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Diving with Carcharodon Megalodon

Diving a single 80 for an hour and 40 minutes in 20 feet of water is not what I would typically call exciting. Relaxing perhaps. Enjoyable certainly. Exciting not so much. Unless you are diving with the Carcharodon Megalodon and hundreds of other Sand, Tiger, and Bull sharks.

I drove a little more than an hour north to meet a fellow instructor at Venice Beach, Florida today. Some 10,000 years ago it was a huge delta and nursery to the biggest sharks in the world. She dives there often and had invited me to join her. We met at 9 am and were pleased to see that conditions on the beach were almost ideal — clear sky, not a breeze, hardly a ripple on the Gulf and about 10 feet of visibility, which is plenty to keep track of your buddy and way more than you need to hunt for the Megalodon.

In the water by 9:30, we swam out past the sandbar before setting the compass for a little reef that lies not far off shore. If you are not looking at rocks, you are looking at sand. Or rather a thin silty layer on top of a mixture of sand and course sand filled with black bits of broken up fossils.

I watched my guide to see her fossil hunting technique: Stop where there are little indentations that look like fish holes in the sand and make small waving motions to remove the silt without wrecking the visibility too much. This worked well.

And then I tried out another technique: Run your hand along the surface and when you feel something hard or see any break in the surface grab it and pull it out. This created a bit more turbidity. . . . okay, a lot more turbidity. But it did yeild some nice teeth and fossils.

Now, I do have a fondness for history. So maybe it isn’t surprising that before long I could feel the presence of the now extinct Carcharodon Megalodon as well as its cousins that survive today. While the teeth we were uncovering were tens of thousands of years old, it was almost as if they were circling just outside of our visibility watching us, wandering about these slow moving and noisy creatures that seem to be looking intently for something.

We found a good bit of black treasure; about 30 teeth in all, and we kept a few rib bones, and a well-preserved vertebrae. Only one tooth was from a Megalodon, and that was alright. I had spent 100 minutes swimming with the giants of old and their like, and survived to tell about it. On the way back home, I stopped at a friend’s house and gave the teeth to her eight- and five-year old girls along with the 10,000 year old story of a shark nursery that attracted the biggest shark of all time.

There was one tooth I kept for myself; a little bigger than an inch across the top, it is a perfect Snaggletooth that will go on a necklace as a reminder of the responsibility we have to the ocean and its creatures that were doing so well before we got involved.

Would you call the dive?

Even before a dive begins, any diver can call the dive for any reason. And stress is a very good reason.

One of the hard and fast rules of tec diving is “Any team member can call the dive for any reason at any time.” No questions. No fear of getting an earful when you get back to the surface. Whether it is because of an equipment failure or simply because someone has a bad feeling, the thumbs up “turn the dive” does not begin a conversation about what is wrong or why. It is a command that the rest of the team responds to by immediately. The dive is over.

Another common rule among tec divers is that if three things go wrong, abort the dive. Too many little things can add up to one big thing, a cascading series of failures. Or too many things can add up to a whole lot of stress, and when you are diving tec you need to have your head on straight so you can execute your dive plan and deal with issues calmly and effectively. Even with plenty of gas and gear that is functioning perfectly, errors in judgement can cost you your life and possibly that of your team.

So you pay for a private class and for the last two days of diving you drive four hours, spend the night in a hotel, and when setting up your gear you discover a series of minor problems. A couple pieces of gear left at home, but your instructor has extras you can use. A short fill in one of your deco bottle, but it can be topped up right where you are. A few minor incidents. Each problem has a solution. But each problem adds more stress. It no longer feels right.

Would you call the dive? Or would you feel pressured by the effort and expense of getting here? Would you feel pressured by knowing it would be five months before you could reschedule? The additional expenses to reschedule? Or would you be too embarrassed? Would you tell yourself to suck it up? Would you “challenge” yourself?

It is hard to know what you might do when faced with situation that is not black and white, and that is why I am so proud of what my student did this morning. This scenario really happened, and he had the self-awareness and confidence to know his stress level was too high, too many things were going wrong, and call the dives before we even got to the water.

“It just doesn’t feel right” is and should be reason enough to end any dive, even before it starts. It may be the best guarantee that you will have a chance to come back and dive another day.

Rescue Breathing Still Important for Dive Accident Victims

“Hands-Only CPR” has been talked about a lot lately. While victims of a heart attack are more than twice as likely to survive when they receive CPR, they rarely do. Telling rescuers not to give rescue breathing increases the chances that they will actually use their training and help someone suffering a heart attack on the street.

Dive accidents and drowning are different.

Victims of dive accidents and drowning still benefit from rescue breathing when they are not breathing on their own. And while it is impossible to administer CPR in-water, rescue breathing alone can help until they can be moved from the water.

Read the Hands-Only CPR Statement from DAN Education at Divers Alert Network (DAN)

For more information on dive accident management or to become a Rescue Diver, contact your local dive shop or ask Lucky Scuba.

Heritage Awareness Diving Seminar

In a few weeks I will be heading up to Tampa for the 2010 Fall Heritage Awareness Diving Seminar at the Florida Aquarium. This two-day conference is sponsored by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the Florida Aquarium.

The material we will discuss is good stuff–artificial reefs, ship construction, federal and state laws, even seafaring cultures and their impact on the New World! But I find myself just as excited about getting inside the Florida Aquarium and doing the dives with my buddy Bob Eskew of Blue Water Explorers (Cortez, Florida) the next day.

About 12 years ago, I was Divemaster on one of Bob’s three-dive trips when I blew out my knee getting people into the water for the first dive. I made it through the trip, and Bob graciously dropped me off at the boat where I was staying at the time and handled all the tanks and gear by himself. I wonder if he remembers that.

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Playa del Carmen

I met Jeff in Playa for a couple dives with Mexico Blue Dream before his wedding that afternoon. Renting gear was only $12 US, so I brought my reg and mask and left the underwater camera at home.

Patrice and Romain were excellent hosts, and I look forward to going back when there is more time to visit the cenotes.

Tour of Florida 2009

This trip was specially arranged for Seven Seas Scuba, Vancouver, Washington, Portland’s only PADI 5-Star IDC and the Pacific Northwest’s leader in recreational and technical scuba, dive professional training, equipment sales, and service.

Travelogue

Day 1: Thursday, October 29

We met the group from Seven Seas Scuba at Miami International in a 15-passenger van with a trailer for dive gear and drove down to Key Largo. Relaxing in the hot tub we talked about the next five days of diving.

Day 2: Friday, October 30

After a continental breakfast at the hotel we walked across the parking lot to meet the Horizon Divers‘ boat at 8:00 am. We dove the USCGC Duane and Molasses Reef, where we saw Spotted Eagle Rays, Nurse sharks, Florida Spiny Lobster, Queen and French Angels, Parrot Fish, Hog Fish, Spotted Moray, Sting Ray, many variety of coral, tube worms, crustaceans, and other tropical fish. Since this second dive is only in 30 feet of water, we got plenty of bottom time in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park!

Day 2 Gallery

Day 3: Saturday, October 31

We left the hotel early to make the drive to Key West, where we met the Starfish Enterprise II, Subtropic Dive Center‘s 42′ vessel that took us to the Vandenberg.

The Vandenberg was just sunk as an artificial reef in May of 2009, and she is one of the largest shipwrecks in the world. Being 522 feet long, it is impossible to survey this entire wreck on one dive. We had two 30 minute dives on this site, and with 100 ft of visibility and only a light current, we were able to explore the forward part of the ship on one dive and the aft on the second. Two of us were finishing a course in decompression and did one 80 minute dive. They were the guys with the camera, so most of the pictures show this beautiful ship through their eyes.

We had lunch at Pepe’s in Key West and watched people gettting ready for Fantasy Fest at the southernmost point of the continental United States before heading back up the length of the Keys and north past Miami to West Palm Beach.

Day 3 Gallery

Day 4: Sunday, November 1

The continental shelf comes very close to the shore on the east coast of Florida, so we had only a short boat ride on Sirena before arriving at the Mizpah. The conditions today were not as good as they typically are. We didn’t have much of a current to flush out the turbidity and help us drift along. The folks at Pura Vida did a wonderful job of taking care of us, and everyone had a wonderful couple of dives in spite of the unusual conditions.

Day 4 Gallery

After our dives we made our way north and west to drop one person off in Orlando before heading to Williston, and Florida cave country.

Day 5: Monday, November 2

We slept in today, slowly gathering in the Williston Motor Inn’s Hilltop Family Restaraunt between 7:30 and 9:00 am. After we had all eaten breakfast and shared stories, we loaded up in the van for a five minute drive to Blue Grotto. After taking some picture in and around the bell, Louis led a couple groups around the loop that goes down a passage to 90 ft and back up the other side.

And when our dive was over, Jimmy was waiting with a catered lunch of pulled pork, beans, corn, potato salad, and the most amazing banana pudding. Hearing Jimmy’s stories was as good as the food he cooked for us.

Then we headed to Devil’s Den. Only a mile or two away, this opening into the Florida aquifer offers a totally different dive experience.

Day 5 Gallery

Day 6: Tuesday, November 3

It was a little early in the year for Manatees. And we were not certain we would see any at all. Jon walked out of our hotel room to the edge of the river and saw several coming up for air right off the dock! They were still there an hour later when we got out on our party boat. Some actively came up to us, looking to be rubbed and even rubbing against us or rolling over for us to rub their bellies. A young Manatee only about 4 feet long was the most interested in us, kept coming back for more attention, and even nuzzling and hugging us!

Day 6 Gallery

Other commercial boats soon followed with a number of snorkelers speaking a variety of languages. And after diving down to take pictures at the monument, we had experienced more than we had hoped for. By 10 o’clock we were back at the dock, heading for our rooms to shower and pack up into the van for the last time as we headed back to Orlando.

Florida Wreck: USS Vandenberg

USS Vandenberg

The Vandenberg is one of the largest artificial reefs in the world, and sunk in May of 2009 she is one of the youngest. ussvandenberg.com

Description: T-AGM-10 Missile Range Instrumentation Ship
Date Commissioned: May 8, 1944
Date Scuttled: May 27, 2009
Length: 522 feet / 160m
Beam: 71.5 feet / 22m
Max Depth: approximately 140′ / 43m

Location
At 24.27 N, 81.44 W. Approximately seven miles south of Key West International Airport in 140 feet of water in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The site was chosen 10 years ago, with input from interested parties. Permitting was required from 18 different agencies. More than 130 dives were conducted to survey the site. It is hard barren bottom with no coral and no submerged cultural resources (historic wrecks).

Purpose
To relieve recreational dive and fishing pressure from surrounding natural coral reefs; create marine habitat and increase marine life population; boost the economy; provide a platform for education and research.

Sink Plan
Before arriving in Key West April 22, 2009, the ship had undergone months of cleanup and inspections to remove contaminants that were deemed potential hazards to the marine environment. Pollutants removed included 81 bags of asbestos, 193 tons of materials that contained potentially carcinogenic substances, 46 tons of floatable refuse, 300 pounds of mercury-containing materials and 184 55-gallon drums of paint chips.
Explosive cutting charges are to open holes in the lower deck. Water pressure will push the cutout plates inward, water will flow in at the bottom and air will vent out the top. The ship has tons of ballast near the keel, placed to create a stable platform for the big tracking antennas. Marine engineers predict the ship will sink in less then three minutes.

Project Costs
Approximately $8.6 million with funding coming from the Monroe County, Fla.; the Florida Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development; City of Key West; U.S. Maritime Administration; the Florida Legislature; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Florida Keys & Key West tourism council, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as industry and private donations. Banks providing loans include First State Bank of the Florida Keys, BB&T and Orion.

Historical Highlights

May 8, 1944: Vessel commissioned U.S. Army Transport Gen. Harry Taylor.
June 13, 1946: Taylor decommissioned.
March 1, 1950: Taylor reacquired by the Navy for use by Military Sea Transportation Service.
July 15, 1961: Taylor transferred to the U.S. Air Force and named Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg.
1962-1983: Vandenberg employed tracking missiles and spacecraft launches in the Atlantic and Pacific. Tasked as Advanced Range Instrumentation Ship (ARIS) USNS Vandenberg was designated ARIS 2; sister ship USNS Arnold was ARIS 1.
Jan. 1976: Ship relocates to Port Canaveral, Fla., where it remains until 1983.
1983: Vandenberg retired and moved to James River, Fort Eustis, Va., for storage.
April 1993: Vandenberg title transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Sept. 1996: Vandenberg leased to Universal Studios for the filming of the movie “Virus.”
June 1996: From a list of about 400 ex-military ships at the time, Key Wester Joe Weatherby identifies Vandenberg as top candidate for an artificial reef off Key West.
Aug. 9,1999: Weatherby organizes Artificial Reefs of the Keys with the objective of acquiring the Vandenberg.
Jan. 2007: Vandenberg’s titled transferred to the State of Florida for reefing.
March 31, 2007: Vandenberg withdrawn from the James River Naval Reserve Fleet and towed to Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for cleanup and preparation.
April 22, 2009: Vandenberg arrives at Key West for final preparations to be sunk as an artificial reef about six miles south of the island.
May 27th, 2009: The Hoyt S. Vandenberg Sank @ 10:24 Am, and is now an artificial reef, in Key West, Florida.

Florida Wreck: USS Mizpah

USS Mizpah (PY-29)

The USS Mizpah (PY-29) was a United States Navy vessel.
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down: 1926
Commissioned: 26 October 1942
Decommissioned: 16 January 1946
Fate: scuttled, 9 April 1968
Length: 181 feet
Beam: 27 feet
Draft: 10 feet, 7 inches
Power: two 850 horsepower Winton diesel engines, two shafts

Putting in to Tampa with a broken crankshaft in 1967 was the beginning of the end for Mizpah. She was in such a state of disrepair that rather than repairs, she was scuttled off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, on April 9, 1968 along with the USS PC-1174, to serve as an artificial reef to prevent beach erosion. To make the ship safe for divers to explore, her hatches were removed prior to sinking. She sits upright and intact in 95 feet of water. Mizpah is the beginning of what is known as the Mizpah Corridor, followed by PC1170, the Amaryllis and the China Barge. This is an excellent wreck/drift dive that is often more than one can see in a single dive.

History

This 185-foot (56 m) ship was laid down in 1926 from the parts of an abandoned new destroyer as the pleasure yacht Savanarola by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia. The ship was renamed the Mizpah in 1929.

The Mizpah was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 16 March 1942 and converted to a warship at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with Lt. Stephen M. Etnier, USNR, in command. It was commissioned the Patrol Yacht USS Mizpah (PY-29) on 26 October 1942. After leaving Sturgeon Bay on 16 November 1942, Mizpah served as a convoy escort along the eastern coast of the U.S., sailing between New York City and Key West, Florida, until July 1944. In this way Mizpah made a contribution to the war effort by freeing larger, more heavily armed escorts to protect transatlantic shipping lanes.

From August 1944 until April 1945, Mizpah served as a navigation school ship from the Amphibious Training Base at Little Creek, Virginia, training prospective ship captains and executive officers to sail newly constructed, amphibious vessels in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Mizpah arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, with Admiral Beatty on 10 December 1945 under the command of Lt. D. Dudley Bloom. It was decommissioned on 16 January 1946 and transferred to the United States War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 25 September 1946 for disposal. The WSA then sold her to a private corporation for transporting bananas out of South America until it suffered a broken crankshaft in 1967 and was laid up for repair at Tampa, Florida. The Mizpah was in such a state of disrepair that rather than repairs, she was scuttled off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, on 9 April 1968 along with the USS PC-1174, to serve as an artificial reef to prevent beach erosion.

Florida Wreck: USCGC Duane

USCGC Duane
The Duane sits upright and is 106’ to the deck. Barauda, bull sharks, turtles, amberjack, and large schools of fish are common.

Description: Secretary Class United States Coast Guard Cutter (WPG 33)
Date Commissioned: August 1, 1936
Date Scuttled: November 27, 1987
Length: 327 feet
Beam: 41 feet
Max Depth: approximately 130′ / 40m

The Duane was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef on November 27, 1987. She came to rest upright on the sandy bottom in approximately 130′ of water, about a mile south of Molasses Reef. Her main deck features a maximum depth of approximately 107′, with easy swim throughs for divers with appropriate training and experience. Since her sinking, The Duane has become an impressive artificial reef. Her upright position makes for an excellent multi-level deep wreck dive.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Duane lies upright on a sandy bottom in 120 feet of water one mile south of Molasses Reef off Key Largo. After being decommissioned on August l, 1985 as the oldest active U.S. military vessel, the Duane was donated to the Keys Association of Dive Operators for use as an artificial reef. On November 27, 1987 she was towed to Molasses Reef, her hatches opened, her holds pumped full of water, and down she went to begin her final assignment.

History:

The Duane was built in 1936 at the U.S. Naval Yard in Philadelphia. She was a 327-foot long Treasury Class Cutter, one of seven such vessels, and was named for William J. Duane, Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson. She had various assignments before being sent to the Atlantic in 1941, where she eventually served with the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Her service included an impressive wartime and peacetime record. On April 17, 1943, she and her sister ship, the Spencer, sank the German U-Boat U-77. She participated in four rescues at sea, picking up a total of 346 survivors. In 1980 she was an escort vessel for thousands of Cuban refugees coming to the United States. Her last assignments included Search and Rescue work and Drug Enforcement.