The team prepares for the final dive
Tim surfaces after the dive
Mark assits Terrence with his cylinders
The divers relax after the dive
Eastport, Maine on Moose Island
Project Participants and Sponsors
National Ocean Service
Sartek Industries
Ocean Management Systems
Maxtec, Inc.
Harvey’s Dive Suits
Bitter Sweet Success
Thursday, June 14, 2001
When we arose this morning, it was clear! We were excited that things seemed to be going our way. Our plan was to dive at low tide to avoid the longer decompression required for the deeper depths. The tide schedule said 1150 hours; so, we planned for a 1215 dive time. The conditions were superb – Flat calm seas and sunny skies. We headed over to the site about 1030 and checked the currents with the ship mounted current meter.
We deployed the down line as close to the current meter as we could and prepared to dive. We splashed Terrence and Tim, who swam down the line and began their search with the handheld sonic locator. There visibility was only about 10 feet and the water temperature was about 40 degrees.
Twenty meters . . . sixteen meters . . . ten meters . . . six meters! And then the bad news. The divers found an aluminium grill, part of the base of the current profiler – the part to which the locator was attached. It appeared that the unit was broken up and lost. At this time, the team decided to end the search and the dive.
They deployed a lift bag for ascent, and Mark and Lee were sent in to support. After 70 minutes in the water the team surfaced and gave there full report. Despite Jim and Rich’s disappointment that the current profiler was lost, they considered the mission a success, since we determined why the unit did not come to the surface when the acoustic trigger was fired.
We would like to thank Deb and the rest of the folks at Motel East where we stayed, Judy and the crew of the WaCo Diner where we ate a lot and the crew of the harbor tug and our skiff pilot, Dana. We would also like to thank the Petersons, John and Jett, they gave us a nice tour of their bed and breakfast, Weston House, a historical home in Eastport. And finally, a thanks to all the rest of the friendly people of Eastport.
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