Dive Report: Oil Wreck
Date: Sunday Morning June 25, 2000
Boat: Nauti Gal
Captain: Jeff Hunter

By: Mike Rodriguez

The team had been diving the area north of the Dry Tortugas for two
days.  Conditions were outstanding and everyone was enjoying the
trip immensely.  This morning we woke up and had breakfast while
anchored over the Oil Wreck.

The Oil Wreck is actually an unknown given that name due to the
abundance of oil still seeping from its tanks.  Whenever divers
visit, a thin sheen develops on the surface as bubbles carry oil up
the water column.  As far as I've been able to determine, the Oil
Wreck was sunk in 140 feet of water during WWII by U-84 on the same
day U-84 sank the nearby Baja California which we'd dive later in
the day.

When we arrived the previous afternoon, the Ultimate Getaway, a
live-aboard dive boat which frequents the area, was just leaving.
A light oil slick on the surface this morning reminded us that
divers had been diving the wreck recently.

Around mid-morning, the team geared up and entered the water.  I was
diving trimix 26/13/61 with 50% oxygen and 100% oxygen for
decompression.  The visibility on the surface was good at around 60
feet.  The water temperature was about 77F and the air temperature
was warm in the low 80s.  The sea was flat and there was no current.

As I dropped down the line, I noticed that I couldn't see the bottom
even at 100 feet; when I reached the wreck, I realized why.  The
visibility on the bottom was only about 20 feet.  It was like a big
cloud had engulfed the entire wreck.  The visibility just above the
wreck was good, though; only the bottom 30 feet or so were murky.
This was quite a change from the ~100 foot visibility we've had on
the other dives so far this three-day trip.

The Oil Wreck is almost turtled lying on its starboard side.  I poked
around near the bottom and noticed there was very little in the way
of machinery on the deck.  One of my buddies later suggested this may
be because the ship was an escort oiler which would account for the
simple deck profile and the abundance of oil still seeping from the
wreck after so many decades.

I swam toward the bow which is badly mangled probably from one of the
torpedo which sank the ship.  There were several jewfish and amberjack
swimming around and numerous smaller fish.

Swimming aft, I found portholes sitting free in the sand and several
still attached to the wreck.  At least one had glass still intact.
Aft of amidships, the wreck was torn apart where a torpedo exploded.
I saw one of the large boilers hanging out of the break in the hull.
Swimming around it, I was able to get inside the boiler room to look
around.  I exited, then swam farther aft to the rudder area.  There
were several more jewfish by the rudder and I stopped to watch them
for several minutes.  Other divers got too close and were thumped
as the jewfish swam away.

My time was almost over, so I slowly swam back to the line and began
my ascent and decompression.  Once I got back on the boat, I noticed
my gear was covered in oil which I must have picked up when I entered
the boiler room.  The oil slick on the surface of the water was
thicker now that we'd stirred up the bottom.  The odor was becoming
noticeable, so we didn't linger long after everyone was aboard; we
pulled anchor and headed to our next and final destination of the
trip, the California.