Category: Trip Reports

London Calling: Onward to Inverness, Scotland and almost missing my flight.

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Some last minute packing for Scapa Flow forced me to switch suitcases. The zipper on my big suitcase broke completely and I was going to have to split up into multiple smaller bags. Luckily I had a friend who let me borrow one of their large suitcases. Problem solved.  I am still bringing the same amount of checked bags but thankfully I have a little more wiggle room for souvenirs and a shitty re-packing job that I usually do.  It’s amazing how hard it is to re-pack bags exactly how…

Weekend of diving on Cozumel’s East Side with Aldora Divers

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Me and Annie hopped down to Cozumel for a long Columbus Day weekend to do some diving and lionfish hunting in Cozumel with Aldora Divers.   Because it was such a short trip I didn’t bother bringing my rebreather.  Back to single-tank open circuit for me I guess. 🙁     Even still that’s one of the primary reasons I like diving with Aldora.  With access to steel HP120s and HP100s (+ nitrox) and an experienced group of divers you can get some LONG single tank dives in. For 3…

Review of DeepBlu COSMIQ dive computer

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Deepblu COSMIQ on safety stop with a ceiling (deco stop)

I wanted to write a short review of the new DeepBlu COSMIQ dive computer since there is really not a whole lot of information about this computer on the Internet. A month ago I signed up to be a DeepBlu Ambassador so that I could evaluate this dive computer. The retail price of $299 puts it at a very competitive price point compared to other dive computers with color screens on the market.   It is also pretty small, slightly larger than most Android or Apple watches.  I could see…

Trip report: World-class wreck diving in Presque Isle, MI with Shipwreck Explorers

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Molly V

I will just start by saying it’s been a really busy summer and I haven’t updated this blog as much as I had hoped but I wanted to write a trip report as I just got back from 4 days of diving in Presque Isle, Michigan.  It was some of the best and well preserved wreck diving that I’ve ever done. Seriously the diving up in Presque Isle, MI and in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is so worth the trip that I’m already thinking of skipping a warm water vacation…

New York Central 14-II & Chester Poling with Daybreaker

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Matt on Chester Poling

I had two nice dives today on the Daybreaker.  We dove the Pug and the Chester Poling since Matt was doing a helitrox class with Sang and Eric on their rebreathers.  I think John may have been tagging along for Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures training as well. We had surprisingly decent visibility on the New York Central 14-II which tends to have crappier visibility in the summer.   The good thing about the New York Central 14-II aka Pug wreck is that the hull is largely intact so it’s an extremely…

Great day of lobstering and playing with seals at Dry Salvages!

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Me and Annie decided to jump on a charter with some friends on the Daybreaker (Cape Ann Charters).  The conditions and visibility were great.  Visibility was approximately 20-25ft+ with water temperatures in mid-50s at depth. We managed to hit our limit on lobsters (15..) very easily.   We also had a bunch of seal encounters. That is another reason I really like diving at Dry Salvages. The seals are always a lot more curious and friendly compared to Graves Light.

Brenton Reef Lightship (LV39) or bust with Daybreaker..

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I had a great dive today on the Brenton Reef Lightship (LV39). Matt and Marissa nailed the shotline drop and we were right on it. Since Matt was having some slight technical difficulties I decided to join Josh and Nate on their dive.  Diving with them is always great because that means you’re almost guarantied entertainment and some good pictures especially with Nate 🙂  It’s like having your own personal photographer. Visibility was at least 25ft in some spots judging from horizontal distance from strobes. Brenton Reef Lightship (LV39) Max…

Of wrecks, ledges and botched mooring jobs: City of Salisbury, Jeffrey’s Ledge and the Nina T clusterfuck

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I started the weekend a little early by taking a half day on Friday to crew.  We were scheduled to dive Graves Light and the City of Salisbury wreck with a good group of divers from Maine that chartered the boat.    The weather was perfect and I believe this was the first charter that I’ve worked this season that we had a majority of people in wetsuits.  **Brr** Since I’m a “warm water wimp” I stuck to my drysuit. Capt. Chris was running the boat with me as crew…

A weekend of tech diving: From Alma Holmes to the USS Bass

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I had a great weekend of tech diving though I didn’t take a camera or GoPro since I just figured I would enjoy the dives without looking at life through a viewfinder.  The water temperatures are finally beginning to warm up into the 50s signaling to me that at least summer is finally here. On Saturday I went out with the Gauntlet (North Atlantic Dive Expeditions). It was literally a last minute split second decision since my car was loaded from the night before and I wanted to dive. I…

Trip Report: Morehead City, NC diving with Tortuga Charters

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It’s been a while since I updated this blog..I guess I’ve just been too busy actually diving than arguing aimlessly on the Internet about it..   Anyway I just returned from my annual Memorial Day long weekend trip to Morehead City, NC for diving with a small group of friends.  We decided to try a different charter boat this year and went with Tortuga Charters run by Capt James Rosemond. Long story short but Capt. James runs an excellent six-pack charter operation. Hopefully we will use his charter again next…