George Bouloukos

Coyote

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Munson

The Munson was a Steam Dredge that sank while under tow in April 1890.

The barge is an interesting and unique dive, with the steam shovel and two levels providing plenty of opportunity to explore. She is sitting upright in approx. 110′ of water.

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Baleen

The Baleen was towing a barge in 1975 when a fire broke out on board . She was built in 1923 in Wisconsin, and was a steel-hulled ship 102 ft. in length with a 23 ft. beam. There were no fatalities associated with the sinking.

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Today the Baleen rests sitting upright, listing slightly starboard in 170 FSW, with the top of the deckhouse at approximately 150 FSW.

We had great conditions on the wreck, and it is a quintessential New England shipwreck, covered in brightly colored anemones.

Wolffish!

A number of NEUE divers making the trip out to the Chester Poling recent weeks have spotted the resident Atlantic Wolffish in the sand under the break of the wreck.

For those of you unluck enough to have enjoyed the superb conditions, I was lucky enough to get some footage of this fish on our dive this past Sunday.The Woflfish has a large head with a blunt snout and a set of canine teeth. Their body tapers behind the head, with a long dorsal  fin. They are a grey to slate blue color and grow up to 5′ in length !

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For those not familiar with the Wolffish, they are often found in cracks and crevices so next time you’re out diving be sure to poke your light in some of those dark holes, you’ll never know what you might find !

NEUE U853 Weekend

I recently spent and enjoyable and exciting diving the wreck of the U-853. We had great weather and, a great group out diving with Wayne Gordon on the Canned Air. This was my first time on the wreck and an excellent dive. We had up to three teams in the water conducting video doucmentation, survey and debris field search.

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Thanks to Ralph Correia for putting this weekend together, and Fran for giving up his Saturday to come out and hump gear. Everything ran really smoothly, thanks to the solid preparation and the team working to making light work of the surface support.

You can read more reports of the diving and check out some pictures here, NEUE U-853 Reports

GUE Fundamentals Course

The GUE Fundamentals Course is designed for divers that want the most out of their diving.

The course instructs divers in the fundamentals of DIR diving, increasing diver fun and efficiency while reducing stress and risk. GUE Fundamentals instruction focuses on providing students with an understanding of DIR principals as they apply to recreational and technical diving.

Skill development focuses on fundamental diving skills including: buoyancy & trim, propulsion, increasing efficiency, equipment configuration, team awareness & communication, risk evaluation, gas management and dive planning.

If you are thinking about taking this course, you can read more about the course and get some information about the course requirements. The course overview on the GUE website has a detailed course description and links to register and signup!

How Should I Prepare for the GUE Fundamentals Course?

GUE Fundamentals is an entry level course that covers a wide range of material designed to cultivate the basic skills required for sound diving practice and develop a solid foundation for further training.

As entry level course and a gateway into further GUE training the prerequisites for the GUE Fundamentals courses are straightforward,

1. Must meet GUE general course prerequisites
2. Minimum of 16 years of age
3. Must be a certified Open Water diver from a recognized training agency
4. Must be able to swim 50ft on breath hold
5. Must be able to swim 300 yards in under 14 minutes without stopping

(see the Fundamentals Course Outline for more detail)

If you can answer Yes to each of the above, then you’re ready for the GUE Fundamentals Course!

The lectures, land drills and in-water work in the GUE Fundamentals class cover a wide variety of topics and use a building block approach to develop your knowledge and skill as the class progresses. To get the most out of the program, there are a few suggestions:

• Download a copy of the GUE Standards and read through the General Training Requirements as well as the Fundamentals Course Outline
• Read through the slides & articles provided in the Fundamentals Pacakge that you download once you have registered for the course. Start making a list of any questions you have!
• Familiarise yourself with your equipment, so you are reasonable weighted and comfortable in the water.
• Go Diving!

There is no need to spend time practicing skills for this course. Throughout the program, there is ample time for demonstrations, discussion, practice and refinement of the skills.

How Should I Prepare for the GUE Fundamentals Course?

Have Fun and Go Diving!

There is no need to spend time practicing skills for this course. Throughout the program, there is ample time for demonstrations, discussion, practice and refinement of the skills.

The best preparation you can have is to review the course materials and dive as much as you can, enjoying yourself and improving your aquatic comfort.

About GUE

Global Underwater Explorers emerged out of a shared desire to safely explore and protect the underwater world and to improve the quality of education and research in all things aquatic. In line with the original vision of its founding members, GUE is committed to:

• Developing safe, skilled, and knowledgeable divers
• Undertaking and promoting underwater research
• Pursuing global underwater exploration
• Safeguarding the integrity of the underwater world
• Providing the public with a comprehensive resource on all things aquatic.

Working to redefine the ties binding the average underwater enthusiast to underwater explorers, conservationists and scientific researchers GUE is committed to the overall goal of promoting the interests of the underwater world and of those who seek to engage it.

Chester A Poling

The Chester Poling was a coastal tanker, which carried heating oil. On January 10, 1977 the Poling encounter severe gale force winds and thirty foot seas, broke in two and sank. The stern has since been moved by a storm and now rests upright in the sand at about 100′.

This past Saturday, I got out to the wreck of the sterm for the second time this year. Some of the nicest conditions, with flat seas and overcast skys making for a very comfortable (albeit short) ride out. Once we were diving, things just got better with still conditions on the wreck and 25-35′ vis. I could write more about how good it was, but you can seee for yourself !

We went out with Cape Anne Divers who were again great.