Next stop Harley mentioned that it might be a good day to hit one of the bigger wrecks. He was correct as the Yellow flag, San Saba and Choppara all were unoccupied. These wrecks almost always have either a fishing boat or dive boat on them so we were surprised to see all three empty. We were headed to the San Sabe but saw a gill net very close so we headed over to the Choppara. Nice dive with 20 to 25 ft of vis. Lots of ling around, a few lobster ( since this one is hit often) and a mix of sea bass and tog. I planned on getting a load of ling but when I got on the bottom I spent the dive just swimming around checking on the wreck. The tall structure (bow) is mostly knocked down but still the tallest structure on the wreck.
There does not seem to be as much exposed debris in the sand but mostly the wreck was as I remembered it. If someone lost their speargun and green bag on the wreck it is in really bad condition. The stock is corroded away and the only part for salvage was the shaft which is now a spare on the boat. The bag and clips etc are still on the bottom and providing structure for fish. It was amazing with all the sea life that more did not come up but I think like me all the divers were just looking around the wreck we don't visit often and checking out the changes.
The afternoon started to blow up a little but still not a bad ride on the LadyGodiver (finest dive boat around)
Some of you have heard that I bought a new dive boat and its a JC with a small diesel. I will spend at least the summer doing mods and then if I will try it out for a few trips to see if I like it better or not. It is docked next to my house right now to make it easier to work on and use locally. So maybe next year I will be diving off another boat. I still have not decided on the name. If your looking for a good, inexpensive dive platform maybe the Lady godiver is for you!Note I will make you a great deal if you have your own ladder as I would like to use the Lady Godiver ladder on the new boat.
Responses