Prins Willem and #6 Dredge Report 2008-07-06

[ethanb]

We went out and dived some of the Milwaukee wrecks last Sunday.  The predicted <1 ft nearshore and 3-5 off-shore was actually more like 4-6, so it was a long ride out to the Willy.  We couldn't go much over 10 knots without getting pounded, especially considering that we mis-loaded the tanks and had to have a couple people positioned forward to better balance the boat.  We got out there to find only one mooring and a boat tied up with divers down and no dive flag.  He let us tie onto him (we strongly encouraged him to get a dive flag), though he left before our first team went down.  Underwater the conditions were vastly improved - there was no current beyond about fifteen feet.  Viz was about 30-50 feet - better deeper and worse shallower.  There was a noticeable difference in clarity between the top and bottom rail of the Willy.  All four dives brought cameras, so it was a nice chance to get pictures of everyone.  Unfortunately my external strobe wasn't working (broken battery holder; the replacement came in the next day), so I could only shoot with natural light.  Here are my favorite shots:





We saw a huge school of fish on the #6 Dredge.  They seemed entirely uninterested in divers, but were very spooked by my light. 





the rest of my images are here:


With the seas at our back, we quickly made it back to McKinley, and even had thought we had plenty of time to get some dinner before our out-of-town friend had to run to catch the Lake Express ferry.  He made it there with five minutes to spare and his was the next-to-last car that was allowed on.