Intro to NE Diving with the John Jack
Details
Come join the Sea Gypsies for our annual Introduction to Northeast Diving ocean dive this weekend, on Sunday, July 15th, on the dive boat John Jack out of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ!
This is the second part of our introduction to northeast diving, after our day at Dutch Springs last weekend. We will likely be diving the Venturo Tugboat.
http://njscuba.net/reefs/site_nj02sg_venturo.html
If you are a bit unsure about your local diving skills, Antonio Simonini (one of our members who is also an instructor) will be offering a skills tuneup course at Dutch Springs the day before.
While we can not offer any sort of official certification or training, many of our members who are experienced northeast divers have volunteered to buddy with our newer divers on this trip. Diving in the northeast certainly can be more challenging than on a Caribbean Reef, but the Venturo Tug is a perfect wreck for people just starting to dive locally. Sitting upright in about 70 feet of water, this wreck is intact and relatively small, making it easy to navigate.
When: Sunday, July 15, 2012
Boat departs at 7 am sharp; be at the boat no later than 6:30 am.
There is plenty of bunk space to sleep on the boat, so feel free to spend the night instead of waking up early. Bunks are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a sleeping bag and whatever else you need to be comfortable.
Where:
John Jack
407 Channel Drive
Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. 08742
(201) 321-6924
ww.john-jack.com (http://www.john-jack.com)
Reservations: Call Captain Rich to reserve your spot (201) 321-6924, then RSVP to diving@seagypsies.org .
Price: $90 for Sea Gypsies members (with membership card); $100 for nonmembers, to be paid on the boat. Price includes lunch; does not include tips for crew ($20 per diver suggested tip).
Cancellations: Once you sign up for the dive, you are responsible for the full amount unless you find a replacement or the captain of the boat decides to not leave the dock for weather or other conditions.
Transportation: If you need a ride or are willing to share the cost of a rental car, let us know when you reserve and we will try to coordinate ride sharing.
Depth: around 70 feet
Equipment: The John Jack does not provide rentals. You must bring all your own gear including tanks and weights for 2 dives. You will need at least a 7mm wetsuit (or a drysuit), hood, gloves, light, your C-card and any seasickness medication, if needed. There are a limited number of tanks available for rent from Aardvark Scuba in nearby Brick, NJ, and you must contact Aardvark Scuba (732-458-5200) well in advance to let him know if you need one of these. There is an on-board compressor so that tanks can be topped off for a third dive (air only).
Note: Please check below for John Jack requirements for this dive. Diving in the Northeast presents greater stresses and risks than diving in other environments and each diver takes responsibility for considering if they are comfortable with the diving conditions.
John Jack Diving Requirements:
Buddy teams Pony bottles or doubles (redundant air supply) unless the diver is partnered with a dive master or an instructor. Any divers using crew escorts must sign a liability waiver. There will also be an additional charge for a dive escort. Alcohol Policy: No drinking until after all dives are done. All divers must show a C-card when they board. All divers must fill out and submit a Diver Data form (http://www.john-jack.com/storage/forms/John%20Jack%20Diver%20Data%20Sheet.pdf) at the beginning of the season; the completed form is good for the year. All divers must fill out and submit a Daily Waiver (http://www.john-jack.com/storage/forms/John%20Jack%20Daily%20Waiver.pdf) before diving; this form is only valid for that day of diving Divers new to the John Jack must bring their log book or other means to show prior dive experience. http://www.seagypsies.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/jj_jelly.jpg
Photo: Mike Rothschild
Additional Information: Diving off the John Jack is very easy. At your jump in point to the water, there will be a vertical line with a weight on it that will go down to 20 feet, connected to that will be a horizontal line that will slowly slope down heading to the anchor line, by the time you get to the anchor you will be at about 50 to 60 feet, then just follow the anchor line to the wreck. You want to follow the lines back up to the boat as well. There will be another line that will slowly slope up, heading to the stern of the John Jack and back to the surface. The ladder on the stern is a T ladder that makes it pretty easy to get back on the boat while keeping your fins on. You don’t want to remove your fins until you are back on the boat. There will be plenty of crew on hand to help you get in and out of the water.
All divers who will to participate in the John Jack boat dive on July 15 must sign:
Sea Gypsies waiver instructor waiver boat waiver To learn more about the great stuff to see on a Northeast dive, check out this article by Mike Rothschild in this month’s Northeast Dive News.