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Video of the Tonawanda Site (7.05MB, 1:14)
Copyright © 2007 The PAST Foundation
-- All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, August 8
Team 3: Marc Masson, Kate Harding, and
Doug Faunt
An early morning starts with carrying
gear to the boats -- Kate Harding, James davenport and Mark Melancon.
Today shined
bright and early and we all got ready to start our last day of diving,
breakfast was the norm with a selection of cereals to choose from. Dr.
Corbin told us what she wanted done and we set off for the boats in
which we loaded our tanks and set off to the dive site for the last
time.
Team 3 runs out to the site on
Quiescence II. Mark Melancon, James Davenport ad Jessica Cobb.
"Six-pack" dive boats Quiescence II and Quiescence III
anchored over Tonawanda.
Dr. Corbin photographs the site while
Kate Harding swims past.
Today’s dives were
concerned with the main body of the wreck and making sure that
everything we needed to do was done. The teams were placed on sections
of the ship and they mapped and measured away. Dr. Corbin could be seen
swimming around mapping furiously with Dr. Smith at times and then she
could be seen with her ever handy camera getting in the last shots of
the day. Anne had a fright when she turned around and saw a rather
intimidating looking barracuda staring her right in the face; it seems
her dislike of sharks has been extended to include them as well. Sadly
we were another diver down as Raynie’s ears were playing up so she had
to spend most of the time snorkeling over the site with Sam, whose ears
were also giving him grief. Before we left the site for the last time
we removed all the flagging tape and gathered all the datum poles and
their weights. For some of us was this was quite the mission and took
some furious kicking to stay off the bottom, especially if you forgot to
inflate your BC, Keith we know it was you.
Drs. Corbin and Smith move past a pennant
of the Arthur Ransome Society,
attached to the divers' down-line by member Doug Faunt.
Dr. Corbin (left) guides James Waterbury
and Alek Zywot in using underwater photos to supplement their notes in
creating the site plan.
We eventually swam
back to the boats and set off back to shore. When we got back we ate a
lunch of sandwiches and Dr. Smith’s amazing leftovers and then we got
down to mapping and scale drawing – we could barely contain our
excitement. Mapping went well and Dr. Corbin seemed pleased with what
we had gotten in the end. Dinner tonight veered off from the norm as
Marc Massom made chicken fajitas to show our appreciation for all that
Dr. Smith has done for us and give her a night off. It must be said
that his cooking was good and everyone was very contented and full by
the end of the meal.
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Alek Zywot maps part of the wreck
upside-down. Special precautions were taken to avoid damage to
the sensitive corals and other marine life that cover the wreck
of Tonawanda. |
James Davenport hovers over the site
while reviewing his recording slate.
Tonight’s lecture
was presented by Mrs. Brenda Altmeier of the Upper Keys Division
of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
and what the organization entails. She was a big hit especially since
she brought us brownies. Dr. Corbin gave us the rest of the night off
as we did what we needed to do and only group three needed to finish off
mapping some of the last of their artifacts. We were told to get an
early night as tomorrow we have a long day of site mapping ahead of us,
in addition to finishing the Coffins Patch report and writing a
preliminary Tonawanda site report. Thankfully all of our hard work will
be worth it to see the end product and we get a party.
Ms. Brenda Altmeier of the Upper Keys
Division of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary discusses the
sanctuary's role in protecting natural, cultural and economic resources
in the area. Foreground: James Waterbury and Sam Erdman.
Project Director Dr. Annalies Corbin and
Assistant Director/Dive Safety Officer Anne Corscadden Knox.
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