The Presidents Corner by Mike Cassetta

Transcription

1 FAIRFIELD COUNTY DIVING ASSOCIATION September 2016 Volume 23 Issue 9 Inside this Issue The Presidents Corner by Mike Cassetta page 1 New England Dive at BTS page 2 FCDA Donor I page 2 August Meeting DAN Raffle Winners page 3 FCDA Member Ads page 3 Shark group makes unprecedented discovery off Long Island by CBS News pages 4, 5, 6 FCDA Donor II page 5 WA Wreck Divers hunt for lost WWII Flying Boat by David Allan-Petale pages 6, 7 Back by Popular Demand! FCDA Tee Shirts and Hoodies! pages 8, 9 Events of Interest to FCDA Members page 10 Great Lakes Shipwreck Underwater video reveals second oldest vessel discovery by Associated Press page 10 Next FCDA Meeting page 11 The Presidents Corner by Mike Cassetta What an awesome end to the summer. The weather was beautiful, Hermine missed Connecticut (surprisingly the weathermen were all wrong) and I was able to get in a number of local dives. A small contingent of FCDA divers (Mel, Matt Jimmy D and me) joined Capt Billy Palmer aboard the Thunderfish in mid-august. The skies were blue and the seas calm. We were able to visit two shallowmid depth wrecks with great viz (15+ feet and comfortable water temps 70 degrees). First stop was the Olinda in approximately 20 feet. The boilers are still standing and are quite the sight. Next stop was the Onondaga in 50 feet off Watch Hill, RI. A great old freighter and she still lots to see, even after 100 years. I enjoyed a good 50 mins dive before saying goodbye. The following week I joined Capt Noel aboard Orbit Marine for a Wednesday morning wreck dive. Jeff Susa was also on board as we visited the wreck of The USS Mary Alice. She lies in 50 ft near Penfield Reef. Though dark, viz was good enough to see quite a bit of history. I enjoyed a pleasant 45 mins of bottom time before heading back up. Labor Day weekend, a strong contingent of FCDA divers including Matt, Mel, Michelle Lapin, Ethan Jarosik, Bruce Shillinglaw ventured out on Snappa Charters, despite an ominous forecast, to go see some Blue Sharks. Lisa Jarosik did an awesome job organizing the day. We had relatively calm seas, though I still managed to provide my own chum. We were rewarded with a number of Blue Shark friends, including 1 large male who hung out for several hours. We were able to tag him and an even larger male. The August FCDA Movie Night was a lot of fun as we watched 007 in Thunderball. The film has incredible underwater footage, and in a surprise ending, Bond saved the day and got the girl. September is members present. If you have a short video or slide presentation you care to share, please let Matt or me know. So far we have Matt showing Key Largo (not the Bogart movie), Lisa s guitar fish of Costa Rica and I will show some clips/photos of Monterey Bay. That s all Mike

2 Page 2 FCDA Donor The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association. UPCOMING TRIPS Bonaire 2016 Sat, Nov 12, Sat, Nov 19, 2016 Divi Flamingo Truk Lagoon 2016 Sun, Nov 27, Sun, Dec 04, 2016 Truk Odyssey Red Sea (Egypt) 2017 Sat, Nov 25, Sat, Dec 02, 2017 Red Sea Aggressor New England Dive Center at Beneath the Sea

3 Page 3 August Meeting DAN Raffle Winners After our movie presentation of James Bond in Thunderball the club held its monthly raffle to support our DAN Sponsorship. Winners were: Frog Spit donated by New England Dive Center - Carolyn Cassetta; Trident Ear Drops donated by New England Dive Center - Bob Sawczuk; OMS Dive Mask Slap Strap donated by New England Dive Center - Paul Nonnenmacher; Oceanic Small Mesh Bag donated by New England Dive Center - Bob Sawczuk; James Bond in Thunderball DVD donated by FCDA - John Stewart; Black Snap Clip donated by New England Dive Center - Paul Nonnenmacher and a Mesh Dive Gear Bag donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Ken Easley. Thanks to New England Dive Center and Orbit Marine Dive Center for donating tonight s raffle prizes for our DAN raffle. FCDA Member Ads Remember, you can't win if you don't buy tickets and you can't buy tickets if you don't get up and come out to FCDA events and meetings! Hey - have you got a non retail-diving business that you d like to share with fellow members of FCDA? Get your business card size ad in the FCDA monthly newsletter Surface Interval for only $50.00 for one year. Give your business a boost and help support the production of our monthly newsletters. For more information, write to FCDA, P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT or to fcda@aol.com.

4 Page 4 Shark group makes unprecedented discovery off Long Island by CBS News P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT Internet mail: fcda@aol.com Presidents 2016 Board Matt Rownin & Mike Cassetta Vice-President Mark Shannon Secretary Treasurer Lisa Jarosik Paul J. Gacek Ocearch said its team of fishermen and scientists has found the first known birthing site for great white sharks on the North Atlantic Coast. After 26 expeditions, Ocearch said the birthing site in the famous waters off Montauk, Long Island is the most significant discovery they ve ever made, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor. As soon as the shark slides onto the lift, scientists and researchers rush in. By now, the process of tagging is routine for Ocearch. But the particular goal of this trip is not. Ocearch finds thriving oil rig ecosystem in Gulf of Mexico Ocearch said its team of fishermen and scientists has found the first known birthing site for great white sharks on the North Atlantic Coast. After 26 expeditions, Ocearch said the birthing site in the famous waters off Montauk, Long Island is the most significant discovery they ve ever made, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor. As soon as the shark slides onto the lift, scientists and researchers rush in. By now, the process of tagging is routine for Ocearch. But the particular goal of this trip is not. It s kind of like step two in the science, said Chris Fischer, founder of Ocearch and the expedition s leader. When we started this work back in 2012, the real question was where are these sharks in the North Atlantic giving (Continued on page 5)

5 Page 5 Shark group makes unprecedented discovery off Long Island by CBS News (continued) FCDA Donor The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association. (Continued from page 4) birth? Because that s where they re most vulnerable. For researchers, finding the North Atlantic birthing site can lead to better protection policies and far more scientific knowledge. Why is this spot so important for you? Glor asked veterinary pathologist Harley Newton. Because this is a unique population. This life stage hasn t been studied very much. Newton is with the Wildlife Conservation Society and has been studying sharks for 16 years. The first one was very exciting. And actually every single one so far has been very exciting, Newton said. But for all the fear of sharks, she said the actual facts remain scant. In addition to applying the tags, the team is also taking blood samples and conducting muscle biopsies, with the goal of having the shark on and off the lift in under 15 minutes. And now, the team said it s made history with the discovery of the birthing site. Definitely the nursery, likely the birthing site, Fischer said. Fischer s team will also determine if any of these sharks are the offspring of great whites they first encountered off Cape Cod. The strategy at the time was, get a tag out on big mature animals, and when you get one on a big female, 18 months later, she should lead you to the holy grail of the research, the birthing site, Fischer explained. In 2012, CBS This Morning was there when a 2,000-pound female named Genie became the first-ever great white successfully spot-tagged in the North Atlantic. Popular great white shark Mary Lee returns to Northeast Look, if we thought we were hurting these animals, we wouldn t do what we were doing, Fischer said, rejecting accusations that they may be hurting the young sharks. We don t learn unless we let them go in good shape. The fact of the matter is that we have to get tracking devices on a handful of these animals so we can help them all thrive. The team could go days without finding one shark, but on this trip, they seemed to be everywhere. This week alone, Ocearch has tagged and released nine great white sharks, including a female aptly named Gratitude. She was anxious to get off, Glor said. She was, yeah. And she s gone, but now everybody can follow her, Fischer said. The GPS locators now worn by the nine shark pups are only activated when the animal s dorsal fin breaks the surface. Five of them -- (Continued on page 6)

6 Page 6 Shark group makes unprecedented discovery off Long Island by CBS News (continued) (Continued from page 5) Gratitude included -- are now transmitting their locations off the coast of Long Island. They re expected to stay in the area until they reach adulthood at the age of 20. Western Australia's treacherous coastline has wrecked scores of ships over the centuries, from the Batavia's infamous mutiny in the Abrolhos to the ghostly wreck of the Alkimos just north of Perth. R e p r i n t e d f r o m h t t p : / / SHARK OF THE MONTH: GREENLAND SHARK The Greenland shark has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species. An examination of 28 specimens in one study published in 2016 determined by radiocarbon dating that the oldest of the animals that they sampled had lived for about 392 ± 120 years (a minimum of 272 years and a maximum of 512 years). The authors further concluded that the species reaches sexual maturity at about 150 years of age. 'Who knows what we might find': WA wreck divers hunt for lost WWII flying boat by David Allan-Petale Across the seaward margins of the state there are more than 1,400 wreck sites that have been identified with countless more still to be found - and Perth couple David Jackson and Jacqui McGhie are setting off to Exmouth Gulf hoping to add one more to the state's heritage. "We're going to spend two weeks looking for a Catalina flying boat that crashed there in World War II," Mr Jackson said. "It's a US Navy plane and not much is known about it other than it crashed near Potshot in 1943 and a few of the crew were killed. We'll be scouring the sea floor and who knows what we could find?" Catalina flying boats were a common sight in the skies and waterways of Western Australia during the 1940s. One of the most famous uses of the Catalina was for an air link between Crawley Bay in Nedlands and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) nicknamed the "Double S u n r i s e ", s o - c a l l e d b e - cause aircrews saw the sun rise twice during their extremely long missions. The US Navy Catalina the Perth couple will be searching for was part of a military force sent to bolster WA's defences against incursions from the Japanese Empire during World War II. It's historical stories like these that first fired Mr Jackson's passion for local WA maritime and military history, and when he met Ms McGhie while working at a Coles in Perth as a teenager, he found someone who could share love and adventures with. Their adventures are documented in the Facebook page "Diving Western Australia's Shipwrecks" with over 80 sites marked off their ever growing todive list so far. "Dave is a great diving partner and he pushes me to take things to the limit and really explore the places we go to," Ms McGhie said. "We love finding new sites to explore but sometimes we go back to ones we love because you never know what you could see - the wildlife changes all the time and even light and water temperature can give you a new experience." The pair first discovered their love of wreck diving when they d o v e o n t h e V e r g u l d e Draeck or Gilt Dragon, a Dutch trading vessel that sank off the north Perth suburbs of Seabird and Ledge Point in "There we were diving in pretty shallow water and we're spotting iron cannons that are hundreds of years old," Mr Jackson said. "After that we realised there are so many amazing things to be seen right in our own backyard in WA." The pair are now members of (Continued on page 7)

7 Page 7 'Who knows what we might find': WA wreck divers hunt for lost WWII flying boat by David Allan-Petale (continued) "We've been in touch with a maritime archeologist called Dr. Silvano Jung who's helped find a few Catalinas in Darwin and he's given us a lot of help," Mr Jackson said. "And we've just put a new sounder on our boat so maybe that will do the trick. Whether we find it or not it's just fun to explore the coast and see what WA has to offer." Many dive wrecks have become part of reef systems. Photo: Diving Western Australia's Shipwrecks Reprinted from (Continued from page 6) the Maritime Archaeology Association of Western Australia and say their favourite wrecks are the destroyer escort HMAS Swan, scuttled as a dive wreck off Dunsborough, and thekey Biscayne, an oil rig that sank while under tow. But for Ms McGhie, wreck diving is also a chance to capture images of WA's abundant sea life like whales, sharks and nudibranchs: brightly coloured molluscs with over 2,000 recorded species. "We were diving a wreck up north and saw a species of nudibranchs with bright blue spots and when we returned for another dive the water was warmer with a stronger current and another species was there. It's amazing, you just never know what you're going to find," she said. For Mr Jackson though, the history of the wrecks is the big drawcard and he's excited to join the search for the Catalina flying boat in Exmouth Gulf. The couple have been diving off the coast of Western Australia in the hunt for wreckages. Photo: Diving Western Australia's Shipwrecks

8 Back by Popular Demand! FCDA Tee Shirts and Hoodies! Page 8 Get your FCDA Tee Shirts and Hoodies with a high quality embroidered FCDA logo on the front and an embroidered dive flag on the back. Available in sizes from Small to 3XL. Gildan Heavy Cotton T-Shirt The Endurance Poly Hoodie 100% polyester performance fleece - Quarter zip pullover for easy on and off - Mesh lined hood and front pockets - Rib knit hem and cuffs / Draw string in hood- Grey/Black or Grey/Red Adult Sizes SM - 3XL $35.00 Graphite grey shown - Cotton/Polyester blend - Adult Sizes SM - 3XL $25.00 Also available with long sleeves (not shown) $30.00 Both available in choice of ten colors Hoodie also available in Grey with Red Insets. High quality embroidered FCDA logo on the front and an embroidered dive flag logo on the back. Available Colors for Tee Shirts and Long Sleeve Shirts

9 Page 9 FCDA Shirt/Hoodie Order Form Please note that all items are custom made and must be prepaid. Items will be ordered as soon as we have the minimum quantity for an order and will generally be available at the next scheduled meeting. Name FCDA Tee Shirt with Logo and Dive Flag No. Size $25.00 = $ No. Size $25.00 = $ FCDA Long Sleeve Shirt with Logo and Dive Flag No. Size $30.00 = $ No. Size $30.00 = $ FCDA Hoodie with Logo and Dive Flag No. Size Black $35.00 = $ or No. Size Red $35.00 = $ No. Size Black $35.00 = $ or No. Size Red $35.00 = $ Make your check payable to FCDA and mail to: TOTAL $ FCDA, P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT 06824

10 Page 10 Events of Interest to FCDA Members September 15-18, Annual September Cape Ann Trip - Be a part of our annual September adventure for an extended week of fun! We'll be staying at the Cape Ann Campsite. Yes, they do have hot showers! Every evening we enjoy some great food, talk about our day's adventures and hang out by the fire. We'll be diving with Cape Ann Divers on Friday and Saturday. At this time of the year the water is at its warmest. A full 7mm suit is the minimum as these North Atlantic waters are cold even at their 'warmest'. The allure, you ask? It's chock o block full of beautiful marine life! Please contact Mel Rich Jr at or nutechpest@mac.comso a spot at the campground and on the dive boat can be reserved for you December 2, FCDA Holiday Party - 7:00 PM - Details to follow. Great Lakes shipwreck: Underwater video reveals second oldest vessel discovery by Associated Press The second-oldest confirmed shipwreck in the Great Lakes, an American-built, Canadian-owned sloop that sank in Lake Ontario more than 200 years ago, has been found. A three-member western New York-based team announced it discovered the shipwreck this summer in deep water off Oswego, in central New York. Images captured by a remotely operated vehicle confirmed it is the Washington, which sank during a storm in 1803, according to team member Jim Kennard. This one is very special. We don't get too many like this, said Mr Kennard, who along with Roger Pawlowski and Roland Chip Stevens has found numerous wrecks in Lake Ontario and other waterways. The sloop Washington was built on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania in 1798 and was used to transport people and goods between western New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario. It was placed on skids and hauled by oxen teams across the Niagara Isthmus to Lake Ontario in 1802 after being sold to Canadian merchants. The 53-foot-long ship was carrying at least five people and a cargo of merchandise, including goods from India, when it set sail from Kingston, Ontario, for its homeport of Niagara, Ontario, on Nov 6, The vessel was caught in a fierce storm and sank. At least three crew members and two merchants were on the sloop. All aboard died. According to Mr Kennard, contemporary records said portions of the cargo and pieces of the ship were found the following day on a shore near Oswego. The Washington is the oldest commercial sailing vessel found in the Great Lakes and the only sloop known to have sailed on lakes Erie and Ontario, Mr Kennard said. Single-masted sloops were replaced in the early 19th century by two- and three-masted schooners, which were much easier to sail, according to Carrie Sowden, archaeological director at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, which sponsors the New York team's explorations. Since there are no known drawings of the Washington, the sloop's discovery will help maritime historians learn more about the design and construction of that type of sailing vessel used on the Great Lakes between the American Revolution and the War of 1812, she said. Every shipwreck offers something different that adds to our knowledge base, Sowden said. The oldest vessel found in the Great Lakes is HMS Ontario, a British warship that sank in Lake Ontario in Kennard and another explorer found that wreck in Reprinted from The Associated Press.

11 Page 11 Next FCDA Meeting Friday, September 30, :00 PM Coast Guard Cottage, South Benson Marina, Fairfield, CT (No Pre-Meeting BBQ) FCDA Members Present! It s that time of the year again! Our Member s Present Evening! Scheduled to appear are: Mike Cassetta Monterey Bay CA Lisa Jarosik Costa Rica Guitar Fish/Bull Shark Matt Rownin Key Largo