Finally after 7 months of deliberation, set backs and planning, "He Whose Names Shall Not Be Spoken", Matt and I  finally made it to the Top Secret Clearance Only, super duper secret, honey spot.

Seas were not bad going out..a bumpy 2-3.

This wreck is was reported in 214-220 feet of water..as we pulled up the bottom machine was reading 214.  I threw the anchor and watched it go down at  least 100ft.  We were in as close to "blue water" as I had ever seen.

The plan was as follows.  I would suit up with dual 112 lp tanks on my back, filled to 3000 psi, have a 40 cubic foot, ean 50/50 bottle and a 19 cubic foot 100% 02 bottle.  Would breathe the 50/50 down to 70ft switch to the back gas, 20 minutes later head to the service and reverse the procedure.  Then finish off decompressing with 100 % at 20-10 feet.  A safety diver would splash 15 minutes after I signaled I was ok and on the way down.  He would meet me coming back up the anchor around 120-150 feet, check on me and take any fish/gear I did not need and shoot a little video.

Well I splash with 200+lbs of gear on, hit the anchor line and double check that all is green and go.  This is the big one!  I signal to my buddies I am ok and on the way down I head.  The clock is ticking.  All goes perfect until, while breathing off the 50/50 at about 50 feet I gulp sea water!  WTF!  A few seconds of confusion ensue. What is going on?  I glance down and see the second stage hanging with the mouth piece still in my mouth.  FUD!  I look to the surface...should I just go up?  Wait I have three other regs on me.  By now I am just about to REALLY NEED TO BREATHE!  I grab a regulator on my back gas system a little early...oh well, switch the mix on the computer and head down, huffing and puffing hard.

I hit the 200ft mark and was thankful for the narcosis that begins to hit and calms me down a bit.  My breathing returns to normal.  Narcosis makes me a bit euphoric,  gives me a little tunnel vision but has never really wierded me out too terribly. This was definitely the deepest I have ever dove.  I am pegging out at 217 in the sand.  I was expecting it to be much darker however, due to the "Caribbean clear water" it was quite bright.  Now calm and slightly buzzed I concentrate on the mission at hand.  Big AJ's are every where and 20+ lb snapper is following me around saying " Ha ha you can't shoot me!"  (Dont bet on it..I tell him.)  But I am after a monster Warsaw.  I circum navigate the wreck and find the wheel house..and there he is..big grey head, beady glowing, yellow eyes.. a 50-60lb warsaw.  I line up and he bolts as if there are divers there trying to kill him every day.  NUTS!  I spend a couple minutes looking for him or another and there is no love.  Oh well, my time is almost up so I start to head for the anchor line,...or what I thought was OUR anchor..until i notice it is not an anchor at all but some piece of cage like debris...(narcosis knocking a bit now).  Do I free ascend for a 40+ minute deco?  NO, go back and FIND THE ANCHOR MORON.  I return to the wreck and re-orient myself. I came from the left. I head a back the way I came and successfully find the anchor line.  The big Aj's are still around so I pop one.  Up I head. Leaving the bottom two minutes later than planned.  22 minutes. Not too bad.  I meet my safety diver at 120 feet and he takes the fish and some video, then bags himself an Aj.  The school was following me up.

40 minutes later I am back, sitting on the boat.  I spent an extra two minutes at 10 decoing on the pure 02 and hit the surface 62 minutes after splashing. 

AWSOME DIVE!

I did not dive again that day but the rest of the crew bagged three scamp, another AJ, a mess of triggers and one shovel nose.

Thanks to my support team and the skipper for geting us there and back in one piece!  (The ride home was a bit nerve racking. Seas hitting the 5-7 foot mark but we made it safely.)

Will have a link to a little video clip up shortly.......

Some pics so you can see how clear the water was...the video was shot at 120-150 feet.

Death From Above

      It was fun while it lasted.”

Hitler on WWII

Mako 284 w/ twin 250 verados:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpmWGjaEjkw

That's too bad about the Warsaw.   Glad you made it back in one piece.

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Jon

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     http://www.nra.org/home.aspx

P.S. I didn't know it dropped off so quickly right next to the Massachussettes?

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www.visionunderwaterpensacola.com

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/galleries/usergallery.asp?gallery=1256

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations James 1:2

If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me Psalms 139: 9-10

cheers

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my f*%#ing gills are drying out...its about time for some less than 1ft days!!!

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I will say this.  I know I fired my gun twice.  I remember reloading it...once, not real smoothly, took me two tries, shooting the AJ and then coming up..with the gun discharged.  So I fired twice. 

But I have no recollection of what the first shot was at, or even remember pulling the trigger.

Death From Above

      It was fun while it lasted.”

Hitler on WWII

UNDERWATER HELMET-CAM VIDEOS SPEARFISHING, USS ORISKANY, SHARKS, AND PICS!

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/435395882

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