|
The Doria is no joke. Almost every season we hear something. The John jack is a great boat with a great crew and a great captain. God bless Thomas’ soul and he now rests in the sea. God bless his family. I’m sorry RIP
|
|
|
As a tech diver, the Doria will never be an option for me, for a few reasons: 1. I started diving too late in life. I am past my prime. This is a serious dive that requires serious training, planning & execution, with such adverse conditions. 2. I am not much of a wreck diver,.... my passion is the caves. 3. To do the dives, it requires hypoxic Trimix, not by much, but yes, it does. I live too far inland for hypoxic trimix to be an option. There needs to be ample practice diving the mixes & here in the mid south/ west, there really is not anything available deep enough within a reasonable drive. Although I will likely pursue normoxic trimix in the near future, because I can practice those skills close by,..... I have come to realize what/ where my limitations are. For those who want to & can do dives like the Doria,... Please follow your dreams with proper training & mindset. Dive safe my friends.
|
|
|
My aim is to learn from other people’s mistakes, and maybe share a few of my own mistakes. Being a good listener is vital to scuba diving success. In this particular case, the diver was experienced, on a rebreather. I may never make it to 230ft deep. Right now, my goal is 180ft deep. Maybe by 2017 or 2018. Not sure.
|
|
|
|
My recent accomplished goal was 150FSW on a 25 percent mix. And a 40cf filled with 80 percent. I usually dive off NJ and LI within the 120’-140’ range which is a challenge in it self. Taking into consideration the low vis, very cold waters, ripping currents, and huge seas. The Doria is a dream of mine that I promise I will accomplish one day. When? I don’t know but I will know when I’m ready. I have a long way until trimix and that’s by choice. I like mastering things one at a time. On some dives off NJ things go very bad very quick. And yes they have for me! I think for every tec diver things will go bad at some point but what makes a great tec diver is how they handle and overcome the situation. Every time I end up jack at the quarry is because I got the shit scared out of me! I don’t think any diver is or will ever be good enough to always have flawless dives. Every dive is a new learning experience.
Just a week ago we dove a wreck off Long Island. We were on a 28 foot. The seas were big and I mean very big. Turns out that 4 out of the 6 divers on the boat became very sea sick. One of them was me and one was my buddy. Keep in mind out here in the northeast we are used to boat diving and big weather. Well this time we all had to swallow our egos. Thanks god I thought rationally and I turned what was going to be a deco dive into a NDL dive. Yea we didn’t have much bottom time but let me tell you. When you are on a boat throwing up every second. Then you try to don your neoprene Drysuit on top of your 400g undergarment in 96 degree weather while rolling back and fourth, sit into your double 120’s. Stand up then try to sling a deco bottle or two still while your throwing up its not a nice sight. With all that in mind we dropped off the back of the boat and darted down the anchor line. "Wow did that cold water feel great" now your down on the bottom in 140’ of water and your better but your not all there’ you come to your turn and start back up the line, you get to 20’, your looking at your depth gauge and the line is pulling you up and down 10 feet at a time! Keep in mind I just got up to 20’ and before I was able to realiZe the weather had picked up that much I’m getting tossed around! Now it’s time to get back down to 20’ and dial in your bouyancy and let that line scream between your hands to hold your stop. We get back into the boat climbing up our double 120’s with these huge rollers. All you can think of is getting all this gear off and getting a nice piece of realastate to puke your brains out over the side for the trip home! All I’m saying is with my training I made a great call in not doing a full deco dive. The captain looks over at us and commends us for even getting in the water and say "and we do this shit for fun"
|
|
|
As a teen I was in NYC in 1956 and saw the Stockholm sail in with her damaged bow, it had been made to deal with icebergs and cut right into the Doria :(
Years ago I was diving NC and a frail old diver was being helped into the water by the Olympus crew. We talk now about the equipment and training needed for this dive but him and some others chartered a fishing boat right after the Doria sunk to take them to the wreck. They found the Doria at dusk and told the Captain they would dive in the AM, he said no I’m not anchoring in a shipping lane so it was a night dive. Think about how dim the flashlights were then! They dove on air, multiple independent 72’s with J-valves, no SPG’s, no depth gauges, no Bend-O-Matic’s, just tables in 40 degree water with wetsuits!
Now the Doria’s been picked clean, those looking for artifacts need to pentitrate deeper to find anything and it’s beginning to collapase, I’m surprised more haven’t died on her.
|
|
|
|
Wow Ray thaw is deep. Now that you talk about the old equipment it really takes you back to how hard core these guys really were. How the hell do you dive to 240 on air. How narced are you??!! You are probably on the boarder of blacking out. Then to do it in wetsuits with no computers! These guys were men!
|
|
|
|
From NORTHEAST: How the hell do you dive to 240 on air.
With a pounding headache and tunnel vision! But then at that depth and as dark as it is they probably didn’t notice the tunnel vision :(
On my first dive trip to the tropics we were in Bonaire in 71 on a wall, this was before I had a depth gauge, it was bright, I could see the surface, so I couldn’t be that deep, right? My camera was being a PIA, the controls wouldn’t move and I was too narced to realize I was well past the Ikelite’s max operating depth! The DM said I was at 170’. At 240’ I would probably given away my reg to a fish :(
I’m guessing they had a drop line or marked the anchor rode so they could make their stops coming up, I don’t know if they hung bottles along the route or not.
Their 1/4" wetsuits would be 1/8" at that depth, if they had a farmer John then maybe a 1/4" on the body :( Drysuits were not a thing, I used one in the 60’s that was basically a fishermans exposure suit with a roll seal like a drybag which leaked at 40’. Waterproof zippers hadn’t been invented yet and there was no way to add air. Which brings up another piece of equipment, a BC then would have been an airline vest, no power inflator. My old USD Conshelf didn’t even have an extra port for an inflator :(
|
|
|
|
It really is amazing talking to guys like you that have been doing this so long. It must be awesome that you did this when the sport was still being figured out. I love hearing stories from such knoladgeable people.
|
|