Dive Trip Report to:
West Palm Beach, Dive Boat
Narcosis Dive Charters
Purpose:
Fish Counts and Pictures, Mapping and Markers
Dive #1:
. My Dive # 474
A. Dive Boat / Location:
Narcosis Dive Charters
/ Zion Train
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
37 feet measured
Seas:
2 - 4 ft, wind out of the west generating some WhiteCaps!
Water Temp:
67 - BRRR - It was COLD!
Skies:
Sunny, Clear Blue Sky's - Typial of Florida!!
Air Temp:
Low 70's with a breeze that generated a Cold Wind Chill
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 94 ft for 34 min
Air consumption:
Me: (80 cu ft), 3000 lbs to 500 lbs, 37 % NITROX
Current:
Medium, 2 knots as estimated by the Mate!
Description:
Well since I've not been wet in a while and the REEF Team WAS using the
Narcosis in West Palm [ it's close and a good dive boat ], I decided to go.
Jason [ new member living in Palm Bay ] also decided he could make it. We
arrived on time and got ready. The Narcosis is a twin engine light 48 ft boat
and can reallly travel. We were at the 1st dive site in short order. My
assignment was to be dive buddy to CC and to mark the positions on a slate
where she was taking pictures on the wreck. The Zeon Train is a few miles off
of Jupiter Inlet. Shes on her side in a whole in the reef. The bow is gone [
more on that later ]. She's practally in tack. With the strong current, and
low vis, the rules were given to get down fast and if you lost your dive buddy
or did not see the wreck in 2 min, come up. I had a slight ear block at 50
feet, but it cleared. Down we went to the sand with the current carrying us
north. All of a sudden, the Zion Train came into view. We were at the stern
on what would have been the topside [ she's on her side ]. There was a 5 ft
Jew Fish and CC went for the pic. Don't know if she got it, the fish was a
moveing down and away. We spend some time taking pics going around the stern
and up to the bow. After about 15 min, play time came and we ventured around
the ship. Lot's of fish. Somehow, we didn't get the spare time to try to
venture inside. We were kind of busy doing stuff - I'd like to revisit this
wreck and see some more of it. At the stern, the ship has cut about a 5 ft
hold into the sand - she's sitting in a hole.
The bow was missing and after this dive another group was dropped about a mile away to try to id an image on the bottom and take pics if it was the bow. They say it was.
Dive #2:
. My Dive #477
A. Dive Boat / Location:
Narcosis Dive Charters
/ MG-111
B. Conditions:
Visibility:
37 feet measured
Seas:
2 - 4 ft, wind out of the west generating some WhiteCaps!
Water Temp:
67 - BRRR - It was COLD!
Skies:
Sunny, Clear Blue Sky's - Typial of Florida!!
Air Temp:
Low 70's with a breeze that generated a Cold Wind Chill
C. Dive Information:
Depth & Time:
Me: Genesis Nitrox Dive Computer - 67 ft for 42 min
Air consumption:
Me: (80 cu ft), 3000 lbs to 500 lbs, 26 % NITROX
Current:
Medium, 1-2 knots as estimated by the Mate!
Description:
Well, after freezing our asses and all the other parts of the body off between
dives, we went in on the MG111 - a barge filled with cement square telephone
polls. It was COLD waiting for the second dive [ see the pics ]! I even had
some hot chocolet - a rairity for me! Rum is better.
Well in we went and down to the bottom. No ear problems this time. But as soon as I hit the water, I FROOZE and was FROOZEN for the whole dive!!. Again we drifed into the wreck. All of a sudden there was a LARGE school of cuda in front of us. It went from the top to left to bottom as far as you could see [ measured 37 ft ] filled with 4 ft and bigger cuda that were NOT MOVING. I went to the bottom under them. There was the barge - lot's of metal, lot's of cement, lot's of fhis - and I was FREEZING@ Remember the water temp was 67 deg [ that's below the freezing point of ice to me ]. CC took lot's of pics, I marked where they were taken. We saw one Shark - about 6 ft - it was at LEAST as long as me. But it was a nurse shark. After the dive, we heard that other's saw a lemon shark and lot's of BIG Jew Fish! We didn't see the lemon or the jews!! Damm! Well it was a fun dive, saw lot's of fish and after we came up, had a nice HOT shower.!!
Last Updated: 14-March-2005
Irishman AT SpryNet DOT Com