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TRIP REPORT June 29 – July 1,
With a less than ideal weather forecast for the weekend of June 29-July, the
MUTINY crew welcomed two groups for a weekend of sun, fun, and wreck diving
in Morehead City, NC. Trailer Trash Divers, a group mainly from Virginia
and West Virginia as well as Laurel Divers from central PA were the guests
for what amounted to the best weekend of diving I have personally had in
over two years.
On Friday, June 29, with 10-15 knot winds out of the southwest and the seas
very confused, we elected to stay inshore and Capt. Al plugged in the Hutton
with reports of good vis and no current from the day before. Will tied us in
just forward of the boilers and our divers were treated to great inshore
visibility in the 40-50 ft. range. Divers were treated to numerous shark
sightings of the sandtiger and non-santiger variety. A pair of resident
sandbar sharks swooped in for a better look at the divers and vast schools
of baitfish swirled to escape the wrath of a jack attack. Sandy Smith
spotted a honeycomb cowfish, a rare find in the less than tropical waters of
the coast of NC. Capt Jim lost a 26" gag grouper that he had shot to the
pair of sandbars who swooped in to steal the catch when Jim was shooting a
bag to let the boat know where to pick him up.
Dive #2 was spent on the artificial reef, the Titan. Again, visibility in
the 40-50 ft. range enabled a pretty much end to end view of the wreck from
amidships where Will tied us in. The sand around the wreck was absolutely
littered with shells for the collectors onboard as well as the strangely
beautiful fire tipped anemone. Later in the dive, a school of over two
hundred amberjacks wiped out a school of baitfish with the only remnants of
the carnage being a rainshower of silvery glitterlike scales from the
unfortunate dinner guests.
With a forecast of increasing winds and wave heights for Saturday, we were
pleasantly surprised to see the seas had not worsened at all from the
previous day and the swells were far enough apart that the ride to the days
featured destination, the Aeolus, was manageable. Will tied us in on the
bow and as divers trickled back, reports of 80-100 ft. of visibility and no
current made our second dive destination a sure thing. Many divers were
treated to their first panoramic view of the entire wreck, which lies in
three distinct pieces with debris fields separating them. A few brave souls
circumnavigated the entire wreck while many others enjoyed short jaunts out
into the sand around the debris fields. Although massive collections of
groupers were seen off in the sand by the speargun hunters, none were
harvested due to the great visibility and the grouper's uncanny ability to
stay just out of range of even the largest gun. The normal groupings of
sandtiger sharks and vast hoardes of jacks kept the excitement level high.
Staying put for our second dive, conditions stayed favorable and areas of
the wreck not explored on the first dive were quickly located and enjoyed by
all. Although the ride back in was a little rocky with a quartering sea on
our port quarter, we arrived safely on the dock just a little after 4PM.
Sunday July 1, saw a significant change in the seas (as well as the color of
some of our passengers from the previous day!). Although the majority of
Morehead City's diving fleet were heading offshore to the southern wrecks,
we elected to make the day a bit shorter and ventured across the shoals to
the east side and the wreck of the Caribsea. Will splashed in and did not
vanish from sight until he hit about the 60 foot deep mark and I knew the
blue water would mean great visibility. Will returned briefly to the boat
to report we were tied in just aft of the boilers on the engine and there
was no current to speak of. The bow section of the boat was literally
socked in with sandtigers ranging from juveniles to large 8 foot adults, all
cruising slowly watching the divers. With visibility exceeding 50 feet on
many parts of the wreck, our trilogy of luck continued with another two
dives on my personal favorite wreck in almost perfect conditions. Our
return to the dock was uneventful and we bid goodbye to our new friends and
returning guests.
The crew of the Mutiny extends their sincerest thanks to all aboard this
weekend. We truly appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you
again on future trips.
TRIP REPORT July 5-7, 2007
The Mutiny experienced one of its best weekends ever this past weekend, welcoming a delightful new group from Chicago, IL, whom I shall call my Chicago Divers. This entire group, led by Joanna Pietrzyk, was Polish, but the language differences did not prevent us from having a stellar weekend! The charter was limited to 12 divers so that we could visit three wrecks each day. Although the forecast had been for slight winds and calm seas, Mother Nature exercised her sense of humor and mixed things up a bit for us. Thursday, July 5, presented 15 to 20 knot winds out of the southeast, and seas of 3-5 feet with an occasional 6 foot roller thrown in. While a few of us, this captain included, chummed for the fish at some point during the day, our diving was great. Our first stop was the Aeolus. Will tied us into the break, and conditions down below were good with 50-60 feet of vis and lots of sea life and shell collecting, but none of our intrepid crew were able to spear any fish. With the seas refusing to lay down for us, we opted to stay for two dives. We were escorted from the area by increasing current inshore to the wreck of the Indra. Visibility here dropped to the 20 foot range, but we still enjoyed another good dive.
We were met at the dock Friday by nearly identical conditions and better medication for motion sickness. First stop was the Schurz, a Morehead City favorite, and this dive was the ultimate. Visibility was in the 100 foot range and the current was mild. Divers reported seeing morays, a school of barracuda motionless off the port side, queen angels, and lots of bait fish. Wade Broughman discovered a small bathroom section on the stern he’d not previously seen, with exposed tiles of about 18”. He was entertained by a small octopus posing as pretty as you please (apparently word of Wade’s photography skills preceded him) and an enormous hermit crab muscling his considerably large shell around. Dive two took us to the Spar, a site several of our divers had seen immediately following its sinking. Will tied us in amidships. Vis dropped to 50-60, but sea life was abundant: two LARGE sandtigers and several smaller ones, hermit crabs, and a number of other fish. With the current picking up slightly, we headed to the wreck formerly known as the Hutton, now believed to be the Ario. The resident sandbar shark made an appearance, and a scorpion fish was seen as well.
On day three, we saw milder conditions, and headed immediately to the U352. This was another great dive, with visibility in the 100 ft range and mild current. A small southern stingray hung around for awhile, but the lionfish were the talk of the surface interval, both because of their number and their size. Our second dive was to the Papoose where conditions were near perfect. Visibility was 100+ feet both horizontally and vertically. The wreck was teeming with life. Divemaster Malena Sharkey and I played with an octopus in plain view for 15 minutes or so, found a thorny looking file fish, saw a huge ray and, before we pulled the hook, a rather large sandbar shark. No sign, though, of Captain Al’s cobia with two holes in him. **insert sarcastic comment here**
Our final dive of the weekend was the Aeolus. I dropped Captain Al on the bow for the tie in (and regardless of what you’ve heard, he only skipped about 20 yards). Our weary divers enjoyed the dive regardless of the decreased vis (around 50 feet), divested themselves of their gear, and slept on the way back to Beaufort Inlet.
I’d like to thank Joanna Pietryzk for bringing such a great group of divers our way, they were truly a joy to have aboard. We look forward to hosting them again in 2008!
Trip report – July 13-15, 2007
The Mutiny welcomed two of our favorite groups this weekend, returning Commonwealth Divers of Hampton, VA, and glad-to-see-you-back Chesapeake Bay Diving from Portsmouth, VA (my hometown dive club, the Barracudas). Many thanks to Dale Wichman of Commonwealth and Michelle Yuchnovicz of Chesapeake Bay for bringing their divers on such a great weekend.
Our weekend began with a dive to the Spar on Friday. We were met with super conditions, visibility in the 60-70 ft range and water temps of 78 top to bottom. Sea bass (one of which decided to take a bite of divemaster Will Kirkman for lunch), pompano, spade fish, mackerel, and several large sharks were seen cruising the wreck, and everyone returned to the boat happy and hungry. Unfortunately, they were greeted with the news that the Mutiny had blown a hydraulic steering line on the way to the dive site, and our day was to be cut short. As safety knows no holiday, Captain Al decided to return us to the dock for repairs. Being the intrepid mariner he is, Al was able to bring us home using the engine throttles alone. Repairs were made and off we went on day two.
Al gets us back using the throttles. Then he sorta gets used to using the throttles
Day two took us to the Schurz for one of the best dives I can remember. While this wreck rarely disappoints, this dive was exceptional. Visibility was limited to about 60 feet due to the number of resident baitfish on the wreck, but the marine life was in full swing. Two huge stingrays were seen crossing the wreck several times, enthralling some our new divers. There were also the plethora of lionfish, sharks, arrow crabs, barracuda, nudibrachs, and one exceptionally large hermit crab who looked like he perhaps overextended himself on his latest home purchase. A very, very nice dive, indeed. Our second dive took us to the Aeolus, where Will tied us in at the break. Again, the marine life was active, with sightings of many sharks, including one who looked to be brand new, grouper, amberjacks, morays, barracuda, nudibrachs, and a sandbar shark.
TRIP REPORT July 20 – July 22,
This weekend, the Mutiny welcomed a variety of divers from all over the U.S. We were fortunate enough to be able to host four divers scheduled to dive with the Midnight Express for the day, including Tom Morrison from Sport Diver magazine. We also enjoyed the return of Joe Gay and his exceptional kids, Johnny and Maggie. A tough group they were, too, because the seas were kicking and the winds were whistling. Friday the 20th found us plowing our way to the Aeolus, where I dropped our current wreck magnet Will on the stern. The water was a balmy 79 degrees top to bottom, with visibility in the 50-60 feet range. The wreck was alive with all sorts of sea life. Divers reported seeing a large southern stingray, drum fish, sharks, red snapper, silver snapper, and lots of shells, including cowries, sand dollars, and hermit crabs with serious real estate on their backs. During the surface interval, we pondered a second dive where we were, but experienced a mild upset upon finding our anchor line had skipped the roller and worn clean in half, leaving our grapple and safety chain on the deck of the Aeolus. “McDyver” Will fetched it for us and spliced it, but Captain Al takes no chances with the safety of his divers, and we headed back in after one dive to replace the anchor line.
The weather conditions remained the same for Saturday’s dives, and the Mutiny remained inshore for the day. Our first dive was on the Titan, a favorite of mine. Vis was approximately 40 feet, and while others enjoyed the wreck and marine life (rays, sharks, drum fish, eels, etc.), I patrolled the pipes looking for shells and sand dollars, and I wasn’t disappointed. Maggie Gay also returned to the boat with a big bag of goodies. Our second dive took us to the wreck formerly known as the Hutton, where the sandbar sharks were the talk of the dive.
On Sunday, conditions laid down a little and we plugged in the Spar as our destination. This wreck has become and Morehead favorite due to the presence of several large sandtigers. They didn’t disappoint us and swam along with us for the duration of our dive. Will managed to entice a 32 pound African Pompano into his catch bag, providing us with good eats at dinnertime. For the second dive, we headed inshore to the Hutton again, where were again spotted our sandbar sharks, along with a sand tiger and another stingray.
Thanks to all our divers for enduring the plucky conditions to dive with us, and we hope to see you all under the water again soon!
Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman
TRIP REPORT July 27 – July 29,
This past weekend, Atlantic Beach Diving Services welcomed back one of our favorite charters, Diver Down Scuba from Lakeland, FL. We looked forward to this trip all year, and just like Christmas, it’s over all too soon, and what a great weekend it was. The weather conditions were near perfect for all three days of diving, and the marine life cooperated to the fullest.
On Friday, the Mutiny headed out to the wreck formerly known as the Papoose (I can’t help it, it’ll never be anything but the Papoose to me). With no wind, flat seas, and sunny skies, the ride out was glorious with one exception: we lost the first member of our crew. Captain Al’s Riffe spear gun committed suicide with a leap over the port side while underway, and was not recovered. After a moment of silence, we resumed our journey with heavy hearts. Will tied us in at the break, and we descended onto the wreck in 70+ feet of visibility. Divers reported seeing several rays, small sharks, the usual number of lionfish, morays, grouper, and to Jeff Lockwood’s utter delight, a loggerhead turtle. Despite the near perfect conditions, our group wanted to see more of the graveyard of the Atlantic, and we moved on to the Schurz. Visibility on the Schurz had been somewhat occluded during the week, so we were pleasantly surprised to see 70+ feet of visibility in spite of the ever present bait fish. The two large rays which had been spotted the previous week on this wreck returned to entertain us (yes, I’m sure it was the very same two), and morays, lionfish (including one itty bitty specimen!), and octopi were spotted as well. During the surface interval, two dolphins played near the boat, and Sandy Smith (wife of Captain Jim Smith) was quick enough with her snorkel gear to get several good snaps. One unlucky diver lost a quick moving steel tank over the stern (presumably distraught over the loss of Captain Al’s gun), but quick thinking on the part of the captain and crew (ok, with emphasis on captain) recovered the runaway tank.
On Saturday, we plugged in the Aeolus, since our Florida divers wanted to see sharks. Tied in to the bow, only one small shark was seen, but Captain Al had the story of the day by sighting a spotted eagle ray. Plenty of grouper and a pompano were seen as well. We pulled anchor and headed to the U352 for the second dive. The amberjacks were working a bait ball while a large stingray lounged off the port side in 80+ feet of visibility. A pair of young morays shared a spot near the conning tower, and the usual number of lionfish were patrolling the hull. Those who hadn’t seen the U boat were impressed with the history and the dive.
Sunday marked a first for the Mutiny: our first trip without the experience of Captain Al, who returned home and, in doing so, forced us from the nest. In the capable hands of Captain Jim Smith, the Mutiny left her slip. Still hoping to see the sand tigers, our group decided to trade visibility for a sure thing, and the Mutiny headed out of the inlet at 0600 hours to get a jump on the other dive boats headed to the CaribeSea. We were escorted to the slot by several pods of dolphins, none of which seemed inclined to appease us by riding the bow. We arrived bright and early, dropping Will on the bow to tie us in. With the sun still struggling to rise, we were met with visibility in the 20-25 feet range, but the sharks were everywhere! They were surely not as impressed with us as we were with them, they gave us little notice. Since the first dive was so great, we opted to stay for another, and with the sun high in the sky, vis increased to 40+ feet. The number of sharks either grew or was more visible, as were the other occupants of the wreck: morays, octopi, drum fish, trigger fish, and TEETH. This captain collected nearly 30 in two dives. We missed ya, Captain Al.
I’d like to especially thank Melinda and Walter Kovalev from Diver Down Scuba Shop in Lakeland (www.diverdownscubashop.com) for organizing their second annual trip. What a great weekend of good friends and good diving! Since Christmas has passed, I begin another year of anticipation.
Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman
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