Dive Trip Report to:
Purpose: To Dive in Florida - The Stuart Wrecks

Dive Reports:

Dive #1: Saturday, 19-Jan-2000, Morning Dive. My Dive #304
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-And-I / Rankin 459 ft long ship, on her side in 122 ft of water.
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 50 ft
Seas: Flat
Water Temp: Warm on the top - 67 on the Bottom - VERY COLD
Skies: SCBS (Sunny Clear Blue Skies)
Air Temp: 80 - 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 98 ft for 29 min, P O2 1.26, Analog - 98 Ft, Cochran Captain (Very Unreliable Dive Computer) - 95 ft for 29 min.
Air consumption: Me: 3300 - 500 29% NITROX (80 cu ft)
Current: 2 Knots (Measured via GPS) - Very Strong (This is the max current this dive boat captain will dive with)
Description: Well, this was my second attempt to dive and see the Rankin! The first dive had no current and 3 ft of vis! This dive had Great Vis, Cold Water, and a roaring current! We snagged the ship via a grapling hook and then pulled ourselves down along the anchor line! The entry and beginning dive was easy! The Rankin is a 400 ft ship on it's side in 122 ft of water. We reached the side of the ship at around 75 ft. The anchor caught the Rankin midship! We worked our way towards the bow - into the current. My partner was busy catching tropicals. I got caught in some fishing line and the good old Sea Snips cut it in a second! A few minutes later, the latch holding my dive tank onto the BC came undone! It was an interesting shot of adrenalin in the strong current! My dive partner re-attached it and saved the dive! We continued towards the bow. There were lots and lots and lots of snook. At one time, I saw a school of two dozen snook about 3 ft long. The two that were leading the group were close to 5 ft long! I've never seen snook so big! There were a few cuda and a few schools of other fish! Near the bow, I dropped down to about 100 ft and looked into an open hold. Remember, the Rankin is on it's side! An awsome site. We could clearly see the bottom, but didn't want to waste our bottom time going down to it! At the bow, we worked our way up and onto the side. A big jack (3 ft long) was tailing my dive partner's tropical fish holder! Getting down to 1000 lbs off spiked air, we worked our way back to the anchor line. I went up first, my partner with some more air left, stayed a few more minutes. Decompressing at 15 ft in a 2 knot current, you body is straight out. The current wasn't enough to rip off your mask, but close to it! This was a great dive. The Rankin is an unbelievable ship to see - it's BIG! It's hard to see it all in one dive (like the Eagle in the Keys). The conditions can vary and it's hard to pick good diving conditions on this ship that's 9 miles out of Stuart Inlet in 122 ft of water!

Dive #2: Saturday, 19-Jan-2000, Morning Dive. My Dive #305
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-And-I / Draga - Mercedes
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 40 ft
Seas: Flat - 1 ft
Water Temp: Warm on the top - Streaks of 67 on the Bottom
Skies: SCBS (Sunny Clear Blue Skies)
Air Temp: 80 - 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 82 ft for 38 min, Analog - 88 ft (??), Cochran Captain (Very Unreliable Dive Computer) - 80 ft for 38 min.
Air consumption: Me: 3600 lbs to 1200 lbs Air (120 cu ft)
Current: Strong (not as strong as the Rankin)
Description: Well, this 195 ft ship is upright in 80 - 90 ft of water. The superstructure is gone. There are some big holds and lot's of holes in her side. Again, we went down an anchor line and swam around. I found a 10 lb grapling anchor and chain and took it to the stern where our anchor line was attached and hooked it on! It was a very heavy anchor! Again, there were lot's of BIG Snook! And again, there were two very big leaders of the pack - estimated close to 5 ft long! This ship is easy to see on one dive! Good dive, lots of big open holds to explore lot's of fish!

Dive #3: Saturday, 19-Jan-2000, Early Afternoon Dive. My Dive #306
A. Dive Boat / Location: It's-U-And-I / Titan Tug Reef
B. Conditions:
Visibility: 30 ft
Seas: 1 ft - 2 ft
Water Temp: Warm on the top - Streaks of 70 on the Bottom
Skies: SCBS (Sunny Clear Blue Skies)
Air Temp: 80 - 90's
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time: Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 84 ft for 33 min, Analog - 79 ft, Cochran Captain (Very Unreliable Dive Computer) - 81 ft for 33 min.
Air consumption: Me: 3600 lb to 1500 lb (120 cu ft - computer bottom time limited)
Current: Strong to Medium
Description: While looking for the 60 ft Tug Boat Titan, we decided to drift dive the reef where it was suppose to be! We went down to a small reef structure - not much there. We pulled the anchor line and drifted. Again, not much - small reef structure, some fish, some small bugs!