ready for the 2012 season.

Read more about this special program:Advanced Course Info !

35 years of teaching NAUI sanctioned courses.

Atlantic Divers is the oldest name in South Jersey Diving.

Tribute Dive on Jacob Jones

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Tribute to last living survivor Joseph Paul Tidwell

Eric Tidwell on left decompressing after diving the Jacob Jones
photo by Steve Gatto

torpedo on the Jacob Jones
photo by Steve Gatto

Eric's day job is protecting our country.

Eric on the bottom

Joseph Paul Tidwell at Observation Tower in Cape May with his family, a true legacy.

Joseph Paul Tidwell
http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5407098&trail=15#1

Miss Lindsey July 2011 Trip

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:21:00 +0000

Another exciting adventure on the Miss Lindsey to the Eureka July 9-11 2011Read more: http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5392185&trail=15#2

Miss Lindsey July 2011 trip photo by Dana Chapman

Sunset over the Eureka photo by Sanford Leavy

Air fills on the Eureka photo by Sanford Leavy

San Saba June 26, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Dina Dee to the San Saba June 26, 2011
Photo Ralph Yost

One cooler emptied at end of the day

Another cooler for the day

Kevin Mccourt. A good day on the San Saba June 26, 2011
Photo by Ralph Yost

Dina Dee May 7, 2011 at the dock. Steve Seeberger

On the way to the Great Isaac May 7, 2011 Matthew Herrick

Steve's Great Isaac Lobster May 7, 2011

Tribute dive honoring Joseph Paul Tidwell, last survivor of the Jacob Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Jacob Jones Tribute Dive Friday July 22, 2011 for Joseph Paul Tidwell

It is with great honor that Atlantic Divers arranged a wreck diving tour for CDR Jame E. Tidwell, the grandson of Joseph Paul Tidwell, the last survivor from the sinking of the Jacob Jones.

Joseph Paul Tidwell's story from March 1942 Inquirer

Read more about the tribute Joseph Paul Tidwell and the crew of the Jacob Jones:

http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5407098&trail=15#1

http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5396712&trail=15#1
Philadephia Inquirer story: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110726_Kevin_Riordan__A_deep-dea_dive_stirs_a_Navy_commander_s_family_pride.html

Atlantic City Dive Trips

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:30:00 +0000

John Copeland recovers a scooter on the Collier

http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5347629&trail=15#2

Mungo pipers on Varanger June 9, 2011

Almirante

Diving in holy waters

helm and binnacle from off Atlantic City

Mungo recovered by John Copeland from San Jose

View from Sea Lion of Atlantic City Chris Fitzsimmons

How to capture a lobster

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:01:00 +0000

The Art of Lobster Hunting.

The Atlantic Lobster, Homarus Americanus is the most sought after diver delicacy found on the shipwrecks of New Jersey. The wreck diver’s seafood shopping list can vary from a wide range of fish to scallops, mussels, crabs and clams, but the claws and tail of the Atlantic lobster remain the most desirable entree.

The New Jersey coastal waters are a natural flat sandy bottom free of relief, except for a few rare projections of rocks offshore. All other objects of relief are the result of man made error or purposefully placed in specific locations to create artificial habitats or reefs. These unnatural obstructions stimulate habitation of marine life. Here is where crustaceans and fish seek shelter in these shipwrecks and infinite structures forming an oasis from predation by larger species. In the shadows of these structures, the lobster can molt and mate in a relatively protected environment seeking safety in innumerable crevices. In the first year of a lobster’s life cycle only a tenth of their larvae survive floating among other plankton forms. When they finally sink to the sand, the features of these artificial reefs make a welcome habitat for these juvenile crustaceans. There they feed on the small mollusks, fish, less formidable crustaceans and even other lobster.

This awesome prehistoric armored animal inspires the imagination. Soft tissued humans wince at the mere thought of their bone crushing mandibles snapping and crimping down on a misplaced digit. A final taradiddle is legendary. The tale is of the boastful and loquacious grandstanding diver whose dockside yarn of his hunting prowess was painfully interrupted. As he stood in front of the dive boat holding up a ten pounder for the gathering crowd, he failed to respect it’s steadily encroaching crusher claw. As the crowd watched in horror, he dropped to his knees in silence with the pincer attached to his thumb. Fortunately the natural instinct of the crustacean is to escape. When the diver let go in wordless pain, so did the lobster. I restate these incidents are rare but notable.

It is important to have the proper tools prior to your first hunt. A good light is the most important tool. Lobsters hide in the darkened crevices and away from the sunlight.. Their bright reddish orange color contrasts with the rusting and deteriorating wreckage. The preference is the bright hot white HID or Eled hand held lantern lights. These provide a wider view and allow unrestricted movement. Red lens lights are rarely used and offer limited advantages. You only need to see the location of a potential home briefly and a bright wide beam will allow you to see a greater hunting area. Don’t flash the light directly into the lobsters eyes. This will force them back into the wreck and out of reach. Attach the light to your harness D-ring and you can let go to work with two hands underwater. A large mesh bag will allow you to bag your bug easily. Serious hunters choose the half nylon- half mesh bags to reduce drag and to ease the sliding of the bug into the bag. A current legal gauge should be attached to the bag for easy reference. These can be made cutting out an length aluminum or plastic.

Dive clean. Eliminate wearing canister lights with a hand mount. Arm slates, compasses and computers also cramp your lobster draw reducing your ability to plunge your hand deep into a hole. Being nimble is important and your ability to react without resistance increases your potential. Finally, dive within your comfort level, have the proper safety gear and redundancy for your dive. Adequate gas is a must. You will breath a lot of gas during the heat of the hunt.

Over a short period of time new bug divers can develop lobster hunting techniques that will ensure dinner and a healthy matrimony. After your first success, you will be surprised how popular you are. Your neighbor may hand deliver your newspaper, return your ladder, wave as you drive by etc... In-laws will call or drop a card on your birthday. Your teenagers will acknowledge your existence and soon you will be sitting at the head of the table again. You will be remembered at those family re-unions even if you don’t attend. Just send a cooler with a few lobster. You now have the ultimate excuse for any unwanted social outing.

Lobster habitat any low sandy or muddy area with a roof. They dig in and mark their home with debris they bulldoze out of these homes. An alert hunter will look for burrowing areas marked with darker mud, discarded mollusk shells and bones littering the hole. These crustaceans can migrate or may remain in that home year round if there is an abundance of food. A home in a paint can be compared to a summer home, whereas a shipwreck with thick mussel growth will be a more permanent fortress. Their behavior is instinctual to make the march offshore in the fall where they can dig into the deeper shelf-waters and return in the late spring to re-find a summer habitat. It is there that they can feed, molt and mate in a protected environment.

26 pound caught by Chuck Wine on Chaparra

Lobster riding

One can understand that timing the hunt season is important when the diver plans to capture his dinner. If you hunt too early you will find lots of ling cod and ocean pouts occupying those holes. If you go too late, the lobster may have moved off or have already been bagged.

Lobsters are known to occupy holes with alternate escape routes. They continually scan with their sensitive antenna underwater movement and motion. They are wary of predators while tirelessly searching for food.   Waiting for the right moment they are surprisingly quick clutching at unsuspecting fish or scurrying back into their holes as an adversary approaches. Dive hunters should be aware of unnecessary movement and practice control of their underwater advances. This is where lobstering becomes an art. Successful lobster divers command a stealthy approach fully focused on their own movements, anticipating the prey and foraging continuously from hole to hole. Little time is wasted over examining suspected homes. Some divers reach in crevices without hesitation sometimes pulling out sleepy eel pouts or red hake lounging in previously occupied homes. The less warning, the more likely you are to pull out the bug without any challenges. Over analyzing can lead to escapes or a tug of war battle where the lobster pins it’s powerful tail unmovable into the hole. When this happens, the diver then may get grabbed himself or the lobster may give up a claw and escape.

Knowing the terrain is advantageous. Lobster habitually return to the same spot. After one lobster is caught during migration, another will soon take it’s place. Returning to the same area lobsters will replace themselves year after year and be of similar size. They tend to replenish the offshore side of the wreck, where they return on their march back from the depths. Divers that have caught lobster on a wreck will find by returning to the same spots they will enjoy equal fortune.

When you make the move to grab a lobster don’t hesitate and move with full intent. Missing or making a false grab will result in a quick escape or a pinched finger. The lobster will likely retreat deep in a hole or long pipe, where it will remain the balance of your dive time. Move on. There are others to catch. Spending the balance of your dive trying to out fox a veteran foe is fruitless. At the end of your dive try that spot again but next time do not hesitate to reach far and quickly.   I have watch divers sit outside a deep pipe or boiler peering into the abyss of a black hole waiting for a monster to shuffle a few feet teasingly out of reach. Waving your light, banging on the wreck and tossing a smaller hostage lobster into the hole are vain endeavors. The big one will back further away, you will get a headache, or you will get the sick thrill of pulling wings off of flies watching a cannibalistic struggle. They don’t get that big by rolling on their back begging uncle. You have to surprise them to catch them. Stealth and speed....Stealth and speed...

Reach in. Go ahead. Getting the courage to stick your hand into a dark hole with two snapping claws is a adrenalin pumping rush. Reach high above the claws and grab the carapace. Once you get your hand on your first lobster twist and pull. If there is any snag let go for a second, regain your grip and continue to pull. It’s out and in your hand. Keep it away from vital parts and equipment like your mask and regulator hose. Know the difference between male and female. The female has a broader tail with soft appendages to hold eggs. If there are eggs (purple reddish berries) under the tail, carefully put her back in her home. If it is has no berries or a V notch cut out of the tail, measure the length of the carapace. Check with current laws to measure the minimum and maximum length allowed for your area. There are federal and state laws that affect your measurement. If the bug is legal, open your bag and slip the bug in tail first. Lobsters swim backward and will try to slip out if you open the bag too far. Keep hunting, when you reach your maximum limit you can always exchange the small ones for bigger ones. Be aware the bigger bugs will crush the little ones. Serious divers carry two bags to keep them separated. During the early summer months lobsters will be molting and are the most vulnerable. If you capture one of these softies you should put them back safely in their home where they will not become a fish meal.

When you get on the boat, check your measurements again. It is easy to make a mistake underwater and you will do little damage if you get the short lobster back in the water right away. Eggs may be damaged by the pressure change and that is irresponsible hunting. Bug hunting is exciting and a long time diving pastime. Properly equip yourself, follow the current laws and successful bugging will provide you with many dinners. If all else fails dive at night. Lobsters are nocturnal feeders. They wander around in the dark hunting for prey and a new home. Your cooler could be that home too.
Bug Hunting Tips.
Know the laws, limits and have proper permits.
Only two claws are allowed per lobster body.
Measure and re-measure to be sure.
No gigs, spears, gaffs or mechanical devices are legal for capture.
Keep your lobster on ice or submerged at depth below the thermocline to keep them fresh.
Band your lobster to protect yourself, other lobsters and the cook.

Peterson

Breaking out!

Good Hunting!
Gene

Captain Al has brought the Sea Lion down to Atlantic City for a few weeks of diving.

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Tue, 24 May 2011 23:50:00 +0000

Auxillary Almirante helm on wreck before recovery.

Captain Al Pyatak, Mark and Jenn Patterson with helm. Helm photos by Jacke Dunne.

Read more about this recovery in The Deep - Wreck Room forum.

Mungo recovered on the San Jose...Read about the Sea Lion diving off Atlantic City. Read more by Divemaster Anthony Tedeschi on the San Jose in the Wreck Room forum.

Atlantic dives the Lillian Luckenback- John Morgan on the Miss Lindsey May 1, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Atlantic Diver) — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:32:00 +0000

A great weekend of wreck diving on the Miss Lindsey. Check the Wreck Room for more...

North Atlantic Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:59:00 +0000

North Atlantic Adventures to the edge and beyond...

An annual expedition that combines camping, exploring and wreck diving.

Atlantic Divers has been exploring remote Northern Maine and Canada for more than 3 decades!

photo by Mike Boring on 2010 30th Expedition

Some more great Mike Boring images...

Some bottles and clay pipes from past Northern Adventures

Atlantic Divers 30th North Atlantic Anniversary Expedition:

http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4878813

The White Star Line steamer Atlantic which sank near Halifax in 1873. With over 500 fatalities, the Atlantic wreck was one of the worst shipwreck disasters prior to the Titanic.

Gene Peterson, Gary Gentile and John Moyer over the wreck of the S.S. Atlantic 1981

Diving the S.S. Atlantic 　September 1981 John Moyer, Gary Gentile and I boarded the lobster boat owned by Harry Bartlet in Propect cove. I researched the Atlantic’s sinking and traveled over 1200 miles to this remote harbor. I was anxious to see the wreck site of the once luxurious White Star liner that lies in these shallow waters. Harry Bartlet’s boat was unique. Unlike the typical dive boats of modern times, Harry’s boat had little in the way of comfort and space. It featured a sapling ladder, a moss-covered bow and a weathered life ring for safety. Harry would often tow a smaller skiff, just in case this sturdy craft foundered. The best thing about Harry’s boat was the location. It was a 15 minute ride to the wreck of the Atlantic and a buoy was in place marking the site.
We dressed at the dock, lowered our gear with a hoist, donned our doubles at the dock and enjoyed the short ride. After Harry lassoed the buoy, we rolled off the stern and plunged to the wreckage scattered below.
Here wolf fish postured themselves at high points on the rocks where the broken hull extends from the waist high shallows to depths less than 90 feet. Piles of broken china lay strewn mixed throughout the rocks and wreckage. Occasionally an intact piece or a crest is found digging beneath ths sands. Dead eyes, portholes, marble decorations, organ keys, assorted brass valves and parts have been found in the rock crevices. Ironically a number of St. Christopher metals have been recovered. The most exciting discoveries have been the occasional gold coins. Over the years I have returned to the wreck on several return trips. Surprisingly little has changed. Although Harry has retired from the fishing and dive charter business, he still remembers the divers from Jersey.
Today the visibility is clear. The water cold and the wolf fish remain intimidating.

Good Northern Wrecking!
The history of the S.S. Atlantic

Costarican Trader

A.W. Perrry wrecked on Chebucto Head

S.S. Deliverance sank off the entrance to Herring Cove. It was a steam-engined diving tender that sank after a collision with the steamer Regin in 1917.

washed ashore from Halifax explosion.

Kenkerry AGROUND AND WRECKED AT BLACK ROCK POINT, NEAR PORTUGUESE COVE, NOVA SCOTIA, JANUARY 17, 1935, IN BALLAST FROM HAVANA, CUBA. The captain was lost when the breeches buoy line broke and he fell into the water.

The British Freedom and the Athelviking, both tankers, were torpedoed by a German U-boat on the same day in 1944 off the mouth of Halifax Harbour. The British Freedom sank off Chebucto Head on January 14, 1945 .

Letitia was grounded hard on Portuguese Cove Shoal while on route from Liverpool in July of 1917, carrying a full crew of 137 as well as 74 hospital staff and 546 wounded Canadian soldiers. A call for assistance to help with the evacuation of passengers was made and all were disembarked without incident onto nearby ships.

Martin Van Buren

Daniel Steinman, a 1790 ton steamship that struck Mad Rock Shoal in 1884

Halifax explosion remnants after disaster

Uranium off Chebucto Head

Making it happen in between huricanes: http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3644713

harbor gun emplacements

Searching off Mad Rock

Sambro Light

Beyond the edge of the North Atlantic Adventures

No Man is an Island

I shared an unique and memorable experience this summer on St. Paul’s Island, Nova Scotia which is located in the Cabot Strait. An abandoned island where numerous shipwrecks were lost and hundreds lost their lives conceding to the elements. Our group was briefly marooned on this deserted island when a violent storm engulfed us. We were battered by 60 mile per hour winds with seas breaking over 20 feet, that surrounded the small island. Read more of this adventure.....

http://atlanticdivers.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5434881&pid=1269686594#post1269686594

rocky coast of a lonesome island in the Cabot Straits

Mighty John Galvin

landing party

self sufficient

no cell service here

camp

dramatic jagged shore line approach

enjoying the peace

new adventurers....

NYLON LINE Wrecking Wrecks

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:56:00 +0000

STOP USING nylon line as a wreck reel line, lift bag line or a deco line without recovering it. Divers that use nylon line without recovering it are creating a deadly environmental hazard.

I have been diving North Atlantic shipwrecks regularly since 1972. In the past five years I have witnessed two incidents where turtles have been tangled in nylon line and expired on the bottom. I know of two other incidents where turtles were cut free from this line and escaped with the help of divers. Besides turtles, I have witnessed numerous fish, crustaceans and even divers become entangled in this line.

This recent surge of problems can be directly attributed to a using permanent nylon line for diver uses.  A diver that irresponsibly pays out nylon line and does not recover it is creating an entanglement that will kill for decades. Start navigating using your recognition techniques. Deploying line is a cave diving technique that disables the mental process of learning the wreck. The diver recognizes his line but does not have a clue where he is in relation to the wreck. If you do pay out nylon line make every effort to recover it. Give yourself adequate time to reel the line in. Better yet use biodegradable line (sisal or packing twine) This can be payed out and recovered too, but if it is left on the wreck it will disintegrate in less than six months.

More importantly do not use nylon as a deco line where you have to cut the line on the surface and leave it.  The new diver con senses is that this line(sisal) is not strong enough and too bulky too handle. I can only relate my personal experience of using both. Nylon is strong, but cuts and chafes easily. A diver will be more likely to tangle himself up using this line and there is a greater risk that the line will cut on a sharp wreck. 1/4 sisal has more texture and is less likely to tangle, but needs to be changed seasonally to maintain integrity.   In reality the upline is used only to maintain the diver or the artifact over the wreck and does not need to have more than a hundred pounds of strength. Sisal more than adequately handles these needs. I have used sisal for numerous decompression dives and for recovering hundreds of artifacts with out losses.

What ever your choice of line is, do recover all nylon line you deploy.  Stop killing marine life and be a responsible wreck diver.

Good Wreck Diving!
Atlantic Diver

San Delfino...Papoose...Mirlo....Hutton...???

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:23:00 +0000

Hey Wrecksters

Over the past few months there has been much discussion and conclusion drawn over these North Carolina wrecks. Check out the conclusions. Don't get confused. Here's how it goes ... The San DelFino is the Papoose; the Mirlo is the San DelFino; the Papoose is the Hutton; the Hutton is the Ario. The Equipoise is Mexicano; the Ciltivara is still missing ... as is the Mirlo... and the Equipoise. The City of Atlanta is 20 miles north of it's original suspected location....Some of this controversy started when various artifacts were recovered through Atlantic Divers expeditions... This current information may change as more evidence and artifacts are collected.

Read on:

http://uwex.us/papoose.html

More Garbage on Wreckdivers

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Dear Wrecksters,

This should incense all wreck divers. CDNN is on a personal vendetta to slam Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. After misappropriating pictures copy written by Brad and Leigh, CDNN felt obligated to slander the wreck diving community through false news reports about Bishop and Sheard.

Without a community voice, the freedom of wreck diving and artifact rescue will be destroyed. Hundreds of shipwrecks are being lost due to natural forces. Even N.O.A.A. and U.S. Navy felt the necessity to rescue and recover artifacts from the U.S.S. Monitor before it was consumed by the caustic effects of the oceans currents and corrosion.
Stop CDNN from slandering such noted wreck photographers and educators. Boycott advertising on this Cyber rag.

Some lies and trash to review:
http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i060224a.html
http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i051206.html
http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i060213.html
http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i060210.html

Check these wreck hugger free sites:
http://www.darkroomlab.com/sheard
http://www.deepimage.co.uk/diving/wreckdiving.htm
http://www.njscuba.net/artifacts/index.html
http://www.ggentile.com/
http://www.mossmanscuba.com/
http://www.njwreckdivers.com/default.htm

The true story of the light ship:
http://www.searovers.org/public.html?D=LightShip&OD=ExpeditionProgram&T=1111134217

Great Wreck Diving!

Gene Peterson

SHIPWRECK LECTURES

noreply@blogger.com (atedeschi) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:53:00 +0000

GENE PETERSON’S
SHIPWRECK LECTURES FOR CLUBS, SHOPS OR GROUPS

Below is a short list of popular Wreck diving topics that I have presented to museums, dive clubs and shops in the Md., De., Pa. NY., and NJ area. These topics are geared to new through experienced level divers and have been enthusiastically received by these groups. These stimulating lectures reflect decades of experiences wreck diving and generate interest and demand for local diving. Small informal or large group lectures can be arranged.

Contact me directly for more information and to arrange dates.

(609) 641-7722
Good Wreck Diving!
Gene Peterson

genepetersondiver@att.net

http://www.njwreckdivers.com/

SHIPWRECK LECTURES

Join us for a fascinating review of some of Gene's four decades of wreck diving adventures. This will be a slide presentation of shipwrecks discovered and identified from North Carolina to Nova Scotia.

Discoveries and Recoveries

North Atlantic Adventure to Halifax and Beyond Gene Peterson has been exploring and discovering Nova Scotia Shipwrecks since 1979. His expeditions include discoveries of dozens of unknown wrecks such as the British Freedom, the Anna, the Sonja Maresk, the Zoe and numerous others.

How to Capture a Porthole Having recovered thousands of shipwreck artifacts, including bells, helms, binnacles, telegraphs, china, deadeyes and portholes, Gene Peterson will take you on an adventure discussing recoveries and in depth techniques to help you recognized and recover and preserve artifacts.

Andrea Doria: Diving the Deep, Dark and Dangerous Since 1980, Gene Peterson has led and experienced over 8 expeditions to the Andrea Doria including the first wreck penetration and on to the 50th Anniversary dive of her sinking. Enjoy first hand tales of these exciting trips including the epic Gambone art work recoveries.

Atlantic Divers
www.njwreckdivers.com

NAUI Instuctor #4951: Gene Peterson been teaching diving since 1976. An avid wreck diver, he has logged over 4500 wreck dives off the North Atlantic from Florida to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. These adventures have included discoveries of more than 30 undived wrecks, seven Andrea Doria expeditions, diving safety officer for the Gary Gentile's 1990 Monitor Photographic Expedition, and has led over 25 expeditions to Nova Scotia and numerous wreck discovery adventures off the Delmarva coast.

With a in depth understanding of wreck history, Gene has recovered and preserved thousands of artifacts, including four helms, two bells, two telegraphs, four compass binacles, over one hundred portholes, plus diverse assorted artifacts including china and bottles. Gene was lead team diver in the Andrea Doria, Gambone artwork recovery on the Moyer Expedition in 1993.

In addition, Gene Peterson has a 100 ton Ocean Operator's liscense and

a teaching degree from Rowan University.