Walking on the Wild Side....

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Two weeks after Hurricane Sandy and things were a bit quiet today for the Dive Team. People were busy taking care of their houses and cleaning up debris from the storm. It looked like it was going to just be Chet and Joe today.

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We took a quick look at the inlet and the water was as murky as its been since the storm. We decided to check out the RR Bridge just in case...but the viz was just as bad. We sat looking at all the debris around Gull Island and decided that today would be a good day to explore. As divers, we want to know what is in the water...but we also keep an eye out for possible land hazards also. Things that may end up as an underwater hazard later on.

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As we walked thru the thick brush and along the shore, the first thing that becomes apparent is the amount of plastic bottles. When I say they were everywhere….I mean EVERYWHERE! Seeing them concentrated in such a small area reminded me of stories of the Pacific Garbage Patch. It hammers home the need to recycle.

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As we walked we also found the strangest assortment of debris. Most things you expect to find such as, Plastic Bottles, Fishing Debris, 5 Gallon Buckets and Milk Crates. Notice the common theme of plastic here. But then you come across a 12 person Hot Tub! Just sitting on the shore line as if it was waiting to be installed. Bowling Pins. (These I added to my juggling bin). A Guitar case...missing its instrument…the guitar only to be found just around the bend..smashed and held together by the strings.

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It was a hot day. Hard work navigating thru the debris and the brush. If only we had a tasty beverage. Sure enough, seconds later Chet asks me if I’d like a cold Ginger Ale. He found a refrigerator stocked with still cold beverages. Boy did that Ginger Ale taste good!

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We collected around 25 tennis balls and spent quite a bit of time trying to regain Joe’s swing. Lets just say...Joe will never play Major League! Chet gets the award for the longest hit!!

We also found the parking bumpers from the inlet parking lot. These are made from a high density plastic and were held into the pavement by 18’’ long spikes. Here they were tossed like toothpicks along the shoreline. Ripped from the ground and floated away by the force of the waves and water.

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We decided to launch Rescue34 and retrieve the bumpers. Tom C. and Joe brought the boat thru the canal and over to Gull Island. It was getting late and by the time we retrieved the bumpers it was dark. Bob showed up and we loaded the bumpers and other debris into the dive truck. Chet and Joe decided to bring Rescue34 back as Tom and Bob took the dive truck back to the squad building.

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It’s a long ride back to where we launched the boat and we were taking our time enjoying the quiet of the night. Up ahead we noticed flashing red lights near the entrance to the canal. There was a hint of smoke in the air so Joe thought it was perhaps firetrucks along the shore. Chet was sure it was in the water. Sure enough, as we came closer we noticed a work boat that had been doing “Sandy Cleanup”

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We came alongside slowly and asked if everything was alright. The Captain replied

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“ No…I think he may have broken his arm”..pointing to a man sitting in the rear of the boat. Chet asked if they had reported it and he said…”Isnt that why you are here? I was just going to joke what took you so long!”. It was then that we looked towards the bow of their boat. It had run into one of the navigation markers. This is like hitting a telephone pole with your car...except you are in the middle of the water!

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We quickly called in the situation and arranged for an ambulance to meet us at the Garden State Marina. We transferred our patient to Rescue34 and transported him to the waiting ambulance. In the end..the arm was broken in several places and their boat was in bad shape…but it could have been much worse.

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We stopped by the State Police marina to check in with the owners of the boat and then slowly made our way back to the boat ramp. As we drove back to the squad building we all said the same thing…sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time.