In 1984 I decided that I no longer wanted to try and fill charters on other boats so I got my captains license and started looking for a boat of my own. I wound up in Marathon, Florida where I fell in love with Island Hopper Boats. A 30 foot wide beam fiberglass boat that was fast, stable in seas. Looking back ... I think the first boat was and still is my favorite. Maybe it was the diving, friends or just the old days. We dived many wrecks for the first time, found a few new ones and made many offshore dives on some great wrecks.
As with any boat it was the custom work done each year that made her comfortable and fun to dive with. She could do 22 knots and took us diving from Newport, RI to Morehead City, NC and a lot of spots in between! we did midnight run night dives off Barnegat light to three and four tank dives on Monday's and Wednesdays.
Diversion II came in 1991 because I needed to get a larger boat capable of taking more divers as the business was growing. With my first boat it was a normal week to run two, sometimes three trips a day with 6 divers each trip...needless to say it was tiring, so it seemed logical and desirable to take more divers on a bigger boat and cut down at least one trip per day. She was comfortable to dive from, especially with custom features like a side giant stride entry door and transom door with t-style ladder and swim platform. An easy walk-off, climb on dive boat with custom built gear benches and gear stowage. A cabin to get out of the elements, with TV, VCR and stereo and bow seating for those really great sunny days to watch the ocean and boats go by!
She was a displacement hull that never went faster than 10 knots but so in almost any sea and rode well in calm or rough seas! She started out as the Mary Kincaid out of Punta Gorda. She was a bay tour boat with church style seating and full canopy. It took several years of remodeling to get her just perfect for divers.
Southside Marina...empty slip.
On April 8th 2006, she sailed away with a new owner,
ending 20 years of running Diversion dive boats!
The best part of running a dive boat is always the crew who works aboard her and helps the customers and hopefully gets to enjoy some great wreck diving. Being crew means that each member must know not only how to dive well and often alone, but also be a certified dive master or instructor, pass a drug test, know how to handle work around a dive boat and suffer the miseries visited by cranky captains!
Many times the crew spends so much of the time helping divers in and out of the water or setting the hook that they get few dives in for the day. So that "free" trip is often more work than they bargained for. So what drives them? The willingness to help other divers, be part of group of professionals working in what I always believed was one of New Jersey's safest and best run dive operations. Oh ... by the way, they all got to do as much diving they could handle along the way. Most made over 100 dives per season and caught some of the biggest lobster and heaviest sea bass, tog and fluke I have ever seen. Not to mention a museum full of artifacts.
My sincere thank to all of my friends who work aboard Diversion and Diversion II as captains, crew and friends. Diving could not have been as much fun without you all! Starting with Barbara and Travis ...
Barbara & Travis
Captains: Ed, Joey, Jeff, Duane, Tony, Stan, Mike, Dan, Bob, Guy and Barb.
John, Billy, Lynda, Bud & Rich
Ted, Kevin, Dennis, Kevin & Dan B.
Diane, Chris, Lauren, Marcia & Helen
Marc, Brian, Al, Greg K, Stu & Ray
Jeff, Ray, Rich, John C, Denny & Cathy
Joe, Dave, Brady, Scott & Greg F, Skeeter and the Wed Crew and Tracey.
We had some fun trips and great customers. Here are few images of few of them ... Our Monday divers from little boat to big boat. Ladies Day Dives, MAST teenagers diving the artificial reefs to dozens of dive shops and club over the 20 years.
I make no claim as to the accuracy, validity, or appropriateness of any information found in this website. I will not be responsible for the consequences of any action that is based upon information found here. Scuba diving is an adventure sport, and as always, you alone are responsible for your own safety and well being.
Copyright © 1996-2008 Rich Galiano
unless otherwise noted
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