Long Island West Dive Sites (1/10)
- Depth:
- 110 ft
This unidentified wood wreck sits in 110 feet of water 17 miles out of Fire Island Inlet. The wreck was found by Captain Jay Porter the wreck was apparently named for the weight of a large codfish caught on the site. The wreck's wooden ribs only protrude a foot or so out of the sand but divers report that the site is excellent for catching large lobsters. A few years ago Captain Billy DeMarigny found the ship's bell. Unfortunately, no name was on it.
More: 59-Pounder ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, freighter, England
- Built:
- 1898, England
- Specs:
- ( 380 x 47 ft ) 4193 gross tons
- Sunk:
- March 1, 1902; ran aground in storm - no casualties
- Depth:
- 25 ft
The Acara lies 1,500 to 1,800 ft offshore, in 25 ft of water. She is quite broken up, with wreckage spread over a wide area. Still, there are one or two sections with 10 feet or so of relief. Brass fittings and other artifacts are still being found.
More: Acara ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, sailing ship, Italy
- Specs:
- 566 tons
- Sunk:
- March 4, 1881; ran aground in storm - 1 survivor
- Depth:
- 25 ft
Also known as the Italian Wreck, the Ajace was sunk at 4:00 AM on March 4, 1881. At the time, she was carrying a small cargo of scrap railroad iron and 2,040 empty petroleum barrels. While bound for New York from Belgium, the Ajace was caught in one of the worst storms of the year and ran aground off Rockaway beach. Many sources report that Captain F. Morice, seeing that all hope was lost, opened his private supply of brandy and shared it with his crew. Soon after, the crew became badly beaten from the pounding of the waves and drunk from the brandy.
More: Ajace ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, schooner barge
- Specs:
- ( 200 ft est.)
- Sunk:
- late 1800s ?
- Depth:
- 80 ft
More: Arnoff ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, schooner barge
- Specs:
- ( 330 x 40 ft )
- Sunk:
- March 12, 1932
- Depth:
- 95 ft
Capt. Mick Trzaska of the dive boat CRT II also calls this the "Bomb Wreck", since it once produced a live aircraft-type explosive. A diver had sent it up with a lift bag thinking it was a champagne bottle! How it got there is anyone's guess.
More: Asfalto ...
Depth: 55 - 64 ft
3.0 nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach
More: Atlantic Beach Artificial Reef ...
The standard means of moving and storing dive gear is the dive bag. All of the major manufacturers make dive gear bags. These are often quite fancy, with embroidered logos, pockets inside and out, "ergonomic" handles, and even wheels. Most of these bags are very nice but really too small to hold a cold-water dive kit, and very heavy to carry around when full. These bags are also expensive, a bother to clean, and a lot less waterproof than they claim. Here's is a convenient alternative that is much cheaper:
Go to K-Mart Home Depot and spend $5 on a Rubbermaid tote box, about the size of a milk crate. This will not be big enough to hold all items - you'll have to pack your fins and BC separately - but it will hold everything else, is small enough to fit almost anywhere, and also avoids making a single excessively heavy load. The tote also will not lose small items like a milk crate will. I eventually drilled drain holes in the bottom. I now use my fancy dive bag only to carry my drysuit and its accessories. This type of tote box is the preferred container on every area dive boat I have been on.
More: Gear Moving & Storage ...