Gulf Diving Update

Destination:  The "Oriskany",  Pensacola, Florida

The stack on the Oriskany came into view as we descended past 20 feet. There was a moderate surface current with visibility on the Oriskany near 70 feet at depth. The water temperature was around 74 degrees. Technical Divers Matt Sachs, Reuben Watkins, and Heidi Shappell were making dives to qualify for Advanced Deco Procedures.  Debbie Norris, co-founder of Achilles Divers and professional Pensacola Instructor/Dive Guide was diving to complete her Normoxic Trimix rating.

Our dive operator was Captain Dalton Kennedy of Due South Custom Charters. The vessel is a  Glacier Bay 2665 Canyon Runner. The boat is very stable with ample room for our group of five technical divers with a total of 20 back gas and stage cylinders! In addition, the boat is FAST! On Sunday, we cruised back at 27 knots, making the 19 mile run to the Oriskany a breeze.

Tech Boot Camp!

I made the mistake of telling my trainer about the upcoming technical diving trip to Grand Cayman.  Each day, we planned to make two to three, 90 minute dives in doubles and stage cylinders, to depths between 140 and 220 fsw.  The dives began with a hike, a ladder climb, and a 200 yard surface swim, all while wearing around 160 lbs of equipment.  Over four seemingly never-ending months, Korey Woodard (Workout Anytime) devised new and creative ways to physically "torture" me with variations of weight training and exercises specifically designed to enhance diving performance.  The result ... I was fully prepared and conditioned for one of the best diving weeks ever!

I was joined by technical dive candidates, Matt Sachs, Reuben Watkins, and Heidi Shappell.  We utilized the SSI TechXR Fully Integrated Normoxic Trimix course (FINT) which is an accelerated combination of Technical Foundations, Decompression Procedures, and Normoxic Trimix knowledge and skills. This highly structured program employs NTx 21/30 which enables the dive team to avoid the complications that nitrogen narcosis brings to learning and applying new skills at depth. 

The team learned basic academics and gear handling before leaving Chattanooga and the week in Cayman was filled with advanced lectures, hands on dive planning exercises, and in-water skill refinement.  The training regimen was demanding as, day after day, the team was challenged to achieve more complex dive objectives.

The Cayman wall at Cobalt Coast Resort is an excellent place to conduct this type of training and Nancy Easterbrook and the staff at DiveTech offer unparalleled technical diving support.  The top of the wall is typically at around 70 fsw and our first deco stops were often at 70 or 80 fsw. Deep stops were, of course, in the range of 110 fsw.  Achieving the desired depths was never a problem as the wall plunges to over 800 feet and then to depths of 4,000 feet or more.

Dives were planned utilizing iDeco software and controlled with trimix capable, multi-gas computers.  The team learned to conduct classic table-based decompression profiles and, through the course of the week, maintain decompression stops to +/- 1 foot of target depth.  The Suunto HelO2 computers added an extra dimension and allowed the team to make "on the fly" adjustments as environmental conditions changed.  On one dive, for example, the current picked up unexpectedly and became un-swimable.  The team was able to change from the planned vertical ascent, which would have resulted in nearly a two mile drift, to a bottom hugging profile, using coral formations to shield divers from the current.  By selecting progressively shallower formations, the team successfully vectored their way back to the designated shore exit point.

Through the course of the week, Matt, Reuben and Heidi time and again met met or exceeded the team training objectives.  As a reward, a dive to the wreck of the Carrie Lee was planned.  She is lying on a slope at the edge of the Cayman Wall with her bow at 200 fsw, hanging precipitously over the bottom, at over 1,000 feet below. It is questionable how much time she has before the final shift and she disappears from view forever. 

On our dive, the surface buoys that mark the wreck were missing.  It meant a free descent, plumeting at nearly 100 feet per minute from the surface, compensating for any current, to hit the site.  A descent of this type is challenging to say the least.  After confering with the captain and crew (and a bit of explaining about the exceptional capabilities of this team) the decision was made to proceed with the dive.  The pictures in this article can only begin to portray the thrill of executing a technical dive on a site like the Carrie Lee.  Well done, team!

If you have an interest in technical diving, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will create a training plan that will enable you to function as a member of a deep dive team and make dives like these!

DUI "Dog Rally" and Dry Suit Dives

Event:  DUI "Dog Rally" and Dry Suit Test Dives
Location: Dive Alabama (Alabama Blue Water Adventures)
Date: April 2 - 3, 2011 (attend one or both days!)
Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

What is a Dog Rally?

• Two huge tents filled with drysuits and equipment
• Choose from more than 120 drysuit systems to test dive
• Test dive the newest innovations like the FLX Extreme and Silicone ZipSeals
• Enjoy the cameraderie of your local fellow divers
• Get fitted by DUI factory professionals  and expert dealer staff
• Free barbecue lunch
• Free collestor's DUI Test Diver Hat
• Optional Saturday night dinner and presentation
• See all of the options available to design your own Ultimate Drysuit System

About the Event

• Contact us to purchase advance tickets ($10 per day)  
• Arrive at Dive Alabama and pay Park Fee ($25 per day)
• Plan to arrive early to maximize your dive time 
• Be sure to bring your certification card and driver's license
• Bring your BC, regulator, computer and tank(s)
• Bring a very small towel to dry just your wet hair 
• Set up your equipment and proceed to the DUI registration desk
• Bring your c-card, license, and regulator as you register
• Learn about dry suit systems and get fitted and dressed
• Head for the "pool" where instructors will give you an orientation
• Take a guided test/orientation dive
• Try more suits and make more dives as time allows
• Enjoy the free barbecue lunch
• Make even more dives!

Dry Suit Diver Certification  

Contact us to find out how you can earn your Dry Suit Diver certification. It's easier than you think. Read a manual, attend a pre-event briefing at our facility, participate in the test dives on Saturday and return for two training dives on Sunday morning!

Wings over the reef . . .

Photo by Steve Newman

On our Cayman trip we spotted three Flying Gurnards playing "tag" on the reef. This one was captured in full "flight" as it glided away from the other two. Gurnards prefer shallower waters that have sandy bottoms. They use their pelvic fins to "walk" along the bottom as they search for food.  When they are threatened by predators or, in this case, chasing each other, they spread their  "wings" and glide.

Into the Deep!

Destination report: Grand Cayman

The reefs of Cayman's North Wall are a great place for divers to learn and practice deep exploration diving techniques.  The bottom gradually slopes from the beach to a depth of 120 feet at the top of the wall,  just 200 yards from the shore. Beyond that it drops nearly vertical to depths of 800 feet and then to 4000 feet or more!

When I arrived on Thursday,  I was met by Karl Kinkead, Chuck Harden, and Rodney Brown who had just completed a "warm up" dive. It was apparent from their smiles that it had gone very well.  They had flown in the day before to check out their equipment and orient themselves, once again, to the drop-off in front of Cobalt Coast resort. They were scheduled to begin their Hypoxic Trimix Explorer course after dinner that evening!

The check in at the hotel was very efficient. Dora from the resort made certain that all of the details were in order and as expected.  I also had the opportunity to become reacquainted with my good friend Arie Barendrecht, the "owner, operator and handyman extraordinaire" who is, in my opinion, the most gracious host in the Caribbean!

It was then, quickly on to DiveTech headquarters (located on the hotel property) where I was greeted by Mojo, whose stubby tail was wagging in an invitation to play "fetch".  After a few tosses, I checked in and then met with Greg Beyette to discuss our gas requirements for the next day.  Each of the divers, and myself, would need an 80 cubic foot twinset filled with Trimix 18/30 (18% oxygen / 30% helium / 52% nitrogen) as well as two stage cylinders each, filled with EAN50 and EAN80.  We would be diving to 220 feet at 8:00 the next morning.

If you want happy divers, just give them great visibility and lots of good food! The meals at Cobalt Coast are incredible. And, after a delicious dinner, we got down to business. The SSI TechXR training materials really promote understanding of some pretty technical information. The hardest part is keeping students in their chairs when they could be night diving!

The next morning we finally pushed ourselves away from the breakfast buffet and headed for the dive shop to check our gas mixes. Each diver must verify that the gas in their cylinders has been blended correctly. After setting up our gear, and double checking placement and attachments, we dashed (well, would you believe ambled) down the dock with our fully assembled tech rigs which weigh in at around 180 pounds each.

The surface swim out to the reef takes a little extra time when wearing four cylinders. We made it out to the edge of the wall, suspended over the cobalt blue abyss nearly 800 feet below. After a final check, we started the drop, slowly at first, then accelerating to nearly 100 feet per minute. There's no way to describe the exhilaration you feel as you streak by the colorful corals, and sponges. It takes longer to inflate the BC at depth so you start a little sooner and use larger bursts as you pass 180 feet. With the skill gained in previous training, the team nailed the level-off and coasted the last few feet down to 220.

As you swim along you realize that it is truly an alien world. You are keenly aware of your breathing as you kick deliberately, conserving your gas supply which is gone oh so quickly. You learn to closely monitor your gauges and not to get too absorbed in observing the different species of plants and animals that are adapted to the lower levels of light. And then, a shocking discovery. There, tucked in one of the recesses between the coral, is a lionfish! This aggressive invader from the Pacific is thriving far deeper than we expected.

Much too soon, we have used up our bottom time, breathed our alloted gas supply, and we begin our return towards the brightly lit reef above. To signal our location and the fact that the team is still self-sufficient, we deploy a surface marking bag for the topside crew to see. If two bags go up, it means that the team needs assistance and a safety diver would dive down to meet us with an extra supply of gas to breathe. The return trip to the surface takes 63 minutes as we complete a series of increasingly longer decompression stops. It's a great opportunity to practice fish identification.

Four training dives later, the team of divers have added yet another cylinder to their kit.  They are now wearing five cylinders and heading for a depth of 300 feet. One of the cylinders contains a "travel gas". The back gas mixture (double cylinders on the back) now contains Trimix 14/50 which is suitable for breathing at the extreme depth and enables the divers to avoid oxygen toxicity. It can not, however, be breathed on the surface. With only 14% oxygen, the divers would pass out almost immediately. The travel gas is breathed on the the surface and down to the depth where a switch to back gas can be safely made. The 300 foot dive takes nearly two hours to complete. Our team of newly certified Hypoxic Trimix Explorers return to the surface knowing they have just been where few have ever gone before.

A total of nine extremely deep dives are made during the trip and, on the last day, the team visits the wreck of the Carrie Lee.  The remains of the inter-island freighter are precariously perched, with the bow hanging over the edge of the wall at 280 feet. During the last hurricane it slipped further towards the abyss and during the next storm, may well disappear forever as it careens to the ocean floor below. Before the dive boat made its way back to the dock, our team of adventurers began planning for the next great adventure.

Coming soon: a dive to the wreck of "The Queen of Nassau".

Three divers enter caves...

Three divers from Choo Choo Dive Center complete their Cavern & Intro to Cave Course with instructor Tracy Grubbs.  Rodney Brown, Jeff Haley, & Karl Kinkead traveled down to Ginnie Springs, Florida, to explore the world of the underwater cave systems.

Safe Kids Coalition . . .

Choo Choo Diving and Aquatic Center has joined the Safe Kids Chattanooga Area Coalition. We will be working with other businesses, medical facilities, and service organizations in the Chattanooga area to find new and exciting ways to promote water safety and build on the success of our current Water Safey Intitiative.

Safe Kids USA is a nationwide network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14. Please visit www.safekids.org for more information. There's a lot more to keeping kids safe than just water safety and learning to swim!

Spinner the Dolphin teaches water safety . . .

The staff of Choo Choo Diving & Aquatic Center and representatives from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office helped kids understand the importance of wearing life jackets when boating. The activity took place during the Earth Day celebration at the Tennessee Aquarium. The kids had their pictures taken with Spinner and a "Water Safety Today Cover" was applied to the photo. The photos should help them to remember to "Don't just pack it . . . wear your jacket".

We would like to thank the Tennessee Aquarium for helping us accomplish the objectives of our Water Safety Initiative. Over 3,700 people attended the "Party for the Planet".

Pictured (left) are Spinner and Seth Scruggs.