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Thursday, August 2
Team 1: Jessica Cobb, James Davenport and
Mark Melancon
Today was the first day of
diving on the site, which was met with much anticipation by the teams.
After loading up the boat with gear and tanks, we left Quiescence at
around 10:00 in the morning and traveled for over an hour and a half to
the site.
Gear check beore setting out.
Alas, this took longer than
expected as we were in a larger boat that required deeper waters and
slower travel time; this resulted in the tragic absence of lunch.
Though disappointed, appetites were salved with the fortuitous discovery
of Oreos. (Little known fact: Oreo spit is an excellent de-fogger for
goggles.)
En route to the site at the Elbow. Left
to right: Aleksander Zywot, Rayanne Gordon, Keith Young, Sam Erdman and
Kate Harding.
Once at the site, though eager
to begin work on the site, we first performed a check-out dive reviewing
basic skills such as mask-clearing and regulator recovery. Sam was
ambushed by a rogue school of carnivorous fish, eager to devour his ear,
but he was valiantly saved by the other Marc. The check-out dive was
eventually a success, followed by a brief tour of the site and assembly
of the datum points.
Part of the wreck believed to be
Tonawanda.
After a brief respite aboard the
spacious Coral Sea, the teams indulged in a brief snorkel over
the site for a birds-eye, or rather a fish-eye, view of the wreck. Then
it was on to dive number two where actual underwater archaeology began. Once on bottom, teams
took angle distance
measurements between datum points to set up the baseline for the site.
Distances were recorded, angles measured, and although to a team the
distances between datums were comparable, the orientation of the site
remains not fully clear.
Team 2 works on site recording. Rayanne
Gordon, Keith Young and Adam Kowalski. Fourth diver unidentified.
Once all divers safely returned
to the sea-faring vessel, mass confusion ensued as divers removed and
stored equipment in the 4’x8’ back deck. After the chaos subsided,
Captain Rob plotted a course back to Quiescence. Divers arrayed
themselves throughout the boat to enjoy the afternoon sun for the return
journey. Oreos were once again consumed.
After cheerios (for a cheery
morning), one boat ride, two dives, four Oreos, and we triumphantly
returned to the dock. The boat was hurriedly unloaded,
equipment rinsed, and showers taken; the hungry divers then gathered
together in a ravenous group to stare down the chefs. Hummus with chips
was served to temporarily appease appetites before a delicious Brazilian
main course of black beans, spicy sausage, and rice slaked stomachs - -the
salad competition continued with a citrus salad that nicely complemented
the spicy dishes.
All data was gathered and
recorded, notes were compared and a tentative consensus reached. The
evening ended with a viewing of Raiders of the Lost Ark (in
keeping with the theme). All in all, a productive and satisfying day
with many laughs was enjoyed by everyone.
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