2000 Reports

04/29/08	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
March 5, 2000	Papoose	70'	70	The Captain's Lady made a dive on the Papoose, we heard there were sharks, and on the Sub there were numerous LARGE flounder.
April 17?	Indra	50'		Two humpback whales were spotted in the area, and came as close as 100' to the dive boat Pelican.
April 29	Hutton			A good dive on the Hutton today.
April 30	Papoose	50+'		Numerous sharks, one bull shark was sighted, many grouper as well.
May 13	Schurz	60'	70	Our first trip of the season: lots of baitfish on the wreck. Great conditions underwater, but a little rough on top.
May 27	Cassimir	80-100'	74	Excellent conditions and visibility made today a great day! Very large trumpetfish were seen on the Cassimir, and various types of schooling fish were abundant.
May 28	Hutton	40	70	Rough conditions offshore made the Hutton a good destination.
May 29	Hutton	40	70	Good vis, but increasing winds cut the day short.
May 31	Parker	10-15'		Diminishing winds around noon made the latter half of the day dive-able.

04/29/08	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
June 1	Hutton	40'	72	A porthole was noticed off the wreck: good vis, a slight surge.
June 2	Suloide	40-50'	72	Good vis, lots of marine life.
June 3	Hutton/Suloide	40-50'	72	Great vis and sea conditions, lots of flounder on the wrecks.
June 4	Schurz	50+	73	Some current, but much less than the days before. Good vis, lots of fish.
June 9	Cassimir	150 easy	79	You could see the wreck from the surface. About a dozen 3-4 foot long coronetfish have taken up residence on the wreck: they have bright blue spots.
June 10	Naeco	150 easy	79	Another awesome day & dive. Dozens of huge grouper, a jewfish and a few sharks were spotted. The wreck has changed a bit over the winter, fallen in some more.
June 11	Naeco Schurz	100 70	78	A repeat visit to the Naeco was necessary today. The Schurz was warm and clear, but a bit cloudier on the wreck.
June 10-17	Big Rock Marlin	Tournament		A record-breaking 831 lb. Blue Marlin won the prize this year: close to 1/2 million dollars!
June 19	Rocks near Caribe Sea	30	75	A beautiful ledge with nice sized grouper, flounder and slipper lobster. A group of 12 dolphins converged on the boat after the first dive.
June 20	Rocks near Papoose	80+	79	A beautiful ledge, with many grouper and lobster.
June 21	Naeco	80+	79	There was a slight thermocline on the wreck, and a 300+ lb jewfish: one diver discovered that Jewfish will eat grouper, without hesitation!
June 23	Rocks
June 24	Naeco Ashkabad	80+ 25	79 76	Another beautiful dive on the Naeco. A large school of pompano, some with long streamers approached the divers as if they were amberjack. Less visibility and cooler on the Ashkabad, but more bottom time and lots of fish.
June 25	Papoose U-352	70'	78	Good vis on both wrecks- no current and warm water.
June 26	Caribe Sea	45'	74	Lots of sharks and decent vis, and a significant thremocline on the bottom.
June 27	Schurz	70'	78	Great conditions underwater: some divers brought up some lovely seashells.
June 28	Atlas Caribe Sea	60' 30'	70 73	Many large sharks congregate on the Atlas these days: as well as the Caribe Sea. Chilly on the bottom on both wrecks.
June 29
June 30

	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
July 1	Esso Nashville Normannia	60'	76	Good vis & temps: lots of goodies on the Nashville, but not many fish. Beautiful on the Normannia.
July 2	Naeco Stern Hutton	70'	77	A good current on the Naeco: the large Jewfish is still there. Lots of fish on the Hutton, but a bit hazy.
July 3	Far East Tanker Atlas	60' 30'	78 68	Awesome dive on the Far East: lots of fish, clear blue water, and the divers swam with dolphins on the way to the Atlas! Quite cold & murky on the Atlas, it got worse near the bottom. Still a great day!
July 6	Aeolus	35'	75	A good dive: lots of spadefish, amberjacks & barracuda. Some sharks teeth found on the deck, but few sharks spotted.
July 7	Atlas Ashkabad	50' 40'	77	Good vis on the Atlas: when its good, it's really good. Lots of sharks & some lobster on the Atlas. Amberjack and mackerel were feeding on baitfish above the Ashkabad: the wreck has uncovered a bit more since last season.
July 8	Papoose Suloide	50 35	77 74
July 9	Schurz Duhamel	70 25	78 77	Our first dive on the Duhamel this season- very nice!
July 10/11	cancelled
July 12	Schurz	60	75
July 13	Schurz	70	75
July 14	Caribe Sea	60	77
July 15	Atlas Caribe Sea	70 40+	77 75	Spectacular vis on the Atlas- when it's good, it's great! More and more sharks arriving at the Caribe Sea.
July 16	Naeco Papoose	70 80	80 77	As always a great dive on the Naeco: and the Jewfish is still there.
July 17	Atlas Caribe Sea	35 45	73 74	Lower vis on the Atlas today, but it has been worse! Sand Tigers are getting big here. The Caribe Sea is the newest hot spot for SandTiger activity: in some places you need fingers and toes to count how many are in your field of view.
July 18	Far East Tanker Caribe Sea	60 35	77 74	The highest relief of the wreck is home to vis-wrecking amounts of baitfish and a few lazy sand tigers. A great dive!
July 19	Far East Tanker Caribe Sea	50 30	78 74	Worth an encore visit, we anchored near the engine of the Tanker this time for a new perspective. Parts of the telegraph are still there, and the wreckage creates a stunning profile against the high part of the ship.
July 20	cancelled
July 21	Schurz	50	77	Great conditions on the Schurz, tons of baitfish.
July 22	Aeolus Ashkabad	60 40	76 77	The vis on the Aeolus was quite good. A slight current on the Ashkabad, but still no Manta Rays.
July 23	Cassimir Schurz	60 70	77 78	There are still some blue-spotted coronet fish on the wreck- absolutely gorgeous and 3-4 feet long!
July 24	Papoose	70	76	Frequent weather kept us from making it to the Naeco, but the Papoose was beautiful. 2 sharks were sighted, with signs reading "Caribe Sea or Bust!"
July 25	Naeco	60	77	A large Jewfish is still residing on the Naeco Stern. 2 waterspouts were sighted in squalls in the morning, but the sun came out for the surface interval!
July 26	cancelled
July 27	Normannia Esso Nashville	45 45	78	Awesome conditions on the surface, all day. The visibility on the wrecks was a bit hazy, but some big lobster and flounder were on the Normannia.
July 28	Yancey Bedfordshire	60 100	77 74	Our first dive on the Yancey: super-huge grouper and a Jewfish were a treat! Another flat-calm day on the surface, and a few large rays were seen on the Bedfordshire.
July 29	U-352 Aeolus	70 45	77	Good vis on the Sub, a slight current ran across the wreck. The Aeolus had good conditions as well: (100' vis on the surface makes it easy to watch divers on the other boats hang around)
July 30	Atlas Caribe Sea	35 30	75	A few sharks on the Atlas: the vis was OK- normal for the Atlas. Plenty of sharks on the Caribe Sea- it's quite a popular spot this summer. We hear the vis in-shore (Hutton, Indra) has been 50'- very good.
July 31	no trip today

04/29/08	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
Aug 1	no trip
Aug 2	Rocks by Papoose	50'	76	Today was a nice dive on the live bottom of NC. Many reefs and ledges aren't often seen by wreck divers: many fish& lobster can be found, and invited home for dinner! One of our divers found some megladon fossil sharks teeth off the coast of NC: click "here" to see them!
Aug 3-4	no trip
Aug 5	Atlas Caribe Sea	60' 40'	77 75	Very clear vis on the Atlas, and excellent topside conditions for the weekend. Plenty of sharks are still on the Caribe Sea.
Aug 6	Naeco Indra	70+ 35	77 75	Another good day- this time on the Naeco. Lots of Pompano surrounded the divers on the anchor line, and some seashells were found off the wreck. Good vis on the Indra as well, with a slight surge.
Aug 7	Schurz	70'	76	A small current on the Schurz, but good vis and lots of seashells picked up. A bit bumpy on the surface, with the wind picking up throughout the day.
Aug 8	Caribe Sea	30'	74	The visibility was quite murky until about 15 feet off the wreck, then it was clear except for the baitfish making conditions dark. Big Sand Tigers were circling higher in the water: at about 30 feet. Amberjack had a field day with the baitfish, and lots of mackerel were on the wreck as well.
Aug 9	Schurz	50'	76	Good vis and warm water - lots of fish too! Bobby recovered 19 large conch shells about 7" long. Perhaps there was an octopus nearby? It's funny- he never saw an octopus.
Aug 10	Naeco Stern	80'	79	Warm and clear all the way down. A slight then increasing current made for a horizontal hang, but nothing we couldn't deal with. 2 divers spotted a Lionfish- yes, a Lionfish- on the wreck, and the Jewfish is still hanging around.
Aug 11	Naeco Bridge Schurz	100+ 60	80 78	An awesome dive on the bridge: no current, gin-clear water. Much different from the day before.
Aug 12	Ashkabad	20'	77	A swell from the storm offshore stirred up conditions on the east side. The Atlas reported 2' vis (two), the Caribe Sea was 10, so we turned for the Ashkabad. Divers could feel the surge on the bottom: it reduced the vis more through the day.
Aug 13	Papoose Hutton	80+ 15'	78	Excellent dive on the Papoose- very clear water and no current. Not so good on the Hutton: a wreck reel was a great idea on this one!
Aug 14	Indra	20-25'	77	Windy conditions offshore made the Indra a good choice today. The vis was pretty good, and lots of fish and stingrays were on the wreck. Some divers on the Captain's Lady reported seeing a Manta Ray.
Aug 15	Schurz Aeolus	70' 60'	78	Great dive on the Schurz- lots of baitfish almost covered up the wreck. Vis on the Aeolus was clear all the way to the bottom.
Aug 16	Caribe Sea	50'	76	LOTS of sharks on the wreck: some big ones were near the anchor line, suspended in a light current at 60'. Winds picked up after the first day: we headed home after one dive.
Aug 17	U-352 Russian Wreck	60' 50'	77	Good dive on the Sub: choppy seas on the surface. A mild current on the RW kept things moving, stingrays, grouper and lots of baitfish were spotted on the wreck.
Aug 18	Atlas Caribe Sea	45' 40'	76	Good vis on the Atlas. One diver saw a Blue-spotted Coronetfish on the Atlas: it was about 3 feet long. Earlier this summer we saw some on the Cassimir- a very interesting fish! Lots of big sharks on the Caribe Sea, some at 40', some right on the wreck.
Aug 19	Caribe Sea	25'	77	Not a day for the seasick-prone, but a good day of diving nonetheless. Plenty of sharks on the wreck.
Aug 20	Hutton Indra	20'	76	Quote of the Day: "The Indra is a Grown-Up's playground!!"
Aug 23	Naeco Stern Papoose Sub	100+	80	Unbelievable visibility off-shore. Calm sea conditions as well. The wreck of the Naeco was visible at the hang line. The Papoose was also awesome, and the Sub made for a nice third dive. A great day!
Aug 24	Caribe Sea	30'	77	The sharks are a constant at the Caribe Sea, and if you look at the purple sea-fans, you may spot a flamingo tongue!
Aug 26	Naeco Stern	100+	80	Excellent vis and calm seas: the current increased a bit between the first and second dives.
Aug 27	Naeco Bridge Schurz	100+	80	Again- great vis!! You can see the entire wreck of the Schurz just by hovering at 60'.

04/29/08	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
Sept 2	Rocks near Sub	80+'	78-80	Beautiful conditions on the ledges- you could see the bottom from the surface. Lots of grouper and some lobster as well.
Sept 3	Ashkabad	80+'	78	Clear, blue water at the wreck- a noticeable current. As soon as you jumped in the water you could see most of the wreck.
Sept 10	Papoose	50-60'	80	Recent winds made visibility better at the Papoose than on other wrecks closer to shore. The vis we had was quite clear, and there was a lot of fish/marine life activity on the wreck. A great day!
Sept 13	Papoose	50'	80	A great day, despite a storm off the coast. Light seas and a periodic swell was all we saw of her. Visibility still good on the wreck: you could see the wreck from the hang-line.
Sept 14	Sub	50'	79	The Outrageous V from Discovery Diving went to the Sub today: seas were calm, only a slight increase in the swell with no decrease in visibility.
Sept 16	Indra	30	78	A good day to be in-shore: windy in the morning, but it got better as the day progressed.
Sept 17	Aeolus	60	78	We were trying for the Papoose, but thought wise to stop at the Aeolus. Great vis at that wreck, and a great dive!

04/29/08	Location	Vis	Water Temp	Comments
Oct 7	Suloide	20	74	Rough seas convinced the group to do one long dive and call it a day. The water in-shore was still warm.
Oct 11	Rocks near the Papoose	50	72 top 78 bottom	Stirred up conditions persist both in and off-shore. Recent cold weather is slowly affecting water temps. The seas were wonderfully calm, and with the sun out it got quite warm offshore. Catch of the day: 3 lobster, a hogfish, 1 grouper and a pompano.
Oct 14	Papoose Schurz	70	74	Some current on the Papoose, less on the Schurz. Plenty of sand tigers, and a small bull was videoed on the Schurz.
Oct 15	Schurz Indra	60 25	74 71	Plenty of current on the Schurz, but still a great dive. Very calm seas on the Indra, but some surge, especially around holes in the ship.


Nov 4	Naeco Bow	40	75	Low visibility on offshore wrecks forced us out to deeper water: ironically there was 40' vis reported on the Indra! Beautiful sea conditions.

Nov 24	Indra	20	57	WOW! It's really COLD in-shore.
Nov 24	Papoose	70	72	The Olympus went to the Papoose and reported good conditions and warm water. And tons of sharks. Each diver came up with a handful of sharks teeth.

Dec 21	Papoose	50	65?	The wreck was covered with baitfish, decreasing the visibility significantly. Sandtigers were plentiful, and sea conditions were manageable.
---End of 2000 diving season---