Diving the Wreck of the Spigel Grove

Once again lets start this post with a little history from Wikipedia:

Sinking for reef

Red tape and financial problems delayed the sinking of USS Spiegel Grove for several years, but the ship was finally moved from Virginia to Florida in May 2002. The ship sank prematurely, on 17 May 2002. During the sinking the ex-Spiegel Grove suddenly started rolling on her starboard side, ending up upside down on the sea bottom and leaving her bow protruding slightly out of the ocean. On 10-11 June, at a cost of $250,000 dollars, the ship was rolled onto her starboard side by Resolve Marine Group, and on 26 June the site was opened to recreational divers. In the next week, over a thousand divers visited the site. The depth of wreck requires that divers have an advanced diving certification.

The ex-Spiegel Grove is located on Dixie Shoal, 6 miles (10 km) off the Florida Keys in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Her exact location is 25°04′00N 80°18′00.7″WCoordinates: 25°04′00.2″N 80°18′00.7″W.

In July 2005, Hurricane Dennis shifted the former USS Spiegel Grove onto her keel, right-side-up, which was the position originally intended when she was sunk.

Deaths

In April 2003, 48-year-old Eunice Lasala, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, died while diving the Spiegel Grove.

On April 20th, 2005, Tarik Khair-el-din, 44 of Indiatlantic, Florida, died while diving the "Spiegel Grove".

In February, 2006, David Hargis, 48, of Kansas City, died while diving the "Spiegel Grove".

On 16 March 2007 three divers (Kevin Coughlin, 51; Jonathan Walsweer, 38; and Scott Stanley, 55 - all from New Jersey) died while attempting a penetration dive inside the remains of the USS Spiegel Grove. This brings the total number of diver fatalities at the wreck to six.

Getting to the site was a six miles ride on the ocean, the waves were a low 2 to 3 feet so I didn't get seasick, so for my 3 boat trips in Key Largo I managed to keep my lunch inside. Of course by now I have my routine, first thing when on the boat is to setup my gear on the tank, that day it was cloudy, 66f and windy so I dressed up in my full wetsuit with hood, gloves and even socks so I was comfortable for the ride and I didn't have to suit up in a shaky boat at he dive site.

On the surface at the dive site there are ten mooring lines attached to the wreck with big balls floating at the surface. You immediately get the feeling of the size of that 550 feet long ship that is bellow.

For that dive I hired a personal guide to dive with me, we were both diving nitrox so we could max out out diving time and I was diving with a big 120cf tank so we had plenty of air. For safety reasons the dive plan required us to be back on the boat with 750 to 1000 psi instead of the usual 500. It didn't matter much to have air left in our tanks because our nitrogen absorption at these depths even though we didn't go bellow 100 feet was our primary concern. The bottom time I had calculated at 90 feet on 28% nitrox was about 15 to 20 minutes per dives with a 30 to 45 minutes surface interval. Add to this the going down, the coming back up the half stop and safety stop and it make 30 to 35 minutes dive so plenty of air in those big 120.

First dive we dove the line attached at mid ship, we pull ourselves hand over hand on a rope running along the port side of the dive boat, the current is very strong, I found out the hard way when I missed grabbing the line jumping off the boat and had to swim against current to grab it again. So we get to the floating ball and then we change rope to the one that goes down to the wreck. We slowly descend the line, I have to pull myself down he first 30 feet or so, I appear to be a little light on weights, I'll have to add another 2 pounds for the next dive. At 40 feet we see the wreck it goes for as far as I can see on either sides. We land on deck at 85 feet and I can stand up unfold the arms of my camera, turn on the flashes and start taking pictures.

The first impression is amazing, the wreck is so huge you could spend a week on it and not see all of it. One of the first thing I saw upon starting to swim was a pack of barracudas just floating on the side of the super structure by the wheel house, I took some pictures, then I wanted to take the shot from the opposite point of view but it meant swimming against current along the gangway under the barracudas to set position on the other side. So instead we swam the other gangway on the starboard side to protect ourselves from the current. We had discussed the possibility of penetration in the wreck trough strait passages, so we did so by entering the wheelhouse on starboard and exiting on port at witch point I was able to hide from the current in a doorway while taking the other picture from the different angle. We then proceeded to swim the gangway on the port side passing under the barracudas and entering the wreck to cross back to the starboard side trough a passage. By that time it was time to start the voyage back to the surface, so I folded my camera an we went back up the line slowly, I just love diving on a line you have complete control on your ascent, the 3 minute safety stop a 15 feet is easy holding the line and looking at your computer counting down the time as you wait for it to give you the go.
So we pull on the line hand over hand until we get to the back of the ship where I can hand my camera to the deckhand the darn clip took me 2 minutes to set free, then removing my fins, never easy but this time I got the help of my guide that was behind me. Then all you have left to do is to grab that ladder before it hits you and climb up with that big 120 steel tank that weighs 60 pounds, after getting to your seat you get to enjoy the surface while your'e bubbling off during your surface interval. Not being seasick I get to enjoy a juice while we plan for the next dive.

The second dive start exactly like the first one including missing the rope and having to swim my ass off in the current. The descent is easier with the 2 extra pounds I took along. We landed at the same spot but this time we swam toward the stern to see if we could locate some Goliath Groupers but we didn't so we did some swim trough and I made a few videos and took some pictures of the structure. On that dive I had to monitor my computer a lot at one point at 95 feet I had only 2 minutes of no decompression time, I went back up to 85 feet and I got another 2 for a total of 4 after another minute or so I started packing my camera and we began our ascent.

The Wreck of the City of Washington

First a little history about the wreck of the City of Washington, so here's some of what I could find about it on wikipedia.

On the night of February 15, 1898, City of Washington was moored in Havana harbor near the USS Maine when Maine exploded in the incident that precipitated the Spanish-American War. City of Washington suffered minor damage in the explosion, but assisted in the rescue of Maine's crew by sending out lifeboats and providing her dining salon for use as a makeshift hospital. The efforts of City of Washington and the Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII resulted in the rescue of approximately 100 crew members from Maine.

In late 1898, City of Washington returned to her prior civilian duties, ferrying passengers from New York to Cuba until 1908 when the ship was retired and laid up at Brooklyn, New York. In 1911 she was purchased by Luckenbach Steamship Company of New York. Her superstructure and machinery were removed, and she went into operation as a coal barge.

On July 10, 1917, City of Washington and another barge, Seneca, were under tow by the tugboat Luckenbach 4 when all three vessels ran aground on a shallow reef near Key Largo in the Florida Keys. The other two vessels were refloated on July 15, but City of Washington broke up immediately and was not recoverable. Now a popular dive site, the City of Washington wreck has been designated part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Shipwreck Trail.

Today we dove to a shallow wreck and since tomorrow I plan to Dive the Spigel Grove a deep dive, so I decided to leave my big camera system at home and to take my small camera instead. It is good for 33 feet and it takes great pictures anyways. The wreck is right on our port side parallel to our diving boat less then 25 feet away. When you submerge in the clear blue water you immediately see it an it's quite an interesting view.

My dive buddy on this dive is a man who's staying in the same park as us just across he street. He used to live around here and has close to a thousand dives logged. He tells me that he's in no rush and that he's ok just to hang around, well perfect that was my exact plan. He's so relax, he just drifts around, sometimes upside down, it makes for interesting photos.

On the boat during the briefing the Captain told us that there might be a Goliath Grouper hanging around the wreck, one one my dive objectives on this trip being to photograph them it came as a great news. Of course you don't always see the announced sea life so I was not on a mission to find it. At the aft of the wreck under a ledge it suddenly appeared as I swam over it, it stayed a while so I had time to take 4 or 5 pictures of it, some of them including the one posted here taken upside down. Needless to say I was very happy for the opportunity.

SCUBA Diving Molasses Reef

The reef got that name when in the latter part of the 19th century a large ship transporting molasses went aground there. Eventually there was a big spill and the reef was covered in molasses. This made the islanders very upset but not for ecological reasons, you see the molasses shipment only came in once or twice a year and as we all know it was a much needed necessity for the fabrication of rhum.

So I signed up to go with the camp crew on their boat the visibility. The rates are very good, the boat not crowded and the crew nice. Once again my big fear is the dam seasickness so I took all the usual preparations and after getting the surf report and making sure the waves were small I got onboard.

The ride to the site was 45 minutes and I was not seasick. On the ship the dive master was a young guy, I assumed he was around 25. He had moved down south from Michigan in 2009 and found a job as a mechanic in Miami. He had never seen the ocean before but after going snorkeling it was the discovery of a whole new world. In 2011 he entered apprentice program to become a Dive Master, Instructor. That was one and a half year ago and he has now 500 dives under his belt and is fully certified. I found it to be an interesting and inspiring story.

At last on this dive I was paired with a diver taking pictures, it changes the dynamics of the dive from a run, run, run to see everything to a relax, observe and photograph your surroundings. The temperature outside was 80f and the water around 79f so I dove with my shorty wetsuit and although everybody else was wearing a full wetsuit I was very comfortable, we went trough a few thermoclines but I'm not very sensitive to the cold.

The water was blue and the visibility was quite good. We did not encountered big fishes, stingrays, shark or turtles but there were quite a bit of small colorful fishes. Lots of corrals including a giant brain corral estimated to be more then 500 years old. This is the third largest corral reef in the world after the great barrier reef in Australia and the one in Belize. For that reason it's a protected area where you shouldn't touch and not even land on the sand. Boats are not allowed to anchor, they have to attach to mooring balls. I'll probably go again today if the Surf report is favorable.

On tuesday I'll go dive the wreck of the Spigel Grove one of Florida's top diving site.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

So far so good we are in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Yesterday I went snorkeling at Cannon Beach it was quite nice altough the visibility was minimal, the water was 79° and gave me a chance to test my new camera settings under water before I go diving. The park is nice although the campsites are a little bit crowded. The bad point is the bugs, I got stung a bit but my wife got stung enough to take the fun out of the place. I hope it gets better since it's now dryer and we have a little breeze.

Of course I had a little adventure going snorkeling at the beach. I decided to go with my bike I attached my fins to the handlebars, put my wetsuit on and with my camera in the basket. I pedal my way to the beach. Once there I locked my bike, got in the water, cleaned my mask, put on my fins an then notticed that I forgot my snorkel at camp. So I had to get out of the water repack everything and get on my bike to go get my snorkel at camp and then go back to the beach once again. I felt kind of stupid but, what can you do.

Today is nice 79° outside the weather is a little breezy the waves are 1 to 2 feet and a little choppy. It should be a nice day for a dive, without being too much seasick so this afternoon I'm going diving. The dive profiles here are between 25 and 60 feet, so nice and easy diving. At these depth nitrox is not needed so I'll be diving on air.

Eden Garden State Park

Today we took a small drive on the coastal scenic road he 30A that starts at our park and ends up in Panama City. We had a nice lunch on the terrace of a wine bar / restaurant. They had nice wood oven baked pizzas so I had the grilled vegetable one with a nice glass of Puilly Fuisse. We then drove to Eden Garden State Park on the 98 there was a house my wife was interested in.

We went to visit this place that is relatively close to our location, in matter of fact it's less then 10 mile from our base-camp.

Here is a description of the park as posted on the Florida State Parks website.

The focal point of this 161-acre park is the beautifully renovated, two-story Wesley house with its elegant white columns and wrap-around porch. The moss-draped live oaks and ornamental gardens inspire visions of hoop skirts and landed gentry. Named after a wealthy Florida timber family, the park is part of the family's estate. In 1963, Lois Maxon bought and renovated the home, creating a showplace for her family heirlooms and antiques. The house holds the second largest known collection of Louis XVI furniture in the United States. Visitors can also take a stroll along the grounds and enjoy the picnic area.

More then this there is also a nice bay and magnificent old oak trees.

After visiting the house we went back to the camp to get the dog to visit the garden and surroundings of the park. One of the oak tree is 600 years old and is often use as a setting for weedings, another one is twisted like in an hunted forest and has a branch that vaults above the road until it touches the ground like a bony hand on he other side.

At the lake there was fishes jumping out of the water every few seconds,it was quite a sight to witness. And yes of course I took a picture.

Before we left I got this picture of the bay at the end of another beautiful day.

Santa Rosa Beach

After we left Chattanooga on the 30th we took road 59 tough Alabama, then for the last 200 miles we headed south using the backroads, slower but an interesting and relaxed drive trough cotton fields and small towns.
So we finally got to our first destination at Top Sail State Park in Santa Rosa Beach located near Destin in Florida. We plan to stay here for two weeks and then drive down to Key Largo.

The park is nice, we have been here last year so I knew what site I wanted, it's by the lake with a level pad and complete with a small deck, also close enough to the clubhouse to have a good internet connection.
We took the first day to set-up comfortably, I have installed my outside kitchen complete with an induction stove.

Of course one of the main attractions is the beach and it is accessible via a paved trail, so most people ride bikes around, last year we rented some but this year we brought our own. There are other trails around the park an it's a fun way to get arround.

Scuba Diving the Emerald Coast

The day after we arrived in Destin I drove to the dive shop to make the arrangements to go diving. Unfortunately I found out that all the dive shops were closed for the season and had pulled their boats out of the water, all except one that were schedule to do one last dive on the following saturday, so I put my name down for the trip.

The day before the dive I got all my dive gear together, I also had to reassemble my camera gear, on this two dive trip the first dive would be a housing test to make sure there are no leaks, if there is no leaking on the first dive then I would put the camera inside the housing and attach the flashes and fiber optics cables. So if all went well I would take pictures on the second dive.

So as we board the boat we are only 6 divers for that last dive of the season so we have plenty of room on the boat. The first dive is a 90 feet profile so at 3 bars of pressure and close to my personal limit it will be a good test for my housing.
We do a grand stride entry and hold to a line while we gather to dive together, we are 4 in our group and we are matched in pairs. Te water is a bit cold 68f and one of the divers is hesitant to dive but finally after a few minutes we go down. The water is green I guess that's why they call it the Emerald Coast and the visibility is less then 25 feet. The dive goes well and we surface, in the boat during the 90 minutes surface interval I inspect the housing and detects no water infiltration at all, so I assemble the complete system for the second dive. During the surface interval I get seasick but I regain enough control to do my second dive.

So it's the same situation as the first on as we descend on a 75 feet profile dive on the old Destin bridge rubbles. As always when I dive with strangers it's always a don't stop moving situation, great for exploring but not as good for photography. So I take pictures but I can't stay in one spot for 5 minutes to take the same picture 25 times with different settings in order to get the bet configuration, but I do the best of it and since it's the first time that I dive with this system I was just starting to get results as we ended our dive. During the dive I look at my wrist to check my computer and it's not there, I guess I lost it at the bottom somewhere. Also on the way up I was paying to much attention to my camera and had to much air in my BCD, a good thing was that we were surfacing using a line and I was holding tight but I should have paid more attention to my buoyancy and less to my photography, a point to ponder and improve upon. By the way as I sat on the boat I found my dive computer on my bench, I had simply forgot to put it back on after reprograming my nitrox mix for my second dive, so two stupid mistakes on one dive.

Anyway on my next destination in Key Largo I can go snorkeling and get more comfortable with my camera as I adjust all my settings.