Monday's charter, May 31.

Memorial Day brought us, with the exception of returning favorite Kent Winquist, a group of divers brand new to the Mutiny.  I love it when this happens!  Anxious to show our new friends (some of them volunteer divers with the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, www.virginiaaquarium.com) a great day, we headed south to the Schurz.  The day looked to be a good one, the seas cooperative, and we looked forward to seeing one of our favorite wrecks.  I dropped Captain Al amidships, and after a bit of maneuvering, we were tied in.  The conditions were a bit confused on site.  A cool layer of murky water (71 degrees) approximately 10’ in depth covered the surface, limiting visibility at the hang line.  Descending to the wreck, the clarity opened up and temps warmed to 75 degrees in the water column.  On the bottom, it cooled to 71 degrees with vis 50 or so feet horizontally and a mild current running the length of the wreck.  As usual, the bait fish were thick and made it difficult at times to see.  Amberjack worked them back and forth and I wondered at one point if I was going to be rammed by some fast moving predator in the buffet line.  One very large ray covered itself in the sand on the starboard side and I giggled to myself because he obviously thought he was invisible…or perhaps he was just avoiding his own taxing social situation.  The grouper continued to taunt the spear fishermen, and only Nick Pinnock managed to snare a catch…a good sized wahoo.

Everyone was happy to stay for two dives, having just gotten acquainted with the wreck.  The current had picked up a notch, and we were visited by an Atlantic spotted dolphin at depth, something I’ve never seen before (it was a weekend of firsts for me, having seen the manta ray on the hang line earlier in the weekend)!  Several crabs were out and about, and only one small sandtiger was seen.  Nick’s brother, Duncan, snagged a red snapper, giving the Pinnock brothers the only conquests of the holiday.

Thanks to Sonny Alejo for rounding up a great group of divers!  It was a rockin’ Memorial Day, and our gratitude and appreciation go out to all our military folks past and present who have sacrificed in service to our country.  God bless them.

Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman

What a great weekend of diving we had!  ABD welcomed back some friends from the northern VA area, and as usual, they brought capable divers to enjoy all that Morehead City has to offer.  Mother Nature continues to toy with us, pushing the warm water north one day and taking it back the next.  Regardless, we had a great time and saw some unusual sights.  The newest addition to our crew, Scott Eckes (pronounced ECKIS), exceeded our lofty expectations by leagues.  In addition, his wit and sarcasm were duly noted, and I hope one day he will prove to be my worthy adversary.

On Saturday, we headed south to the Schurz in bumpy seas and southeast winds blowing 10-15 knots.  Scott tied us in at the davits near the bow, and we could see him clearly for most of his ride to the bottom.  The water temperature was an agreeable 73 degrees from top to bottom and we were treated to 60-70’ of visibility at depth with very little current.  The wreck was teeming with the marine life routinely found there, including the biggest toadfish I have ever seen.  That critter was 8” across the head.  The grouper were also there in large numbers, amberjack chased the baitfish back and forth, a small sandtiger shark made an appearance, and two very large stingrays engaged in a fly by as well.  An awesome dive!

The Aeolus was our second stop of the day, and we managed to snag a good place on the bow while keeping our distance from the additional four vessels that were diving the Spar and other sections of the Aeolus.  The water was a bit green and visibility on the bottom was limited to approximately 30’.   We were surprised by a reverse thermocline at 66’, giving us a nice bottom temp of 74 degrees.  While my own dive was truncated by equipment problems, I did see one of Sandy Smith’s colorful sluggy things (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31189407&id=1425747561#!/photo.php?pid=31189408&id=1425747561&fbid=1452193911263), and a couple of sandtigers were spotted patrolling the area.  On the trip back to Beaufort, the Mutiny was chariot to two divers utilizing the “any anchor line is a good anchor line” policy that we encourage all our guests to embrace.  They were released on their own recognizance back at the dock.

Sunday brought us fair winds and cooperative seas, and the Papoose was the unanimous choice of wrecks.  As expected, the conditions were fantastic with warm water and visibility of 80’ or more.  My dive was one of the best I’ve ever had in Morehead, even though I didn’t stray anymore than 30’ from the anchor line.  The grouper were plentiful but plenty darned speedy.  I noted a good sized Danforth anchor in the sand but decided not to send it to the surface since there was so much else to see and do.  Sandtiger teeth littered the hull (along with a few sandbar teeth), and I collected 30 or so over the course of my dive.  While doing so, I spied two picture-worthy scorpion fish ready for their close up, and the usual sharks who were oblivious to my good time.  As I joined other divers on the hang line, a lone remora circled and I hoped I didn’t resemble a stingray as he passed within 10’ of me.  A small sandbar shark darted about without coming too close, something I’ve never seen before so close to the surface.  And then…a first for me:  a manta ray cruised into view and decided we were interesting enough for a few more passes before collecting his remora and heading off into the great beyond.  Luckily, one of our divers caught the manta on video (yay Simon!!) and I’ll post a link when it becomes available.  What. a. great. dive.

The U-352 was our second stop of the day, however the conditions were less spectacular compared to our first dive.  The water was murkier and much cooler, 70 degrees top to bottom.  One sandtiger swam in for a look, and again the grouper were plentiful (I kept picturing one big blackened hunk on my dinner plate…thank you Kent Winquist for dat fish).

It was a great weekend, thanks to Simon Poplawski and Piotrek Kulczakowicz for arranging the charter and introducing us to some new divers.  Good friends, good weekend.

Submitted by Captain Amy Broughman

What a great weekend!  As Captain Jim mentioned, we spent Friday May 14 wrapping up minor repairs, painting, and cleaning the Mutiny for the 2010 season.   Thanks to Jim and wife Sandy (dive wench extraordinaire) for dedicating an extra day of hard work…hard work…to ensure that our hit list was completed on time.  I would also like to thank my daughter Claire for giving up two coveted weekends of her summer break to lend hand; her efforts were tireless and complaint-free as well.

The forcasted weather system off the coast slowed long enough for the crew to head south to practice established routine and emergency procedures, and train new dive master SCOTT ECKES.  Scott comes to us by way of Chesapeake Bay Diving (my home dive club), and I’m thrilled to say that he has already proven himself very capable.  Many of you will meet Scott over the course of the season, and I’m sure you will agree that he is a savvy addition to the crew.

The weekend was a grand success.  The seas had enough spirit to challenge us, we had a wee bit of current at depth, and our execution of procedures (both routine and emergency) went flawlessly.  The Gulf Stream continues to plod north, and I don’t mind encouraging it to pick up the pace a bit.  Surface temperatures hover around 70 degrees, and my computers agreed that the bottom temps were 64 degrees across the board.  Doesn’t bother me saying I found conditions a nod frosty even with a 5mm suit, a dive skin, and a 5mm cheater.

The Mutiny performed very well indeed, and our Coast Guard inspection on May 16 was quite painless due largely to the efforts and expertise of Captain Al.  What a guy, that guy.  We are now ready to receive a ginormous number of divers.  I know you want to do your part.  Let’s have at it.

Thanks again to everyone who gave their time and efforts to our cause.  Nothin’ but love for ya.

I hope you’ll all join me (I know you will) in sending Captain Al very sincere birthday wishes, even though the momentous event officially concluded 45 minutes ago. I hope you partied like a rock star, friend. I owe you a beer.