Mike Gerken's Dive Blog Report

August 16, 2011 - Sea Trials

2011-08-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

To all those who are new to my blog, to get the gist of it please read, "Welcome Aboard", from the May 1, 2011 posting and peruse a few of my other Dive Blog Reports. Visit www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video shorts from the 2011 season at Olympus Dive Center and click here for more info about myself.

Photo of the Week
Sunrise on the Morehead City Waterfront.

This past week was full of challenges for myself and the crew of the Midnight Express in delivering top notch diving to the divers visiting us at Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, North Carolina. We have been tested day after day by Mother Nature. Between strong currents, squalls and heavy wind and seas I was put through the ringer but, in the end we managed to dive every day. We may not have been able to get to where we wanted to go but, we got out and had great dives all the same.

Olympus Dive Center.

On Thursday August, 11th I arrived at the dock with what seemed to be a perfect weather day. The skies were clear and the winds were low with a flat calm sea. The passengers had requested a dive on the W.E. Hutton, aka Papoose which is a long run offshore and I could not see any reason to not accommodate their request. The Papoose has been a hot dive site this season. If you have not already seen them check out these Videos on my web site to prove my point. After motoring two hours over a flat calm sea we arrived at the W.E. Hutton without a hitch. I pulled back the throttles and slowed the boat down to a crawl to allow my crew to prepare to get the anchor ready to tie in to the wreck. As soon as the boat came to a near halt a pod of dolphins came up under the pulpit inviting us to play. With barely a ripple in the waters surface one could look down and see the Dolphins as clear as day and there even was a pair engaged in mating! A bunch of ooh's and aahs from the divers on board proceeded this act of marine exhibitionism. The fact that Dolphins can get away with having sex in public while everyone watches not only approvingly but enthusiastically is yet another reason to love these creatures.

Without further delay I pulled up over the wreck and yelled out to my first mate, John Thomson, "OK go ahead!" where he immediately jumped over the edge and headed down to the wreck. It was at this point that something was amiss. While waiting for John to tie us in to the wreck I was having difficulty maintaining my position over the GPS waypoint number. I kept getting pulled off the wreck while the anchor line trailed underneath the boat. "Damn, current!" I thought to myself. Sure enough, John moments later radioed up to me on the com from his full face mask that there was plenty of current all the way to the bottom. He indicated that he was having difficulty just making way in to it. At some point he made the call that there was no way we could safely dive this wreck and that he was coming up. Even if a diver could make it down they probably would not enjoy themselves holding on to the anchor line for dear life with the ocean whizzing past your face during the course of their entire dive. It was a bummer. A perfect day for a dive with sharks on the Papoose and we got chased away by current. Plan B was to head a little closer in shore to the wrecks of the Spar and Aeolus, (which are only 400 feet apart) where traditionally you will find less current and dive on these sites. Indeed once we got hooked in it was discovered that the current was much less. After completing two great dives here with Sand Tigers and Mermaids I headed the boat for home thankful that we were able to dive at all today.

Beautiful Sea Fans on the Wreck of the Aeolus.

A handful of the gang from A-1 SCUBA.

The following day on Friday August 12th the Midnight was host to the dive group from A-1 SCUBA in Trevose, PA. For many years now Alan Moss and Jennifer Mayfield have been bringing their divers to North Carolina to dive with Olympus Dive Center and it was a pleasure to have them back with us once again. After discussing with Alan and Jennifer where they wanted to dive it was decided that we would bang out a trip to the, you guessed it, the U-352. Once again sea conditions would make for a fairly easy run out to the sub with the exception of one thing. A huge storm system was sitting directly over where the wreck of the U-352 lays. Rain by itself is not enough to deter me from driving through a squall but when you see major lighting within the storm respect should be given and the storm stayed clear of if you can help it. So staying clear of it was what I did. I made a detour over to the Aeolus which was on the fringe of the storm and sat there adrift waiting to see what it would do. Eventually it drifted off and cleared out of the area but not before wasting 90 minutes of mine and everyones morning. We decided to dive the Aeolus for the first dive and then head to the U-352 for the second dive. The Aeolus has had a decent sized population of Sand Tiger Sharks lingering about most of the season and these divers understandably wanted to see sharks.

A toothy Sand Tiger Shark inside the wreck of the Aeolus.

With the visibility around 40 feet or so and plenty of sharks and other marine life around, all the divers had a great time including myself for I managed to sneak away for a dive with my camera and score a few nice shots that you can see within this blog. The dive was so enjoyable for everyone that they unanimously decided to stay for the second dive with the hope of diving the sub the next day. By the end of the day I had a boat load of sated SCUBA divers on board heading for home. Even though everyone had a good experience today and the day before I couldn't help feel like a spoiled child who was not allowed to go diving where I wanted to go. I shrugged it off and figured tomorrow was going to be better. I was wrong.

Sand Tiger Shark and Magenta Sea Fans on the
Wreck of the Aeolus.

On Saturday August 13th the weather forecast stated: "10-15 knots of wind from the south east with 2-4 foot seas. Not bad really but for one thing. The forecast was wrong. After motoring 2 hours out to the U-352 with A-1 SCUBA once again we attempted to tie up to the sub in 3-5' seas blowing 15-20 knots which is on the fringe for a safe dive. This time I motored up to the drop point in these rather dodgy seas and dropped my mate John over my waypoint. A minute later he radioed up and said he was on the conning tower of the sub. Great you might think except I dropped him on the Stern which is 100 feet away. To make matters worse as John struggled to tie us in with a stiff current on the bottom I was getting pushed around by the surface current like a freshman on my first day of high school. To make matters worse this intense current was pushing me up in to the wind and seas! John was able to secure the hook on to the wreck while my mate, Mike and I, struggled for another five minutes before pulling in all the slack line that had been spent over the side of the boat while fighting with the current. Once all was secure I looked over the side of the boat and there we were completely side to the 3-5 foot seas and 20 knots of wind. "Ugh" I muttered to myself but it probably was more of an expletive than "ugh". I decided this was once again an unsafe dive environment and pulled the hook, recovered my diver and turned the boat towards are 'go to' wreck site, the USS Indra which was more than twenty miles back the way we came from. At this point I was getting pissed off. Pissed at what exactly I do not know. My divers were very understanding and my crew was doing an exemplary job. Being angry at NOAA for supplying a faulty forecast is a lame excuse since they get it wrong most of the time anyway and should not be trusted. Having a grudge and being disrespectful against Mother Nature is pointless and downright dangerous. So what was my problem? I guess I just got tired of being pushed around for three days straight. My father might say something like, "get used it it. Your a guest out on the ocean and only get to be there when she allows it." or something like that. Solid words to live by though.

Jennifer Mayfield of A-1 SCUBA after a great dive.

We pulled up to the Indra one hour later but the ocean was still a little bumpy to say the least. Once the boat was secured to the wreck a huge 7 foot swell rolled under the boat stretching the anchor line taught like a piano wire. This huge swell was maybe sent as a reminder to get my attitude right and it did just that. After the big swell it seemed to return to the usual 3-5 footers and I opened the pool for the A-1 divers to check out the Indra. In short, we stayed here for the next two dives with visibility around 30 feet or so. Even though we did not get to dive offshore and see the U-352 I barely heard a single complaint all day even with the less than calm conditions. If it weren't for these divers and there easy going attitude I may have popped an o-ring. I went home that night, sat on the couch and drank a beer before passing out at 8PM feeling slightly beat up and a tad defeated.

A-1 diver chilling out on surface interval.

I didn't know dive computers had
video games.

Diver receiving the 'fin treatment' on board the 'Midnight'.

On Sunday I awoke and checked the NOAA buoy reports to discover that the wind was still blowing hard offshore and the seas had built even larger than the day before. I figured we may have to spend another day diving close to the beach in shallow water where it may have been calmer. I was happily mistaken. By the time the 'Midnight' shoved off the winds started to drop right out. I pointed the boat due south towards the Papoose and only hoped for the best. If the seas allowed us to make the 32 mile trip I would only have to worry about the rugged currents plaguing us these past days. I was no longer optimistic or pessimistic but a true realist. I could only do what nature allowed me to do and that's it. After tying up to the wreck I was extremely pleased that the current had dropped somewhat. It was still present but very manageable. Finally, a minor victory that we would get a chance to dive a wreck that we set out for. I briefed all the divers on the conditions and indicated that today would be a good day to stay on the anchor line during your descent until the current slacked off on the bottom.

Another A-1 dive.

All the divers excitedly suited up and jumped in for the dive pulling themselves hand over hand down the anchor line in to the current until they vanished from sight. As they returned it was apparent that the dive was a huge hit. Decent 'vis', warm water in the mid eighties and plenty of Sand Tiger Sharks to be seen. Surprisingly, Jennifer and Alan requested we stay for two dives. "What the heck" I said. "Why not?" So we stayed for two dives on the Papoose ending the three day A-1 charter on a very high note for myself, my crew and all the divers. I was relieved. I managed to persevere the sea trials thrown at me over the last four days and have fun with safe dives on the wrecks of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Without fail, I'm sure that there will be plenty of tests in the future though. Maybe that's what makes diving here so exciting and this work so addicting.

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

PS: Photo Tips of the Week will be delayed due to the late hour, lack of dinner on the table and an early rise for a charter tomorrow.

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video excerpts from my documentary films and a complete underwater photographic portfolio of my work and purchase fine art prints and DVD's of my films.

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

August 9, 2011 - "Sharkfest 2011"

2011-08-09T22:26:00.042-04:00

Photo of the Week
Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the Atlas Tanker.
Note the growth on the teeth and mouth. (New)

The famous movie poster image of 'Jaws'.
1975©Courtesy of Universal Studios

When the movie 'Jaws' was released in 1975 I was a mere eight years old but remember clearly the terrifying experience seeing the film. In those days multiplexes did not exist as of yet and the theatre was a large screen in one large auditorium style room with a balcony. I remember standing in the lobby on a long line waiting for the previous viewing to end and the movie goers to exit. As each harrowing scene developed towards the climax of the movie, loud shrieks emanated out of the theatre from the viewers along with the blood curdling scream of Captain Quint as his thorax was crushed by the steel like Jaws of a Great White Shark. "Egads", I thought to myself. "what the heck is going on in there?". The only other time I ever heard screams like that was on Space Mountain at Disney World. I was terrified before I even got in to my seat. Even though I was scared out of my whits I still voluntarily entered the theatre with unabated curiosity. As the opening scene ominously developed (anyone who has ever seen Jaws knows this scene well) my toes clenched together and my eyes bugged out of my head while I completely forgot about the Milk Duds I was clutching in my hand.

Captain Quint meeting his fate.
1975©Courtesy of Universal Studios

As the scene ended and the daylight setting from the following scene illuminated the theatre my mind slowly came back in to consciousness and another Milk Dud finally found its way into my mouth. By the time I walked out of the theatre, I was thoroughly entertained by the film as well as totally freaked out. (It's ironic how these two emotions run hand in hand in our society.) Apparently, I wasn't the only one though. This film created a mass hysteria on the scale never before seen in the American public (maybe with the exception of Orson Welles radio production of War of the Worlds in 1938). People by the thousands were literally scared to go back in the water for the irrational fear that a leviathan with razor sharp teeth was going to eat them up. I myself do not recall missing a single day of swimming and snorkeling after that but maybe at that young age I was able to separate fact from fiction and that movies are not reality. Not only did the film create fear it also inadvertently created an animosity and stigma towards sharks that led to their wholesale slaughter. A slaughter that was unjustified. Shark attacks on humans are very rare considering the hundreds of millions of people who enter the water every year. The media however cashed in on this hysteria in the public and saturated the airwaves with stories of shark attacks real or imagined. Statistically, one has a better chance of getting struck by lighting then they do getting bitten by a shark but you would not have been told this my the media in 1975. Sharks became enemy number one and were fished on a massive scale and sometimes for sport with only photos taken and whole carcasses thrown in to the dumpster minus the jaws and teeth. Only today have sharks began to be better understood and given the respect they deserve as apex predators of the food chain and not man eaters. We as the human race have a long way to go in treating them as a vital part of the marine ecosystem and protecting them from extinction. For example, Sharks are still being slaughtered by the millions worldwide as a food source or exclusively for there shark fins which are used in Asian delicacies such as shark fin soup. The fins are cut off and the shark tossed back in to the ocean sometimes while still alive. Scientist indicate that many species of shark have been reduced by as much as 95% worldwide due to such wasteful practices as these.

There is hope for sharks yet. Many of you reading this blog are already aware that seeing a shark or sharks underwater while diving is a pinnacle experience and we sport divers pay good money to see them. Many countries such as the Bahamas, Palau and all of Micronesia have stood up and taken notice of this influx in tourist spending and are acting if not for the good will of sharks then for the improvement of the economy of there country by passing laws prohibiting fishing for sharks. They are starting to realize that a shark alive is worth considerably more money than a shark is dead.

Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the
Atlas Tanker. (New)

If this idea holds true anywhere it is in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Without a doubt Sand Tigers and sharks in general are a huge draw for divers at Olympus Dive Center. Barely a day goes by that a group does not request to see Sand Tiger Sharks on the way out to a dive on board the boat I captain, the Midnight Express. In fact, this past weekend Olympus was host to "Sharkfest 2011" led by Andy Murch and his company Elasmodiver.com. Andy is an accomplished underwater photographer specializing in, you guest it, sharks. He conducts diving excursions all over the world with groups of shark enthusiasts to such locations as, you guest it again, Morehead City, North Carolina. This year Andy brought 18 divers with him armed to the hilt with an assortment of point and shoot cameras as well as some heavy duty SLR's all with one main objective, to photograph Sand Tiger Sharks and whatever else with big teeth would swim close enough to them for a prized shot. On Friday August 5th, we were to start out the long weekend with a late afternoon dive and a night dive on the USCG Cutter Spar which has been notorious for the Sand Tiger Sharks that populate it. However, I will say with honesty that the Spar has not had nearly as many Sand Tigers on it as it has in years past although there are a few spotted each dive there this year.

"Captain Barracuda" in the helm station of the USCG Cutter Spar. (New)

The afternoon dive went well enough with a handful of sharks seen by my divers and I even managed to squeeze in a dive on the Spar. Not seeing very many sharks on the scene I swam up to the wheelhouse and spotted the usual school of Spadefish swarming around the watchtower. Right in the center of the tower was one enormous Barracuda. It became evident that this big fish was the master of his domain. Any time another Barracuda came too close to his perch he quickly chased them away. In addition there was another fairly large Barracuda that had a hook in its mouth and a leader dangling from it that was hanging around the perimeter of the 'bully' on the block. The weight and drag of this hook and line was enough to cause the fish to list to his left side. At some point in the dive the Barracuda swam in to the wheelhouse and just hung out. I swam in the opposite door being careful not to startle the fish. Amazingly, the Barracuda calmly hovered there for many minutes while I took numerous photos of him. After a little while I was able to approach within maybe 18 inches. I stopped taking photos for a minute while the two of us just stared at each other. I wanted to reach over and remove the hook or at least cut the leader and I had this weird feeling that the Cuda wanted me to do it. All of a sudden I was the Barracuda Whisperer and reached out to see if I could get close to the leader. At that point he decided enough was enough and made a hasty exit out the port side door. So much for my little fantasy of communicating with fish. It was an interesting but futile thought.

After this dive, due to some technical difficulties, I had to cancel the night dive and head in for the day with the promise that we would dive the Atlas Tanker the following day where many shark sightings on mass scale have been seen there this season already. If the conditions are good it could be a special treat.
Please visit www.evolutionunderwater.com and view some of the video shorts I shot there this season and read my previous Dive Blog Report, Sand Tiger Shark Invasion! from May 30th.

Sand Tiger Shark on the Atlas Tanker. (New)

Come Saturday morning the 'Midnight' made way for the Atlas Tanker as promised. The Atlas had not been dived for more than a week at this point so the dive conditions were unknown. The visibility in this section of the ocean has a tendency to be on the low side sometimes at only 5-10 feet but, Andy decided the risk was well worth it if there were to be an abundance of sharks to be seen. As we pulled up to the wreck the sea was calm with only a large ground swell bobbing the boat to and fro. My mate jumped in with the hook and had us secured in only a minute or two and radioed up to me on the com that visibility was a pretty 40 feet or more down on the wreck with a 'ton' of sharks swimming about. He said that he could see the dive boat from 90 feet! This was good news to Andy and the rest of the shark hounds on the boat. Many people who still do not understand that sharks are rarely problematic to humans, wonder why the heck we knowingly jump in to the water and swim with these creatures who want to eat us. They might add it's like jumping out of a perfectly good airplane even though you are wearing a parachute. Well, unless you have never felt the rush of jumping out of a plane you will never understand what it is like to swim with sharks. To do it is to understand it. With this said, it didn't take long for all my divers to get geared up and make the jump in to the water without their parachutes. One by one they headed down to get a glimpse of these awesome critters on their home turf.

Sand Tiger Shark on the Atlas Tanker. (New)

As each diver returned it became apparent that it was mission accomplished. Not only did they all get close encounters with the toothy kind, they got to see dozens of sharks all at once. The dive was so good it was decided immediately that we would do the second dive of the day on the Atlas as well. That was music to my ears. I grabbed my Nikon D300 and got suited up and made a nice long dive blazing away a few photos of the sharks with the wreck as a backdrop. I managed to score a few decent shots while enjoying myself to the fullest in the warm clear water.

After everyone had had their full of the Atlas for the day we headed home in calm seas and planned on diving the wreck of the Caribsea on Sunday, which is only a few miles away from the Atlas and is also home to a large population of Sand Tigers. Jumping ahead to Sunday morning we sadly had too strong of winds to safely make a dive this day. We had to cancel the charters (insert frown face here). At least the group had a fantastic day on Saturday with rare conditions on the Atlas. I can only hope that the two days of diving was enough for first timers to North Carolina diving to return again in the future to experience all that the region has to offer. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to take a few snapshots of the Sharkfest attendees to include in this blog so please forgive me for my blatant negligence.

On a closing note, there are lots of spaces available on the Midnight Express and Olympus for the month of August and September. Stop looking at your 401(k) and your IRA's and relieve the stress of the real world and GO DIVING! I'll see you soon.

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

Footnote: The author of 'Jaws', Peter Benchley, after the release of the movie, became an advocate for sharks and spent a significant part of his life educating the public about their true nature due to the unforeseen negative effect his book and subsequent film had on them.

Photo Tip of the Week

This weeks Photo Tip of the Week goes out there to anyone who is shooting with a point and shoot consumer camera or even an SLR camera set to 'program' or 'automatic' mode. One of the first things I tell someone who asks me how to take better photos is "are you shooting on manual mode?. "If not then it is time to start". A digital camera on program mode will select the aperture or f-stop and shutter speed based on the light the camera is reading and most often it does a poor job of it due to the fact that a camera cannot take in to account all of the conditions you are faced with. This holds especially true underwater. If you are content on taking simple snapshots then you need not read any further but if you want to start taking your photography up a big notch then start learning how shutter speed and aperture settings effect your images. So take the plunge and set your camera on manual mode and learn to use the light meter to determine ambient light conditions and how to set your f-stop and shutter speed accurately for optimal exposures. You will start to learn why your image is too dark or too light and how to adjust for it. In the beginning try to shoot without strobes to achieve good ambient light exposures. Once you start to understand the relationship between f-stops, shutter speeds and even iso settings you can add the fourth element of exposure which is the strobes. By shooting on Program mode you are doing yourself an injustice by not learning these basics of photography and the cause and effect of exposure settings. This blog will not go in depth on the subject of exposures though. It is merely to get you motivated to cross over from taking snapshots in program mode to taking top notch photographs in manual mode. Try it, I know you can do it.

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

August 3, 2011 - Blue Water + Calm Ocean + Sharks = Superb Diving

2011-08-03T20:42:00.003-04:00

To all those who are new to my blog to get the gist of it please read "Welcome Aboard" from the May 1, 2011 posting and peruse a few of my other Dive Blog Reports. Visit www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video shorts from the 2011 season at Olympus Dive Center and click here for more info about myself.

Image of the Week
Atlantic Spade Fish exiting from within
the wreck of the USCG Cutter Spar.

Recovering divers with the M/V Olympus in the background.

As of last Wednesday July 27th, the dive boats of Olympus Dive Center have been running dive charters every day and sometimes twice a day. The diving has been great, the weather has been great and even my attitude has been great. Well maybe that's pushing it. Regardless, it was a great week. We had a few days of inshore diving on the wreck of the 'Mighty' Indra as well as some great offshore adventures on the USS Schurz, the Aeolus and of course the reddest, hottest wreck dive on the East Coast, the W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose, which had some rockem' sockem' action with throngs of Caribbean Reef Sharks. My dive boat the Midnight Express was blessed with some quality divers this week as well, which are too many to name but, I will highlight two of the dive groups.

A cooperative Sand Tiger posing for the camera. (New)

Fearless leader and alias 'Bubble Boy', Rance Moore (on the left).

Starting off, on Thursday we had a group of veterinarians on board headed up by Rance Moore who is an avid diver and territory manager of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedic, which is a drug company for animals. Every time you take Fido or Fifi to the vet odds are Rance's company is behind the healing process. These vets weren't here to talk business though, they were here in Morehead City, NC to dive and dive they did. After hitting the shallow inshore wrecks of the Titan Tug and the Indra on the first day with much success, it was time to head offshore on Friday to the warm blue Gulf Stream water of the Atlantic Ocean. Without fail the first dive on the hit list was the German U-Boat, the U-352. What trip to North Carolina would be complete without touching the hull of this infamous WWII wreck? With visibility edging over 80 feet the dive sold itself.

Another satisfied diver.

All one needed to do was head down and glimpse the sub from the anchor line and it was deemed a dynamite dive. It was a winner for one and all. Once the U-352 was scratched from everyones bucket list it was a short hop over to the wreck of the USCG Cutter Spar. Visibility was not as stellar as the sub but decent all the same at around 50+ feet. The intact structure, shallower depths and prolific marine life added fuel to the fire for good diving. After this second day, a handful of Rance's people had to head home but about a half dozen of the group still remained for a dive on the USS Schurz and the Aeolus on Saturday with warm water and 'viz' as good as 80-100' benefitting them. Showing all the passengers great diving was a no brainer with conditions such as these. Drive the boat 2 hours in calm seas, tie the boat up to the wreck, tell everyone where the wreck is and push them over the side. Walla! Awesome dive. It's easier than boiling water. All the vets seemed to enjoy themselves to the core and I sure hope to see them all again soon.

That's a heckuva watermelon.

Chowing the melon at surface interval.,

Rance grinning from ear to ear.

More divers returning to the Midnight.

Must have been a good dive but don't forget your fins.

The Discover Diving gang from Buffalo, NY posing
with the deck gun of the U-352.

Once Rance and his people headed out of town a dive group of fourteen divers from Discover Diving arrived from Buffalo, NY headed up by Darryl and Dallas Edmiston. These folks were my continued lucky charm for I do not believe the seas were higher than two feet and the visibility less than forty for the three days they were here. The wrecks covered were the U-352, the Spar, the Aeolus and the W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose. There was not a bad dive to be had with the group favorite being the wreck of the Aeolus since they dived it a total of three times while here. The combo of banner 'viz', shark activity and diverse terrain of the wreck must have been the main draw. However, my personal highlight dive of the week with the Discover crowd was once again the W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose. If you refer to my previous blog The Year of the Shark you will learn that the Papoose has had some action already this year in the form of Caribbean Reef Sharks, Sand Tigers and even a Hammerhead or two for added color.

Dallas and his dive buds.

Since I had last been to the Papoose I continued to hear dive reports of continued shark sightings there and was anxious to go re-check out the scenery. On Monday, all of my divers requested a dive there and I was more than happy to oblige them. Once we arrived at the site I briefed everyone of the shark activity that has been happening there and indicated there would be no shame for anyone to sit this dive out if they had any reservations about diving with so many sharks. Not a single diver hesitated. They were tripping over themselves to jump in the water and head on down to see for themselves what all the hubbub was about. As the divers returned each one of them said they saw Sand Tiger Sharks with some indicating they spotted a few Reef Sharks and even a Hammerhead. Overall it sounded like an excellent dive without any unusual shark activity that has been reported. Once all were back on board it was now my turn. Armed with my video camera I jumped in a drifted down to the wreck. The sky this day was overcast reducing the visibility somewhat to around a dark and hazy 40 feet below the depth of 80 feet deep. Above 80 feet the water was considerably bluer and beautiful but still a dark blue. Utilizing an old trick I learned years ago in the Pacific I squeezed an empty plastic bottle underwater in order to draw in the usually shy Caribbean Reef Sharks. 'Crunch, crunch, crunch' went the sound and in shot a dozen or more Reef Sharks within seconds from all angles. The sound of the water bottle is uncannily like that of a shark biting through a fish carcass underwater. These 'guys' thought someone had bagged dinner and wanted some of the leftovers. With the video camera rolling and my water bottle crunching it was a piece of cake recording some fun video once again of these harmless 'Hyenas' of the ocean. In my experience, I have conducted more than 150 'shark feeds' in Truk Lagoon with the primary dinner guests being Reef Sharks such as these and not once did I ever see a shark threaten or come close to threatening myself or any other diver and this with blood and chum in the water. We have never used chum diving the wrecks in North Carolina. There has never been a need. All the while filming, I did not once feel like I was in danger. On the contrary, I was enthralled at watching these predators in action. I swam up and down the wreck and no matter where I went Reef Sharks circled around me, inspecting me, and trying to figure out what was going on. With so many sharks darting about I had difficulty composing shots. I would focus the camera on one group only to see a larger or closer group to my right or my left. After about 20 minutes I figured I had had enough. It was time to head up and get the divers over to the next wreck dive. Each and every time my head breaks the surface after an adrenaline pumping dive like this I feel as though these experiences summarize what diving is all about for me. In other words, without a little adventure, life is not worth living. I will let this video do the rest of my talking for me.

Click HERE to view the video:

"W.E. Hutton, aka Papoose
August 1, 2011"

Once we got back to the dock on Tuesday afternoon, it was time to shake hands with the 'Discover' crowd and wish them a safe but long drive back to Buffalo, NY. It was a pleasure having you and we hope to see you back this way again soon.

A Discover Diver getting the
'Midnight' fin treatment.

A Father and son team.

I must say despite some set backs with wind and waves this 2011 season, we are having some fantastic dive conditions over all. I just finished another dive today with flat calm seas and warm blue water. There are still many openings in August and September so call us up and come diving. I can't guarantee every dive will have oodles of sharks and 100 foot viz but I can guarantee that myself, my crew and everyone at Olympus are committed to trying our best to showing you the safest and best diving possible. I hope to see you all walking down the dock with tanks in hand and a smile on your face real soon.

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

Photo Tip of the Week

One of the biggest inquiries I get from photo enthusiasts is regarding strobes. "What kind of strobes do you use?", "How close do I need to be?", "Where do you place them?", etc. No matter what type of strobe you use to expose your subjects make sure you are within the limitations of your strobe units. If you are for example 10 feet away from your subject but your strobe light will only reach 5 feet then you are too far away and the strobe will have no effect other than lighting up particulates in the water column. I see this often where a diver will be shooting a fish about the size of a football from ten feet away with strobes that are only good up to around 2 feet. Learn what the range of your strobe lights by reading the manual and by taking test shots and reviewing the image in your LCD to see if your subject is exposed or not. Most consumer strobes have a range of only a few feet while professional strobes have considerable more power and range of up to 15 feet depending of course on what your F-stop is set at. Low F-stops will offer a wide aperture thus allowing the maximum amount of light to enter the camera. High F-stops will have smaller apertures cutting down the amount of light entering the camera. Experiment and test your strobes to figure out how close you need to be for your strobe units to have any effect on your subject at any given exposure setting.

As far as where to place the strobes. This all depends on what you are shooting and how far away you are shooting it from. There is no one position that will suit all of your photography. Macro or close focus wide angle you will have to pull your strobes in closer to the camera body. With wide angle you may have to stretch the arms out as far as they will go. What I tell most people is simply "place the strobes where you need the light". Assess your subject, pull your head back and see where the strobe beam is pointed. If it is not pointed where your subject is then make an adjustment. I prefer to also point my strobes slightly outward so I am using the fringe of the strobe beam rather then the strong focused center part of the beam. This may yield softer and more even exposures and alleviate the ever bothersome backscatter or specks of dust covering your shot. I do not recommend placing your strobes up high above the camera as I see so often. You will not expose the bottom half of your subject or frame. All of your light will be at the top of your image area. Unless this is what you desire then place the strobes at 3 and 9 o'clock for a more even exposure.

In closing, practice strobe usage by finding a subject that is stationary and experiment with strobe intensity and position while reviewing your images on the LCD. Do not be content on one position and one setting without trying different techniques. The photo of the week at the top of the page was shot with one strobe which was the bottom strobe creating a dark top and casting shadows and gradients on the Spade Fish. I merely shut my second strobe off after trying it with two. By trying different techniques I discovered that this worked the best.

Underwater Photographer, Federico.

"Hello Rance"

Add caption

Hand over hand down the anchor line...
just how we like it at Olympus.

Mike, I bet you thought you weren't going to make the blog.
See you soon!

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

July 25, 2011 - Summer Diving Heats Up!

2011-07-25T19:38:00.005-04:00

Photo of the Week. A large school of Atlantic Spade Fish cooperating
for the camera on the wreck of the USS Schurz. (New)

Up until this past weekend we were having top notch weather and dive conditions on the wrecks of the Graveyard of the Atlantic on board the boat I captain, the Midnight Express at Olympus Dive Center. Unfortunately, we have had a few heavy blow days the last couple of days canceling some charters but, I'm not going to dwell on the negatives and will report only the great dives we had since last Tuesday, July 19th.

After coming down from a high of having one of my personal top ten North Carolina dives on Monday July 18 (See last weeks Dive Blog Report "The Year of the Shark"), we headed back offshore with a new group of divers from various locations with the award for the furthest travelled going to Lazlo and Dorothya from Hungary. This couple however did not get dive together. The first day, Lazlo joined us and in conversation it was revealed that he was from Hungary. The second day, Dorothya dived with us and I asked "where are you from" where she answered, "Hungary", once again. I quickly said, "wow, we just had someone on board yesterday from Hungary, what a coincidence", where she then educated me that it was her husband that I met. She explained that they have children at home and were taking turns diving while the other watched the children. I was impressed by their commitment and ingenuity that allowed them to continue to dive even with little ones at home and also flattered that they would travel from so far and take the time to discover the great diving the Outer Banks has to offer. I hope we see the two of you again with many of your friends. PS: I know plenty of baby sitters I could put you in touch with.

Lazlo all the way from Hungary, watches the sharks while his
wife, Dorothya watches the kids. Don't worry ladies she got
her chance to swim with the fishes the next day.

The USS Schurz.

Anyway, back to the dives. With the weather cooperating and the offshore dive conditions excellent I headed the 'Midnight" due south to the WWI wreck of the USS Schurz for dive number one of the day. The ride out was uneventful in a good way. After my mate secured us to the wreck he radioed up to me from 110 feet that there was little to no current, water in the mid to upper seventies and visibility better than 50 feet on the bottom with clearer 'viz' higher up in the water column. It sounded like the recipe for a good dive. Without delay all of the divers geared up and headed down to the wreck for a dip. As they returned I began to get positive reports from the divers. "Beautiful", seemed to be the word most often used and that doesn't surprise me for the Schurz is a stunning wreck. She went down in 1917 and has been exposed to all the environmental elements nature has to throw at her the last 94 years on the ocean floor. There is not much left, without a trained eye and a steep imagination, to indicate that the Schurz was the hansom fighting ship of her day. However, she has been transformed in to something all together different but still hansom. She is a stunning and prolific marine ecosystem that has dismayed many a diver over the years who have been fortunate to have dived on her. For example, it is not unusual for the bait fish to be so thick that it reduces the 'viz' to a mere few feet. Divers would have to ascend 10-20 feet and hover over the wreck to be able to find their way again. Majestic Giant Southern Stingrays with hapless Cobia following behind like court jesters are spotted here regularly as well. Shark species are no stranger to this wreck either. Sand Bars, Bulls, Reefs and Sand Tiger Sharks are spotted from time to time and the list goes on and on.

A spearhead of Atlantic Spade Fish. Shot while hovering over the wreck
of the USS Schurz. (New)

On this day my first mate, John Thompson returned from his dive with his camera housing in hand and indicated that there was a large and well formed school of Atlantic Spade Fish swimming in mid water that had caught his cameras eye. Some would say "when you've seen one Spade Fish you've seen them all". Not quite, I say. When you see hundreds of Spade Fish huddled together in formation, sometimes chaotic and sometimes balletic it is rousing or even poetry in motion. Confused and bewildered Spades are even comical in a Keystone Cops kind of way. Regardless, they can be very entertaining depending on how you perceive them. I stowed the visual that John gave me in the back of my head while we finished collecting all the divers. With everyone back on board, I loaded my camera housing with my Nikon D300 and 12-24mm lens and jumped over the side with it and headed down to the Schurz. Sure enough the first thing that caught my attention was the school of Spade Fish. Without even making it to the bottom I went to work on this school of fish shooting with vengeance. I snapped shots of these fish by the dozen. Some with strobes, some without, some from the side and some from the bottom. In the end I think I had about 125 shots in total at times firing 3 frames per second.

More Spade Fish on the 'Schurz'. (New)

A famous underwater photographer, Jim Church, once said in not these exact words "throw enough mud on the wall and some of it will stick". And so it is with photography. The more images you take the better the chances for success. Following the school around in mid water upside down most of the time started to make me dizzy so I had to take a break and finally headed down to the wreck. As I swam halfway down the length of the wreck I saw a school of fish neatly hovering under an arch which was once one of the lifeboat davits on the Schurz deck. The curved shape made for a nice backdrop for the school so I fired off a few shots while alleviating the vertigo I got from the Spade Fish. Once finished and my wits returning and not feeling like I nailed the shot, I went back to the Spade Fish and interrogated them with my strobes some more. This time the entire school of fish surrounded and absorbed me within them with some bumping into my dome port. I fired off a few dozen more shots not even looking at the display. Pretty soon with my head spinning again it was time to ascend. In the end I was pretty happy with the results but never really feeling like I got what I wanted. But then again, this is how I feel most of the time which inspires me to go back and do it again and to do it better the next time or the next.

One of the lifeboat davits on the USS Schurz. (New)

Once the hook was pulled from the Schurz it was time to mosey over to the USCG Cutter Spar for dive two but, not before dropping my mate, Mike Phillips, on to a rock ledge to have his try at spearing a healthy grouper for his birthday. Some people send cards or gifts while I have different ideas for celebrating a birthday. The rock ledges are a nice diversion to the wrecks to those who dive wrecks all the time such as, the crew. Today we had two passengers who also brought their spearguns with them along with dive guide, Clint Etheridge, who in his spare time is the head of Eastern Carolina Universities (ECU) Dive Training Program. I can't remember his exact title but I'm sure it's something cool like, "Chief of Student SCUBA Divers". Clint in the summer season when school is out can be seen around the dive shop filling in for mates or guiding dives such as today. Many of his students past and present can be seen on the Olympus dive boats during the season. Overall the quality of the divers coming out of ECU is of a high caliper and it is always a pleasure to have them on board. (No, this is not a paid advertisement).

Standing on the bow of the Midnight Express,
First Mate, John Thompson and ECU Dive Training Exec,
Clint Etheridge on the right.

Diver, Welby Lloyd and his dinner.

I pulled up to an unknown waypoint on the GPS titled 'sweetness' and figured that it must have been a good spot. When I passed over the top the bottom contour dropped off indicating a steep ledge of about 10-15 feet in height while fish finder started showing some promise. With a yell I told all the divers to jump and head straight to the bottom. With calm seas and little current, eyeing the divers bubbles and thus keeping track of them was easy work. On rough days there is little hope that I would conduct a dive of this sort at all. The added fact that there was a hired guide in the water set me at ease as well. After about 20 minutes the divers emerged each with a nice Grouper and one with a Tautog or what we call up north, a Blackfish. Mike was the only one who had not bagged a fish but it made no matter to him. The season was young and there would be other opportunities.

Without further delay we would finish the second dive on the Spar. The Spar delivered another great dive for everyone with a handful of Sand Tiger Sharks adding company to the divers. The calm seas, clear skies, great viz and the fish laying on ice in the cooler made for a near perfect day. I myself was a happy camper that I got to take a few pics and get my hair wet (or what's left of it).

Diver with is Go Pro Vid camera.

Jorge knows I like happy divers.

Diver, Robert Puerifoy (no relation to Robert
Purifoy), after his dive.

On Wednesday, the weather continued to hold out very nicely so we headed straight for the W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose to revisit the scene of July 18th's dive with the Caribbean Reef Sharks (check out the video HERE). Sure enough most of the divers on this dive saw at least one if not numerous Reef Sharks on the Papoose not to mention a few Sand Tiger Sharks to boot. Judging by the buzz on the dive deck after the dive I would conclude that it was a successful dive for most everyone. Dive number two on the wreck of the Aeolus would also prove to be a great dive with yet another detour to a rock ledge for some spearfishing where more fish were landed. The week just keeps getting better! Sadly (insert frown face here), I would not go diving today since I felt the effects of a nasty cold coming on and did not want to make it worse by stressing my body out by diving. I learned my lesson years ago when I was younger and dumber (oh those wonderful days) when I used to guide dives when I could not stop hacking in to my regulator while toting a 100+ degree fever. The colds would last three times as long and were probably twice as bad because I didn't slow down. Today, I would only be able to hear the cool dive stories from the passengers (insert another frown face here).

Anne Slough and her dive buddy Annette.

When Thursday morning rolled around I was once again very pleased by the weather report and excited to get to work. Showing people a good time when the seas are flat and the dive conditions excellent is a breeze. It's when it is rough and dirty where it gets challenging but, I said earlier I wasn't going to dwell on the negatives. Today, I would have a small group of passengers along with my friend Anne Slough joining us. She was very happy when a last minute furlough was issued by her children that allowed her to sneak in one day of diving at Olympus. One day and only one day before returning to Super Mom status. My girlfriend Annette would join her for a fun dive on her day off and take a break from posing in front of my lens. The long short of this day was that it went off without a hitch.

Nate prepped for the jump.

Conditions continued to please divers, the seas were still fairly calm and there may have been a rainbow with synchronized jumping dolphins beneath it. The only problem was I was sicker than the day before (yet another frown face here). If I had known I was going to feel this crummy I would have sure as hell went diving on the Papoose. As soon as the boat got back, I packed my bags, hugged Anne (with face turned away) and sped home were I consumed a gallon of herbal tea, a few thousand milligrams of vitamin C and crashed out on the couch for the next 48 hours (are you feeling any pity yet?). Annette put up with my Grizzly Bear attitude while I went in to recovery and kept my eye on the NOAA web site.

Another satisfied customer.

The 'deer in headlights look'.

Ever since Thursday, the weather has held us back from diving while my health has slowly improved. As of Tuesday night the winds continue to blow and the hope that Mother Nature will grant us a reprieve from her repressive weather and allow us to head back out stays fresh in everyones mind.

I just wanted to thank all of the readers out there who have been enjoying this Dive Blog Report. I have a good time putting these together and am pleased at the positive feedback I have been getting. Keep in mind I accept and appreciate all comments if you care to leave any. I'll catch you all next week or on Facebook.

NEW!
Mike's Underwater Photography Tip of the Week

This weeks blog I'm going to start something different with the "Photo Tip of the Week" for those inspiring U/W photog's. I hope that any information I give can be of help in achieving great photos.

One of the first things I teach my students, who sign up for a photo course, is to become a good listener. Wether you come across a beginner or an expert photographer in the field there is always something you can learn from that person. In other words pay attention to what anyone has to say about photography. A photographer whose images you feel are below your par may be able to show you something about Photoshop or similar post photo processes. Those who are savvy in the technological advances of the latest greatest cameras and lenses can impart some great wisdom upon you in that area. One man in particular taught me a lot about workflow and file management which has nothing to do with the quality of the photo but is extremely important all the same. Try not to dismiss someone based on there lack of notoriety as well. Just because they are not famous or published does not mean they do not have great knowledge to pass on. Hear everyone's opinion on how to get great shots and weed out what doesn't work for you later.

When I first started shooting photography on board the Truk Aggressor II in Micronesia I had very little experience. Being isolated on this boat with little to no internet time or even access to a phone, I soaked up whatever knowledge I could from the guests on board my boat who passed through on a weekly basis. This way I had a constant stream of data coming at me. Some of it very valuable and some of it not so much but most of it useful in adding to my formula for taking great images.

Next week I will discuss the use of external strobe units for lighting your subjects. Until then...

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

July 18, 2011 - The Year of the Shark

2011-07-18T21:38:00.006-04:00

To all those who are new to my blog to get the gist of it please read "Welcome Aboard" from the May 1, 2011 posting and peruse a few of my other Dive Blog Reports. Click here for more info about myself.

Photo of the week.
Annette swimming wit da fishes.

If you Google "The Year of the Shark", the results are numerous and mixed. You will find news media sites claiming that years past and present were and are "The Year of the Shark" due to the unfortunate shark bite occurrences at the beaches each summer (but they don't mention how rare these attacks are) or you will find environmental groups claiming that the Sharks year is this year or some say last year or the year before in order to promote the conservation and protection of sharks (which I am wholeheartedly for). I'm not sure when the official "Year of the Shark" is though. All I can say is, this is my year of the shark, here diving on the wrecks of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I am continually impressed by the shear numbers and variety of shark species that I am seeing with my own eyes this season and I'm loving every minute of it. There are few marine species that get my attention like the top of the food chain dwellers. I just completed a dive today, on board my vessel the Midnight Express out of Olympus Dive Center, on the wreck of the W.E Hutton a.k.a. Papoose some 33 nautical miles south of Beaufort Inlet. It was stunning and adrenaline pumping to say the least. My charter was a group from Canada that trekked all the way down to Morehead City to check out the diving. On their first day they get 5-10 knot winds, calm seas and a smooth ride all the way out to the Hutton a.k.a. Papoose. When your lucky your lucky.

Annette on the wreck of the
USCG Cutter Spar. (New)

My first mate, John Thompson, was on deck to set the hook today once we arrived on site. He reported up to me on the com that there was a hazy 40-50 foot of visibility with a mild current running down the length of the wreck. He also confirmed yet another report of many this season that there were Caribbean Reef Sharks in multitudes swimming in mid-water. Due to the moderate viz it was hard to determine the quantity of these sharks. There were of course the usual Sand Tiger Shark residents wandering around the wreck as well but when the much rarer Caribbean Reef Shark shows up the Sand Tigers suddenly take a back seat. My divers in a timely fashion began to take to the water like seals from a floating dock. One by one they slipped in to the water from the deck of the 'Midnight'. As divers return, I always ask them "how was your dive?" For one, I want to make sure all went well from a safety standpoint and that no problems arose. Secondly I want to know if they are enjoying themselves for when they do have a good time I feel a higher level of satisfaction in a job well done. Lastly, I'm scoping out ideas for photo or video shoots. In other words, I want to know what's hot and what's not on the bottom. Today my ears perk up every time someone mentions they saw some sharks that weren't Sand Tigers.

Annette outside the pilot house on the Spar. (New)

Once everyone is back on board, I decide that with the hazy viz and the chance of seeing numerous Caribbean Reef Sharks that video might be the best way to capture this exciting dive. So I load up my old faithful video camera and jump in to the water for a dive on the 'Papoosie'. My descent down was fairly uneventful. The usual Barracudas loitering around under the boat made their presence known as well as the passerby Jacks and schools of bait fish. After a few minutes I finally see a Caribbean Reef Shark off in the distance in mid water of depths of around 80-90 feet. Then I see another and another. Of course the video camera is rolling. Then I try an old trick from the days of when I used to conduct shark dives in Truk Lagoon. I would take a dive knife and tap it hard on my dive tank producing a clanging noise. As I did that today on the Papoose the sound was like a dinner bell to Cowhands on a cattle drive. The sharks suddenly came in from all angles swimming directly at me until the last second before turning away realizing that all that racket was not a meal but an obnoxious SCUBA diver banging his tank. In the back I could see a dozen more cruising by on all levels. Some were above me and others below. I had never in my life seen so many Caribbean Reef Sharks accumulate in one spot even when there was chum in the water. There were so many around me I could not begin to count them and I could only see 40-50 feet away. How many more were lurking outside of my range of vision?

The maximum depth on this dive was 120 feet and I was drifting at around 80 feet. As long as I could see the wreck below I could find my way back to the anchor line. What I had to try to avoid was drifting off the wreck in to the sand while in awe of the Sharks and not be able to navigate back to my boat. As I started my swim back up current I noticed the shark population dwindling. I tried rapping on my tank again to bring them back in to me but they are smarter than you think. They didn't fall for that prank again. After a few minutes I barely noticed a single Caribbean Reef Shark. I took a glance at my dive computer and realized it was time to ascend. I climbed back up on to the boat and took a deep breath and chalked up this dive as one of my top ten North Carolina dive experiences. You will now have to click on the link below to see the video short of this dive. Seeing is believing.

Click HERE for a link to my web site and the "Year of the Shark" video. It will be the first thumbnail in gallery.

The past three day weekend produced some great diving as well. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday another group from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, "The Dive Shop" came a calling to Olympus Dive Center headed up by part owner/operator, Arin Centrone. My first impression at 0600 in the morning on Friday was that I was in for another zany weekend of Jersey divers based on the high decibel sound level coming from the dive deck. Well, I was right, it was zany but in a great way. The entire group from "The Dive Shop" conducted themselves professionally and with superb dive skills. When I had to tell them the first day that weather conditions mandated that we stay closer to shore in shallower water to avoid rough seas, they didn't blink an eye. They merely said "we just want to go diving". My favorite kind of customer. So we headed over to my ace in the whole spot and made a pair of dives on the USS Indra. Depending on who you talk to depends on how good a dive the Indra is. Some love it while others tolerate it. All my divers from Cherry Hill seem to have loved it or, at the very least, liked it a lot. Needless to say even though we were inshore diving the winds were strong enough that the 'Midnight' was pitching and yawing pretty hard but these Jersey pros had no trouble with the sea state.

Some of "The Dive Shop" divers gearing up.

The next morning proved yet again to be much the same weather as the day before meaning we would have to stay close to shore yet again and dive the wreck of the Ario and the Suloide back to back. Both of these wrecks were sunk in WWII and were depth charged by the US government due to their being a navigational hazard thus creating 400 foot long debris fields. For the second day in a row the Jersey team made the dives in 20-30 feet of viz with smiles on there faces and had a great time even though they had not yet made it offshore.

Day three, Sunday July 17 however, would yield different results. The winds would lay down allowing us to make the milk run offshore to the USCG Cutter Spar. With warm water in the mid to upper seventies and the viz ranging from 40-60 feet (depending on who you speak to) the dive would go so well that they decided they wanted a second shot at the Spar. I was happy to oblige and very relieved that we managed to get out to one of the 'must dives' of the Outer Banks. My underwater model and girlfriend, Annette joined me for diving on her day off until I put her to work posing for me on the Spar with the Sharks and massive school of Spade Fish. I managed to get a few decent photos rounding out the day on a high note.

A few more of the guys from "The Dive Shop".

Surface interval on the sundeck with the Olympus in the background.

Diver preparing to make the jump.

Once we made it back to the dock Arin and her dive team would have to pack up and drive all the way back to Jersey that evening. I was very pleased to have taken such a well trained and easy going bunch of divers out for three days. I hope they all return again next year. It was good fun.

The hour is running late so forgive me for rushing and leaving behind a few typos and brief stories in the process. The Midnight Express and Olympus have very busy schedules this week with outstanding conditions. I have but a few hours left to eat and sleep before heading back out tomorrow. I will have another blog posting early next week so stay tuned.

Happy Diving!

-Mike Gerken

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

July 12, 2011 - SUDS & Subs

2011-07-12T22:02:00.002-04:00

Sand Tiger Shark inside the wreck of the Aeolus. (New)

This past week at Olympus Dive Center had a few ups and downs but, in the end, the ups made it all worth while. The boat that I captain, the Midnight Express, had a few days off in the mid week with a break in the lull on Thursday, July 7 with a trip to the wrecks of the Atlas Tanker and the Caribsea. The action on both of these sites was up to par for the season with around 30 foot of visibility, water temps on the bottom climbing in to the mid-seventies and the usual Sand Tiger Sharks gathering in mass on both sites. (See photos and video from the Atlas in last weeks Blog, "Joisey Divers".) Many of the passengers on board had experienced some adverse weather during the week and were extremely pleased that we made it out to these wreck sites and to swim with the sharks. With this successful day under our belts the next two days would not prove to be so fruitful. On Friday and Saturday Mother Nature landed another one-two punch to our nether regions in the form of 20-25 knot winds and seas building as high as eight feet thus grounding the Olympus fleet from diving activities. Everyone was, to say the least, a little vexed with this weather set back including the men from SUDS.

SUDS divers from left to right Joe Yantz, Shane Heath, John Doherty, Matt
White, Tyler Anderson and Dave McRaney. (photo courtesy of Danny Fachiola)

SUDS or Soldiers Undertaking Disabled SCUBA is a 501(c) 3 non-for-profit organization and chapter of the Wounded Warrior / Disabled Sports Project founded by the Midnight Express's very own first mate, John Thompson, in Feb 2007. Based out of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, SUDS is designed to train our wounded war veterans from Irag and Afghanistan to participate in SCUBA diving offering them a fulfilling and challenging activity that can help facilitate the rehabilitation process, promote mobility and not to mention offer an opportunity for some fun while their at it. If anyone deserves to have a good time, it's these men, who made untold sacrifices in the defense of their country.

Midnight Express first mate
and founder of SUDS, John Thompson.

In 2007, John Thompson, while volunteering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was deeply moved by the men and women he saw healing from horrific wounds sustained in battle. Feeling an overwhelming sense of duty to help them in what ever way he could, John decided to do what he knew best and that was teach them to dive with their disabilities. With a staff of more than a dozen men and women volunteers John set up the SUDS program which to date has certified more than 300 men and women to dive in locations such as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, St. John, Curacao, South Florida, Puerto Rico and of course the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Olympus Dive Center.

The dive boat Olympus of Olympus Dive Center.

This weekend past, Olympus Dive Center would be host to six men from SUDS on board the company flag ship, M/V Olympus captained by Robert Purifoy but, as I just mentioned the first two days of their three day excursion were 'blown out' due to foul weather. That didn't stop these men from doing what they came here to do and that was to train and dive. On Friday and Saturday the SUDS guys went to a nearby quarry where SUDS member John Doherty performed his open water check out dives and passed with flying colors. Welcome to the club John! The other SUDS guys Joe Yantz, Matt White, Tyler Anderson and Dave McRaney took part in a wreck diver specialty course with Olympus instructor Jon Belasario and by all accounts they exceeded expectations once again.

The SUDS Team training at the quarry.

Mean while, veteran SUDS diver, Shane Heath stood by and supported the others in their training as part of his Divemaster program, which he is currently enrolled in. Most instructors, including myself, who have trained military personnel agree that it is always a pleasure to teach them for the simple fact that they are apt at listening and carrying out instructions with precision. It's apparent they are a product of outstanding training in the military and it carries over to their civilian lives as well. Over all the trip to the quarry was a very productive one for them all even though they did not make it offshore to dive the wrecks the first two days.

Celebrity guest mate on board the "Midnight",
Gavin Vollmer of the Olympus.

However, the entire weekend was not a wash out for offshore diving for the SUDS men. Mother Nature granted us a reprieve from the high winds and seas allowing us a dive day on Sunday July 10th. Although the ocean was still a bumpy mess with 3-4 foot ground swells leftover from the previous 48 hours of blustery weather, it was safe and manageable enough to make it out to the wrecks of the USCG Cutter Spar with the SUDS men on board the Olympus. John wanting to be there for the guys traded places with Olympus mate, Gavin Vollmer for the day. Unfortunately, I would not have the honor of taking these men out diving on the 'Midnight' but I did received a full report at the end of the day.

Secretary of SUDS and Olympus employee,
Danny Facciola.

As told by SUDS secretary, Danny Facciola the day offshore for the men went without a tangle in every way but one. Many of the guys apparently were feeling a little under the weather due to the unsettled seas and their defiant attitude towards Mother Ocean by staying out late the night before and not getting enough rest. She has a way of humbling even the toughest 'salt' and these military vets were no exception. When the guys were done hanging their heads over the rail, they sucked it up and donned their gear on the swim deck and made a forward roll in to the water. All the men met on the hang lines under the boat and performed 'bubble checks' on each other looking for any gas leaks from their gear. With everyone passing this test four of the guys Joe, Matt, Tyler and Dave accompanied Jon Belasario for wreck diver specialty skills down on to the Spar. The visibility was around 40 feet and there was a slight current that would test these men a little more. Jon would drill them on gear configuration and the utilization of wreck reels, which is a spool of string that is used for navigation in and around wrecks. Gear configuration is very important in diving. Knowing where your gear is and how to access it quickly at all times is critical. For some of these men these skills are made more difficult when having to use prosthetics. The word has it that all four did marvelously on the dive. While these guys were off getting tested, newly certified diver John Doherty stayed close with divemaster candidate, Shane Heath and instructor Danny Facciola and swam around the wreck checking out the schools of Atlantic Spade Fish and Sand Tiger Sharks on the wreck.

"Someone stop the boat from moving"

The SUDS divers hangin' out.

On dive two on the Spar the wreck diver candidates penetrated in to the wreck as part of the course training. Entering a dive environment that has no immediate exit over head can be a little tricky but, with the correct training and use of underwater lighting systems and wreck reels it can be exciting good fun. All of the guys did great and even when Matt White dropped his light he handled the situation like a pro and managed to deal with the problem and find his way out safely with the team. By all accounts the guys had a blast and learned a lot at the same time.

I wish I had the opportunity to dive with the SUDS team but my schedule on the 'Midnight' did not allow for this. At least Danny and John had some good stories for me. For example, the other night over dinner at a local restaurant John, the SUDS guys and Danny were approached by the waitress after she brought their meals and said, "are you missing anything?" Without delay one guy humbly says, "well, I'm missing a leg", while another indicates, "I'm missing several fingers" and so on. The waitress immediately turned crimson red and ran back to the kitchen not knowing how to retort. She had just become another victim of a group of men whose desire to have one of many needed laughs, at their own expense, was more important then not embarrassing the waitress. You gotta love their sense of humor. I personally am pleased that the SUDS guys squeezed off a couple of successful dives on Monday and completed some courses in the down time. I truly hope that SCUBA diving will continue to be a part of each of their lives and become as important to them as it is to me.

The SUDS Team posing in front of Olympus Dive Centers statue of Neptune.

The only down side to Sunday's diving was losing my first mate, John to the Olympus. You see, the only way I can safely and legally go diving from the boat that I am captaining is if there is another qualified and licensed captain on board while I'm diving. John happens to be a licensed captain and my ticket to dive as well. With him gone I was stuck being a bubble watcher from the surface. Missing a day of diving is no big deal. I knew I would have plenty of dive opportunities ahead of me this season and giving up a dive is the least I could do for SUDS. It was for a good cause.

A Few of the gang from "The Dive Shop" readying for
a dive on board the Midnight Express.

Along for the ride on the 'Midnight' on Sunday was a group from "The Dive Shop" visiting us from Fairfax, VA with first timers to the Outer Banks dive experience. We also had on board with us a group representing Venturing Crew, a Boy Scouts of America(BSA) program you can read all about in this link provided. Headed up by 17 year old Rachel Eddowes this group of four individuals would certainly be doing some 'venturing' today wreck diving in the Atlantic Ocean. The dive conditions for the Spar were as described above with all divers indicating they had a great time and were relieved that the weather cooperated so we could get out to enjoy the day of diving. Once the Spar was crossed off the hit list we pulled anchor and got underway for the arduous journey over to the wreck of the Aeolus 400 feet away while the Olympus kept their parking spot on the Spar. Both wrecks were sunk as part of the North Carolina artificial reef program around twelve years or so apart. When the powers to be sunk the Spar it was feared that is fell atop the Aeolus. As luck would have it that did not occur. They are two distinct wreck sites in close proximity to each other that are both great dives. The Aeolus in actuality is two different dives.

"The Dive Shop" instructor, and group leader,
Martin L'Heureux.

Barbie taking Barbie for a dive.

SCUBA Barbie wearing the
latest in dive fashion.

Sand Tiger Shark within the wreck
of the Aeolus. (New)

More than ten years ago a massive hurricane swept through the region and ripped the ship in to two large pieces with many smaller ones separating the bow section from the stern section across a 150 foot debris field that is difficult to navigate across. We would be diving the bow section today. I briefed everyone on the wreck and asked them to please not get lost while trying to reach the stern section since making free ascents away from the dive boat in the open ocean is a dangerous undertaking when currents can sweep divers away. On this very calm day it would be less dangerous but very inconvenient for my crew who would have to swim out several hundred feet of tag line and tow them back to the boat. Everyone made it in to the water for their dive without incident and when all divers who explored the Aeolus returned they reported a great great dive with multitudes of marine life in clear warm water. I would have to take their word for it today and wait until tomorrow to get to see the Aeolus with my own eyes.

Surface interval with Venture Crew and "The Dive Shop" divers
on the sundeck of the 'Midnight' on a calm day.

On a brief note, after the full day passengers were dropped off at the dock, I took the Midnight Express back out for a single tank dive in the afternoon to the wreck of the USS Indra otherwise, jokingly known as the Indra Doria, after the famous luxury liner that sunk of the coast of New York in 1956 or the Indra Maru, after the outstanding Japanese wreck dives of Truk Lagoon, which are mostly merchant ships or Maru's. The full boat was rounded out by the dive club Cape Cod Divers who are with us all week. More on them in the next blog report. The conditions were a respectable 20 feet of visibility and 77 degree water top to bottom. Considering there were 6 foot seas rolling over this wreck the day before we were happy to find the conditions this good.

Cape Cod Divers Troy, Bryan and Jodi.

Olympus Dive Instructor, notorious 'Aunt"
killer and my girlfriend, Annette Papa hamming
it up for the camera.

Monday, July 11
After crawling out of bed on Monday morning at 0445 I head to the kitchen to grab my equivalent of a cup of coffee, a large glass of orange juice and discover a marauding army of brown ants had taken over my galley. There was a line of them traversing my ceiling right in to the cupboard as well as a swarm in the sink devouring the scraps of jam in a jar left there the day previous. Now, I don't have a problem with insects and with my travel experience I am no stranger to them and even worse vermin. They have a purpose in the grand scheme of things but, once they make the mistake of invading my home and space the gloves come off. I wanted to start decimating them immediately but I had to get to work so I set off writing my girlfriend Annette a letter indicating the problem and what to do about it when she awoke. "Buy aunt poison and kill them all!" I write bold faced. Annette must have been a little distraught as to why I wanted to poison her aunts but she figured out my typo in the nick of time. Fast forwarding to the end of the day I come home and there is Annette armed to the teeth with ant traps, spray guns and even non-carcinogenic remedies she brewed up from recipes found on Google. 'Zap', she hits an unarmed ant on the window sill. She had the look of a killer on her face who had just seen battle. There were dead ants (not aunts thank goodness) everywhere. I asked "did you spend your entire day off from work killing ants?" where she answered excitedly "they mess with the bull they get the horns". That's my girl!

An office with a serious view.

While Annette was putting notches in her gun I was heading offshore to the wreck of the Aeolus once again but, this time to explore the other half of the ship, the stern section. We had on board the group from "The Dive Shop" and the Cape Cod Divers as well. The trip out was one of the nicest I have had all season. With a gentle ground swell rolling out of the southwest and barely a puff of wind, the ride was more than comfortable but delightful. First mate, John Thompson, found his way back on board the 'Midnight' and would have the honor of jumping in to tie us off to the upper section of the Aeolus. Once he secures us to the wreck he informs me that the viz is a little better than yesterday and that there is a NST (non Sand Tiger) shark roaming about as well as a half dozen ST's as well. I once again brief the divers and add on at the end that I want everyone to check and recheck everything before they head in to the water. "It's the calm days where divers get lax and forget something so let's be on our toes today" I say. Everyone agreed.

Venture Crew leader Rachel Eddowes enjoying a snorkel after her dive.

Perfect giant stride entry by ECU's finest Stephanie Harper.
Love those fins!

Stephanie, chalking up another awesome dive towards
her nitrox certification.

Notice the flat calm seas behind this returning diver.

Don't forget your fins.

Jodi, Bryan and Troy from Cape Cod Divers are sporting state of the art rebreather dive units and are the first ones ready to make the jump without delay in to the water. David, also from the Cape, follows after them with a comfy dry suit and a standard open circuit SCUBA unit. The other divers, some of which are novices, look at these crazy looking rebreather rigs and say "where are they going...outer space?". "In a way, sure", I say to myself. The rest of the gang waste little time and with the calm seas and the steady boat gearing up and entering the water is a piece of cake. As the divers begin to return, all with smiles on there faces, I get reports of Sand Tiger Sharks milling around unconcerned inside the mid section of the wreck. I immediately have a dive plan set in my head that includes snapping some pictures of these sharks within the wreck with ambient light shining in from the sides and ceiling. All the divers make it back safe and sound each with positive things to say about their dive. Finally, I can climb in to my gear, which has been collecting dry rot in the corner of the dive deck for the last week, and head down for a much needed dive on the Aeolus.

Dale gearing up for a splash on the Aeolus.

As I swim down the anchor line, the first thing I see is what I believe to be a Gray Reef Shark or a Sand Bar Shark cruising by in mid water but, I was not sure which one due to it being too far away to tell. I could have hovered around and waited for it to come back but, I had a dive plan in my head and I was going to stick to it. I start off heading down the port side companionway in the hopes of seeing a shark swimming towards me and firing off a few shots. As luck would have it I see one heading towards me but I notice from the distance that it was a newborn at no longer than 3 feet or so in length. I squeeze off a shot or two but the little guy was barely noticeable in the frame so I moved on. As I look to my right inside the remains of the wreck I can see shadows lurking around inside that were most likely Sand Tiger Sharks.

Sand Tiger Shark in the companionway. (New)

Another perfect pose from my fave model. (New)

Up close and personal with Carcharias Taurus. (New)

Getting shots of sharks inside the wreck to me is very desirable. Sharks by themselves are interesting but, when you can combine them with another element such as a phenomenal ship wreck you can achieve an even more eye grabbing shot. As I rounded the corner at the end of the companionway, I look inside and sure enough there are several sharks swimming about with little concern to my presence. I set my strobes and my exposure and find a good spot with an interesting backdrop to start blazing away. The repeated bright glare and flash from my strobes does not alarm them at all and they continue to swim around in circles offering perfect poses to my lens. "What luck", I say to myself. "I can't find humans that can pose this well" After about 30 minutes my dive computer tells me it is time to go. I could have easily sat there for another 30 minutes and shot more but duty called and it was time to return to the boat. After climbing the ladders I had a great sense of accomplishment. The dive was great, I nailed a few decent photos and everyone was having a great time on this calm day on the ocean. This is what it is all about. The rough weather, the greasy boat maintenance, the early rises etc. It is all worth it.

"What! Paparazzi on the Midnight?"

Sea fans such as you see on the bottom
add stunning color to the wreck of
the Aeolus. (New)

Our second dive this day was to be on the U-352. Most had never been on this epic German WWII sub and those that had were more than happy to do it again. The visibility was at least 50 feet while other reported 70 feet. Bryan Burnham from Cape Cod Divers stated "to be able to see so much of the sub at once was great!" Similar comments continued to come in from the other divers as they returned to the deck. I love days like this but sadly, the days diving was over and it was time to head home once the last diver emerged. The ride in was beautiful. I had hoped that a pod of dolphins would join us and ride along our bow but I guess I was asking for too much on this already near perfect day. Dolphins would not do us the honor by showing up at my invite. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

To those whose names and photos did not appear in this Blog my humblest apologies. Thanks for joining us on board the Midnight Express and I hope to see you back at Olympus Dive Center soon.

If you enjoyed my Dive Blog Report and think a friend would too, please share the link at the side bar on the right.

Lunch time on the 'Midnight'.

See below for the shameless self promotion

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If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

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Mike Gerken

July 4th Weekend, 2011 - Joisey Divers

2011-07-05T19:24:00.004-04:00

To all those who are new to my blog to get the gist of it please read "Welcome Aboard" from the May 1, 2011 posting and peruse a few of my other Dive Blog Reports. Click here on Mike Gerken for more info about myself.

Photo of the Week. (new)
Sand Tiger Shark Extraordinaire.

This past 4th of July weekend Olympus Dive Center was beset upon by a pack of irrepressible New Jersey divers from the renowned Ocean Explorers dive shop in Edison, NJ. Owned and Operated by Jim Masters and Donna Gunn the 'Explorers' have been loyal repeat customers at Olympus and have been bringing very diverse, well trained and enthusiastic divers to experience the wrecks of the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic' of North Carolina for more than ten years. I first met Jim and Donna around 1998 when I was instructing and part time crewing for the now defunct Diamond Shoals Dive Center located in Hatteras, North Carolina. I clearly remember diving with them on board the M/V Gunsmoke, a 44' crew boat much like the boat I captain today, the Midnight Express. Heading south out of Hatteras Inlet we would dive WWII casualty wrecks such as the Dixie Arrow, British Spendour and the F.W. Abrams as well as the late 19th century passenger liner, the Proteous. Little did I know at the time that I would continue to dive with Jim & Donna and their dive groups several years later when I started crewing for Robert Purifoy at Olympus in 2001. We had many great dives on the Atlas Tanker, W.E. Hutton; aka Papoose and the Caribsea. It was diving the Caribsea with the 'Explorers' where we had one of the most memorable dives when we encountered three large Manta Rays. (Read more about this in a future blog "My Top Ten Dives").

A resident of the Atlas Tanker. (new)

In 2003 I left for Truk Lagoon, Micronesia to work on the dive liveaboards that operate there taking divers to see the famous Japanese wrecks from WWII (once again, more about my Truk days in future blogs). During my first year in Truk I heard Jim & Donna would be coming there with one of their groups and sure enough while guiding a dive on the wreck of the Fujikawa Maru there was Donna swimming up to me on the foredeck at 80 feet and giving me a big hug with full SCUBA gear on while saying "hi sweety so nice to see you" she would murmur with endearing giggles attached. Yes, she is very apt at speaking legible full sentences underwater and don't ask me how she does it. I don't think I managed to see them above water on this trip but connecting underwater is the way we do things sometimes. Finally, in 2009, after returning to Olympus I would once again be diving with the Ocean Explorers but this time as there captain on the Midnight Express. This past weekend July 2 thru 4, 2011 delivered yet again another memorable dive experience with the gang from 'Joisey'. I have been host to this bunch for three years running with many of the same faces returning each year bringing their brand of 'northeast' humor and shenanigans with them.

Annette Papa on board the Midnight Express.

My first season back with Olympus was when I first met Ocean Explorer, Annette Papa who with her cheeky personality had caught my attention. For some odd reason I caught her eye as well and here we are two years later living together and working at Olympus as a happy couple. She is now a dive instructor with the dive center after making the 'great escape' from the rat race of New York City earlier this year. I had warned her about all the negatives of the lifestyle such as double the work for less pay but also pointed out how fulfilling the work can be. (see blog posting "The Coolest Job" dated June 14, 2011.) She wanted a change and she got it and is loving every minute of it especially when her dive buddies from 'Joisey' come for a visit.
They started to arrive early in the afternoon on Friday, July 1 while the bulk of the group got in later in the day. Some like to beat the rush so they can get a good spot on the boat and irk those that didn't have the forethought to get there earlier. There really isn't a 'best' spot on the boat though but, some divers have there 'fave' location on the bench and you can't tell them any different. A few of these guys stand pretty tall so they can sit anywhere they want as far as I'm concerned as long as it isn't in my helm chair.

A busy dive deck with Ocean Explorers from New Jersey.

By the end of the day everyone arrived at the dock to take care of loading the equipment on to the boat. They wisely know that getting this task out of the way the day before is the best way to do it. Wake up, drive down to the boat, take care of a few odds and ends, grab your boarding pass and climb on to the boat and drink your coffee in peace while you wait for the boat to head out. When I arrived at the dock at 0545 on Saturday the Midnight Express was loaded up neatly and efficiently as usual. There were a few modifications to the tank arrangements and gear stowage but for the most part this group, as usual, showed that this isn't going to be their first rodeo. Clearly they have done this before and those in the group that are new to the North Carolina dive experience are thoroughly trained by Jim & Donna and their instructors on the proper protocol of boat diving at Olympus.

Ocean Explorer, Rob, loves to go diving. Two thumbs up!

After I go through my usual routine of prepping the boat and warming the engines up I sit and wait for the gang to arrive. One after the other they begin to march down to the end of the dock. The familiar faces Glen, Rob, Joe, Mark, Rich, Vu, Jay, Deborah and Karen appear and make their presence known. Some newer faces Amanda, Cheryl, Hideki and Scott (My apologies to those I forgot to list) arrive as well with some of them wearing that look of "what am I getting myself into" written on their faces. Not so much due to the unknown diving that lay so near ahead but from having to share a 48' long dive boat with the antics of the animated veteran NC divers from 'Joisey'. She is a spacious boat but sometimes not spacious enough (and you guys know what I mean). In a few hours they will have a clear answer to this question. All the hard work, travel, expenses and dealing with rambunctious passengers (I'm trying to be polite) become a non issue when your at 100' diving on a historic 475' long wreck with a 8'-10' Sand Tiger Shark swimming under your nose. In fact on this day there would be dozens of Sand Tiger Sharks to be seen.

Just a few of the dozens of denizens of the Atlas Tanker, Outer Banks, NC. (new)

Jim & Donna show up with a mental agenda that they know like the back of their hand. They have been on this trip and many others around the world and are travel experts as well as dive experts. Being organized is important step in adventure seeking and they know how to do it right. We talk a little on the dock about where to go diving today and I tell them the weather is looking very good with light winds and near flat seas. "The ocean is our oyster" I indicate and I can take them to anywhere they want to go within range. As Jim & Donna are thinking it over my crew and I prepare to get underway on schedule. Roll call is made, last call is announced and dock lines are cast off. Everyone, including myself, settles in for the beautiful ride out to Beaufort Inlet. Before I get there it was decided by all that we would be going to the Atlas Tanker where the best shark action so far this year has been. (see previous blog dive report, "Sand Tiger Shark Invasion" from May 30th.) Many of the group wanted to dive the German U-Boat the U-352 but since the weather forecast was very promising it was decided to hit that dive site the following day.

We make good time today heading over to the east side of Lookout Shoals to the resting location of the Atlas Tanker. The Atlas was sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat and now rests in 110' to 115' of water with the shallowest sections in around 90' of water. We will anchor up to the highest section towards the bow since the visibility on this wreck tends to be better the shallower you go. There always seems to be a layer of cooler, dirtier water the last 15 to 20'. My mate John Thomson is on deck for today's tie in. He grabs the hook and chain and makes his patented jump in to the water holding his SLR housed camera and heads straight down into shark infested waters. (To us divers the more infested the better it is.) Once he gets the boat tied in he radios up and indicates there is about 30' of visibility.

Sand Tiger Shark on the Atlas. (new)

The sun at this time was playing hard to get and if it were sunny the viz would have been 20-30 percent better. These conditions on this wreck are slightly above average and this is good news. John also tells me that on the way down he has seen more sharks on the wreck then ever before. I clearly remember when I used to mate for Robert Purifoy on the 'Midnight' years ago that some of the anchor rides down to this wreck were hairy good fun. Sometimes there would be so many sharks below you that you would have to extend the hook and chain beneath you and rattle the chain to make a path through the mass of sharks. Great adrenaline pumping fun it was.

Yet another Sand Tiger Shark or do I keep seeing the same over and over? (New)

Once the boat is secured I proceed to give the briefing to which many on board had heard many times before but still remained attentive and respectful while I tried to convey some important tips on diving with hordes of Sand Tigers to the newcomers. Once the pool was officially opened it did not take much effort to get everyone safely in the water on their way down to the wreck. As I said before, the Ocean Explorers have there s!*# together. I love this group for that reason. Now all the crew and I could do was sit, wait and try to fend off the throngs of small fishing boats that all seemed to want to troll on the same 50 feet of wreck that I was on with little regard for the other 400 feet of wreck that lie to my port side. The dive flag means little to some I guess. After a spell the 'Joisey' boys begin to return one after the other with text book attacks on the ladders. One by one they climb aboard and settle there gear back in to the spot they started with being careful not to leave weight belts, fins and masks strewn about the deck or slam their heads on the canopy railing while stepping aboard (I told you these guys are big). I had twenty divers in total on this day making it a full boat but you would have never know it. If you ever want to score points with a dive boat captain then follow the lead of these guys.

Instructor, Karen returning from a dive
with her trade mark smile.

Pretty soon piles of Sand Tiger Sharks teeth that the divers recovered from the wreck and a handful of NST teeth (Non Sand Tiger) were out on display with tales of the dive. There were plenty of great stories from the veterans and of course many of the new divers to NC were ecstatic and officially addicted to the diving and it only took one dive. Mission accomplished. Now we can head over to our second dive site, the wreck of the Caribsea but, not before I got my shot at the Atlas. Since the visibility was a little hazy and I had already shot some still images here but 48 hours ago (more on that later) I would take my trusty video camera in to get some more shark footage. You can never have too much shark footage by the way. I get to the top of the wreck and as expected there were numerous sharks milling about as well as large schools of Spade Fish, Amberjacks and Spanish Mackerel not to mention the usual masses of bait fish.

Jay posing for a shot on the swim deck.

The overcast conditions topside created an even more ominous feeling on this haunted wreck. The lack of ambient light deemed it necessary and possible to use my video lights when in close range of the sharks. I immediately began picking out targets and allowing them to approach me. Some subjects proved to be easy to get close to while others shied away. At one point an eight footer was but only a few feet away from my lens when my presence must have spooked him. In a flash of an eye the shark turned tail and shot away but not before bumping into another enormous shark and startling it. The concussion of water a second later knocked me and my camera around like a tub toy. After around twenty minutes or so I figured I had enough footage to put together a nice video short that I would like to share with you for the first time at this link. I hope you enjoy it.

VIDEO LINK HERE: Atlas Tanker July 2, 2011

A regular at Olympus Dive Center, Rich
returning from a dive.

Our second dive of the day on the Caribsea also proved to be a big winner with the group even though the visibility was only around 20 feet and dirty. These northeast divers who are used to diving in cold dirty dark water were not put off in the least and most everyone by my indication had expressed a great dive when they returned to the boat. Some said they saw some sharks while others said they hadn't but there was plenty to see on this wreck and with a max depth of a mere 90 feet there was more bottom time to be had as well. After the last diver was aboard it was time to make the run back to the dock. All in all it was a very successful day. I don't think there was as single diver who did not enjoy their self to the fullest. Once all were satisfied the crew and I turned the Midnight for home.

Oodles of bait fish under the stern section of the W.E. Hutton, aka Papoose. (new)

Sunday's diving would prove to be as much a success as Saturday. The seas were just a little steeper today but that did not deter me from heading out to the desired location the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose for the first dive. The visibility was an easy 70 feet on the bottom with warm blue water. The abundance of marine life and the ever presence of Sand Tiger Sharks supplied plenty of attractions to the divers. This wreck rarely disappoints and today was no exception.

With the conditions as they were there is no way I would miss this dive on the Papoose. I would try my hand at some still photography today. Although I had limited success I managed to get one decent photo of the bait fish crammed inside the stern section of the wreck. Visibility at times was only a few feet due to the sheer numbers of fish and I wanted to capture an image that reflected this. On my way up from the dive I hung on to the anchor line and gazed upon the wreck below me in the clear blue water with its rich marine ecosystem encircling it and fell into a state of bliss. The woes of the topside world no longer existed, I have no bills to worry about and the aches in my body are gone. In moments like these all is right in the world. Even after my head breaks the surface and I once again have the responsibility of 23 passengers and crew to be concerned about my mind is more level now and I can approach my job and my life in a more positive way. Diving is the best therapy I know.

Mark sporting his chic hood from 'Joisey'.

Joe returning from another stellar dive.

Deborah showing us she got what it takes to dive NC.

The 'Joisey' gang is to scratch off the U-352 from their bucket list today. As you have heard me say before in previous blogs the U-Boat is a must do dive for anyone coming to NC. The Midnight anchors up on the bow of the U-Boat and my mate radios up and says "there is dirty water and only 30 foot of viz down here". "Oh well", I say, "Thirty foot is plenty to enjoy the sub experience". As it would be, John dived down in to a pocket of brown dirty water which soon past over the wreck with the current and was replaced by the same beautiful blue water we just experienced on the Papoose. Returning divers from the sub told stories of how they could see the conning tower from the bow 80 feet away! This kind of viz on the U-boat is a bonus. To be able to see large sections of this historic WWII wreck is fantastic. Everyone including a diver or two who were sea sick participated in this dive and all spoke very highly of their experience on it.

Glen climbing out of his gear after a dive
on the Caribsea.

As divers entered the water I noted that the wind began to pick up and the seas began to build. By time the last divers surfaced the ladders on the stern of the boat were bucking like a bronco. Caution was now required on ascending the ladders and all did very well with little mishap. Once the last diver was back on board I figuratively wiped the sweat from my brow and said "lets go home". The ride home proved to be a challenging one at that. At first the wind and sea which was on my stern quarter offered no trouble in steering until the wind picked up yet again and again. By time I got to the inlet an hour and thirty minutes later I was working hard at keeping a course while surfing down the face of a large swells. At one point the Midnight took a roll from a wave that seemed to get the passengers attention as well as mine. Not dangerous by any stretch but an attention getter all the same. Regardless, when I turned the corner in to Beaufort Inlet on to the lee of land I was glad to be back home again. The weather is just one hurdle we face each day in order to dive these wrecks. We at Olympus, like many of our customers, are seriously committed.

No shortage of smiles from Peter after
his dive.

That night the entire Ocean Explorers group, there friends, families, myself and Annette included all attended Floyd's 1921 restaurant in Morehead City for a fantastic dinner. Floyd's by far has some of the heartiest and tastiest foods in Carteret County, NC. It is Olympus Dive Centers favorite eatery and many of our loyal customers become Floyd's customers as well. If you sit in the front room to dine you will also be surrounded by some of my framed photographs that the owners Floyd and Shana Olmstead have graciously allow me to hang there. The next time your in town try their food out and if you disagree with me then I would welcome your comments and maybe even challenge them.

The entire Ocean Explorers group from Edison, New Jersey dining at Floyd's 1921 in Morehead City, NC.
Pardon the blurry photo I neglectfully left my camera at home and shot this with an iPhone.

Sadly, the winds did not lay down over night and continued to blow hot and heavy the next day. We had no choice but to cancel the third day of diving but most were consoled by the fact that they managed to get two days of stunning diving in under there belt before the blow day. On Monday morning the Ocean Explorers spent a few hours packing up gear, chatting around the shop and making plans for the next excursion to the Outer Banks. It is always a pleasure to accommodate this group of 'Joisey divers' and I truly hope to see you back here again or maybe somewhere else in the world while diving.

Lastly, the Midnight Express managed to get out for a dive on the Atlas Tanker and the Caribsea on Thursday June 30th with the same conditions as just described within this blog as well as a two tank inshore dive on Friday to the Titan Tug Boat and the USS Indra. Both were 60 foot dives with about 20-30' of visibility and temps in the mid seventies. Thank you to all those divers who ran with me on those days. I hope you enjoyed yourself and will come back soon. The season here is shaping up very nicely with blue water pushing closer and closer in and plenty of great diving to be had all over. I'll see you all sooner than later.

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

To view these photos without watermarks and to see additional photos please visit this link www.evolutionunderwater.com

See below for the shameless self promotion

section of this blog!

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video excerpts from my documentary films and a complete underwater photographic portfolio of my work. Purchase fine art prints and DVD's of my films here as well.

If you wish to dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Olympus Dive Center, Morhead City, NC.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click like to receive the latest updates.

Mike Gerken

June 29, 2011 - The U-352 or Bust!

2011-06-29T20:16:00.001-04:00

To all newcomers to my dive blog report please see my previous postings to get the gist of this blog.

The Olympus Dive Center, Morehead City, NC.

This past weekend the Midnight Express had many divers joining us including a group from Columbia SCUBA in Maryland who drove down for two days of diving on Saturday and Sundays charters. Unfortunately, on Saturday, Mother Nature had a different agenda for these folks other than diving. She blew her winds pretty hard forcing all the boats to stay at the dock (see last weeks blog). Everyone looking to spend a day on the ocean and underneath it with Olympus Dive Center would have to use there imaginations and find other attractions in the area to preoccupy their time. Some went to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, others might have walked the beaches while some wandered around the dive shop with hands in their pockets. You see, dive shops are much more than a place to get dive training, purchase equipment and sign up for dive charters. They are places where some go to socialize, find old friends, make new ones and tell a few dive stories while they wait for the weather to improve so they can GO DIVING!

The Olympus Dive Center, the crux of all diving
activities on the Carolina Coast. (Notice the cool photos on the wall ;)

Saturday was such a scene. Divers could be seen lurking in the T-Shirt section staring at the same shirts over and over again while others sat slouched at the table with rueful looks on their faces but with optimistic attitudes. Various conversations popped up amongst different circles of people about the best diving, the best regulator or the best place for a slice of Pizza in Morehead City (which happens to be Luigi's). I do love the dive shop environment. There are few places where I can go to share my love for diving. One such place to find this type of camaraderie that is better than the dive shop would be on my dive boat the Midnight Express doing 17 knots due south on flat calm day heading for the wreck of the Spar, the U-352, the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose, or any of a dozen stellar dive sights off the Carolina Coast.

The T-shirt section of Olympus Dive Center where many a diver
wander aimlessly on 'blow days'.

Sunday morning I awoke at the usual hour of about 0445 and stumbled across my townhome in to my office and flipped open my Mac and powered her up. The intense light from the computer screen causes me to groan and hide my face as though I'm some sort of vampire. After my eyes adjust to the sting the first web site I head to is the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration buoy reports. These ocean buoys positioned in many places around the globe report information such as water temperature, salinity content, currents, and most importantly to us wave height and wind speed. After a precursory glance I deemed the conditions to be much improved than the prior day with a good chance of making offshore to our desired dive locations. The rest of my morning is spent packing up some food, inhaling breakfast, throwing on a crew shirt and heading out to the dive shop (yes, I also put shorts on).

I arrived at the shop and life is abuzz again with word spreading that we are a go for the days diving. Tanks are loaded and equipment stowed on board. My group from Columbia Divers heads up the roster while an assortment from other destinations rounds it up to 18 divers on the Midnight Express. I already knew from the day before that the vast majority of passengers want to dive the infamous German U-Boat, the wreck of the U-352. I said I would do all that I can do within the realm of safe boating and diving to make it happen. Once all were on board my crew cast off the lines and we headed out towards Beaufort Inlet.

The U-352 during WWII.

After getting out past the criss crossed choppy currents of the inlet we head south directly in to a fairly large ocean swell but with ample space between the waves where I could make decent headway but not without feeling like you were on a low budget amusement park ride. Uuuuuup and dooooown, uuuuuup and dooooown. We make it to our destination in a timely fashion and dive mate, John Thompson, would be the one to tie us in to the wreck.

John dons his flaming pink weight belt and layers up with a mere 3mm neoprene sleeveless vest and his board shorts, grabs the anchor and leaps over the side on my orders holding a very expensive well insured SLR housed camera in his free hand. John is a man of many contrasts indeed. After about a half a minute I get a pleasant call up from John on the headset. "About 50 foot of visibility with a Giant Southern Stingray and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle within eye shot" he reports. Very cool. This had the potential for a good dive.

I head to the back deck and immediately assess that some of the divers were looking a little green in the gills due to the pitching and yawing of the vessel from the large swell left over from the rough seas the day before. A quick but thorough briefing was in order for this dive. "190' long tube with a conning tower in the middle, starboard list, 110 feet max depth, no current and 50 foot of visibility now lets go diving!" I say. Of course I also went through the safety routines as well but, today I would have to spare them though the details of the in depth and fascinating history of this wreck and get them all on there way to the bottom.

Mate, John Thompson making the perfect 'jump' with mate, Mike Phillips assisting.
Notice the SLR housed camera in hand. An insured SLR camera that is.
Photo courtesy of Chris Walker www.chriswalkerphotos.com.

After a few minutes nearly all of the divers made a drop over the side of the boat, drained some air from their buoyancy compensators and disappeared down the anchor line heading for the U-352. New readers to my blog can peruse previous postings and find lots of information on the U-352. Plus I will be posting a story I wrote on the wreck that is to be published in a European dive magazine. In the mean while I will skip to the end of the dive. Once all the divers were back on board it was no surprise that all enjoyed the U-352 emphatically. Many even wanted to stay for a second dive on this epic wreck but it was my suggestion to get the vessel underway as soon as possible due to the prevalent seasickness on board. A moving boat at slow speeds is a better remedy than sitting at anchor bobbing up and down, back and forth. It was decided to head over to the USCG Cutter Spar for our second dive.

In short, the Spar proved to be a worthy dive on this day and all were very pleased that we managed to salvage the weekend and get offshore for some diving amongst adverse weather conditions. As the day progressed, the seas diminished some and the ride home with a following sea was considerably more comfortable then the ride out. Once back at the dock I said thank you all for diving with Olympus and we hope to see you again. I then gave advice to the many hungry divers on board where to grab a good cheeseburger and a cold beer. Most had not eaten a thing all day and once back on to the stable platform of the dock the ill began to rise back to life with powerful appetites and not to mention a few awesome dive stories.

The stern of the Midnight Express with Josh on
the leftCapt. Mike Gerken in the middle and mate,
Mike Phillips on lower right. Photo courtesy of Chris Walker
www.chriswalkerphotos.com

The balance of the week was pretty quiet for myself and the crew of the Midnight Express in preparation for the 4th of July weekend that is fast approaching. As of press time the weather forecast is promising and the schedule looking good as well. In my next blog I hope to have lots of new photos, a video clip or two and a few funny anecdotes to share as well. The hour is getting late for me right now and I have a charter tomorrow Thursday, June 30th and I will have to cut this short. My alarm is already set for 0445 once again. I'll see you around the dive shop.

Happy Diving!

-Mike Gerken

See below for the shameless self promotion section of this blog!

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see video excerpts from my documentary films and a complete underwater photographic portfolio of my work. Purchase fine art prints and DVD's of my films here as well.

If you wish to go dive Graveyard of the Atlantic contact Olympus Dive Center for more information.

Also, follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken)

June 20, 2011 - To Dive North Carolina

2011-06-20T13:49:00.002-04:00

Please read some of my previous postings to get the gist of my dive blog report.

Some divers visiting the Crystal Coast of North Carolina to dive the wrecks of the Graveyard of the Atlantic are instantly gratified on there first visits with perfect weather, top dive conditions and memorable marine life encounters with Sharks, Rays, Jacks, Turtles, 'Cudas' and rarer sightings such as Manta Rays and Mola Mola (Several Mola's have been spotted and videoed this year. See this Facebook link to a video clip taken by Olympus Dive Center staff member Ashton Allgood last month; Mola Mola video.)

Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola. Photo taken in
Bali, Indonesia. (Stock Photo)

Other divers are sometimes not as fortunate and encounter more adverse conditions such as low visibility, strong currents and rough seas. All of which are endemic to diving in the open ocean. A worst case scenario is the divers who travel from afar to dive and never leave the dock due to strong winds high seas making it too dangerous to dive. For these unfortunate divers I can only say without any self interest that patience is required. Many veterans of North Carolina offshore wreck diving will tell you the same thing. If you try and try again your odds of chalking up a 'top ten' most memorable dive here are very good. A large percentage of Olympus Dive Centers business is comprised of repeat customers who are the divers who put forth the extra effort in the search of the 'perfect dive'. They know from experience how great the diving here in North Carolina can be. I have been very fortunate over the years to live and work in the dive industry in such places as Vanuatu, Truk Lagoon and Mozambique and experience some amazing diving but some of my top ten dives ever have been on the wrecks of the Outer Banks. (stay tuned for a future blog on my Top Ten Dives) For example, my first Manta Ray encounter was on the wreck of the Keshina off of Cape Hatteras, NC with a second encounter with three of them on the wreck of the Caribsea. I have seen more Shark species here than any other location such as Hammer Heads, Nurse, Bulls, Gray Reefs, Sand Tigers, Sand Bars and a Great White Shark. Yes, that's right a Great White Shark.

In July of 2001, while crewing for Captain Robert on the Midnight Express I went in the water to do a bit of freediving and spearfishing while on surface interval after a dive on the wreck of the Carib Sea. I wasn't in the water but a minute or two when this beautiful 15 foot Great White Shark passed within 20 feet of me on the surface. Needless to say I was in a bit of a shock. Not so much because I saw what some call a 'man eater' swim by me but seeing such a rare shark for these waters. I decided being back on the boat was probably a better bet. As I climbed the ladder in a hasty fashion many of the passengers asked me, "why are you back so soon". I replied with a hurried voice "There's a Great White Shark in the water". The next thing I heard were mocks of disbelief. "Ya right there's no Great White" said one person tauntingly (and you know who you are because I know your reading this right now). Before the skeptics could finish there disparaging remarks a huge dorsal fin cut through the water around the stern of the boat but 20 feet away. The next things I heard were "oh my God", "holy #@!&^," and a few gasps and oohs and ahhhs. Of course I was obligated by all laws of good sense to retort at once "see I told you there was a Great White Shark". If anyone accuses me of gloating at this precise moment they are absolutely correct.

What most didn't realize, but Captain Robert did, was that we had two divers in the water on a dive. Robert wrote a message on a slate that said "Great White Shark No Joke", and attached it to a five foot long speargun and slid it down the anchor line so that the divers would hopefully see this, abort there dive and use the speargun as defense if needed. We did not want to harm the shark if at all possible. Us divers are shark lovers. The gun was more to be used as a poker if the shark got to close. Before the two divers read this message they had already seen this behemoth pass by them within a few feet and immediately began there ascent without the spear gun. When asked later "why did you leave the gun" the diver answered, "I saw the size of the shark and then the size of the gun and figured the gun was useless". After a few more passes by the Shark the divers scrambled up the ladder safe and sound. It was apparent that the Shark had no interest in making these foreign looking critters in to a meal. Which by the way is the case with most shark encounters. It is a rare exception where you will hear about a shark eating a human. Most often humans are mistaken for the sharks natural prey and are bitten accidentally. Unfortunately the damage is already done for those rare few who have been bitten. Curiosity was the only inspiration for this Great White Shark on this day. Needless to say the boat was abuzz with stories while everyones, including my own, adrenaline levels returned to normal. A day or two later a story appeared in the Carteret County News-Times paper giving the highlights of the days events where I was merely called 'the divemaster' in the story while Captain Robert actually had his name printed. Oh well my fifteen minutes of fame would have to come another day. The point of this story, if I may get back to it, is if you dive North Carolina waters long enough I guarantee you will have dives that will go down in your personal log as 'Top Ten'. You just have to persevere the 'not so great days'.

The original Carteret County newspaper that published the story on August 1, 2001

Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the Spar. (Stock Photo)

This past weekend at Olympus Dive Center had been a little trying for the some of the divers traveling from as far away as Rhode Island to try there hand at the wreck diving here. On Friday June 17 we had what we call a 'blow day' or in other words trip cancellations due to high winds and seas. On Saturday however the wind laid down long enough for both the Midnight Express and the Olympus to make it out to the inshore wrecks for a fine day of diving. The inshore wrecks are closer to land and lay in shallower water of approximately 60 feet. Although the diving here can be fantastic with great viz and big critters the conditions generally are not as good as the offshore wrecks closer to the Gulf Stream. We had a group from the Kalipso Dive Shop in Rhode Island diving with the 'Midnight" who were interested in seeing some Sand Tiger Sharks. As luck would have it my mate, John spotted several rather large Sand Tigers after tying in to the wreck of the Suloide, our second dive of the day. The Suloide accidentally sank after colliding with the wreck of the Ario which was sunk by a German U-Boat during WWII. The Suloide today is a scattered debris field due to the government depth charging and wire dragging the wreck because of the obvious navigational hazard that it was. Some of the divers reported seeing a shark or two and someone even said they saw a large Nurse Shark hiding under a piece of hull plating. Another rare and really nice find. Overall the dive was a success and even though we didn't get offshore most seemed to be happy to get out for a dive no matter what.

On Sunday the 19th the winds once again picked up and continued reports of strong currents by the fishing boats came in to us via the VHF radio. Both the Olympus and the Midnight would play it safe and make way once again for the inshore wrecks. This time a group of divers from Waterworld Dive Shop in Raleigh, NC would join Kalipso Divers for the day. Today though the trip out was slightly more challenging with large swells and a confused sea making the trip a little longer than usual. We arrived at the wreck of the Indra with the morale of most of the divers appearing to be high after tolerating a bumpy trip out. All were briefed with safety tips for entering and exiting the water on rough days and one after the other all the divers made the splash and headed down to play on the Indra which sits in only 60 feet of water and was sporting about 20 feet of visibility this day. Judging by the long 45-60 minute dive times of most of the divers I would say they were having a decent enough time to keep them down there. Not before long there heads began surfacing in to the rough ocean seas. Everyone handled the ladders like a pro and safely made it back up to the deck of the 'Midnight'. Once all were back on board it was decided that the second dive would be cancelled due to the winds and seas building. We would quit while we were ahead and make way for Morehead City. The Midnight would surf the swells back home with a steady wind pushing us along in a comfortable and timely fashion.

Once back to the dock everyone began packing up there vehicles to head back to wherever they came from. I spoke to a few and encouraged them to come back again and try there hand at diving in the Atlantic Ocean once again. As I often say, you can go to Disney World and ride on Space Mountain for some fun but that ride gets predictable each time you go. That's not the case with diving here in the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic'. Part of the excitement is never knowing what your going to get. For added proof, if your a first time reader to my blog please see some of my previous postings with photos and video shorts of some of the dives we have had so far this year.

A school of Atlantic Spade Fish seeking cover under the muzzle of a 5 inch
51 caliper canon on the wreck of the USS Schurz.

This last week wasn't all wind and bad weather though. On Thursday June 16th we took a charter out to the wreck of the popular WWI wreck site, the USS Schurz. We had calm seas, 60+ foot of visibility and 75 degree water top to bottom. She was about as pretty as I've seen her with thick bait balls darting about and a resident Sand Tiger Shark hovering on the outskirts keeping an eye on things. I brought my camera in on this dive with no real plan other than trying to find a few handsome wide angle shots of the wreck to capture her beauty. The Sand Tiger Shark was not cooperative at all but I did find a small school of Atlantic Spade Fish who were schooling under the muzzle of one of the Schurz 5 inch 51 caliper canons. Getting low and shooting high with the gun pointing up across the shot I managed to capture a decent looking image of these somewhat innocuous looking fish and a retired weapon of war. After taking a few more shots I allowed the slight current to deliver me back towards the bow of the wreck where we were tied off but not before firing more images of the ships boilers in the background with some stunning purple sea fans and bait fish highlighting the foreground. These two photos I felt captured the essence of this wreck and offer a simple visual of what one can expect when the dive conditions are optimal on the USS Schurz. I hope you like them as well.

One of four 5 inch 51 caliper canons on the wreck of the USS Schurz.

]

Sea Fans and Fish with the wreck of the Schurz boilers in the background.

On another note a dive magazine in Poland is going to publish a story that I have written on the German U-Boat the U-352 and include many of my photos along with it. I am making an effort to break in to publishing and hopefully this will not be my last story. Right now it is being translated in to Polish and should be in print next issue whenever that is. I'll post this story once it is released.

Just a reminder that anyone seeking to take UW Photo lessons with me may do so by contacting mike@evolutionunderwater.com.

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see a complete portfolio of my work including video excerpts from my documentary films "The Wreck of the SS President Coolidge" and "The Wreck of Truk Lagoon". Fine art prints are available for purchase there as well as DVD's of the films.

If you want more information on how to dive the wrecks of North Carolina visit www.olympusdiving.com or call 252-726-9432.

Follow me on Facebook at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken). Don't forget to click 'like'.

Thank you for visiting my blog site and stay tuned for more postings in the near future. Some of my topics will be:

Lionfish of North Carolina

Mike's Top Ten Best Dives

My Truk Lagoon Experience

A Jaunt to Vanuatu

Soldiers Undertaking Disabled SCUBA

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken
Evolution Underwater Imaging

June 14, 2011 - The Coolest Job

2011-06-14T12:30:00.001-04:00

Please refer to my previous postings to familiarize yourself with the theme of this blog.

The Morehead Waterfront at sunrise.

Over the weekend, on a single tank half day charter, an enthusiastic young man said to me after his first or one of his first ocean dives on the wreck of the USS Indra "you have the 'coolest' job in the world!". I was a little taken aback at first and didn't know how to respond until I merely said something like, "Thanks, yes I do enjoy my work". I walked up to the wheel house and mulled over what he had just said to me. Every once in a while I need to be reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do what I do and earn a living doing it. He was right. I do have a 'cool' job. I get to take people diving and use all my powers to show them a good time. Luckily, more times than not my crew and I are successful with plenty of great stories to be passed around at the end of a day. I should also however add that every so often a diver will say to me "you have an awesome job it's like your are on permanent vacation". I politely correct the individual and respond "don't be mistaken, this is a job. An exciting, fun and fulfilling one albeit but a job all the same". So in short, thank you to the young newly certified diver who reminded me in his excited way that I do have a very 'cool' job.

The Wreck of the USS Indra. (Stock)

This past weekend contained some fantastic diving once again with Olympus Dive Center. The "Midnight Express" was host to an assortment of divers from all over with a first time visit by instructor and group leader Miko Chavchavadze of Patriot SCUBA in Northern Virginia.

I first met Miko on board the Truk Odyssey back when I was the captain in 2007-2008 (I will be writing about my experiences in Truk in future blogs). Miko had heard I was captain of the "Midnight Express" with Olympus and figured the diving must be pretty good so he grabbed a bunch of divers and headed on down to check it out. His group was here for only two days so it was in the order of priorities to hit the 'must dive' wreck while the weather was cooperating and head out to dive the German WWII submarine, the U-352.

The wreck of the USS Schurz. (Stock)

But before diving the sub we dived the wreck of the USS Schurz on Saturday since it is a few miles further offshore. The Schurz had not disappointed a few weeks ago and odds were in our favor that another great dive was to be had. Sure enough we had at least 40-50' of visibility and 72 degrees on the bottom with a few Sand Tiger Sharks to be found amongst the dense fish population down there. All the divers seemed to agree whole heartedly that the Schurz was a top dive. Since all the planets were aligned and the weather was nice I decided I would do a dive here and take some photos underwater of this stunning wreck. Over the years I have gotten in to a 'fail safe' routine in making sure my housing that contains my Nikon SLR was water tight and fully functional. I test fire the strobes and checked that my controls are all working. I did nothing different today and was handed my camera by Mike, the mate on the 'Midnight', and headed down to the wreck. I slowly swam about the Schurz looking for a worthy subject. After about 4 minutes I came across what seemed like a very cooperative Sand Tiger Shark. I got my strobes set up, my exposure settings adjusted and framed a nice close up of this shark with a bait ball swirling around him. I squeezed the trigger and whammo! Nada, zilch, nothing. No strobes fired. I tried again and again. Zippo. @!#%^ I colorfully mumbled in to my regulator. I'm at 110 feet and my camera malfunctioned and was useless. An underwater photographer without a functioning camera is like a painter without a brush. I quickly ascertained that water probably seeped in to the strobe cable shorting out the wiring. I couldn't even stay down to merely enjoy the dive. I had to ascend immediately and check out the gear. The camera nearly always takes priority. It just costs too much darn money to ignore. So I got up to the boat, got my happy face on and went about my business. "Stuff happens" I said in not those exact words. It's that simple. I soon ascertained that the camera had no major damage and the day on the ocean was a beautiful one so no sense in whining. There will be other dives.

The wreck of the German U-Bpat the U352. (Stock)

As soon as the boat was ready we headed over to the U352 so everyone could get there first glimpse of this incredible historical WWII artifact. The visibility was about 30-40 feet with temps in the low seventies. Not the best viz but certainly far from the worst. Once the divers began returning I started to hear the same pleasant superlatives that I hear most every time. "Awesome", "incredible", interesting" were a few of the words used to describe the 'Sub'. One diver even approached me and asked if we could go to the U-352 again tomorrow. I said $100 cash in my back pocket and I will take you anywhere. Of course I'm only joking. I said "if you can get the consensus to go back I will try to get you there. No problem." Unfortunately for this guy the group had bigger plans for the following day. With my camera still drying off and suffering from a bad dive I turned the 'Midnight' for home and headed back with a boat load of contented divers.

Enjoying the ride on the deck of the "Midnight Express".

Divers Jennifer and Bill at the stern of the "Midnight Express"
soaking in a few rays on a calm day.

Sunday June 13, 2011
Today Miko and his band of Patriot Divers wanted to see the wreck of the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose. If I haven't already explained this name I will do so again. There were numerous ships sunk off the coast of North Carolina during the war. With much of the unfortunate chaos going on not all of the wrecks names had been identified correctly. In short, the wreck of the Papoose was actually the W.E. Hutton. The wreck of the W.E. Hutton was actually the Ario. Get it? Since the Papoose was called the Papoose for so many years it is hard for everyone to agree on saying the proper name. Too much confusion ensues. But since I am somewhat of a history buff I prefer to state the facts when ever possible. So I call the Papoose the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose in the name of historical accuracy. I think I may write more about this in a future blog. In the mean time lets move on.

Looking out of the hold of the over turned
wreck of the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose. (Stock)

The wind and seas once again were beautiful. Not flat calm but very close to it. We made great time navigating out to the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose in about 2 hours and fifteen minutes. Inevitably, one or two guys always poke there heads up in the the wheelhouse during the long journey and ask like a couple of kids on a family outing from the back of the station wagon "we almost there yet". I smile and say "yes we are almost there". I really do love this job.

I sent my mate Mike in to tie up and he quickly reported that we had about 60+ foot of viz and 73 degrees or better on the bottom. Mother nature seemed to offer us a great dive opportunity on this day. As it would be the mother ship of Olympus Dive Center, the M/V Olympus captained by Robert Purifoy arrived a few minutes before us and would be tied up about 150' away. We would both be privy to some great diving. Soon enough we began getting the excited divers in to the water one after the other and watch them slip beneath the waves on there way down to the wreck. Now the crew and I needed only to enjoy the sun and calm seas and wait for the divers to return. After about 25 minutes the first diver clambered up the dive ladder and began to give a very positive report about the dive.

You all know I like smilin' divers.

"Sand Tiger Sharks aplenty, tons of fish and great viz" they would say as each returned. As the divers were returning I looked over to the Olympus and noticed Captain Robert suiting up for a dive. I yelled across to him "you heading in?" I quickly realized that was dumb question. What was he getting his wetsuit on to relax on the sun deck? Anyway, I saw a great opportunity to go diving with Robert and this coincidence does not occur every day. The odds of both captains getting to dive at the same time only happens a few times a year.

Zach's back! 'Peace out' Zach.

Since my still camera was in the hospital I would break out my UW video rig and shoot some video with Robert and the Sand Tigers. Just before I jumped Robert yelled over "one of our divers shot some video of a 'school' of Gray Reef Sharks. "a school", I said. "Hmmm, it was on", I murmured. Gray Reefs are not unheard of but are rare all the same here on the wrecks in NC. To see multiple sharks at once does not happen often. I grabbed my faithful oldie but a goodie Sony VX2000 and leaped over the side. As I headed down the anchor line the wreck very quickly started coming in to focus 70-80 feet beneath me. I spotted Robert milling about under the rudder and slowly dropped in to the sand to shoot the entire upside down stern section with dozens of Groupers eyeing me from the fringe of my view. After swimming around the inside of the wreck with Robert and shooting the dense bait fish my video lights crapped out on me and I headed outside the wreck to shoot with ambient light. No need to abort the dive without lights. There was plenty of sunlight to shoot with down there today. I managed to get a few shots of Robert videoing the Sand Tigers and then I ventured out in to the sand a little to see if the Gray Reefs were about. Sure enough I spotted one in the distance and then another.

A Gray Reef Shark taken in Truk Lagoon Micronesia. (Stock)

After waiting patiently for a minute or two and breathing very slowly and quietly a Gray Reef came in closer for a look at the funny looking fish with the big metal things and bubbles pouring out of his face. I managed to get a few decent video shots of the Gray Reefs before turning my attention to the multitudes of large Groupers swimming about the sand as well as the Sand Tiger Sharks. My video camera was rolling steady now. At last I focused my camera on the enormous school of Amberjacks terrorizing the dense school of bait fish. The school of Jacks would attack in large numbers and chase the bait in to tight bait balls within the cracks and crevices of the wreck. Many of the bait fish sought refuge within the wreck. At one point as I was filming suddenly everything got dark and there were bait fish completely surrounding me. Visibility dropped to a few inches. I kept the camera rolling and waited for the swarm to dissipate. As it did the Jacks came in to focus as they swam aggressively about me. It was a stunning site to watch over and over again the Jacks dive down like German 'Stuka' dive bombers creating a deluge of fear on the bait and then climb hard and fast upwards until disappearing from sight. Nature is amazing in that it is both beautiful and serene yet hostile and brutal all at the same time. She never ceases to amaze me.
Check out this link to my web site below where you can watch the edited video short of this wonderful dive on the W.E. Hutton aka Papoose.

Link to Video W.E. Hutton aka Papoose June 12, 2011

Dustin with his Canon SLR and Subal housing.

I regretfully returned to the "Midnight Express" and began preparing the boat to get underway and looked over to the Olympus and merely shrugged my shoulders at Robert as though words could not describe the dive we just experienced. We both mumbled something at each other over the short stretch of ocean probably not understanding what either of us said but getting the point all the same and merely went about our business.

The Olympus decided to stay on the Papoose for a second dive while we made way for the USCG Cutter Spar. Miko's gang wanted to check out another wreck site since they only had two days to dive with us and I was happy to oblige. The Spar was indeed a nice dive but the legendary horde of Sand Tigers inhabiting the wreck the years past has been somewhat absent so far in this 2011 season. There were a few Sharks on the wreck and a plentitude of other fish species with about 40' of visibility. The wreck all the same seemed to be a hit with the divers due to its shallower depths and intact structure making it suitable for a longer dive that is easier to navigate and penetrate within it. It looked like Miko had been performing some training dives with his students and the Spar is certainly ideal for that.

Miko pondering his dive.

All in all it was a very successful day of diving and the crew got the 'Midnight' underway and headed towards home with a calm sea and a slight tail wind making the trip all the easier. Once at the dock hands were shaken, business cards exchanged and hopes of return trips back to Olympus and the Wrecks of North Carolina were made. Thanks a million to Miko and his band of divers from Patriot SCUBA and also to Jennifer, Bill, John, Bud, George and all the others whose names regrettably slipped my mind.

In the mean time I am patiently waiting for some parts to repair my camera housing with and I hope to be up and shooting stills by the weekend. I will admit, I have been enjoying shooting video once again this past few weeks. I haven't shot much of it since leaving Truk Lagoon in 2008. I wanted to focus all my attention on still photography these past few years instead. I don't have a favorite medium to work in its just that sometimes it is hard to do both really well when you have limited time underwater. If I had another one of me at my disposal I would be shooting both video and stills. It looks like I may have to upgrade to an SLR camera that shoots quality stills as well as HD video such as the Nikon D7000. Lots to think about.

This is how divers catch a few zzz's on
surface interval.

Many thanks to Fred Dion of Backscatter East for getting my camera housing parts out to me as quickly as he did and for always giving solid advice. Backscatter Photo and Video specializes in underwater photo and video systems and has stores on both the East and West Coast of the USA. There services to this small specialty industry are enormous. Thanks Fred!

Please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see a complete portfolio of my still photography and video excerpts from my documentary films.

Also, follow me at my Facebook company page, Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) for latest updates and dive reports.

Contact www.olympusdiving.com to find out more information on how to dive the Graveyard of the Atlantic with Olympus Dive Center.

The Olympus tying up at the dock.
"Good catch Bud!"

Happy Diving!

Mike Gerken

June 8, 2011 - Keeps Getting Better

2011-06-08T20:41:00.000-04:00

Newcomers, feel free to peruse a few of the previous postings to get the gist of my blog dive report.

The M/V Olympus heading out to sea through
the Morehead City Waterfront.

This past weekend continued to produce some fine diving conditions on the wrecks of the Carolina Coast with Olympus Dive Center on board the M/V Midnight Express. After a few days off from the Memorial Day weekends mad dive rush we ran full day charters only on Saturday the 4th and Monday the 6th with a half day on Sunday. This lull in the action is only temporary since many school systems in the south and on the East Coast have yet to let out. We are anticipating running seven days a week soon enough and we are geared up for it. In fact this weekend coming will be jammed for me and my crew with full day and half days trips Friday through Sunday. Let me quickly explain the difference between a full day and a half day charter. If you already know the difference then skip to the next paragraph. A full day charter leaves the dock at 7AM with the intention of diving two dives while the half day trip departs at 4PM and is a single tank dive on an inshore wreck with a maximum depth of 60 feet. These half day trips are great for new divers looking to get there feet wet before heading out to the deeper wrecks or who can't fit a full day of diving in to there schedule.

John Thompson returning to the
"Midnight Express" for the 2011
season. Welcome back John!

I wanted to announce the return of first mate, John Thompson to the "Midnight Express". John had previously worked as first mate for the "Midnight" a few years back and after traveling around the Caribbean and working in the dive business he decided he needed a fix on Outer Banks wreck diving. John will be offering his great level of expertise and his 'special' brand of humor to the operation of the "Midnight Express". John also has the distinct honor of being the founder and president of a non for profit organization, Soldiers Undertaking Disabled SCUBA. (SUDS) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and Ft. Belvoir, VA is designed to help improve the lives of injured veterans returning from Iraq & Afghanistan. By training the warriors in a challenging & rewarding activity it can help facilitate the rehabilitation process & promote mobility. Offering this venue provides the soldier with a sport they can enjoy throughout their life.which specializes in training our wounded war veterans how to dive with disabilities incurred while defending our country. I will be writing a special blog later in the season when the SUDS divers will be joining us for some wreck diving. Please stay tuned for much more on this. Otherwise, welcome back John to the Olympus team!

A few of the ECU dive clan.

This past Saturday the "Midnight" had a mixed bag of divers from various locals. We had the usual crowd of rambunctious divers from Eastern Carolina University. I may have to hire a third crew member to act as bouncer for when these guys get out of hand. Seriously, it's always a pleasure to have the ECU crowd on board. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you soon enough.

Once again we were blessed with great weather and it was decided by the group that the wreck of the U-352 followed by a second dive on the USCG Cutter Spar was the order of the day. The visibility on the sub was about 30-40 feet with a temperature on the bottom about 70 degrees from 70 feet to the bottom at 110' with a toasty temp of about 78-79 degrees F from 70 feet to the surface. These temperature differences known as thermoclines are not uncommon occurrences in the ocean waters of the Outer Banks. It is here where the cooler northern waters of the Labrador Current collide with the warmer tropical/sub-tropical waters of the Gulf Stream creating these temperature gradients. It is also not unheard of having 'reverse' thermoclines occur here where the denser heavier cool water sits on top while a warmer lighter layer sits beneath it. How exactly this happens is unknown to me but I have seen it happen or should I say felt it on numerous dives in my career diving the Outer Banks. Generally, in the summer months it is the Gulf Stream that wins over the Labrador creating temperatures from top to bottom in the low eighties with blue water diving to be had.

After all the divers enjoyed themselves to the fullest on the U352 it was time to let them get a taste of the 'Spar' but not before I got to jump in on her first. Once the 'Midnight' was hooked in to the wreck I jumped in with camera in hand to snap a few pics and just chill out for a few minutes. Anytime I feel a little stressed out at the 'office', I go for a dive and within the first few seconds of being submersed all of the wrinkles get ironed out. Having this type of therapy at sea is a perk of working in the business. Prior to making the diving business a full time career for me in 1998, I was employed in the financial printing industry in New York City. "The financial printing what?" your saying to yourself right now. Let me just say it was a hectic and boring existence for me and leave it at that. The job just never felt right on me and since leaving my wing tips and commuter pass behind I have never looked back. Today my worst day at sea is been better then the best day at the office. The expression "swimming with the sharks" relates to the struggle to compete up the corporate ladder. From my own experiences I can say this is a fitting metaphor but the irony today is I swim with the sharks for real and love every minute of it.

Another Sand Tiger Shark. Do I get tired of
shooting these critters? No way. (Stock Photo)

Speaking of sharks after ascending down to the Spar it became apparent that the population of Sand Tiger Sharks, usually so prevalent here, has dissipated somewhat. I found maybe three different sharks milling about but that was all. The dive was still a stunning one with an abundance of other marine life to be had. I took a few photos of the wreck and decided to call it a dive and head back up. After briefing the passengers that I only saw a handful of Sharks the divers eagerly began to don there equipment all the same. It then occurred to me that maybe I was a little jaded. "Only two or three Sharks" I said laughingly to myself. For many divers this is all it takes to have a great dive and as well it should be. The Atlas dive last week (see previous blog 'Sand Tiger Shark invasion') certainly was trippy due to the dozens upon dozens of sharks seen there but not every dive will yield such results. One must put things in perspective and have a good time regardless of the conditions. Half the fun of diving is the searching for the unexpected.

By the smile on her face it can be said
she had a great dive.

Once the divers began to return from the Spar, sure enough, most if not all of them enjoyed themselves to the fullest. One man even showed me a tooth that may have been from a Sand Bar Shark although identifying sharks teeth is not my specialty. He indicated that the tooth was embedded in the steel hand railing of the wreck. This shark evidently was gnawing on the rail to purposely lose a few teeth. Whatever the case may be the shark tooth was a nice find and I'm sure a great memento to the diver.

'Red' and his works of art on display.

Monday June 6, 2011
The "Midnight Express" on Monday had the good fortune of hosting the Giant Stride Dive Shop from Rhode Island who have been diving with Olympus Dive Center since Friday of last week. Headed up by the owner of Giant Stride, 'Red' Goodin the Rhode Island 'boys' wanted to dive the wreck of the Hutton aka Papoose since they got here and today was to be there last chance for 2011. So without fail I pointed the bow of the 'Midnight' due south to the Hutton at 0700 on Monday morning. As you may have read in previous blogs, the Hutton is one of the further trips offshore but usually well worth the long haul and today would prove to be no exception to that rule. After about two hours and fifteen minutes we arrived at the wreck on a calm and clear day. My mate, Mike got us secured to the wreck and reported at least 60 feet of visibility and plenty of sharks wandering around on the bottom. All the ingredients for a stunning dive were in place. I went to the dive deck at the back of the boat and gave all the divers the 'skinny' on the dive to come and stressed that the max depth was about 120' and to use caution on this deep dive. After giving a few other safety pointers I started to notice the divers eyes beginning to glaze over with there minds inevitably focused on the dive that was to come if I would ever finish the briefing. So without further adieu I dropped the chains that prevent passengers from falling over board while underway and began throwing them overboard. Well maybe not throwing them but guiding them in to the water.

'Red' and the 'Boys' from Giant Stride Divers.
See you next year!

Soon after the divers began to return one by one and all seem to have another fantastic dive. Some couldn't stop talking about the enormous Groupers they spotted peering out from behind wreckage with there big bulbous eyes. Others of course commented on the prevalent Sand Tigers. Some divers merely liked exploring and having a swim around inside the wreckage. Whatever they all did it seemed to be a dive for the log book with four stars scribed at the header.

Zach sporting some brand new
dive gear by SCUBA pro.

Once all were back on board it was my turn to see what all the hoopla was and try my hand at some photography. When diving in such deeper depths you don't have as much bottom time so you have to work steady but quickly. Devise a plan for your shoot and stick to that plan. My plan was to head to the stern section of the wreck. The Hutton today rests upside down and the keel juts upwards ending at the rudder post making it one of the more prominent parts of the wreck. I wanted to find a spot down low and shoot this section of the stern with sharks and bait fish swimming about it. Simple plan right? Now I just need to get the sharks where I want them. Not so simple right? Patients is key when trying to get 'the shot'. At first I set myself up on the back side of the wreck but noticed there were only a few sharks in the area and none where I wanted them to be. So I quietly swam around to the other side and found a bit more action over there. I hung in one spot and simply waited. Sure enough one medium size shark swam up along the wreck with a healthy bait ball swirling around him and I managed to squeeze off a few shots that went in to the keeper category in the back of my head as soon as I took them. Sometimes you just know when you got a decent photo. The composition of these shots was not exactly what I wanted but nice all the same. I waited a few more minutes to see if anything else would develop but with no luck. It was time to head up.

As a photographer, if you can come back
to the boat with one decent picture then
the dive was a success. (New)

Even though the dive at the bottom was over in no way was the dive or the photo shoot over. You never know what will swim out of the blue on your way to the surface. One's eyes should always be diverted up and down, left and right. Something interesting will swim by you such as a turtle, dolphins or today a very large school of Barracuda. As I swam under the boat to head up I saw them down current a little ways and decided to trail back to get a few shot. There were so many Cuda's I couldn't count them. Luckily I was able to get close enough to the school and snap a few photos without loosing site of the "Midnight". Once I had what I wanted I swam back to the ladder, climbed up and said "hey there are a bunch of Barracuda under the boat". If I had a nickel for every diver that climbed the ladder and said the same thing I would be the owner of brand new Nikon D3. I could only chuckle at myself.

Just a few Barracuda on the wreck of the
Hutton aka Papoose. (New)

Sand Tiger Shark on the wreck of the
WE Hutton aka Papoose. Not the shot
I wanted but I was happy with it. (New)

A diver making the splash with a pair of doubles.

For the second dive we headed a fewmiles closer to shore and dived the Spar once again. She is a great second dive wreck since the upper portions of her sit in around 75 feet of water with a max depth of 110 feet which will yield longer bottom times. The Spar had the same conditions as two days prior and all seem to enjoy it as usual. The weather held out nicely making for a nice ride home especially when a few dolphins came swimming up to us to play and ride our bow. I slowed down some and got the attention of the passengers and invited them up on to the bow to watch them. For several minutes they darted in front of the 'Midnight' before disappearing from site just as I had my camera in hand and readied to take a shot. Oh well. I'm sure I will have another opportunity soon enough. Another perk of the job I guess.

Please visit my facebook page Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and click 'Like' to receive the latest updates.

Also visit my web site http://www.evolutionunderwater.com/ for additional photos for this blog plus see a complete portfolio of my photography and video excerpts from my documentary films.

To dive the wrecks of North Carolina with www.olympusdiving.com please contact us for more information.

Happy Diving!
Mike Gerken

May 30, 2011 - Sand Tiger Shark Invasion!

2011-05-31T08:03:00.000-04:00

For first time readers to my blog please peruse through my old postings to get caught up.

Also visit this link for a biography on Mike Gerken.

More images and video for this blog at my web site Evolution Underwater Imaging Mikes' Blog 5/30/2011

In the last nine days my crew and I have run nine full day charters and four half day charters on the "Midnight Express" with the Olympus Dive Center. It was a great stretch with some stellar diving but today we have a day off for some well needed rest and to catch you all up on the details of the week.

I love Chuck Taylors and now divers are sporting them.

First off I wanted to say thanks to the Sea Gypsies dive club from New York City for spending the better part of the week diving with us. We had great weather and dive conditions and hit a wide range of wrecks from the Hutton (a.k.a Papoose) to the USS Schurz and the Atlas Tanker. The Sea Gypsies did a good job of covering all the main wreck sites including the obligatory trip to the U352.

Renata with a perpetual smile and thumbs up.

The wreck of the Hutton aka Papoose lies 36nm due south of Morehead City and is one of the longest runs that we will do on a regular day charter. If the weather cooperates it usually takes upwards of two hours to get out there but when the dive conditions are good (and they were) then it is well worth the effort. Generally speaking the further you venture south and in to the Atlantic Ocean the closer you come to the Gulf Stream waters that move up the East Coast of the US from the warm clear tropical waters of the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. On occasions the visibility on the Hutton can exceed 100 feet. On this day however the viz was a pleasant 50-60 feet. As captain of the "Midnight Express" I have to sit atop and wait for all the divers to return and tell me how great a dive it was before I can slap a tank on and head down for a looksie. The benefit is if you listen carefully you can ascertain where all the hot spots are on the wreck. Once all the 'Gypsies' returned safely and told me what they saw and where they saw it, I donned my gear and grabbed my underwater housing containing a Nikon D300 with a 12-24mm Nikkor Lens and headed to the bottom.

Sand Tiger Shark along the keel of the wreck of the
Hutton aka Papoose. (new)

The first thing that became apparent to me was the multitudes of Groupers who looked like they have fed well over the winter. Fat and large they were. I was not interested in photographing them though because all too often they are very hard to approach due to them watching a few of there not so smart buddies wind up on the end of a spear shaft. So I turned my attention to the Sand Tigers who as usual were very cooperative. I managed to get off a few good shots but due to the deeper depths my bottom time ran out and it was time to head up. I was hoping to spot a Sea Turtle or a Giant Southern Stingray but unfortunately not today. All in all a very good dive though.

Can you find a shark in this photo? (new)

One of the best dives of the week in my humblest of opinions was the USS Schurz. The visibility was easily 60+ feet on the bottom with a plethora of marine life. We even had a half a dozen Sand Tigers wandering around the wreck which is not unusual but rare to have that many on this site. The swarms of bait fish twirling around and undulating back and forth was mesmerizing. No matter how wonderful a photo you take of this phenomenon it does no justice as to seeing it live with your own two eyes. A note of highlight on this dive was the numerous juvenile Lionfish inhabiting most of the wreck. Last year we saw a significant drop off in them most likely due to the cold winter but it would seem as though they are starting to move back in. I will be writing a blog on Lionfish later on in the week so stay tuned for more on that topic.

Towards the end of the week the 'Gypsies' had hit many of the highlight wreck sites so I offered to take them to a wreck that we do not visit frequently, the Atlas Tanker. The Atlas lies on the Eastern side of Lookout Shoals of the Outer Banks of NC and was sunk by a U-Boat in WWII. The visibility of the water has a tendency to be green and brown colored. The haze that is created leaves the wreckage with a ghostly feeling. Over the years many divers swear that the Atlas is a haunted wreck. Take this eerie setting and add dozens of Sand Tiger Sharks to it and then you now have a formula for one heck of an adrenaline pumping dive. You will be swimming along the wreck and slowly a 8-10 foot dark shadow with teeth emerges from the haze and then another one passes by you from behind and then another from underneath and others from all directions. For some this dive is a thrill seekers dream while for others it is just down right creepy nightmare. As for myself, I will dive with these enigmatic critters in any condition.

An underwater video system by
Home Depot.

I had heard from another dive boat captain in the area that the wreck had about 40 feet of visibility with many sharks milling about but this report was over a week old. The conditions change on that wreck sometimes over night and the viz could have dropped to less than 10 feet. On the other hand it could have remained the same or better yet improved. Due to the wind and weather patterns we had experienced all week I decided to give it a shot and the 'Sea Gypsies' were up for some excitement. We headed through the shallow slot of Lookout Shoals and proceeded over to the Atlas. As we approached the Atlas I didn't have to tell my mate, Mike to abort tying up to the wreck with the anchor if the conditions were not optimal. Last year he jumped in on the Atlas to tie in and couldn't see his fins on his feet a few feet away. That dive was scrubbed. He later indicated that he felt like there was something watching him from the outer limits of the mirky water.

Mats trying to count the sharks in his head after the dive.

This time however Mike jumped in and tied up in the matter of a minute or so and radioed up to me that the visibility was at least 40 feet on the bottom and 50-70 feet above the upper parts of the wreck and there were Sand Tigers everywhere! "Gideeup, I said to myself. I knew we were going to have some fun. After delivering the great news to the divers getting them in the water in a timely fashion was easy enough. Pretty soon the deck was clear and it was time to sit watch and wait for the divers to return.

One by one they came back. "Oh my God" said one. Holy @!$*", said another. I have never seen so many sharks" was a common statement. After about the seventh or eight diver returned with numerous superlatives I couldn't get them back on the boat quickly enough so I could hop in and check out the scenery below. Soon I was popping my regulator in my mouth and hopping over the side with camera in hand. Sure enough there were dozens of sharks in your view at any given time on any given section of the wreck. I quickly started shooting trying to get a single image that described the multitudes of sharks swimming about but was having poor luck due to the slight haze in the water. I was just too far away from the subjects to get that shot clearly. So I returned to the boat to discover that unanimously all divers wanted to stay for another dive on the Atlas. No problem. I would be happy to oblige.

Sand Tiger Shark up close and personal.

After everyone completed there second dive I jump back in for a short 10 minute dive and shoot some video to which I thought might do some justice to the magnitude of sharks in the water. I will let the video I shot speak for itself. You can see it here at this link at my web site:

ATLAS TANKER VIDEO click here

Let me not forget to mention that the Sharks were not the only component of the underwater menagerie on the wreck this day. There was a school of angry looking bluefish darting in and out looking for a meal while another school of Amberjacks kept circling me with what seemed like a Mona Lisa smiles on there faces. Hyper active Spanish Mackerel by the dozens occasionally swam in causing sheer panic amongst the bottom of the food chain dwellers of the wreck, the swarms of tiny bait fish. It really was a wonder to look at this amazing underwater ecosystem at work. I was pleased and grateful that Mother Nature sent in clear waters to the Atlas so we could have a look at it. Once we left the Atlas that day I suspected that with this news it would be only a matter of days before we would return and we did just that.

The Sea Gypsies of NYC.

For most, Friday was the last day of diving for the Sea Gypsies. They were a great bunch of safe and easy going divers who were very easy to please. Everyone at Olympus looks forward to there return especially myself. Say hello to the Big Apple for me and if you could, mail me a dozen everything bagels from 'Murray's Bagels' in the Village and in exchange I will take you back to the Atlas on your next visit.

Only a few of the many Sand Tiger Sharks on the
wreck of the Atlas Tanker. (new)

Memorial Day Weekend

On Saturday and Sunday, the Midnight was chartered by a group from Dive Inn Watersports from Michigan. These die hard divers road tripped more than 800 miles to dive the coast of North Carolina for only two days of diving. The pressure was on to deliver some world class dives to these folks in short window of opportunity. Understandably, there primary goal was to see the U-352 so I happily took them out there on the first morning. The ride was an unusually long one due to a system of squalls that had to be circumnavigated on the way out. After about two hours we managed to get anchored up on the sub and although the conditions were not rough they certainly weren't calm either. Many were feeling the effect of sea sickness and wanted to get in the water as soon as possible and that they did. The visibility on the Sub was about 30-40 feet which is ample to get a feel for this historically rich wreck site. Once all divers had there fill of the U-352 it was time to give them a glimpse of the USCG Cutter Spar with the hopes of seeing a few sharks. The wind and seas began to calm down and some on board began to get there sea legs back and enjoy the day to the fullest. The conditions on the Spar were great with 40 foot of viz and maybe 70 degrees on the bottom. There were some sharks on the wreck but not as many as the norm. All seemed to have a very pleasant dive regardless of the number of sharks present.

A sunny and calm surface interval.

On Sunday, as predicted, rumor of the stupendous dive two days prior began to spread to the gang from Michigan and sure enough I was on course for the Atlas with a big 'shark' eating grin on my face. In short, the first dive went very much the same with numerous sharks and marine life going to and fro around the wreck. One of the first divers from Michigan returning from dive number one was still on the ladder when he shouted "Be green, save fuel and lets dive the Atlas again for a second". All concurred with this fella and I certainly did not argue either. I would be happy to stay. So we did a second dive with the horde of Sand Tigers and all their cohorts with continued excitement by all participants. On the ride home I was hoping that the long journey from Michigan for the Dive Inn Watersports crowd was worth it for them. I suspected that it was. The U-352, Spar and the Atlas delivered some great conditions and hopefully some memorable dives for all of them. We hope to see you all back again soon.

Beautiful sea fans are found on
the Atlas Tanker. (new)

Close up of Carcharias Taurus. (new)

The Dive Inn crowd gearing up for a dive.

Lastly let me thank the rest of the divers who chartered with the "Midnight Express" this past week who did not get mentioned especially the guys from ECU who offered me there lunch without hesitation (I did not accept of course), the gentleman from the USCG station in Elizabeth City and all the others. We hope to see you and your friends back here soon.

A calm day at sea = happy divers.

More smiles on the surface interval.

Please visit my Facebook business page at Evolution Underwater Imaging (by Mike Gerken) and don't forget to click "like".

If you would like to dive with us in North Carolina please contact www.olympusdiving.com and get the latest schedule, rates and condition reports.

Also please visit my web site www.evolutionunderwater.com to see a complete portfolio of my photography and documentary films plus additonal images shot this past week.

Stay tuned for more blogs to come.

Happy Diving!

-Mike

May 24, 2011 - The Season Gets Kicking

2011-05-24T21:41:00.001-04:00

Please refer to my previous blogs at this site and visit http://www.evolutionunderwater.com/Information/Biography to learn more about myself and my blogspot.

The dive season at Olympus Dive Center (www.olympusdive.com) is thoroughly underway with plenty of outstanding days upon the ocean and below it. This past four days has been a very busy one for me on the "Midnight Express" with five dive charters in four days. The weather has been very cooperative and the dive conditions favorable. I will have to admit that my mind, body and soul are still acclimating to the early to rise hour of 0445 for me and the long days on the water. Don't get me wrong though I love what I do but that doesn't make me any less weary at the end of the day.

The 'Midnight Express'.

Mike the dive mate preparing to set the hook.

Over the weekend we had a variety of divers jumping from the side of the boat to dive the Wrecks of North Carolina including a couple of guys from our very own Coast Guard station at Fort Macon, NC. Some people may complain about the Coast Guard and all the rules and regulations that they impose upon us but I for one always feel better behind the wheel knowing that they are out there to help me in a time of need. I hope to see more of the Coast Guard on our dive excursions in the future. "Semper Paratus"!

One of the USCG's finest.

In addition a small group of four divers journeyed all the way from the Great White North of Ottawa, Canada to check out the world class diving here in the USA. They were a great spirited bunch who were the types to never let anything get under there skin including a chronically leaky dry suit. Thumbs up Adam! Thanks for giving us a try and see you next year.

The Canadian Gang and Neptune himself.

Don't let me forget a bunch of divemaster candidates from Eastern Carolina University that rounded out the activities with there power of positive diving. As usual it is a pleasure to have out with us the next generation of young divers with 'attitude' on board the "Midnight Express". As one of the ECU group was quoted saying immediately after the dive "we are some SCUBA diving bad asses". Go Pirates!

'Bad Ass Divers'.
Don't leave your fins out on the deck with this bunch.

Some of the wrecks frequented over the last several days were the famous U352 german sub sank in WWII and the USCG Cutter 'Spar'. Conditions on both locations had to have been easily 50 feet of visibility with the water temperature creeping up to the low seventies top to bottom. Sand Tiger Sharks were aplenty as usual on the 'Spar' and the U352 did not disappoint the first time divers visiting her either. I managed to get in the water for a dive on the 'Spar' the other day and squeeze off a few pics of my favorite Sand Tigers. This being the first time in months in the water with my camera it was a great feeling to finally return to the water with my camera in hand and do what I love the most. Considering I was a little rusty I was pleasantly pleased with the results. I hope you are as well.

The U352 in all her glory (stock).

Sand Tiger Shark on the Spar. (new)

On Sunday we were very fortunate to experience a rare and extremely calm day offshore with barely a ripple in the water. The photo below is evidence that diving in the Atlantic Ocean can be calm and serene. Someone asked me "would you be bored if it were like this every day?" I answered, "never".

Surface interval on "Lake Atlantic".

Sorry for such a short blog but the hour is getting late for me and I have to rise early again for another go at it tomorrow. I have a group of avid dive junkies visiting us from NYC. The dive club, Sea Gypsies is here all week and tomorrow we plan on hitting either the Hutton, aka Papoose or the Atlas Tanker to see ever more Sand Tiger Sharks. Stay tuned for more on the Sea Gypsies as the week continues. There here till Friday.

If you have been out diving with me this past four days please excuse me for not mentioning you in this blog. I'll make it up to you.

Please visit www.evolutionunderwater.com to see my complete portfolio of work.

Happy Diving!

-Mike