Down too long in the midnight sea…

The forecast was calling for westerly winds Sunday, meaning an inshore dive would probably be possible even with gusts to 25 knots.  The ceramic heater I picked up Saturday night at Wal-Mart performed somewhat between “unsatisfactory” and “what the f!@% was I thinking” sleeping on a boat with no heat and temperatures in the 20s.  Dave and Rob didn’t seem to mind as much so maybe I’m just getting soft.  Either way if Sam Walton were alive he’d have a letter of serious tone coming his way.

But I digress… despite the lack of sleep and some chilly bones it was with pleasure I tied in to get into the 52 degree water which would surely warm me up.  The seas were dead flat near the beach and picked up to a choppy 2-4 feet as we approached the TOLTEN.  This large freighter was one of the many victims of U-boat attack during WWII, and rests today mostly collapsed (I’m sure wire dragging helped that along) in 95 fsw.   Hitting the white sandy I found the shot line draped over the bow which despite being mostly collapsed has a fair amount of relief.  It was easy to orient myself in the 30 or so feet of visibility and after scouting for a solid location, secured the line to one of the ship’s anchors (I think it might have been a spare based on its location).  Fish life was plentiful (it’s nice being closed circuit and the first on the wreck!), including large schools of porgies(?), cunners, sea bass, some large cruising blackfish, and even a gaggle of triggerfish guarding the engine.

The TOLTEN has a lot to offer, as it is very scenic, has the rough shape of a ship making navigation easy, and lots of nooks for lobsters.  I spotted a lot of small ones in my cursory tour of the wreck and I do not believe any legal keepers were boated.  Dave went in to hunt and speared a nice bag full of triggers, and Bill Bedford scored a nice soft weight belt.