Where are you diving this weekend?

[YellowEye]

Where's everybody diving this weekend?
(or where did you dive today?)

[stphnmartin]

I think I'm going to hit cove 2 around 5:30pm today for an early night dive. Haven't been diving much lately and need some camera practice.

[BillZ]

We did the Shilshole Barges this morning - Unfortunately I woke up with a nasty head cold so I volunteered to tend the boat.

[YellowEye]

We did the Shilshole Barges this morning - Unfortunately I woke up with a nasty head cold so I volunteered to tend the boat.

Hope you feel better soon! How are those barges? I've never done them before.

[BillZ]

We did the Shilshole Barges this morning - Unfortunately I woke up with a nasty head cold so I volunteered to tend the boat.

Hope you feel better soon! How are those barges? I've never done them before.

This would have been my first time on them.. but they look really cool on my structure scan :-)

Everybody was really geeked after the dive. There are actually three wrecks at the same location; The vertical barge (it rests somewhat on its side) the horizontal barge and the Omar, a 40 ft tug. I guess they are covered in plumose anemones and surrounded by schools of tiny fish.

[CaptnJack]

They are fun to scooter but I don't know anyone swimming all three in 1 dive. Navigating via scooter is a bit iffy, esp the horizontal to vertical barge leg (of the triangle) which is the longest. At one time we had a line out there connecting all three wrecks, but I'm sure its long gone now. Is the "stone cold stroke" still there near the south end of the vertical barge? Next to the big concrete block? The vertical barge is actually on its side, the gravel cargo that caused it to capsize is on the west side.

Personally I can report that Benson Lake (Mason County) is still slightly warm, maybe 60F. Vis 12-15ft. Soft bottom, fairly shallow a fair ways out from the WDFW boat ramp/access point. I only hit 23ft. Bottom is weedy, lots of small (4" long) bass...

[ohopdiver]

We did KVI, Normandy Beach wreck AKA Desmoines wreck and Alki Rock piles AKA Alki Fishing reef on Sunday.

[YellowEye]

We did KVI, Normandy Beach wreck AKA Desmoines wreck and Alki Rock piles AKA Alki Fishing reef on Sunday.

Cool! I haven't heard of the Normandy beach wreck. Any good?

[ohopdiver]

We did KVI, Normandy Beach wreck AKA Des Moines wreck and Alki Rock piles AKA Alki Fishing reef on Sunday.

Cool! I haven't heard of the Normandy beach wreck. Any good?

See my new photo share and Google Des Moines wreck for on-line descriptions.

[ohopdiver]

They are fun to scooter but I don't know anyone swimming all three in 1 dive. Navigating via scooter is a bit iffy, esp the horizontal to vertical barge leg (of the triangle) which is the longest. At one time we had a line out there connecting all three wrecks, but I'm sure its long gone now. Is the "stone cold stroke" still there near the south end of the vertical barge? Next to the big concrete block? The vertical barge is actually on its side, the gravel cargo that caused it to capsize is on the west side.

I've done all three plus the rock swimming on an AL 80 but it was just a touch-and-go NAV exercise, you don't get to see much. Others have also done it. The Glacial Rock is interesting by itself, 20 ft high and about 25 ft wide with Warbonnets and Grunt Sculpins. Also check out the big engine on the north side of the Horizontal barge. Sometimes a wolfie is inside the attached tank. See the Sonar image under "Shilshole Wrecks" in the Dive Site section.

[CaptnJack]

Uphill, both ways, in the snow I'm sure.

The sand on the deep (NW) end of the horizontal barge is pushing 105ft deep on a high tide, 92ish on a low. "Swimming all three" on an AL80 sounds like great fun. Perhaps the navy seals should invest in slightly larger tanks.

[ohopdiver]

Sorry for the misunderstanding and causing this thread to go off course. It's more about the muscle in your hood. I'm 5 ft 7, 170 lbs and was about 60 years old at the time. That's not quite Seal material. The navigation exercise was to touch each of the the 4, Rock-Omar-Hbarge-Vbarge-Rock. Staying off the bottom and minimizing the time at each object helps.

[BillZ]

They are fun to scooter but I don't know anyone swimming all three in 1 dive. Navigating via scooter is a bit iffy, esp the horizontal to vertical barge leg (of the triangle) which is the longest. At one time we had a line out there connecting all three wrecks, but I'm sure its long gone now. Is the "stone cold stroke" still there near the south end of the vertical barge? Next to the big concrete block? The vertical barge is actually on its side, the gravel cargo that caused it to capsize is on the west side.

I asked - The line between the wrecks is gone and they didn't see stroke.