I was originally scheduled to dive the Coyote (~175ft) with Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions (Gauntlet) but the offshore forecast wasn’t looking so hot with 3-4ft swells and heavy fog predicted so Heather opted to run to the wreck of the Herbert instead (~100ft) .
Not a huge deal. At least with rebreathers you have nobody wasting a 150 dollar trimix fill on a 100ft dive. I was just happy to be on a boat and not blown out for a change. Since I had already packed my car for the Coyote I just kept same bailouts. A little gentile prodding but otherwise nothing major. May seem like overkill for 100′ dive but oh well..
The Herbert was a lighter wooden steamer that sunk on August 6th, 1924; she was rammed by the City of Gloucester while at anchor in the fog. The wreck is largely a debris field dive with the exception of her huge boilers, engine and some machinery (winch) that offers bit of relief and structure. The boilers are covered in frilled anemones and of course a multitude of lines and netting.
The morning weather turned out fantastic with calm seas and not much fog. There was a small swell but nothing major. It’s nice when the forecast is wrong and actually better than predicted.
Thankfully there was still a mooring present on the Herbert so it made for a nice easy dive.
Dave, Josh, Bob F. splashed in first for their dive. They reported good visibility, 20-25ft which is actually fantastic for the Herbert. In the summer you’re lucky to get 10ft-15ft. I’ve taught AOW classes there which are nerve-wracking in 10ft visibility. No reel required today.
Ryan and his pal jumped in for second group and I waited until they splashed to gear up and do my own thing.
I ended up doing a 48 minute bottom time before I had my fun of cold. There was a large wolf fish under the boiler but of course I didn’t bring my camera because I assumed conditions would be bad..I guess that’s what happens when you assume. There was slight to mild current on the bottom but otherwise a relaxing dive.
There were a small amount of dinner plate sized scallops scattered around the wreck but I didn’t bother bringing a catch bag. Probably a good idea as I don’t think Heather would be too keen to have me shucking dirty scallops on her spotless boat. 🙂
As I finished my dive and was ascending Heather, Scott, and Tim were descending down mooring line for their dive.
Max depth: 96 feet
Runtime: 61 minutes
Visibility: 20-25ft
Water Temp: 39-43f
