July 4th Weekend, 2011 - Joisey Divers

To all those who are new to my blog to get the gist of it please read "Welcome Aboard" from the May 1, 2011 posting and peruse a few of my other Dive Blog Reports.  Click here on Mike Gerken for more info about myself.

Photo of the Week
Sand Tiger Shark Extraordinaire.

     This past 4th of July weekend Olympus Dive Center was beset upon by a pack of irrepressible New Jersey divers from the renowned Ocean Explorers dive shop in Edison, NJ.  Owned and Operated by Jim Masters and Donna Gunn the 'Explorers' have been loyal repeat customers at Olympus and have been bringing very diverse, well trained and enthusiastic divers to experience the wrecks of the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic' of North Carolina for more than ten years.  I first met Jim and Donna around 1998 when I was instructing and part time crewing for the now defunct Diamond Shoals Dive Center located in Hatteras, North Carolina.  I clearly remember diving with them on board the M/V Gunsmoke, a 44' crew boat much like the boat I captain today, the Midnight Express.  Heading south out of Hatteras Inlet we would dive WWII casualty wrecks such as the Dixie Arrow, British Spendour and the F.W. Abrams as well as the late 19th century passenger liner, the Proteous.  Little did I know at the time that I would continue to dive with Jim & Donna and their dive groups several years later when I started crewing for Robert Purifoy at Olympus in 2001.  We had many great dives on the Atlas Tanker, W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose and the Caribsea. It was diving the Caribsea with the 'Explorers' where we had one of the most memorable dives when we encountered three large Manta Rays. (Read more about this in a future blog "My Top Ten Dives").

A resident of the Atlas Tanker. (new)

     In 2003 I left for Truk Lagoon, Micronesia to work on the dive liveaboards that operate there taking divers to see the famous Japanese wrecks from WWII (once again, more about my Truk days in future blogs).  During my first year in Truk I heard Jim & Donna would be coming there with one of their groups and sure enough while guiding a dive on the wreck of the Fujikawa Maru there was Donna swimming up to me on the foredeck at 80 feet and giving me a big hug with full SCUBA gear on while saying "hi sweety so nice to see you" she would murmur with endearing giggles attached.  Yes, she is very apt at speaking legible full sentences underwater and don't ask me how she does it.  I don't think I managed to see them above water on this trip but connecting underwater is the way we do things sometimes. Finally, in 2009, after returning to Olympus I would once again be diving with the Ocean Explorers but this time as there captain on the Midnight Express.  This past weekend July 2 thru 4, 2011 delivered yet again another memorable dive experience with the gang from 'Joisey'.  I have been host to this bunch for three years running with many of the same faces returning each year bringing their brand of 'northeast' humor and shenanigans with them.  

Annette Papa on board the Midnight Express.

     My first season back with Olympus was when I first met Ocean Explorer, Annette Papa who with her cheeky personality had caught my attention.  For some odd reason I caught her eye as well and here we are two years later living together and working at Olympus as a happy couple.  She is now a dive instructor with the dive center after making the 'great escape' from the rat race of New York City earlier this year.  I had warned her about all the negatives of the lifestyle such as double the work for less pay but also pointed out how fulfilling the work can be.  (see blog posting "The Coolest Job" dated June 14, 2011.)  She wanted a change and she got it and is loving every minute of it especially when her dive buddies from 'Joisey' come for a visit.


     They started to arrive early in the afternoon on Friday, July 1 while the bulk of the group got in later in the day.  Some like to beat the rush so they can get a good spot on the boat and irk those that didn't have the forethought to get there earlier.  There really isn't a 'best' spot on the boat though but, some divers have there 'fave' location on the bench and you can't tell them any different.  A few of these guys stand pretty tall so they can sit anywhere they want as far as I'm concerned as long as it isn't in my helm chair.  

A busy dive deck with Ocean Explorers from New Jersey.

     By the end of the day everyone arrived at the dock to take care of loading the equipment on to the boat.  They wisely know that getting this task out of the way the day before is the best way to do it.  Wake up, drive down to the boat, take care of a few odds and ends, grab your boarding pass and climb on to the boat and drink your coffee in peace while you wait for the boat to head out.   When I arrived at the dock at 0545 on Saturday the Midnight Express was loaded up neatly and efficiently as usual.  There were a few modifications to the tank arrangements and gear stowage but for the most part this group, as usual, showed that this isn't going to be their first rodeo.  Clearly they have done this before and those in the group that are new to the North Carolina dive experience are thoroughly trained by Jim & Donna and their instructors on the proper protocol of boat diving at Olympus.

Ocean Explorer, Rob,  loves to go diving.  Two thumbs up!

     After I go through my usual routine of prepping the boat and warming the engines up I sit and wait for the gang to arrive.  One after the other they begin to march down to the end of the dock.  The familiar faces Glen, Rob, Joe, Mark, Rich, Vu, Jay, Deborah and Karen appear and make their presence known.  Some newer faces Amanda, Cheryl, Hideki and Scott (My apologies to those I forgot to list) arrive as well with some of them wearing that look of "what am I getting myself into" written on their faces.  Not so much due to the unknown diving that lay so near ahead but from having to share a 48' long dive boat with the antics of the animated veteran NC divers from 'Joisey'.  She is a spacious boat but sometimes not spacious enough (and you guys know what I mean).  In a few hours they will have a clear answer to this question. All the hard work, travel, expenses and dealing with rambunctious passengers (I'm trying to be polite) become a non issue when your at 100' diving on a historic 475' long wreck with a 8'-10' Sand Tiger Shark swimming under your nose.  In fact on this day there would be dozens of Sand Tiger Sharks to be seen.

Just a few of the dozens of denizens of the Atlas Tanker, Outer Banks, NC. (new)

     Jim & Donna show up with a mental agenda that they know like the back of their hand.  They have been on this trip and many others around the world and are travel experts as well as dive experts.  Being organized is important step in adventure seeking and they know how to do it right. We talk a little on the dock about where to go diving today and I tell them the weather is looking very good with light winds and near flat seas.  "The ocean is our oyster" I indicate and I can take them to anywhere they want to go within range.  As Jim & Donna are thinking it over my crew and I prepare to get underway on schedule.  Roll call is made, last call is announced and dock lines are cast off.  Everyone, including myself, settles in for the beautiful ride out to Beaufort Inlet.  Before I get there it was decided by all that we would be going to the Atlas Tanker where the best shark action so far this year has been. (see previous blog dive report, "Sand Tiger Shark Invasion" from May 30th.)  Many of the group wanted to dive the German U-Boat the U-352 but since the weather forecast was very promising it was decided to hit that dive site the following day.

     We make good time today heading over to the east side of Lookout Shoals to the resting location of the Atlas Tanker.  The Atlas was sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat and now rests in 110' to 115' of water with the shallowest sections in around 90' of water.  We will anchor up to the highest section towards the bow since the visibility on this wreck tends to be better the shallower you go.  There always seems to be a layer of cooler, dirtier water the last 15 to 20'.  My mate John Thomson is on deck for today's tie in.  He grabs the hook and chain and makes his patented jump in to the water holding his SLR housed camera and heads straight down into shark infested waters.  (To us divers the more infested the better it is.)  Once he gets the boat tied in he radios up and indicates there is about 30' of visibility.  

Sand Tiger Shark on the Atlas.  (new)

     The sun at this time was playing hard to get and if it were sunny the viz would have been 20-30 percent better.  These conditions on this wreck are slightly above average and this is good news.  John also tells me that on the way down he has seen more sharks on the wreck then ever before.  I clearly remember when I used to mate for Robert Purifoy on the 'Midnight' years ago that some of the anchor rides down to this wreck were hairy good fun.  Sometimes there would be so many sharks below you that you would have to extend the hook and chain beneath you and rattle the chain to make a path through the mass of sharks.  Great adrenaline pumping fun it was.  

Yet another Sand Tiger Shark or do I keep seeing the same over and over? (New)

     Once the boat is secured I proceed to give the briefing to which many on board had heard many times before but still remained attentive and respectful while I tried to convey some important tips on diving with hordes of Sand Tigers to the newcomers.  Once the pool was officially opened it did not take much effort to get everyone safely in the water on their way down to the wreck.  As I said before, the Ocean Explorers have there s!*# together.  I love this group for that reason.  Now all the crew and I could do was sit, wait and try to fend off the throngs of small fishing boats that all seemed to want to troll on the same 50 feet of wreck that I was on with little regard for the other 400 feet of wreck that lie to my port side.  The dive flag means little to some I guess.  After a spell the 'Joisey' boys begin to return one after the other with text book attacks on the ladders.  One by one they climb aboard and settle there gear back in to the spot they started with being careful not to leave weight belts, fins and masks strewn about the deck or slam their heads on the canopy railing while stepping aboard (I told you these guys are big).  I had twenty divers in total on this day making it a full boat but you would have never know it.  If you ever want to score points with a dive boat captain then follow the lead of these guys.  

Instructor, Karen returning from a dive
with her trade mark smile.

     Pretty soon piles of Sand Tiger Sharks teeth that the divers recovered from the wreck and a handful of NST teeth (Non Sand Tiger) were out on display with tales of the dive.  There were plenty of great stories from the veterans and of course many of the new divers to NC were ecstatic and officially addicted to the diving and it only took one dive.  Mission accomplished. Now we can head over to our second dive site, the wreck of the Caribsea but, not before I got my shot at the Atlas.  Since the visibility was a little hazy and I had already shot some still images here but 48 hours ago (more on that later) I would take my trusty video camera in to get some more shark footage.  You can never have too much shark footage by the way.  I get to the top of the wreck and as expected there were numerous sharks milling about as well as large schools of Spade Fish, Amberjacks and Spanish Mackerel not to mention the usual masses of bait fish.  

Jay posing for a shot on the swim deck.

     The overcast conditions topside created an even more ominous feeling on this haunted wreck.  The lack of ambient light deemed it necessary and possible to use my video lights when in close range of the sharks.  I immediately began picking out targets and allowing them to approach me.  Some subjects proved to be easy to get close to while others shied away.  At one point an eight footer was but only a few feet away from my lens when my presence must have spooked him.  In a flash of an eye the shark turned tail and shot away but not before bumping into another enormous shark and startling it.  The concussion of water a second later knocked me and my camera around like a tub toy.  After around twenty minutes or so I figured I had enough footage to put together a nice video short that I would like to share with you for the first time at this link.  I hope you enjoy it.


VIDEO LINK HERE: Atlas Tanker July 2, 2011

A regular at Olympus Dive Center, Rich
returning from a dive.

     Our second dive of the day on the Caribsea also proved to be a big winner with the group even though the visibility was only around 20 feet and dirty.  These northeast divers who are used to diving in cold dirty dark water were not put off in the least and most everyone by my indication had expressed a great dive when they returned to the boat.  Some said they saw some sharks while others said they hadn't but there was plenty to see on this wreck and with a max depth of a mere 90 feet there was more bottom time to be had as well.  After the last diver was aboard it was time to make the run back to the dock.  All in all it was a very successful day.  I don't think there was as single diver who did not enjoy their self to the fullest.  Once all were satisfied the crew and I turned the Midnight for home.

Oodles of bait fish under the stern section of the W.E. Hutton, aka Papoose. (new)

     Sunday's diving would prove to be as much a success as Saturday. The seas were just a little steeper today but that did not deter me from heading out to the desired location the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose for the first dive.  The visibility was an easy 70 feet on the bottom with warm blue water.  The abundance of marine life and the ever presence of Sand Tiger Sharks supplied plenty of attractions to the divers.  This wreck rarely disappoints and today was no exception.


     With the conditions as they were there is no way I would miss this dive on the Papoose.  I would try my hand at some still photography today.  Although I had limited success I managed to get one decent photo of the bait fish crammed inside the stern section of the wreck.  Visibility at times was only a few feet due to the sheer numbers of fish and I wanted to capture an image that reflected this.  On my way up from the dive I hung on to the anchor line and gazed upon the wreck below me in the clear blue water with its rich marine ecosystem encircling it and fell into a state of bliss. The woes of the topside world no longer existed, I have no bills to worry about and the aches in my body are gone.  In moments like these all is right in the world.  Even after my head breaks the surface and I once again have the responsibility of 23 passengers and crew to be concerned about my mind is more level now and I can approach my job and my life in a more positive way.  Diving is the best therapy I know.

Mark sporting his chic hood from 'Joisey'.

Joe returning from another stellar dive.

Deborah showing us she got what it takes to dive NC.

     The 'Joisey' gang is to scratch off the U-352 from their bucket list today.  As you have heard me say before in previous blogs the U-Boat is a must do dive for anyone coming to NC.  The Midnight anchors up on the bow of the U-Boat and my mate radios up and says "there is dirty water and only 30 foot of viz down here".  "Oh well", I say, "Thirty foot is plenty to enjoy the sub experience".  As it would be, John dived down in to a pocket of brown dirty water which soon past over the wreck with the current and was replaced by the same beautiful blue water we just experienced on the Papoose.  Returning divers from the sub told stories of how they could see the conning tower from the bow 80 feet away!  This kind of viz on the U-boat is a bonus.  To be able to see large sections of this historic WWII wreck is fantastic.  Everyone including a diver or two who were sea sick participated in this dive and all spoke very highly of their experience on it.  

Glen climbing out of his gear after a dive
on the Caribsea.

     As divers entered the water I noted that the wind began to pick up and the seas began to build. By time the last divers surfaced the ladders on the stern of the boat were bucking like a bronco.  Caution was now required on ascending the ladders and all did very well with little mishap.  Once the last diver was back on board I figuratively wiped the sweat from my brow and said "lets go home".  The ride home proved to be a challenging one at that.  At first the wind and sea which was on my stern quarter offered no trouble in steering until the wind picked up yet again and again.  By time I got to the inlet an hour and thirty minutes later I was working hard at keeping a course while surfing down the face of a large swells.  At one point the Midnight took a roll from a wave that seemed to get the passengers attention as well as mine.  Not dangerous by any stretch, but an attention getter all the same.  Regardless, when I turned the corner in to Beaufort Inlet on to the lee of land I was glad to be back home again.  The weather is just one hurdle we face each day in order to dive these wrecks.  We at Olympus, like many of our customers, are seriously committed.

No shortage of smiles from Peter after
his dive.

     That night the entire Ocean Explorers group, there friends, families, myself and Annette included all attended Floyd's 1921 restaurant in Morehead City for a fantastic dinner.  Floyd's by far has some of the heartiest and tastiest foods in Carteret County, NC.  It is Olympus Dive Centers favorite eatery and many of our loyal customers become Floyd's customers as well.  If you sit in the front room to dine you will also be surrounded by some of my framed photographs that the owners Floyd and Shana Olmstead have graciously allow me to hang there.  The next time your in town try their food out and if you disagree with me then I would welcome your comments and maybe even challenge them.

The entire Ocean Explorers group from Edison, New Jersey dining at Floyd's 1921 in Morehead City,  NC.
Pardon the blurry photo I neglectfully left my camera at home and shot this with an iPhone.  

     Sadly, the winds did not lay down over night and continued to blow hot and heavy the next day.  We had no choice but to cancel the third day of diving but most were consoled by the fact that they managed to get two days of stunning diving in under there belt before the blow day.  On Monday morning the Ocean Explorers spent a few hours packing up gear, chatting around the shop and making plans for the next excursion to the Outer Banks.  It is always a pleasure to accommodate this group of 'Joisey divers' and I truly hope to see you back here again or maybe somewhere else in the world while diving.


     Lastly, the Midnight Express managed to get out for a dive on the Atlas Tanker and the Caribsea on Thursday June 30th with the same conditions as just described within this blog as well as a two tank inshore dive on Friday to the Titan Tug Boat and the USS Indra.  Both were 60 foot dives with about 20-30' of visibility and temps in the mid seventies.  Thank you to all those divers who ran with me on those days.  I hope you enjoyed yourself and will come back soon.  The season here is shaping up very nicely with blue water pushing closer and closer in and plenty of great diving to be had all over.  I'll see you all sooner than later.


Happy Diving!


Mike Gerken

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video excerpts from my documentary films and a complete underwater photographic portfolio of my work.  Purchase fine art prints and DVD's of my films here as well.

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

June 29, 2011 - The U-352 or Bust!

To all newcomers to my dive blog report please see my previous postings to get the gist of this blog.

The Olympus Dive Center, Morehead City, NC.

This past weekend the Midnight Express had many divers joining us including a group from Columbia SCUBA in Maryland who drove down for two days of diving on Saturday and Sundays charters.  Unfortunately, on Saturday, Mother Nature had a different agenda for these folks other than diving.  She blew her winds pretty hard forcing all the boats to stay at the dock (see last weeks blog).  Everyone looking to spend a day on the ocean and underneath it with Olympus Dive Center would have to use there imaginations and find other attractions in the area to preoccupy their time.  Some went to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, others might have walked the beaches while some wandered around the dive shop with hands in their pockets. You see, dive shops are much more than a place to get dive training, purchase equipment and sign up for dive charters.  They are places where some go to socialize, find old friends, make new ones and tell a few dive stories while they wait for the weather to improve so they can GO DIVING!  

The Olympus Dive Center, the crux of all diving
activities on the Carolina Coast.  (Notice the cool photos on the wall ;)

Saturday was such a scene.  Divers could be seen lurking in the T-Shirt section staring at the same shirts over and over again while others sat slouched at the table with rueful looks on their faces but with optimistic attitudes.  Various conversations popped up amongst different circles of people about the best diving, the best regulator or the best place for a slice of Pizza in Morehead City (which happens to be Luigi's).  I do love the dive shop environment.  There are few places where I can go to share my love for diving. One such place to find this type of camaraderie that is better than the dive shop would be on my dive boat the Midnight Express doing 17 knots due south on  flat calm day heading for the wreck of the Spar, the U-352, the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose, or any of a dozen stellar dive sights off the Carolina Coast.

The T-shirt section of Olympus Dive Center where many a diver
wander aimlessly on 'blow days'.

Sunday morning I awoke at the usual hour of about 0445 and stumbled across my townhome in to my office and flipped open my Mac and powered her up.  The intense light from the computer screen causes me to groan and hide my face as though I'm some sort of vampire.  After my eyes adjust to the sting the first web site I head to is the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration buoy reports.  These ocean buoys positioned in many places around the globe report information such as water temperature, salinity content, currents, and most importantly to us wave height and wind speed.  After a precursory glance I deemed the conditions to be much improved than the prior day with a good chance of making offshore to our desired dive locations.  The rest of my morning is spent packing up some food, inhaling breakfast, throwing on a crew shirt and heading out to the dive shop (yes, I also put shorts on).


I arrived at the shop and life is abuzz again with word spreading that we are a go for the days diving.  Tanks are loaded and equipment stowed on board. My group from Columbia Divers heads up the roster while an assortment from other destinations rounds it up to 18 divers on the Midnight Express.  I already knew from the day before that the vast majority of passengers want to dive the infamous German U-Boat, the wreck of the U-352.  I said I would do all that I can do within the realm of safe boating and diving to make it happen.  Once all were on board my crew cast off the lines and we headed out towards Beaufort Inlet.

The U-352 during WWII.

After getting out past the criss crossed choppy currents of the inlet we head south directly in to a fairly large ocean swell but with ample space between the waves where I could make decent headway but not without feeling like you were on a low budget amusement park ride.  Uuuuuup and dooooown, uuuuuup and dooooown.  We make it to our destination in a timely fashion and dive mate, John Thompson, would be the one to tie us in to the wreck.  

John dons his flaming pink weight belt and layers up with a mere 3mm neoprene sleeveless vest and his board shorts, grabs the anchor and leaps over the side on my orders holding a very expensive well insured SLR housed camera in his free hand. John is a man of many contrasts indeed.  After about a half a minute I get a pleasant call up from John on the headset.  "About 50 foot of visibility with a Giant Southern Stingray and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle within eye shot" he reports. Very cool.  This had the potential for a good dive.


I head to the back deck and immediately assess that some of the divers were looking a little green in the gills due to the pitching and yawing of the vessel from the large swell left over from the rough seas the day before.  A quick but thorough briefing was in order for this dive.  "190' long tube with a conning tower in the middle, starboard list, 110 feet max depth, no current and 50 foot of visibility now lets go diving!" I say.  Of course I also went through the safety routines as well but, today I would have to spare them though the details of the in depth and fascinating history of this wreck and get them all on there way to the bottom.

Mate,  John Thompson making the perfect 'jump' with mate, Mike Phillips assisting.
Notice the SLR housed camera in hand.  An insured SLR camera that is.
Photo courtesy of Chris Walker www.chriswalkerphotos.com.

After a few minutes nearly all of the divers made a drop over the side of the boat, drained some air from their buoyancy compensators and disappeared down the anchor line heading for the U-352. New readers to my blog can  peruse previous postings and find lots of information on the U-352.  Plus I will be posting a story I wrote on the wreck that is to be published in a European dive magazine.  In the mean while I will skip to the end of the dive.  Once all the divers were back on board it was no surprise that all enjoyed the U-352 emphatically.  Many even wanted to stay for a second dive on this epic wreck but it was my suggestion to get the vessel underway as soon as possible due to the prevalent seasickness on board.  A moving boat at slow speeds is a better remedy than sitting at anchor bobbing up and down, back and forth.  It was decided to head over to the USCG Cutter Spar for our second dive.


In short, the Spar proved to be a worthy dive on this day and all were very pleased that we managed to salvage the weekend and get offshore for some diving amongst adverse weather conditions.  As the day progressed, the seas diminished some and the ride home with a following sea was considerably more comfortable then the ride out.  Once back at the dock I said thank you all for diving with Olympus and we hope to see you again.  I then gave advice to the many hungry divers on board where to grab a good cheeseburger and a cold beer.  Most had not eaten a thing all day and once back on to the stable platform of the dock the ill began to rise back to life with powerful appetites and not to mention a few awesome dive stories.

The stern of the Midnight Express with Josh on
the leftCapt. Mike Gerken in the middle and mate,
Mike Phillips on lower right.  Photo courtesy of Chris Walker
 www.chriswalkerphotos.com

The balance of the week was pretty quiet for myself and the crew of the Midnight Express in preparation for the 4th of July weekend that is fast approaching.  As of press time the weather forecast is promising and the schedule looking good as well.  In my next blog I hope to have lots of new photos, a video clip or two and a few funny anecdotes to share as well.  The hour is getting late for me right now and I have a charter tomorrow Thursday, June 30th and I will have to cut this short.  My alarm is already set for 0445 once again.  I'll see you around the dive shop.


Happy Diving!


-Mike Gerken


See below for the shameless self promotion section of this blog!


Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video excerpts from my documentary films and a complete underwater photographic portfolio of my work.  Purchase fine art prints and DVD's of my films here as well.


If you wish to go dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.


Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken)

June 20, 2011 - To Dive North Carolina

What it Takes to Dive NC

     Some divers visiting the Crystal Coast of North Carolina to dive the wrecks of the Graveyard of the Atlantic are instantly gratified on there first visits with perfect weather, top dive conditions and memorable marine life encounters with Sharks, Rays, Jacks, Turtles, 'Cudas' and rarer sightings such as Manta Rays and Mola Mola's. 

Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola.  Photo taken in
Bali, Indonesia.  (Stock Photo)

     Other divers are sometimes not as fortunate and encounter more adverse conditions such as low visibility, strong currents and rough seas; all of which are endemic to diving in the open ocean here. A worst case scenario is the divers who travel from afar to dive and never leave the dock due to strong winds high seas making it too dangerous to dive.  For these unfortunate divers I can only say that patience is required.  Many veterans of North Carolina offshore wreck diving will tell you the same thing.  If you try and try again your odds of chalking up a 'top ten' most memorable dive here are very good.  


     A large percentage of Olympus Dive Centers business is comprised of repeat customers who are the divers who put forth the extra effort in the search of the 'perfect dive'.  They know from experience how great the diving here in North Carolina can be.  I have been very fortunate over the years to live and work in the dive industry in such places as Vanuatu, Truk Lagoon and Mozambique and experience some amazing diving, but some of my top dives ever have been on the wrecks of the Outer Banks. 


     For example, my first Manta Ray encounter was on the wreck of the Keshena off of Cape Hatteras, NC with a second encounter with three of them on the wreck of the Caribsea.  I have seen more Shark species here than any other location such as hammer heads, nurse, bulls, gray reefs, sand tigers, sand bars and a great white shark.  Yes, that's right a great white shark.  


     In July of 2001, while crewing for Captain Robert on the Midnight Express, I went in the water to do a bit of free diving and spearfishing while on surface interval after a dive on the wreck of the Caribsea.  I wasn't in the water but a minute or two when this beautiful 15 foot Great White Shark passed within 20 feet of me on the surface.  Needless to say I was in a bit of a shock.  Not so much because I saw what some call a 'man eater' swim by me but seeing such a rare shark for these waters.  I decided being back on the boat was probably a better bet. As I climbed the ladder in a hasty fashion many of the passengers asked me, "why are you back so soon". I replied with a hurried voice "There's a great white shark in the water". The next thing I heard were mocks of disbelief.  "Ya right there's no great white" said one person tauntingly (and you know who you are because I know your reading this right now). Before the skeptics could finish there disparaging remarks a huge dorsal fin cut through the water around the stern of the boat but 20 feet away. The next things I heard were "oh my God", "holy #@!&^," and a few gasps and oohs and ahhhs.  Of course I was obligated by all laws of good sense to retort at once "see I told you there was a Great White Shark".  If anyone accuses me of gloating at this precise moment they are absolutely correct.  


     What most didn't realize, but Captain Robert did, was that we had two divers in the water on a dive.  Robert wrote a message on a slate that said "Great White Shark No Joke", and attached it to a five foot long speargun and slid it down the anchor line so that the divers would hopefully see this, abort there dive and use the speargun as defense if needed.  We did not want to harm the shark if at all possible.  Us divers are shark lovers.  The gun was more to be used as a poker if the shark got to close.  Before the two divers read this message they had already seen this behemoth pass by them within a few feet and immediately began there ascent without the spear gun.  When asked later "why did you leave the gun" the diver answered, "I saw the size of the shark and then the size of the gun and figured the gun was useless". After a few more passes by the Shark the divers scrambled up the ladder safe and sound.  It was apparent that the Shark had no interest in making these foreign looking critters in to a meal.  Which by the way is the case with most shark encounters. It is a rare exception where you will hear about a shark eating a human.  


     Most often humans are mistaken for the sharks natural prey and are bitten accidentally.  Unfortunately the damage is already done for those rare few who have been bitten.  Curiosity was the only inspiration for this Great White Shark on this day. Needless to say the boat was abuzz with stories while everyones, including my own, adrenaline levels returned to normal.  A day or two later a story appeared in the Carteret County News-Times paper giving the highlights of the days events where I was merely called 'the divemaster' in the story while Captain Robert actually had his name printed.  Oh well my fifteen minutes of fame would have to come another day. The point of this story, if I may get back to it, is if you dive North Carolina waters long enough I guarantee you will have dives that will go down in your personal log as 'Top Ten'.  You just have to persevere the 'not so great days'.

The original Carteret County newspaper that published the story on August 1, 2001

Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the Spar.  (Stock Photo)

     This past weekend at Olympus Dive Center had been a little trying for the some of the divers traveling from as far away as Rhode Island to try there hand at the wreck diving here.  On Friday June 17 we had  what we call a 'blow day' or in other words trip cancellations due to high winds and seas.  


     On Saturday however the wind laid down long enough for both the Midnight Express and the Olympus to make it out to the inshore wrecks for a fine day of diving.  The inshore wrecks are closer to land and lay in shallower water of approximately 60 feet.  Although the diving here can be fantastic with great viz and big critters the conditions generally are not as good as the offshore wrecks closer to the Gulf Stream.  We had a group from the Kalipso Dive Shop in Rhode Island diving with the 'Midnight" who were interested in seeing some Sand Tiger Sharks. 
     
      As luck would have it my mate, John spotted several rather large sand tigers after tying in to the wreck of the Suloide, our second dive of the day.  The Suloide accidentally sank after colliding with the wreck of the Ario which was sunk by a German U-Boat during WWII.  The Suloide today is a scattered debris field due to the government depth charging and wire dragging the wreck because of the obvious navigational hazard that it was.  Some of the divers reported seeing a shark or two and someone even said they saw a large Nurse Shark hiding under a piece of hull plating.  Another rare and really nice find.  Overall the dive was a success and even though we didn't get offshore most seemed to be happy to get out for a dive no matter what.

     On Sunday the 19th the winds once again picked up and continued reports of strong currents by the fishing boats came in to us via the VHF radio.  Both the Olympus and the Midnight would play it safe and make way once again for the inshore wrecks.  This time a group of divers from Waterworld Dive Shop in Raleigh, NC would join Kalipso Divers for the day. 


     Today though the trip out was slightly more challenging with large swells and a confused sea making the trip a little longer than usual. We arrived at the wreck of the Indra with the morale of most of the divers appearing to be high after tolerating a bumpy trip out. All were briefed with safety tips for entering and exiting the water on rough days and one after the other all the divers made the splash and headed down to play on the Indra which sits in only 60 feet of water and was sporting about 20 feet of visibility this day.  


     Judging by the long 45-60 minute dive times of most of the divers I would say they were having a decent enough time to keep them down there. Not before long there heads began surfacing in to the rough ocean seas.  Everyone handled the ladders like a pro and safely made it back up to the deck of the 'Midnight'.  Once all were back on board it was decided that the second dive would be cancelled due to the winds and seas building.  We would quit while we were ahead and make way for Morehead City.  The 'Midnight' would surf the swells back home with a steady wind pushing us along in a comfortable and timely fashion.


     Once back to the dock everyone began packing up there vehicles to head back to wherever they came from.  I spoke to a few and encouraged them to come back again and try there hand at diving in the Atlantic Ocean once again.   As I often say, you can go to Disney World and ride on Space Mountain for some fun but that ride gets predictable each time you go.  That's not the case with diving here in the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic'.  Part of the excitement is never knowing what your going to get.  For added proof, if your a first time reader to my blog please see some of my previous postings with photos and video shorts of some of the dives we have had so far this year.

A school of Atlantic Spade Fish seeking cover under the muzzle of a 5 inch
51 caliper canon on the wreck of the USS Schurz.

     This last week wasn't all wind and bad weather though.  On Thursday June 16th we took a charter out to the wreck of the popular WWI wreck site, the USS Schurz. We had calm seas, 60+ foot of visibility and 75 degree water top to bottom. 
     
      She was about as pretty as I've seen her with thick bait balls darting about and a resident Sand Tiger Shark hovering on the outskirts keeping an eye on things.  I brought my camera in on this dive with no real plan other than trying to find a few handsome wide angle shots of the wreck to capture her beauty. The Sand Tiger Shark was not cooperative at all but I did find a small school of Atlantic Spade Fish who were schooling under the muzzle of one of the Schurz 5 inch 51 caliper canons. Getting low and shooting high with the gun pointing up across the shot I managed to capture a decent looking image of these somewhat innocuous looking fish and a retired weapon of war. 


     After taking a few more shots I allowed the slight current to deliver me back towards the bow of the wreck where we were tied off but not before firing more images of the ships boilers in the background with some stunning purple sea fans and bait fish highlighting the foreground. These two photos I felt captured the essence of this wreck and offer a simple visual of what one can expect when the dive conditions are optimal on the USS Schurz. I hope you like them as well.

One of four 5 inch 51 caliper canons on the wreck of the USS Schurz.

Sea Fans and Fish with the wreck of the Schurz boilers in the background.

     On another note a dive magazine in Poland is going to publish a story that I have written on the German U-Boat the U-352 and include many of my photos along with it.  I am making an effort to break in to publishing and hopefully this will not be my last story.  Right now it is being translated in to Polish and should be in print next issue whenever that is.  I'll post this story once it is released.

Just a reminder that anyone seeking to take UW Photo lessons with me may do so by contacting mike@evolutionunderwater.com.

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see a complete portfolio of my work including video excerpts from my documentary films "The Wreck of the SS President Coolidge" and "The Wreck of Truk Lagoon".  Fine art prints are available for purchase there as well as DVD's of the films.

If you want more information on how to dive the wrecks of North Carolina visit www.olympusdiving.com or call 252-726-9432.

Follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken).  Don't forget to click 'like'.

  

June 14, 2011 - The Coolest Job

Please refer to my previous postings to familiarize yourself with the theme of this blog.

The Morehead Waterfront at sunrise.  

Over the weekend, on a single tank half day charter, an enthusiastic young man said to me after his first or one of his first ocean dives on the wreck of the USS Indra "you have the 'coolest' job in the world!".  I was a little taken aback at first and didn't know how to respond until I merely said something like, "Thanks, yes I do enjoy my work".  I walked up to the wheel house and mulled over what he had just said to me.  Every once in a while I need to be reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do what I do and earn a living doing it.  He was right.  I do have a 'cool' job.  I get to take people diving and use all my powers to show them a good time.  Luckily, more times than not my crew and I are successful with plenty of great stories to be passed around at the end of a day. I should also however add that every so often a diver will say to me "you have an awesome job it's like your are on permanent vacation".  I politely correct the individual and respond "don't be mistaken, this is a job.  An exciting, fun and fulfilling one albeit but a job all the same".  So in short, thank you to the young newly certified diver who reminded me in his excited way that I do have a very 'cool' job.  

The Wreck of the USS Indra.  (Stock)

This past weekend contained some fantastic diving once again with Olympus Dive Center.  The "Midnight Express" was host to an assortment of divers from all over with a first time visit by instructor and group leader Miko Chavchavadze of Patriot SCUBA in Northern Virginia.

I first met Miko on board the Truk Odyssey back when I was the captain in 2007-2008 (I will be writing about my experiences in Truk in future blogs).  Miko had heard I was captain of the "Midnight Express" with Olympus and figured the diving must be pretty good so he grabbed a bunch of divers and headed on down to check it out.  His group was here for only two days so it was in the order of priorities to hit the 'must dive' wreck while the weather was cooperating and head out to dive the German WWII submarine, the U-352.

The wreck of the USS Schurz. (Stock)

But before diving the sub we dived the wreck of the USS Schurz on Saturday since it is a few miles further offshore.  The Schurz had not disappointed a few weeks ago and odds were in our favor that another great dive was to be had.  Sure enough we had at least 40-50' of visibility and 72 degrees on the bottom with a few Sand Tiger Sharks to be found amongst the dense fish population down there.  All the divers seemed to agree whole heartedly that the Schurz was a top dive.  Since all the planets were aligned and the weather was nice I decided I would do a dive here and take some photos underwater of this stunning wreck.  Over the years I have gotten in to a 'fail safe' routine in making sure my housing that contains my Nikon SLR was water tight and fully functional.  I test fire the strobes and checked that my controls are all working.  I did nothing different today and was handed my camera by Mike, the mate on the 'Midnight', and headed down to the wreck.  I slowly swam about the Schurz looking for a worthy subject.  After about 4 minutes I came across what seemed like a very cooperative Sand Tiger Shark.  I got my strobes set up, my exposure settings adjusted and framed a nice close up of this shark with a bait ball swirling around him.  I squeezed the trigger and whammo!  Nada, zilch, nothing.  No strobes fired.  I tried again and again.  Zippo.  @!#%^ I colorfully mumbled in to my regulator.  I'm at 110 feet and my camera malfunctioned and was useless.  An underwater photographer without a functioning camera is like a painter without a brush.  I quickly ascertained that water probably seeped in to the strobe cable shorting out the wiring.  I couldn't even stay down to merely enjoy the dive.  I had to ascend immediately and check out the gear.  The camera nearly always takes priority.  It just costs too much darn money to ignore.  So I got up to the boat, got my happy face on and went about my business.  "Stuff happens" I said in not those exact words.  It's that simple.  I soon ascertained that the camera had no major damage and the day on the ocean was a beautiful one so no sense in whining.  There will be other dives.

The wreck of the German U-Bpat the U352. (Stock)

As soon as the boat was ready we headed over to the U352 so everyone could get there first glimpse of this incredible historical WWII artifact.  The visibility was about 30-40 feet with temps in the low seventies.  Not the best viz but certainly far from the worst.  Once the divers began returning I started to hear the same pleasant superlatives that I hear most every time.  "Awesome", "incredible", interesting" were a few of the words used to describe the 'Sub'.  One diver even approached me and asked if we could go to the U-352 again tomorrow.  I said $100 cash in my back pocket and I will take you anywhere.  Of course I'm only joking.  I said "if you can get the consensus to go back I will try to get you there.  No problem."  Unfortunately for this guy the group had bigger plans for the following day.  With my camera still drying off and suffering from a bad dive I turned the 'Midnight' for home and headed back with a boat load of contented divers.

Enjoying the ride on the deck of the "Midnight Express".

Divers Jennifer and Bill at the stern of the "Midnight Express"
soaking in a few rays on a calm day.

Sunday June 13, 2011
Today Miko and his band of Patriot Divers wanted to see the wreck of the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose.  If I haven't already explained this name I will do so again.  There were numerous ships sunk off the coast of North Carolina during the war.  With much of the unfortunate chaos going on not all of the wrecks names had been identified correctly.  In short, the wreck of the Papoose was actually the W.E. Hutton.  The wreck of the W.E. Hutton was actually the Ario.  Get it?  Since the Papoose was called the Papoose for so many years it is hard for everyone to agree on saying the proper name.  Too much confusion ensues.  But since I am somewhat of a history buff I prefer to state the facts when ever possible.  So I call the Papoose the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose in the name of historical accuracy. I think I may write more about this in a future blog.  In the mean time lets move on.  

Looking out of the hold of the over turned
wreck of the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose. (Stock)

The wind and seas once again were beautiful.  Not flat calm but very close to it.  We made great time navigating out to the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose in about 2 hours and fifteen minutes.  Inevitably, one or two guys always poke there heads up in the the wheelhouse during the long journey and ask like a couple of kids on a family outing from the back of the station wagon "we almost there yet".  I smile and say "yes we are almost there".  I really do love this job.


I sent my mate Mike in to tie up and he quickly reported that we had about 60+ foot of viz and 73 degrees or better on the bottom.  Mother nature seemed to offer us a great dive opportunity on this day.  As it would be the mother ship of Olympus Dive Center, the M/V Olympus captained by Robert Purifoy arrived a few minutes before us and would be tied up about 150' away.  We would both be privy to some great diving.  Soon enough we began getting the excited divers in to the water one after the other and watch them slip beneath the waves on there way down to the wreck.  Now the crew and I needed only to enjoy the sun and calm seas and wait for the divers to return.  After about 25 minutes the first diver clambered up the dive ladder and began to give a very positive report about the dive.  

You all know I like smilin' divers.

"Sand Tiger Sharks aplenty, tons of fish and great viz" they would say as each returned.  As the divers were returning I looked over to the Olympus and noticed Captain Robert suiting up for a dive.  I yelled across to him "you heading in?"  I quickly realized that was dumb question.  What was he getting his wetsuit on to relax on the sun deck?  Anyway, I saw a great opportunity to go diving with Robert and this coincidence does not occur every day.  The odds of both captains getting to dive at the same time only happens a few times a year.

Zach's back!  'Peace out' Zach.

Since my still camera was in the hospital I would break out my UW video rig and shoot some video with Robert and the Sand Tigers.  Just before I jumped Robert yelled over "one of our divers shot some video of a 'school' of Gray Reef Sharks.  "a school", I said.  "Hmmm, it was on", I murmured.  Gray Reefs are not unheard of but are rare all the same here on the wrecks in NC.  To see multiple sharks at once does not happen often. I grabbed my faithful oldie but a goodie Sony VX2000 and leaped over the side.  As I headed down the anchor line the wreck very quickly started coming in to focus 70-80 feet beneath me.  I spotted Robert milling about under the rudder and slowly dropped in to the sand to shoot the entire upside down stern section with dozens of Groupers eyeing me from the fringe of my view.  After swimming around the inside of the wreck with Robert and shooting the dense bait fish my video lights crapped out on me and I headed outside the wreck to shoot with ambient light.  No need to abort the dive without lights.  There was plenty of sunlight to shoot with down there today.  I managed to get a few shots of Robert videoing the Sand Tigers and then I ventured out in to the sand a little to see if the Gray Reefs were about.  Sure enough I spotted one in the distance and then another.  

A Gray Reef Shark taken in Truk Lagoon Micronesia.  (Stock)

After waiting patiently for a minute or two and breathing very slowly and quietly a Gray Reef came in closer for a look at the funny looking fish with the big metal things and bubbles pouring out of his face.  I managed to get a few decent video shots of the Gray Reefs before turning my attention to the multitudes of large Groupers swimming about the sand as well as the Sand Tiger Sharks.  My video camera was rolling steady now.  At last I focused my camera on the enormous school of Amberjacks terrorizing the dense school of bait fish.  The school of Jacks would attack in large numbers and chase the bait in to tight bait balls within the cracks and crevices of the wreck.  Many of the bait fish sought refuge within the wreck.  At one point as I was filming suddenly everything got dark and there were bait fish completely surrounding me.  Visibility dropped to a few inches.  I kept the camera rolling and waited for the swarm to dissipate. As it did the Jacks came in to focus as they swam aggressively about me.  It was a stunning site to watch over and over again the Jacks dive down like German 'Stuka' dive bombers creating a deluge of fear on the bait and then climb hard and fast upwards until disappearing from sight.  Nature is amazing in that it is both beautiful and serene yet hostile and brutal all at the same time.  She never ceases to amaze me.  
Check out this link to my web site below where you can watch the edited video short of this wonderful dive on the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose.


Link to Video W.E. Hutton aka Papoose June 12, 2011

Dustin with his Canon SLR and Subal housing.

I regretfully returned to the "Midnight Express" and began preparing the boat to get underway and looked over to the Olympus and merely shrugged my shoulders at Robert as though words could not describe the dive we just experienced.  We both mumbled something at each other over the short stretch of ocean probably not understanding what either of us said but getting the point all the same and merely went about our business.


The Olympus decided to stay on the Papoose for a second dive while we made way for the USCG Cutter Spar.  Miko's gang wanted to check out another wreck site since they only had two days to dive with us and I was happy to oblige.  The Spar was indeed a nice dive but the legendary horde of Sand Tigers inhabiting the wreck the years past has been somewhat absent so far in this 2011 season.  There were a few Sharks on the wreck and a plentitude of other fish species with about 40' of visibility.  The wreck all the same seemed to be a hit with the divers due to its shallower depths and intact structure making it suitable for a longer dive that is easier to navigate and penetrate within it.  It looked like Miko had been performing some training dives with his students and the Spar is certainly ideal for that.  

Miko pondering his dive.

All in all it was a very successful day of diving and the crew got the 'Midnight' underway and headed towards home with a calm sea and a slight tail wind making the trip all the easier.  Once at the dock hands were shaken, business cards exchanged and hopes of return trips back to Olympus and the Wrecks of North Carolina were made.  Thanks a million to Miko and his band of divers from Patriot SCUBA and also to Jennifer, Bill, John, Bud, George and all the others whose names  regrettably slipped my mind.
  
In the mean time I am patiently waiting for some parts to repair my camera housing with and I hope to be up and shooting stills by the weekend.  I will admit, I have been enjoying shooting video once again this past few weeks.  I haven't shot much of it since leaving Truk Lagoon in 2008.  I wanted to focus all my attention on still photography these past few years instead.  I don't have a favorite medium to work in its just that sometimes it is hard to do both really well when you have limited time underwater.  If I had another one of me at my disposal I would be shooting both video and stills.  It looks like I may have to upgrade to an SLR camera that shoots quality stills as well as HD video such as the Nikon D7000.  Lots to think about.  

This is how divers catch a few zzz's on
surface interval.

Many thanks to Fred Dion of Backscatter East for getting my camera housing parts out to me as quickly as he did and for always giving solid advice.  Backscatter Photo and Video specializes in underwater photo and video systems and has stores on both the East and West Coast of the USA.  There services to this small specialty industry are enormous.  Thanks Fred! 


Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see a complete portfolio of my still photography and video excerpts from my documentary films.


Also, follow me at my Facebook company page, Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) for latest updates and dive reports.


Contact www.olympusdiving.com to find out more information on how to dive the Graveyard of the Atlantic with Olympus Dive Center.

The Olympus tying up at the dock.
"Good catch Bud!"

Happy Diving!


Mike Gerken