Jellies

Cut this short video from some surface footage we shot over at "BFW." We had unusually good visibility this day, with the exception of the first 6 feet of water column that was populated by millions of comb jellies!

Jelly Attack! from Green Diver on Vimeo.

Wall diving in New England

As the season winds down, we have been booking trips through Cape Ann Divers to get out to Halfway Rock and BFW as much as we can in order to finish documenting these places before winter. Finally mother nature was on our side and we were pleased to observe incredible visibility at these sites. I was able to shoot Chuck Marrone against some impressive backdrops allowing for more perspective than I've ever previously been able to attain at these locations. If you haven't seen these places first hand, the pictures only represent tiny pieces of these colossal underwater structures.

Chuck at about 70' heading down at Halfway Rock.

Chuck running a reference line at BFW

BFW Trailer

I just cut together this short on BFW. As I accumulate more footage I will do an extended cut. Enjoy!

BFW Trailer from Green Diver on Vimeo.

BFW

     Big Fantastic Wall, Big Fancy Wall, Big Effing Wall - whatever floats your boat...so to speak. Located a mile or so away from Halfway Rock, BFW has become a favorite dive spot of mine. A submerged plateau of granite, the major appeal of this location is the geological structure itself. Beginning at 35', There is a bright and pretty area of sea plants small fish and jellies. After swimming a little way you reach the wall. It looks like to end of the earth. A perfectly chiseled cliff that drops off into blackness. It is an absolute delight jumping off this cliff (as any well adjusted diver would do). After stepping into oblivion, you descend another 70' straight down into the darkness. It is spooky and wonderful down there. Not too much abounds in terms of sea life, but it will take me a long time to get bored by this massive structure.

In a continued effort to document this place, I offer these pictures. These weren't easy to acquire photographically speaking. Capturing something this size, putting it into perspective and shooting it under very poor lighting and visibility requires some major camera tweaking. These were all shot on very high ISO and I needed to done some work in post to desaturate them, the best way to see the contrast. In any case, enough said. Enjoy.

Chuck Marrone finds the edge of the world

Chuck jumps off the cliff.

Looking north at about 60'

Looking north at a murkier 100'

Looking up at Chuck's reference line

    

Wreck of the Patriot

Last month we had the pleasure of going out to the Wreck of the Patriot in Stellwagen Bank. You couldn't ask for a better day, the water was flat-calm, no current, and there was 50+ feet of visibility. On the ride out with Cape Ann Divers, we saw a humpback whale, a minke whale, seals, and plenty of sea birds. Underwater there were dozens of sculpin, nudibranchs, and an enormous (pictured) torpedo ray. Please enjoy the following photos and embedded video Chuck and I shot. It should also be noted that 2 experienced fishermen lost their lives here and divers should treat this site with nothing but respect for them and their families.

Diver exploring the upper rigging of the wreck

Hardly a "wreck", the boat is almost entirely intact.

The infamous torpedo ray...

Torpedo ray with boat for perspective.

The Wreck of the Patriot from Green Diver on Vimeo.