90 feet under the surface of the Atlantic

Brandon on a freshwater dive

I take a giant stride off the stern of the Independence II and plunge into the sea somewhere around 20 miles off Point Pleasant, New Jersey. I swim to the boat’s anchor line and begin my descent to the wreck of the Tolten 95 feet below. Visibility on the descent is around 10 feet, making orientation difficult. The line moves up and down as the waves lift and drop the boat. I have to be careful not to grasp the line too tightly and get pulled up and down or too loosely and risk becoming separated from the one safe path to the surface. I turn on one of my dive lights, which becomes truly useful for the first time. Unlike on previous dives in freshwater, I can clearly see the strong beam.

As I approach the wreck, I see the strobe lights that mark the end of the anchor line, to which I must return at the end of my dive if I plan to rejoin the world above. I can also make out part of the wreck, though I have no idea which part. I arrive at the bottom and take in my new surroundings. I still can’t tell where I am on the wreck, but I’m immediately surprised that I’m almost surrounded by fish. I expected a few scattered fish, but nothing like the quantity and variety I encountered. I attach my reel to a piece of the wreck near the anchor line and let out line as I explore the wreck with my buddy and an instructor. I watch as my instructor catches and releases a small lobster. We poke a fluke trying to blend in to the ocean floor. We find an eelpout (identified after the dive) hanging out under a rock.

Eelpout on Tolten

All too soon, my no decompression time is nearly over and it’s time to return to the anchor line and begin my ascent. I reel in all of the line I’ve let out and successfully return to my starting point right next to the anchor. Unfortunately, my reel gets tangled just as I’m about to reel in the final few feet. Oh well.

I ascend the anchor line to around 15 feet and begin my 5 minute safety stop. This is considerably more difficult than the safety stops I’ve done in calm freshwater. The line is still moving up and down and so cannot be firmly gripped. There is still limited visibility and considerable danger in surfacing away from the anchor line should the line be lost. I also have to maintain a depth of approximately 15 feet despite the affect of waves. Eventually, 5 minutes passes and I ascend the final 15 feet. The Independence II has a ladder specifically designed to be climbed with fins and I return to the boat without issue. It was definitely worth all of the effort and expense. I can’t wait to do it again.

Tolten wreck

Notes

In an attempt to avoid ruining the story, I’ve deliberately neglected to explain the technical terms used above.  I’ll be happy to explain any of the terms or answer any other questions about the dives or about my hobby in general. Just post a comment below.

The narrative is actually a combination of my first 2 dives on the Tolten (on the same day). I was more relaxed on the second dive and I followed along the line from another diver’s reel, but the dives were otherwise similar. Later in the day, I dove on the Brooklyn “Joan LaRie III”, a tugboat sunk as part of New Jersey’s artificial reef program. That dive was to about 70 feet and featured a wide variety of marine life. I particularly enjoyed seeing starfish in their native habitat.

The first 2 photographs are from njscuba.net and are used with permission. The third photograph is from a freshwater dive with my brother at Dutch Springs.

Dive data

Dives were on August 15, 2009. Times are local to the dive site. Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit.