Varanger Trip Report 8-17-08
Photo Courtesy of Kim Dixon
This past Sunday the Tuna Seazure left the dock for a 28 mile ride to one of the lesser frequented wrecks off of South Jersey. The Tuna Seazure was made for off shore canyon trips and at 24 knots she made the trip in just over an hour. On board were locals Bill and Kim Dixon, Mark Dolphin and Bill Bedford along with Rob from the shop and of course the trusty mate Ken and old salt Capt. Bill and myself.
The Varanger is one of my favorite dives off of Jersey. On Sunday we didn’t have the blue gulf stream water that you often get on this wreck. The first 20ft were murky, but as soon as you hit 20ft the visibility opened up. On the bottom we had a good 30ft of visibility. We were tied in between the midship and stern sections. The landscape was dominated by the two immense engines that seemed to spill out of the wreck. The surrounding decking has collapsed away leaving the great diesels proudly exposed. Aft of the power plant the deck rose to 105ft. Looking out into the break the sea floor at 145ft looked like a far drop. The deck was interrupted by large hatches and openings with stairs leading into the deeper recesses of the wreck begging to be explored. The very stern of the wreck where the large gun once stood has since collapsed and drops off to another debris field.
The Varanger is full of life. Kim was trying her new camera set up out in the darker waters of Jersey. There were plenty of soft corals and anemone for macro shots. Bill Dixon and Rob found a bumper crop of scallop along the edges of the wreckage. There was a large tautog that was hanging out on the deck and came over to check me out during both of my dives.
At 470ft there is way too much wreckage to explore in a couple of dives. The Varanger is the kind of wreck that leaves you wanting to come back for more. We’ve got the boat with the HP to get you there style. I look forward to making a return trip before the end of the season.
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