Well another Saturday and another Dive Day. The weather was perfect for diving today. 85 degrees, a slight breeze, and Full high tide at 4:30 PM. Perfect.

We started out as we normally do; we packed the truck full of gear, food, and kids. We were heading to the beaches at Point Judith Harbor of Refuge. When we got there, the place was loaded like a cattle holding facility in the Midwest. The place was packed, wall to wall people all soaking up the sun and enjoying the mild waves lapping at the shore line, who could blame them, surely not me. The beach was so packed, and unlike usual, the air even at the ocean was still hot by any standard. Usually at home the temperature reads 85 or 90. By the time we actually hit the beach, the temp falls by as much as 20 degrees on some days. Not today my friend. Hot as hell, and just about as packed too. We decided to shoot over to another dive spot that we have visited a couple of times just over the Newport Bridge in Newport. Fort Adams. Fort Adams is a great little place to dive. Good, clear, nice, deep, fish filled waters just waiting to feed a family of 6. The parking is about 10 feet from the water, unlike Point Judith where the parking is like a ½ mile hike to the water in full scuba gear in 90 degree heat. A great diving spot, but on some days, the price can be a little too much. I mean ever try to walk ½ a mile in full scuba gear in 90 degrees with 85 to 90 % humidity? It will sure make a person reconsider their hobbies let me tell you that. Well not the case at Fort Adams. At Fort Adams you can park along side of a dirt/tarred road that borders the water.

As you can see in the photo above, the red circle is where you would park and dive, the blue circle is where all the Pole Fishermen/Women do their fishing. The two areas tend to be separate by nature. The pole fishers stay in that little rocky looking area. I assume they stay here because it has lots and lots of large rocks to sit on while you fish. The red circle is a nice beach that is covered with small smooth stones. You can swim on this beach too, which my 2 daughters usually do while my son and I are diving.

The water here has some nice depth to it. There is a shipping lane about 100 – 200 yards offshore in this location. You can find depths well into the 150 foot range. If you don’t pay attention, you can find yourself exceeding your limits quickly. This area is usually a good spot for some Tautog and lots of Fluke, or Summer Flounder. We figured since this place isn’t even close to packed like Point Judith is, we may as well try to rustle up some dinner here. Point Judith is about 30 – 50 feet deep, and you don’t have to worry about where you’re going too much at that location, but here, here you can find yourself hanging in the blue in no time at all, without sight of bottom nor top, so you better not get distracted chasing some dinner, or you could find yourself over that shipping channel that drops to 150+ feet. 

My son and I were quickly busy chasing some of the Fluke we seen. As soon as we entered the water, dinner started to swim everywhere. We decided on some fresh Fluke and started to seek out some legal sized fillets. Didn’t take too long before we were on to them hiding in the muddy bottom. This place has rocks, but the spot in front of that red circle is pretty much a silt dirt bottom, with not much in the way of rock formations. After chasing down some smaller Fluke, we did an Air and Depth Check. We were at 2200 PSI and 53 feet deep. Our previous greatest depth was only 50’. I looked at my dive buddy as he gleefully pointed to his depth gauge, I checked my SPG and confirmed we were at about 53 feet. We knew this dive spot went well beyond our diving certification limits, and were quite excited to see we hit a new “Low”. We gave each other the look that 2 school boys get when they just seen something that peaked their interest. I knew by the look on my sons face exactly what he was thinking “lets see how deep we can go” was the look. Well were both Certified to an Open Water level. This means that we are certified to a Maximum depth of 60 feet. Who cares, the Abyss is calling and we got all the gear we would ever need right? Wrong. This mentality is why divers end up in a DAN report of Diving deaths. Were geared to the max, were highly trained, Thanks to Kalipso Dive Shop of Smithfield RI for this, and were ready to do anything, anything except exceed our training! We both reached the 60’ mark and looked at each other, we didn’t need any hand signals, any looks, or any anything, we both knew this was it. 60 Feet, it’s as deep as we go. Period, no questions, no bravado, and no BS. This is our lives here, were not playing some video game where if our diver dies, we have to restart the level here. We both now what our limits are and why NOT to exceed them. DEATH. It’s a very good deterrent if you ask the both of us. Oh sure we could of did just one more kick and hit 65 feet, or 2 more and hit 70 feet. Or 20 more and hit the funeral home perhaps, perhaps not. But the key here is we just don’t know. Below 60 feet we know, were trained and geared up for it. Beyond OUR Abyss, I don’t think so. Every year dozens of divers die because they simply exceeded the personal and professional limits of the dive certification(s) they have obtained. Why does one do this? I mean At Kalipso Dive shop, they beat it into our heads how being a safe diver is being a diver being an unsafe diver is being in a DAN report. I mean is a dead person with tanks strapped to their backs really still considered a diver? I don’t think so.

 At the 60’ point, we were both thinking the same thing, 1st we were thinking wow, this is the second thermo cline we passed through, and 2nd, time to turn back. With the shore temp hovering near 90 degrees with 85% humidity, the Thermo clines were a very welcome burst of cooler water. I mean we wear 7mm Scubapro Everflex Steamers for god’s sake, a person has to cool off somehow. But here in New England, anyone who thinks a 3 mm wetsuit in the 75 degree water is sufficient, hasn’t actually tried it, have they? Hit 30 feet and that 75 degree water becomes 60 degrees, if you’re lucky. Hit 60 feet deep, and your down to around 50. Yea, that 7mm suit is sounding better and better each foot I descend.

So we headed back from Our Abyss and started to make for the shore line. Were getting quite good at Under Water navigation these days and had no trouble getting back to our almost exact starting point. I say exact out of respect for those shore fishers I mentioned earlier. They WERE NOT happy to see us surface 25 feet to the left of our starting point, which was smack dab in the middle of all their fishing lines. Yea we managed to get tangled in about 5 different fishing lines. Not cool, not cool at all. But the fishermen were very nice as we snapped their lines so we could get free from the lines. They were down right nice about it. This is because of one simple fact here in Rhode Island. This Fort Adams, is a State Run Fishing Spot. Not a Designated Diving spot mind you, this spot was and is paid for and maintained by the taxes fishermen spend on their equipment, they are nice enough to let us dive and spearfish in their Fishing Spot. We show them the respect they deserve, and they show us the respect we deserve. Besides, most of us divers are more than happy to give away a little of the catch to our shore fishing buddies. I mean why not, we have it so easy compared to the poor soul who has to throw a chuck of bait out into the massive ocean and hope 1st some unlucky fish happens by it, and 2nd that the same unlucky fish is also hungry.

Not always the case let me tell you. So a lot of these shore fishers look forward to a Scuba Diver having a real good day down below, it usually means some fresh fish for everyone. If you’re not bagging a couple for the shore fishers you passed on your way into the water, shame on you, they’re trying to rustle up some dinner too ya know. So pitch in, earn some respect, and give up a little of the catch to the guys and girls on shore, it’s them paying for these areas with the Pitman Robinson Act. And besides, doesn’t it just feel good to give a helping hand to a fellow Ocean Lover?

Here is a breakdown of my dive spots and their intended use. The red circle is Fort Wetherill a very heavily used Dive spot. It is actually a managed Fishing area and is so posted with this information. I hear many a diver gripe about the people fishing on shore here, tough crap, they paid for it, they use it, what’s YOUR problem. I can tell you this much too, I used to be one of the guys on shore here fishing with a pole, and I do not recall anyone ever griping about all the divers in the water, all I remember is the awe that the divers inspired in us as they came up with huge game fish. None the less, a designated FISHING SPOT. The yellow Circle is Fort Adams. Again a spot reserved for fishermen and maintained by the RIDEM. Which is funded with taxes paid by outdoor sportsmen and women. Not a fishing spot reserved just for fishing though, there is a big old Fort that sits here that gets a ton of travelers each year, but still it is the fishers who pay the fee’s as Fort Adams entry is Free, so where did you think the money for those DEM agents that patrol it came from?

In the White circle is King’s Beach. This is also a Designated Fishing spot with lots of sore fishers everywhere. The  U.S. National Freediving Spearfishing Championship is going to be held here on Aug 7th 2008. So if you don’t think this is a great spot to spearfish, you must be crazy. This is one of the few spot I have seen tuna while diving from the shore, in this state. This is a top notch Spearfishing location and I recommend all who spearfish and dive to try it out at least once in your life time, the drop offs and underwater cliffs make this a must dive location, and let’s not even get into how easy it is to scrounge up a nice fish dinner here.

The Light Blue circle is beavertail. I pole fish here and that is about it for now. This is an extremely dangerous spot to dive from my experience, and neither myself nor my dive buddy have any plans to dive here any time soon. But in its defense, it has some of the best underwater scenery around, and this is a big Technical Diving location with tons of shipwrecks as close as 100 feet (yes feet) to shore. I very nice spot but prone to 10 – 20 foot waves, yikes!!! There are some areas here that boast an easy entry dive, but were just not up to par to try this spot out yet. But were heading Back to Kalipso Dive shop for some more training, and we will be back.

The dark Blue circle at the bottom is Point Judith Harbor of refuge and surrounding breakers. You will hear so much about this spot in coming articles, that I need not explain much further except to say, again, a designated fishing spot and managed by RIDEM like the other 4 spots are. Again all these dive sites are managed by the RIDEM and paid for by the RI sportsmen, so let us all just get along, and have a fish fry!

The point of this story was plain and simple. Don’t exceed your training. Sure my Dive buddy and I could of just slipped past the 60’ mark just to say we did it, and next time we’re near a wreck, we can just slip into the first opening just to say we did it, or next time were near a cave, we can sneak inside just to say we did that too, and then next week, we can slip right into a coffin, so my wife and children can say we did everything but get trained! I think not, thank you. If you break your training by as little as 1 foot deeper than you’re certified, we’ll see you on the DAN report next year under the “they exceeded their training” section. Because if your willing to go a foot, then your probably the type to go the whole distance. Why bother, you got into this for fun, don’t take away the fun by trying to play the hero or the big man. My son said he has more respect for me knowing that I follow the rules rather than any respect he MAY have had for me if I exceed my training and went that extra foot. After all, I am trying to set an example here to you know, and if my son sees me breaking the rules, especially in such a life or death situation, what could I possibly expect from him in return? I don’t want to know thank you.

P.S. We did manage to bag a rather Nice Fluke and a hefty Tautog for some fish & chips while we were returning from the Abyss!!!