Lost & Found - a scuba story

[blobbottlebob]

I could't find anything great. I must have those on paper prints (not digital). Here's me three years ago right before I free flowed.

 

[blobbottlebob]

And here's a shot of all the stuff we pulled out that day when we recovered my gear. The gear, some bottles and anchors are on top of the huge sail we brought back to the surface.

 

[Mullert]

Excellent story - well written. As a fellow diver, I know the Sea can giveth and taketh away in a moment.
Nice to see you were able to recover all your gear. I've found fishing poles, weight belts, dive bags, etc. - amazing what's down there.

 

[blobbottlebob]

Thanks Mullert,
I suppose if you spend enough time near the water, we will all lose something. Great proof of that is that you are finding scuba gear as well as the usual fare. I know that from that day forward, I will be extremely careful if I even get a notion that my gear should come off. I will overinflate, hold onto the hoses, etc . . . Good luck out there diving!

 

[VA is for Diggers]

Great story, glad you recovered the gear! I also dive (sadly once a year), and might attempt the murky waters of virginia in hopes of finding old bottles or relics. I once found a small shipwreck in the carribean-only recovered brass spikes, no treasure, but enjoyed the fish along the reef. Best of luck on your future dives.

 

[blobbottlebob]

Thank you VA,
I'm a little sad for you that you only get out once a year. I bet there's great stuff to find in VIrginia! I love this hobby. I used to dive 150-200 tanks a year (before I got married). Now I'm down to 30-50. But I still look forward to my next tank. Good luck to you too!

 

[CALDIGR2]

I am also a sometime bottle diver, out here in CA. Diving alone is something we do, whether we have buddies along, or not. The viz in the local river is so dismal, and the current so strong, that buddies are only useful as a mind tool. Some comfort can be taken that they are "out there", but we never see each other. Also, due to boat traffic, we never surface midstream, but follow our compass until we reach the rise to shallow water.

The river system is a treasure trove of wonderful antique bottles, Indian artifacts, ice-age mammalian fossils, and many other what we refer to as "yardifacts". One of my buds suppliments his retirement income by recovering vehicles that have, for some reason, been submerged in the murky depths. When the conditions are not too bad, he is out there a few times a week. None of us has become adapted to a dry suit, instead have long preferred to suffer with our beat up old wetsuits. The water temp might fall to the high 40s at times, but usually remains in the 50s until summers, when it might go 60+ degrees.

As I get older, my lonesome forays have lessened, yet the urge still gets me when the water is calm and the viz has reached 3-4 feet. That's clear to us. The thoughts of pontilled sodas, whiskeys, and bitters overcomes my trained fear of diving alone.

 

[bottlediger]

Mike, I didnt know you were a diver too, thats pretty cool. Do you have any pics to share of some nice west coast water finds?

Take care

Digger Ry

 

[CALDIGR2]

I don't know, Ry, I'll see what we can "dredge" up. Nothin' on my digital at this time.

 

[blobbottlebob]

Hey Mike,
Visibility in the rivers is almost always bad. In one of the rivers that I frequent now and then the visibility is often zero or an inch or two. There is tanic acid from the trees (up north) that colors the water black. The one exception is when you go this time of year. The freezing water keeps the particulate out and you can see a foot or two.

I wonder how your buddy fixes up the water logged vehicles? We dragged out a sixty horse boat motor. I was under the impression that it would likely never run again and that we had wasted all of that effort. I also know where several cars are in local lakes. One of them is a 30s vintage Packard. Some auto collector types might actually want that thing if it was repairable???