May 15, 2021
After a long, cold winter where we stayed home during the Covid19 pandemic (like most everyone else) we were determined to get the Crystal Dawn (our boat) and scuba dive gear ready in time for start of the scuba dive season.
Here in New Jersey, the dive season for us is April - October with the best months being June - October. Normally we aim to have the boat ready, launched, and in her slip by early April, but this year John had a big project to finish....adding radar (press pause on the radar and I'll tell you about it later).
Saturday, mid-May, we got lucky with one of the most perfect weather days accompanied by an excellent marine forecast. We got up early and left the dock by 6am. It's a pretty straight shot across the Barnegat Bay from our marina to the Atlantic Ocean, using the Oyster Creek Channel. 20 minutes after leaving the dock we were in the ocean, and another 25 minutes or so later we arrived at the dive site. The plan was to throw our sand anchor out with about 220 feet of line and explore some low lying wreckage. John wanted to test his new dry suit while I relaxed topside.
John did two dives, a bit short (both approximately 40 minutes) due to the cold water. According to John there were bits and pieces of wreckage. In total he caught 3 lobsters, or "bugs" as we call them; 1 too small, 1 with eggs, and 1 great keeper about 3.5 pounds. The first two are illegal so those were left on the wreck.
A few dive stats about the dive:
Bottom temp: 50 degrees F
Visibility: 15 feet (average for NJ)
Depth: approx. 75 feet
Air temp: about 76 degrees F
With his dives completed and the catch safely in the cooler, John rolled up the boat awning and pulled the anchor up while I got us headed back to the marina. We detoured many times to pluck helium balloons out of the water. Our final catch for the day was 1 bug, 7 balloons.
To our surprise we were stopped in the bay and boarded by NJ Fish & Game. They were very professional and told us it was something different for them to stop a dive boat. Of course no issue for us as our catch was (and always is) legal. The boarding officer even checked to ensure the lobster didn't have any eggs. Now it was really time to head back to the dock.
All in all, it was beautiful first day of the season. John's new dry suit worked perfectly, we had a great lobster, and it felt good to help the environment by picking up the balloons.
We hope you enjoy our pictures and the short video from our first dive day this season.
Video Link:
-Crystal Ward
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