Diving the Spiegel Grove...Finally...
Originally posted Monday, May 23, 2005
Wow, waited a long time for this
one. Ever since the USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) was intentionally sunk in
2002 amid much fanfare, I along with most of the diving community have
wanted to get down to Key Largo, FL and see if it lived up to the hype.
Now I can dutifully report -- hell yeah! Last weekend's trip aboard the
"Big Dipper" out of Florida Keys Dive Center was among the best
recreational dive sites I have seen in quite some time.
Spiegel Superstructure...
The first thing that strikes you about this dive site is that it freaking huge! At 510' it is the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. As I descended the line down on to the wreck the reality of just how big this thing is starts to dawn on you. I'm thinking, we'll never be able to see all this in one dive. In fact, our group saw maybe only the aft third of the ship in our 30 minutes of bottom time. The site is known as a "multi-level" dive site which means that there are various levels of expertise involved in diving her. With most of her hull accessible at 48'-50' both beginning divers and experienced "techies" will find many things to see and do all the way down to the sand which I marked at 138'. Some say you can dive her a hundred times and still not see the same things twice. The second impression I got while cruising around the massive hull was that the wreck has a very healthy eco-system developing around it. We saw an amazing array of sea life that I would classify as above average in diversity even for Florida Keys diving. By the way, for all those pundits out there who say that artificial reefs are bad for fish or the aquatic environment, they need to get down to Key Largo and check this out for themselves (end soapbox). Underwater photographers will pack their digital chips full in no time with the endless opportunities for photos. Team Beaverdam Divemaster Charlie Jurney was along for the dive and took some great shots of our group.
Spiegel Superstructure...
With plenty of opportunities to both peer and venture into the wreck, my days in the Navy started coming back to me. Having served on several vessels I was vaguely familiar with the layout of the ship and looking into some of the passageways I felt the urge to do a great deal more exploring than my aluminum 80 would allow on this particular excursion.
Spiegel Superstructure...
One member of our diving group even found a little air pocket near one of the old cranes on deck that allowed two divers to pop up inside and have a little chat with your regulators out. (Serious side note -- this sort of activity is NOT recommended for divers who do not have training or experience in overhead diving environments) the air inside the space was vaguely reminiscent of that musty smell that seems to permeate all navy ships - sort of an odd combination of haze gray paint, diesel fuel, fried bacon and dirty socks.
Spiegel Superstructure...
Alas, as always, the laws of physics did not allow us near enough bottom time to truly enjoy all the splendor that the this once great ship has to offer. Without question, "Team Beaverdam" will be back to explore some more of this magnificent slice of American history.
Spiegel Grove bow...
For more information on the history of the USS Spiegel Grove go here: http://www.spiegelgrove.com/
For dive trips go here: http://www.floridakeysdivectr.com/ - Capt. Greg and his Divemaster John will show you a great time.
Ascent on the Spiegel Grove...
Spiegel Superstructure...
Spiegel deck...
Spiegel Superstructure...
The first thing that strikes you about this dive site is that it freaking huge! At 510' it is the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. As I descended the line down on to the wreck the reality of just how big this thing is starts to dawn on you. I'm thinking, we'll never be able to see all this in one dive. In fact, our group saw maybe only the aft third of the ship in our 30 minutes of bottom time. The site is known as a "multi-level" dive site which means that there are various levels of expertise involved in diving her. With most of her hull accessible at 48'-50' both beginning divers and experienced "techies" will find many things to see and do all the way down to the sand which I marked at 138'. Some say you can dive her a hundred times and still not see the same things twice. The second impression I got while cruising around the massive hull was that the wreck has a very healthy eco-system developing around it. We saw an amazing array of sea life that I would classify as above average in diversity even for Florida Keys diving. By the way, for all those pundits out there who say that artificial reefs are bad for fish or the aquatic environment, they need to get down to Key Largo and check this out for themselves (end soapbox). Underwater photographers will pack their digital chips full in no time with the endless opportunities for photos. Team Beaverdam Divemaster Charlie Jurney was along for the dive and took some great shots of our group.
Spiegel Superstructure...
With plenty of opportunities to both peer and venture into the wreck, my days in the Navy started coming back to me. Having served on several vessels I was vaguely familiar with the layout of the ship and looking into some of the passageways I felt the urge to do a great deal more exploring than my aluminum 80 would allow on this particular excursion.
Spiegel Superstructure...
One member of our diving group even found a little air pocket near one of the old cranes on deck that allowed two divers to pop up inside and have a little chat with your regulators out. (Serious side note -- this sort of activity is NOT recommended for divers who do not have training or experience in overhead diving environments) the air inside the space was vaguely reminiscent of that musty smell that seems to permeate all navy ships - sort of an odd combination of haze gray paint, diesel fuel, fried bacon and dirty socks.
Spiegel Superstructure...
Alas, as always, the laws of physics did not allow us near enough bottom time to truly enjoy all the splendor that the this once great ship has to offer. Without question, "Team Beaverdam" will be back to explore some more of this magnificent slice of American history.
Spiegel Grove bow...
For more information on the history of the USS Spiegel Grove go here: http://www.spiegelgrove.com/
For dive trips go here: http://www.floridakeysdivectr.com/ - Capt. Greg and his Divemaster John will show you a great time.
Ascent on the Spiegel Grove...
Spiegel Superstructure...
Spiegel deck...
Full story here:
http://www.spiegelgrove.com/