Narragansett Pier Dive Shop

Old Wooden Ship Discovered

pierdive — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:04:11 +0000

ProJo reported yesterday that an old wooden ship has been uncovered not far from East Matunuck State Beach. It is lying on her side and “seaweed drapes much of the eroded woodwork — timbers nine inches square extending from keel to gunwale and still covered in part by strakes, wooden planks that run from stem to stern. Here and there a green stain betrays the occasional metal pin, perhaps of copper, but the hull is held together mostly by wooden pegs.”

http://bit.ly/8XLIJF

Andrea Doria Bell – Rings Out Again

pierdive — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:09:01 +0000

Captain Dave Sutton rings the bell of the Andrea Doria for the first time since the ship sank in 1956. The bell rings out with wonderful tone. Recovered June 26, 2010 by Ernie Rookey and Carl Bayer on the Silverstein/Sutton 2010 Andrea Doria Expedition.

Andrea Doria History

pierdive — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:02:40 +0000

Andrea Doria Bell Recovered

pierdive — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:55:05 +0000

The famous oceanliner shipwreck Andrea Doria that sunk in 1956 in the Atlantic Ocean still gives up treasures. Today aboard the R/V Explorer on the Silverstein/Sutton 2010 Andrea Doria Expedition divers Ernest Rookey and Carl Bayer located and recovered a bell from the Andrea Doria.

This particular bell is suspected to be the “crows nest bell.” The divers searched the debris field in 240 feet of water while diving on untethered mixed gas scuba gear, and located a small portion of the bell exposed from the sand.

On-board this expedition was noted Andrea Doria historian and popular author Gary Gentile. Gary was the lead diver in the 1985 recovery of the stern bell. Other attempts to locate the forward bell in 1993 were unsucessful. “There was never any proof that a crows nest bell existed until today.” said Gentile who has been diving the wreck since 1974 and has more documented dives on the Andrea Doria than any other diver. “This is an outstanding and historic find,” said expedtion leader Joel Silverstein. “In my 18 years of of diving the Doria this is probably the most significant artifact found,” he added.

“Ernest Rookey (Jackson, NJ) and Carl Bayer (Hillsborough, NJ) are both experienced deep mixed gas divers. This was their first expedition to the Andrea Doria.” said Captain David Sutton. “Andrea Doria expeditions are hard core adventures; a discovery like this one just makes it all that more special,” he added.

Expedition participants include: Captain David Sutton, Joel Silverstein, Gary Gentile, Chris Gini, Kathy Mallon, Laila Richard, Carl Bayer, Ernest Rookey and Ric Simon.

The Andrea Doria is located 55 miles off the coast of Nantuket in 250 feet of water. It’s been called the Mt. Everest of Diving due to its location, depth and extreme conditions.

Joel Silverstein
928-230-3680
Tech Diving Limited, a subsidiary of Scuba Training and Technology Inc.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, 100 years

pierdive — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:54:41 +0000

The Cousteau Society is launching a year-long celebration in Paris commemorating the birth of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As part of this celebration they will be “re-launch of iconic vessel Calypso for marine education tour; new Cousteau Divers program”; and broadcast The Golden Fish, the film that won an Oscar in 1960 for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects.

Watch some Cousteau videos at YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/cousteauenglish

Can James Cameron save the Gulf?

pierdive — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:13:22 +0000

DotEarth at The NY Times reported last week that James Cameron has engaged a team of specialist to help with the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/why-cameron-is-diving-deep-on-gulf-oil/

My favorite from the comment section is “You can criticize Cameron for his ego, however, I trust him with the cleanup more than anyone else.”

We agree with Gizmodo “Diving is by definition otherworldly”

pierdive — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:57:25 +0000

Gizmodo’s Joel Johnson posted a great piece yesterday about Why you should Scuba Dive. Here is a quote…

“But anyone can learn to dive in the relative shallows, spending a long weekend getting a certification that will let them drop into the waters of a tropical reef and simply lounge, watching the fish dart around coral heads or follow bigger animals attend to their rounds.”

Underwater Photography Made Easy

pierdive — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:40:34 +0000

David Pogue has an interesting article in the NY Times today called Underwater Photography Made Easy where he reviews two cameras (Sony’s Cyber-shot TX5 and Panasonic’s Lumix TS2) and two undersea camcorders (Panasonic’s SDR-SW21 and Sanyo’s Xacti VPC-WH1.

Bakings Sharks winter in the tropics, just like we do

pierdive — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:46:16 +0000

It seems strange to me that someone would have to study the behavior of Basking Sharks for years to determine that they also like to winter in warmer climates but they did. At least that is what a study published in Current Biology on May 7th, 2009.

The red in this picture shows the migratory path these great beasts take throughout the year which looks similar to a lot of New Englander’s I know.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/science/sc090507.html

Bag, Knives, and Flags (oh my)

pierdive — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:54:07 +0000

Bags come in two main forms – gear bags and catch bags. Gear bags are used to carry your snorkeling, scuba, or freediving gear from your home to car to water. They are usually made from canvas and should be sized according to the amount of gear you plan to carry. Padded bags are sold for use on airplanes and are extremely helpful for protecting your regulator and mask. We always recommend you have a hard plastic case for your mask to protect it from dings and scratches.

A catch bag is used to hold the treasures you collect while underwater. They are often made of strong mesh which will retain its contents yet allow for instant drainage. The most important feature on any catch bag is its strength but having one that you can open single handedly and has a self closing spring is also helpful.
Knives are used for cutting, sawing, adjusting gauges, hammering, and sometimes even protection. A good knife is one that does not rust and has both a smooth and serrated cutting edges. Your knife should be worn on the outside of your non-dominate leg or arm to allow for easy access.

In an emergency situation underwater, bang your dive knife against your tank to make noise that will travel well underwater and hopefully attract the attention of your buddy.

A dive flag is required to be floated above all divers while they are under the surface. They are especially helpful in warning boaters of a diver’s presences. Dive flags usually come with a float but replacement flags can be purchased separately.