Saturday, July 25, 2009

Diving the Vandenberg





Well I actually accomplished one of my big goals for this vacation. I was able to dive the USNS Hoyt S. Vandenberg. The Vandenberg was sunk as an artificial reef about 6 miles off Key West in May 2009--so it is a real new wreck. There isn't a lot of sea life taking residence yet. But, that's not why I wanted to dive the wreck.

I wanted to dive the Vandenberg for the history and to remember a good friend who used to be deployed on it.

But enough of that--the dive was awesome. I had a chance to chat with the dive master on the way out and he did a couple things to make my dive rally special--like taking me over the side to get the picture of the name of the ship on the side. That is normally a bit deep for the usual dive--but it was really cool flipping off the deck along the bow to take the inages of the name, just hovering there with my camera.

Visibility wasn't all that good--but it was still a most awesome dive.

The descent was easy down the line and there was no current--which made the dive easier. The American Flag was not unfurled--meaning no current.

The Vandenberg's most recent claim to fame was a starring role in the movie: Virus. So I guess I need to rent that. There is some Cyrillic writing in places on the ship which supported the filming of the movie.

I had watched some of the videos of the sinking of the Vandenberg and I always felt that the tracking dishes probably wouldn't survive in place--and it is true--the dish has been pulled off its base and is laying on the side if the ship. I spent some time trying to get a good picture of it--but the poor visibility got the better of me.

But--a great day and a great dive. And, if you are thinking of diving the Vandenberg, I highly recommend Bonsai Diving.

There is no better way to spend a day than slipping below the surface of the ocean to see the treasures below,

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