New Jersey Scuba Diving

RJ Walker / $25 Wreck (1/2)

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker

Type:: shipwreck, side-wheel steamer USA
Built:: 1847, Joseph Tomlinson, New York NY USA
Specs:: ( 133 x 31 ft ) tons
Sunk:: June 21, 1860
collision with schooner Fanny
Depth:: 85 ft

This site was found in the 1970s by a commercial fisherman. The numbers were sold for $25, hence the name. Originally an armed Revenue Cutter like the RC Mohawk, the Walker was found to be less than satisfactory - the early steam propulsion systems were troublesome and inefficient. Eventually, the vessel was transferred from the Revenue Service to the Coast Survey Service, where it proved to be a vast improvement over the sail-powered vessels of the era for this sort of work. Being self-propelled, the Walker could simply motor up to the survey site and easily stay on station, not subject to the vagaries of the wind. The wreck was positively identified in 2013.

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker side-scan — Side-scan sonar image with the bow at the top

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker — An anchor

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker — Another anchor, with the first one in the background

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker — A paddlewheel hub

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker — An engine

Shipwreck Robert J. Walker — The research team

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On Your Own: the Buddy System Rebutted

By Bob Halstead

Buddies are not essential for a safe dive. On the contrary, buddies often increase the risk of a dive, either directly through unpredictable or unreliable actions, or indirectly, through an unfounded belief that security is enhanced by numbers alone, regardless of the training or state of mind of the buddy. In most instances, a competent solo diver would be much safer than the average buddy dive.

Most textbooks do not define the buddy system - an interesting point in itself. I define it as the situation that occurs when two divers of similar interests and equal experience and ability share a dive, continuously monitoring each other throughout entry, the dive, and the exit, and remaining within such distance that they could render immediate assistance to each other if required.

Obviously, this definition represents the ideal, and upon honest examination, it's clear that it has little to do with the reality as practiced by most divers. The truth is that on most dives, the buddy system fails.

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