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TRIP REPORT August 11-12, 2007
Our charter this weekend was a special one, filled with celebration and melancholy. We gathered with Kim Cowan to both celebrate the life of Roy Cowan, and mark the one year anniversary of his passing. Roy’s friends and wife, those who loved him, and those whom he loved, assembled aboard the Mutiny to remember him, laugh and tell stories about his life, and enjoy the sport he loved the most: diving. The weather matched our somber moods on Friday, and thwarted our attempt to start our memorial trip by delivering severe thunderstorms. We were all the more ready to dive on Saturday, and so we headed to the Aeolus, where Will tied us in near the break. The thermocline surprised us with an 8-degree drop in temperature, however all the other elements of a fantastic dive were in place. The wreck was covered in spade fish, amberjack, sharks and barracuda. We elected to stay for a second dive, and enjoyed more of the same, plus a frog fish and an appearance by a loggerhead turtle.
Sunday was certain to take us to the Schurz (Roy’s favorite wreck), but a late departure from the dock left us fourth in line for that wreck, so we headed to the Papoose for our first dive. While the sharks who call the Papoose home evaded us yet again, I was relieved to see pompano and cobia join the ranks of the fish, giving Will and Captain Al a chance to prove the worth of their new Wong spear guns (**insert inappropriate remark here**). Will came through and brought up a big cobia, whose weight was undetermined but thought to be in the 30-pound range. There’s always next time, Al. On my way up the line, I saw another loggerhead entertaining our remaining divers with an extended visit. We pulled anchor and headed to the Schurz. Before we geared up, we took a moment to recall Roy and what he meant to us, and Kim returned him to the wreck he loved the most. It was a privilege to have him with us one last time, and I thank Kim for allowing us to be a part of that day. As Roy would have wanted, we went in after him and enjoyed a great dive. The Schurz was covered in baitfish as usual, making it difficult at times to see the wreck. It was a fitting end to our weekend.
The proceeds of this charter will be used to buy a permanently mounted rescue reel to the stern of the Mutiny. Since Roy gave his life engaged in the rescue of another, we felt like this was an appropriate purchase in his memory.
Rest in peace, friend.
Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman
TRIP REPORT August 18-19, 2007
Atlantic Beach Diving welcomed Rufus Myers and his divers from Underwater Adventure Seekers in MD. Mother Nature apparently had her knickers in a twist this weekend, as there were no calm seas to be found. The Mutiny left the dock headed for the Papoose, but was forced to pull up short due to winds and sea state. The rest of the fleet was of similar mind, and the Aeolus and the Spar were the popular wrecks of the day. Will tied us in on the Aeolus at the break, and while most divers were glad to get in the water to escape the rocking of the boat, a couple had to return to the surface due to one problem or another. Always a disappointing outcome. The visibility down below was in the 50 ft. range, and the current was rushing. The usual sea critters were present, including sharks, spade fish, blennies, an octopus, and barracuda. The weather being what it was, we opted to stay on the Aeolus for two dives.
The following day, the weather wasn’t much better, so Rufus and his group decided to venture on home. This captain failed to take a group picture before they got out of town, so in its stead, here are some pictures of our very patient Underwater Adventure Seekers. Thanks to Rufus for returning to Morehead after a short sabbatical, I hope we’ll see more of him and his group in the future!
Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman
TRIP REPORT August 20-21, 2007
Atlantic Beach Diving Services served up our very first “ultimate charter” on August 20-21 to Dale Wichman and his group from Commonwealth Dive in Hampton, VA. Dale brought eight divers, among them Robert “Stubby” Stubblefield, who completed dive number 1000 on Monday! WAY TO GO STUBBY!! Stubby’s one of our favorite divers, and our oldest at 90 years and counting. The Commonwealth group had some good eats on the boat: hot coffee, fresh fruit, cheese, and pastries for breakfast, and subs with all the fixin’s, chips and dip, and homemade cookies for lunch. They left their tanks in the able hands of our crew at the end of the day, and enjoyed their lunch while we changed their gear out for them. Dale’s group is an easy going one, but as far as we could tell, they enjoyed the additional space and services the ultimate charter provided! Thanks, Dale!
Our diving, however, didn’t go as smoothly all weekend as our services did. Monday the 20th was a choppy day, but not ugly enough to keep us at the dock. We headed south to test the waters, and Will tied us into the Spar for dive number one. The current was fairly brisk, and visibility was in the 50-60 ft. range, but all enjoyed their dive. Some came back with shark teeth, others with shark stories (de sharks, dey love Dale), but everyone was happy to be in the water. We moved over 400 feet to the Aeolus for our second dive, dive number 1000 for Stubby. Will tied us in at the break, and reported (not surprisingly) conditions similar to the Spar. The seas were building, but Stubby headed over the starboard side for his landmark dive. As usual, the sharks were present along with all the other creatures who call the Aeolus home. Stubby surfaced just tickled pink, and enjoyed the accolades of his buddies. We celebrated with a giant cookie to commemorate the occasion, and nibbled on the lunch leftovers. As you can see from the following pictures, The Stubster sure did look cute in Captain Amy’s shirt (but that’s a story for another time).
Tuesday August 21 served up a cold plate of blow out. Most of the fleet remained at the dock due to high winds and seas. Even though the dives were canceled, Dale and crew stuck around and enjoyed the breakfast that had been prepared for them. I hated to see them go, but the good news was delivered that the folks from Commonwealth Dive would return to dive another day. As always, we’ll be glad to see them. Special thanks to Dale Wichman for arranging the charter and bringing such a competent, fun group with him.
Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman
TRIP REPORT August 24-26, 2007
The crew of the Mutiny welcomed a great group of divers from Michigan led by Cliff and Matt Roberts from Recreational Diving Systems. These guys and gals do the majority of their local diving in the Great Lakes but are well travelled as well having dove in many of the hotspots in the Caribbean and Pacific. We also welcomed divers from the Scubaventures Dive Shop in Virginia led by Joe Dubose. Without the able guidance of Captain Al who enjoyed a well needed break, captaining duties were split between Capt. Jim and Capt. Amy with Will doing the crewing duties hooking and handling lines. The weather gods smiled in a big way this weekend with very calm seas, light winds and warm temps. On Friday, we plugged in the stern of the Schurz and found conditions to be excellent with
80+ ft. of vis and warm water. The wreck, as usual was literally socked in with baitfish reducing visibility on the wreck to less than 5 ft. Divers were treated to multiple sightings of huge rays that patrolled the wreck and multiple "jack attacks" on the baitfish balls. Our second destination, the Aeolus, found equally good conditions with 50+ ft. of vis and numerous shark sightings in the area around the stern break in the cable room. Several sharks exceeded 6 ft. in length and were very calm with the room full of divers. Many great photo opportunities presented themselves with the sun shining brightly on the superstructure of the former cable layer.
On Saturday, the decision was made to venture east to the Caribsea as our Michigan divers wanted to see the sharks and take advantage of a little more bottom time that the 85 ft. depths would allow. We sent Will in to tie us in on the bow but he surfaced shortly after to tell us there was less than 5 ft. of visibility on the wreck. The quick 5 mile trip to the Atlas tanker was made and we found clear blue water on top but the vis dropped precipitously at about 90 fsw to about 20 ft. The decision was made to stay there because most of the superstructure of the remaining wreckage could be seen well and the deck was being patrolled by our friends in the gray suits. Both dives were completed on the Atlas and on the way in the marine band radio was abuzz with reports from the Midnight Express on the Papoose that a 30 ft. whale shark was sighted and stuck around long enough for most of the passengers to get in the water with it. Another report came shortly after that from the Atlantis IV boat that a 7 foot manta ray was seen on the wreck of the Yancy. Never a dull moment in coastal North Carolina!
On Sunday, the skies were a little more threatening with a major thunderstorm moving through the area just before departure time. A quick check of the local radar revealed that it was merely a localized cell and the decision was made to plug the Papoose in for our first dive. Will tied us in near the first break in the bow section and returned to the boat with his biggest fish yet, a cobia, almost four feet in length! Divers found the vis to be in excess of 90 ft. but like the Schurz, the baitfish balls nearly obliterated the on-wreck visibility. Several rays were seen as well as a one eyed frogfish. The poor guy had his eye completely missing with a big mass of scar tissue in the socket. Who knows what happened there! The second destination was the Spar where divers enjoyed a nice long dive with vis in the 50 ft. range.
Many thanks to Joe Debose for returning to dive with us again this year, he always brings a great group of divers. Special thanks as well to Matt Roberts for giving ABDS a try for the first time. We hope to see him again next year with more of his divers, and hear some more stories of diving the Great Lakes!
Submitted by Captain Jim
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