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2006: 9/16-23 Grenada-SpiceIsles Land/Reef/Wreck&Tech!


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#16 WreckWench

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Posted 16 July 2006 - 05:45 PM

NightDives:

Yes we can do nightdives via the boat. The price is extra due to overtime to the crew but very cool.

Other Things to Do:

There are lots of fun things for non-divers to do...tours of the island, tours of the spice factories, tour of the chocolate factory, waterfall hike (not very strenous) and you can swim in the crystal clear and refreshing waters of the fall! You can even jump...its a blast! They have a tour of the rum distillery and the town is very quaint. There is a college there and lots of Americans going to school there. Non-divers will have lots to do and if we have several of them we can arrange some special activities for them. The owner of True Blue has wonderful shopping, ideas and loves people...therefore people love her!

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#17 cmt489

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Posted 18 July 2006 - 06:40 PM

Hey Mike,

We did do one night dive last year. I don't remember the name of the wreck, but most of us didn't see it anyway! We managed to get seperated from the dive master....again


But Hawk saw an octopus! Didn't he tell you? :birthday:

#18 OTWdiver

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Posted 19 July 2006 - 08:53 PM

I know the Wench can find Octopi she has an eye for them. Two hidden well on separate dives in NC first of this month. :cheerleader:
I have been looking to see if there are any deck plans for the Bianca C. Can anyone help with this search. It would be nice to have a good idea of what it did look like before the fire.
"Those who have never seen themselves surrounded on all sides by the sea can never possess an idea of the world, and of their relation to it" Goethe

#19 finGrabber

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Posted 20 July 2006 - 12:21 PM

Payment Update

We received a deposit from Mike aka Bubski! I've moved you to the confirmed list :)

#20 qdive

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Posted 20 July 2006 - 04:16 PM

Count me in........ This girl tech diver would not miss this trip. Hey, we need some other women tech divers to sign up, I'm tired of only diving with men. We need some girl power.

#21 Dive_Girl

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Posted 20 July 2006 - 04:19 PM

:welcome: to SD gdive!!

From one tech girl diver to another - if only if only I could make it! Well since I can't, it would be fabulous if you posted an intro in our New to SingleDivers.com Forum so we can get to know you and give you a proper SD welcome!

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#22 finGrabber

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Posted 20 July 2006 - 06:36 PM

Count me in........ This girl tech diver would not miss this trip. Hey, we need some other women tech divers to sign up, I'm tired of only diving with men. We need some girl power.


Excellent!

I've added you to the 'checks in the mail' list!

#23 Bubble2Bubble

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Posted 20 July 2006 - 07:40 PM

Glad to have you coming along Gdive :welcome:
Gurl power is awesome!
Update as of today 07/20/06 nobody has answered my thread I started on SB about going inside the Bianca C! is it possible we may be the first ? I will contact auqanuts and see there take on the dive.

Carla and Michelle thanks for your input on this thread! :angel2:

As I remember Scubahawk almost needed a straight jacket after seeing that Octi :fish2:
Lets be Safe and have Fun!
But we gotta check on those Kids!

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#24 Bubble2Bubble

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Posted 21 July 2006 - 07:54 PM

FYI from Google

Construction began on the Bianca C in 1939 at Construction Navales, La Ciotat; the yard being situated on the French South Coast between Marseille and Toulon. The incomplete ship was launched as the "Marechal Petain "on June 1944 and then was towed to Port Bouc, where the Germans first sank her, in August, during their retreat from The South of France.
The sunken hull was subsequently renamed "La Marseillaise", raised and towed to Toulon and subsequently back to the yard at La Ciotat in 1946, where she was refitted as a cruise ship for Messageries Maritimes of Marseille. Completed in July 1949, her first maiden Voyage was Marseilles to Yokohama and her original capacity was 736 passengers, broken down to 344 1st class, 74 2nd class & 318 3rd class.

In 1957 she was sold to AROSA LINE Inc of Panama, who renamed her "Arosa Sky " had her refitted to accommodate 202 1st class & 1030 2nd class passengers; the first voyage being Bremerhaven- New York .Within two years the Arosa Line hit financial straits and their flag ship was sold in 1959 to G.COSTA du GENOA, an italian family firm who were known as the "Linea C" , Where she was renamed the "Bianca C"after a daughter. The Linea C had her refurbished and registered an increase of tonnage from 17,321 GT to 18,427 GT. She then began the Naples- Guaira (Venezuela) run, a voyage including stops in the Caribbean; Grenada being the last such on the return leg.

On October 12th 1961 the Bianca C left Italy on her final voyage, ten days later she caught fire after an explosion in her boiler room; while anchored off the Capital of Grenada , St George's. The flames spread rapidly throughout the rear portion of the ship, fortunately 672 of the 673 people on board were saved by the prompt action of the crew and the additional help of numerous small boats launched from St. George's harbour, including several yachts. Unfortunately there was insufficient marine fire fighting equipment available to stem the blaze or rescue the body of the only person lost on board. However twelve badly burnt crew were taken to the local hospital for treatment, only one whom died (Rodizza Napale)

The British Frigate " Londonderry" sailed from Purto Rico on hearing the news to lend what assistance they could, arriving on the 24th of October they found a still burning ship and succeeded in severing the anchor chain and securing a towing line, in an attempt to beach it in the shallows on the other side of Point Saline , or to at least remove it from the local shipping lanes. As they were towing it, with considerable difficulty, and watched by a large percentage of the Grenadian population, the tow rope snapped because the rudders had jammed in the extreme heat caused by the fire and shortly thereafter she sank in 167 feet of water where she sits to this day.
Her propellers where salvaged in the early seventies by a Trinidadian firm , the brass being sold on for scrap, otherwise they left her intact sitting upright on a nearly level sand bed. When she sank it appears that there was a major shift to starboard with all the upper decks and the bridge leaning to starboard giving divers the feeling that they were diving on a leaning ship.

However drop down off the bow or the stern and it became apparent the hull itself was upright. The upper decks had compacted down onto the lower decks pushed down into the hull. The majority of this reduction being behind the bridge where the decks had sunk down some thirty feet.




Over the Christmas period of 1992, the rear third of the ship was torn off and fell to starboard, seriously increasing her rate of deterioration. Of the two top deck swimming pools one is the other side of the crack and unrecognisable as it has been twisted out of shape. The other is still visible and we normally begin our dives in the swimming pool just forward of the crack, which is always good fun.

Dive Grenada offers Wreck Speciality courses which allows the diver to explore the Bianca C in all its glory and to enjoy our own 'Titanic' of the Caribbean. For the more adventurous and advanced divers we can offer 'Technical' penetration using Nitrox and Rebreathers in conjunction with MD Expeditions of New York.

There are tales that the Bianca C used to be much shallower and in the old days people were able to skin dive on her; this was supported by the supposition that the Bianca C had "Fallen down" the near by reef (Whibble Reef) which is only 50-60 feet deep. The legend seems unlikely, though, as an 18 thousand ton ship is unlikely to move a great deal. However in the last five years the interior of the ship has sunk some 20-30 feet in places and judging by the photographic evidence it is very likely that the smoke stack may have been fairly close to the surface when the Bianca C first sank. It would have been an ideal spot for skin diving , as visitors would have been able to make out some of the infrastructure from the surface. Nowadays nothing is visible until you are at least 30-40 ft below the surface save for the remaining mast, which appears as a large white patch from fairly close to the surface. Even this is beginning to lean to starboard and will undoubtedly not last much longer.
We offer Padi Wreck specialty on the Bianca C which allows for penetration dives in the structurally safe areas of the Bow and some hallways in the stern area. For the more adventurous we offer technical penetration and Nitrox Decompression dives in conjunction with MD Expeditions of New York, who come down several times a year to run a Nitrox course as well as a course in wreck diving...



FYI

B2B

Edited by Bubble2Bubble, 21 July 2006 - 07:55 PM.

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#25 OTWdiver

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Posted 22 July 2006 - 09:40 PM

This is great information. Thanks for the post. I would like to know if anyone has a floor plan. To see what it was like and to see what it is like makes the puzzle fit better. I personally would like to see things as they are and understand how they were. The attraction to me is mostly what has become of this great ship. The next attraction is to see what is left of this great ship. I know there are treasures of all types within. I just want to see the treasure that is the ship.
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#26 scubabjs

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 05:26 PM

Put my name on the interested list, should be interesting. What's the airport code?

Bjs
So, if my computer is flashing 212 .. 212 .. 212 does that mean I can't go any deeper?

#27 finGrabber

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 08:18 PM

Put my name on the interested list, should be interesting. What's the airport code?

Bjs

Excellent!

I'll add you to the 'interested' list :)

the airport code is GND for Grenada

#28 VADiver

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 08:55 PM

Will the shop allow you to bring bands and a manifold to double up the AL 80s? Not too sure if I like the idea of independant doubles. Thanks.

#29 WreckWench

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Posted 24 July 2006 - 02:51 PM

Will the shop allow you to bring bands and a manifold to double up the AL 80s? Not too sure if I like the idea of independant doubles. Thanks.



For liability reasons we can not bring our own manifolds. We must dive independent doubles if diving doubles.

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
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Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
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formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#30 scubabjs

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Posted 24 July 2006 - 04:49 PM

Will the shop allow you to bring bands and a manifold to double up the AL 80s? Not too sure if I like the idea of independant doubles. Thanks.



For liability reasons we can not bring our own manifolds. We must dive independent doubles if diving doubles.


So, are the tanks Yoke or DIN w/ a Yoke insert? kinda makes a difference for us DIN owners, I only have one primary yoke reg.

Bjs

Edited by scubabjs, 25 July 2006 - 06:31 AM.

So, if my computer is flashing 212 .. 212 .. 212 does that mean I can't go any deeper?




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