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.

Some midsummer pictures.

      With the season in full steam and we are starting to accumulate some decent pictures and video from our recent adventures with Cape Ann Divers. We dove the Salvages, the Haight, the Poling, Halfway Rock, Neverfail Ledge, and Boohoo Ledge just to name a few. So far, the vis has been good and the weather only skunked us once. Since this is a photo blog and I'm not in the mood to write anything exciting, please enjoy the following pictures!

The Salvages. There is a large (gray?) seal in the foreground. I wish there was something to put him into perspective. Lot of seals and birds this day. Downwind of the island was not the place to be...

This is from my favorite snorkeling spot in East Gloucester. I don't know how, but it always looks like the tropics here. Blue water with stellar vis. 

Another from East Gloucester. A baby cunner coming out of his home to look at his reflection in my camera. 

A friendly and curious rock gunnel.

Sea star close up. The orange spot is the value for its water circulatory system.

Atlantic Wolfish in Cape Ann

        We met this lady offshore while diving with Cape Ann Divers a couple of weeks ago. A rare find (though I can't take credit for finding her) not to mention my first REAL LIFE wolfish sighting. OH Boy! I couldn't stop thinking about this magnificent fish. What's not pictured is a debris field of pulverized shells that were in front of the wolfish home (a broken pipe.)  In other words, anyone who was unlucky enough to be a passerby in this particular location.

After snapping a few pictures she became a little bit agitated and began to show off her artillery (pictured below). At that point I let her be and returned to the boat overjoyed, and happy to still have all my fingers...

 
Well folks, the season is in full swing. I'll do my best to start posting on a regular basis. In the mean time, enjoy the wolfish. A face that only a mother, or a fish-nerd could love...

Saturday Night Ledge

      Here's our short film on "Saturday Night Ledge," located offshore of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This video was shot over the course of 5 days during September-November 2011. Despite frozen head and hands, sea-sickness, and a touch of narcosis, we had a blast making this one. This is truly a magical place.

Thanks to Cape Ann Divers, Captain Steve, and Dave for getting us there and back so many times in one piece.

Shot on a Canon T2i with natural light (or lack thereof)...

Above Cape Ann

Last fall, my buddy Mike Abelson took me up in his Skylane RG to get some aerial shots of Cape Ann. We were able to quickly and easily identify some of the best dive sites around the island. It was a hazy, but beautiful day, and it's always a blast riding in the front seat of a small plane (not to mention hanging out the window, camera in hand). In any case, this video that I finally cut together offers a unique perspective of some of our favorite dive sites. Enjoy!

"This Place Sucks"

Some unbelievable cave diving footage from Mexico. Great cutting and music in the video. You will also see some footage of some ancient bones found in the cave system. Not much info on where they were or the diving conditions, but great video work. Check it out:

Some more from the archives

         The Green Diver crew has been tirelessly preparing for the new dive season: gear inspection, maintenance, improvements, and some more camera equipment. We'll probably hit the water in May sometime and have some new content shortly after. In the mean time, I'll continue to post some more stuff from last year as I come across it...

A fierce friend at The Salvages. He kept trying to get his reflection in my camera housing.

Rock covered in tunicates at the Salvages

Star tunicate, pretty but invasive.