Wooden Boat Festival ~2012~

Each year we are proud to be a part of the Wooden Boat Festival sponsored by the Toms River Seaport Society and Maritime Museum. The day includes a collection of wooden boats moored along the canal, vendors selling nautical goods, pirates and of course the

Pt Pleasant Dive Team touch tank and display.

The Dive Teams day starts at 5:30 am as we don our scuba equipment to collect our specimens for the touch tank. It takes about an hour to collect the proper specimens and enough water to keep our touch tank and our specimens healthy throughout the long day ahead.

Our displays at the festival included photos of various marine life found off the Jersey coast, a multimedia display showing artifact recovery, marine life and Dive Team drills, our brand new shell display case created by our fantastic Sue Lewicki, and of course “Dry Suit Guy” – a fully suited representation of what equipment we wear during our dives.

Of course the highlight of our display was our Touch Tank. Kids and adults alike had a great time learning about the marine life of New Jersey from members of our Dive Team. Our Touch tank included specimens such as the Sea Star (or Starfish as most would call them), Spider Crabs, Snails, Hermit Crabs, Star Coral and the Red Bearded Sponge. There were many smiles and a few shrieks as the Sea Stars would start walking along a childs hand!

12 hours after starting our day we are finally on our way back to the RR Bridge to release our marine specimens. As we know from the past, you never know when a call will come in and it did on the way home. No rest for the weary.

In the end...it makes a for a long day, both for the Sea Stars and the Dive Team.

But we love every minute of it! We look forward to seeing our friends again at the Wooden Boat Festival in 2013.

Gull Island Seal Rest Stop....

Photos of seal reported by Chet Nesley at Gull Island, Pt Pleasant NJ on 3/4/12, taken around 12:00 noon. Seal was hauled out at the base of the train bridge and would quickly return to the water when the train crossed the bridge. He would swim around and dive at this location and then haul out again. I checked again around 5:00 pm and seal was not at this location and no site of him in the water.

End of soggy wetsuit season....

This weekend marked the probable last chance for the dive team to dive "Wet suit" for the 2011 season and the choice for the dive was the new Highlands Bridge just completed a month or so back. The new bridge has some pretty lines to it and it should for the estimated $124 million price tag that came with it and all the effort it took to complete a project like this...

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"NJDOT will demolish the bridge and replace it with a 65-foot high fixed span structure with 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders. NJDOT will construct the bridge in a manner that maintains existing traffic flow and minimizes seasonal impacts and diversion of traffic to local streets"

The old bridge had been there for a considerable amount of time and any qualified diver that has spent time under this bridge during and through a tidal change can only imagine the amount of water that has passed under this bridge over the years. This is one of the best dive sites to view marine sponges that have attached themselves to anything they can and thrive very nicely due to current and nutrients that pass by.

This site has been very beneficial in the past for training sessions dealing with swift currents as well as low visibility search techniques. Many fine old bottles have been recovered from this site as well as coins, medallions, jewelry, tools, and pretty much anything you can imagine being thrown by people standing on the bridge while the drawbridge was up and boat traffic was in progress. This site has also provided many different dive profiles for sometimes it was nice to swim the entire area depending on visibility and current conditions and at other times just finding a comfortable spot to simply "fan" and see what you could find. With that the entire area under the bridge provided many unique bottom profiles and at many times numerous underwater obstructions. Fortunately the people in the below video chose the correct high tide period to perform their stunt for the camera... If they only knew....

Chief Diver Nesley going over the dive site and profile with some of the recently certified divers. Great opportunity to inform those who had not experienced the site as to what to expect and some of the history to this area and dive site.

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Removal of some of the bridge abutments to the old bridge in the above photo...

Sue Lewicki inspecting some of the artifacts discovered during the dive

Picnic after the dive was at Sandy hook and provided the opportunity to debrief the dive and to go over and inspect the finds from the dive....

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Artificial Reef....

North Atlantic White side Dolphin Rescue.....

Wed Feb 9, 2011, Call for stranded dolphin in mantoloking. First on scene where volunteers from Jenkinsons aquarium, Tom Trafer was first of the dive team to respond followed by Doug hack and Tom Conroy.

There were also 2 members of the Mantoloking Police department there We stayed on scene waiting for Marine mammal stranding center to arrive. The fact that it was on such a deserted beach kept the onlookers away. We kept the dolphin's skin wet by pouring water over it.

The MMSC (Marine Mammal Stranding Center) identified it as a young North Atlantic White side. Once they arrived we loaded the dolphin into a sling and transported it up to their waiting vehicle.

Seal Sitting Season - Say that three times fast....

Over the last few years, numerous members of the First Aid Squad - divers and EMTs alike - have undergone training as Stranding Volunteers for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, and it's been coming in handy a lot recently. While at the first aid building this morning, the Police Department AND the Marine Mammal Stranding Center called us at the exact same time for one of what could be one of many seal spottings this winter. Four Squad members immediately headed to the Maryland Avenue beach at the south end of Point Pleasant to investigate. Two police officers had arrived on scene ahead of us and were keeping beachcombers away from a harbor seal hauled up above the waterline.

We approached the seal slowly, took cell phone pictures from various angles, and e-mailed them to MMSC for evaluation. They contacted Flo back, who further relayed our behavioral observations. It was determined that this young female did not seem to need any assistance; she just seemed to be chilling out in the sun.

Our job at that point was to seal sit, keeping passerbys at least 100 feet back and providing a little education. Everyone was interested to learn that harbor seals ARE common in our area, and we should expect them to haul out regularly during the winter months. According to MMSC, the greatest number of potential stranding calls in NJ do originate from Ocean County. The field guide provided to us by MMSC was also a great resource to share. It even includes a picture of the seal's jaws, so people didn't need too much convincing to stay back!

After two hours, with tide working up the beach, the seal shimmied back into the water, spent a few minutes close to shore, and then disappeared.

Yup, Seal Sitting Season has begun. We're glad that the only thing this one needed was to be left alone.

To learn more about the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, visit http://www.mmsc.org/ .

2011 New Years Dive...

We welcomed 2011 off to its start with our annual First Dive of the New Year. Fortunately, the weather topside had taken a turn for the warmer (40F and sunny) after last weekend's blizzard, so everyone was in good spirits for gearing up. We still had to shovel a path through the snow piles to get access to the dive site, but that also gave Sue the opportunity to do some snow sculpture while waiting for the tide to slow down.

It started out as fun, but then the Spawn of Squanny nearly bit her arm off! Lucky for Sue, the sun intervened and melted off its head.

At the Railroad Bridge, the water temp was about 37F. The ebb tide was running very late, but at some point we got tired of waiting and entered. Even with the current running, we had about 10 feet of vis (our best in a LONG while). Fourteen divers (four of whom drove over an hour to participate) toured the site and came out with smiles. Several divers also collected a diversity of small crabs for delivery to Jenkinson's Aquarium. After gear was cleaned, we all enjoyed a warm lunch and desserts.

We're glad that so many divers could make it out for the First Dive, and thanks go to Robert for documenting the day.

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Rescue 34 Boat Training....

Between the bad vis last week, and the nearshore leftovers from Hurricane Earl, our Rescue students and other Dive Team members have spent the last two weekends training with our boat and more surface rescue techniques.


We took Rescue 34 out (our 16 foot Zodiac rigid hull inflatable), first launching in Barnegat Bay and heading north up the Point Pleasant Canal, a manmade channel to Manasquan River, then out the busy inlet to the ocean.


An experienced crew member offered this advice about Rescue 34 to the new crew: "You don't ride in this boat; you hang on to it." We worked together to read the waves and shift body weight appropriately, allowing the driver to better get up on plane readily and maneuver efficiently. We also practiced coordinated surface scans and communication protocols with the boat operator about surrounding boat traffic.


Offshore, we had a little space to practice surface rescue techniques, such as dropping a rescuer off the boat to directly assist a victim in the water, and then extracting the victim. Chief Nesley and Tom C first demonstrated how to safely roll out of the boat at high speed (which, if you execute correctly, is a bit of fun). They then showed how to get yourself back into the boat unassisted, and how to assist a victim. Rescue students Milton and Joe took a few turns at it themselves and shortly showed improvement. We returned nearshore to practice closer to the beach swells, and at one point, two BayHead lifeguards even swam out through the waves to meet us. They got themselves into the boat, and we gave them a lift two beaches north back to where they came from. Milton and Joe demonstrated their new high speed dropoff-in-the-surf skills, which the lifeguards then replicated. They thought it was cool enough that they swam back out to the boat, climbed in again, and we dropped them off a second time at the beach where we started!

We've also taken advantage of the warm water to get in a little open ocean swimming and snorkeling. Today, we finally found clear water - 1 mile offshore! Free diving down from the surface, we found near-tropical water full of comb jellies and salps (aka "jellyblobs"). Fortunately, these organisms are not stingers, so we emerged unscathed.

Although much of this training is beyond the scope of a PADI Rescue Diver course, these are all practical skills for us to have under our belts in Point Pleasant Beach.

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Pygmy Sperm Whale...

The Point Pleasant First Aid Dive Team has had some very interesting
activities in the recent years. This story ranks high among their
finest rescues. Here is the report.

At 1530 hours on May 15, 2010 the Point Pleasant First Aid Dive Team
was dispatched to Mantoloking Beach to aid a beached whale. The day was
beautiful. Not a cloud was in the sky, air temps were in the high 70's,
and a mild wind was blowing out of the west. Conditions at the shore
were excellent and if not for this call, divers would have considered
an ocean dive. When duty calls the dive team responds in numbers and
effect. This day was one of those days.

Assistant chief, Flo Melo, and Tom Conroy had gotten alerted earlier
and were already on scene. Chief diver, Chet Nesley, was called and he
notified the squad where Tom Gormley made the call to dispatch the dive
team on Chet's order. All team members were notified to go directly to
1073 Route 35 south in Mantoloking, the roadway site of the call. Dave
Gibson and Norva Gormley drove 342 to the site. Tom G loaded 347 with
the requested gear and drove to the site. First Aid Captain, Jerry
Meaney, drove 340 to the site as well.

On scene Flo and Tom C were attending the whale with the aid of several
local residents and beach goers. They had gotten the whale carefully
situated on the edge of the surf on the up[hill berm to relieve as much
stress as they could. Flo called immediately for a stokes basket from
Jerry M, while Tom G delivered dry suits to the site and donned his own
for immediate water assistance. Doug and Tom C also donned dry suits.
The water was still only in the high 40 degree range and people were
standing in the cold water assisting the whale for many minutes
already. Fortunately waves were only in the 1 to 2 foot range due to
the westerly winds.




The Mantoloking Fire Department and Police Department was called and
would arrive momentarily. The US Coast Guard was on alert and standing
by. Meanwhile members of the dive team were arriving and this was a
success of the E-dispatch system. Doug Hatch and Paul DeSalvo from the
team had been E-dispatched.

Meanwhile the whale was being supported and protected from incoming
waves and was physically moved onto the stokes basket with a mighty
effort of all involved. Children in the area were asked to name the
female whale which was identified as a Pygmy sperm whale according to
Flo, Tom C, and Chet who are also members of the Marine Mammal
Stranding Center, which is located in Brigantine. The children named
the whale Suzie. We all were doing our utmost to save and comfort Suzie
in her time of need. There is no doubt that humans feel a definite
attraction and need to assist at a time like this. Except for a police
officer, all of those involved were non paid but professional
volunteers and requested local residents.

With the arrival of the Fire Dept, we were gaining manpower to be able
to do some heavy lifting. The plan was to move Suzie off the beach so
she could eventually be placed on a large box truck coming from the
MMSC and off to their center for care. A plan was developed and
actuated to first slide Suzie off the berm onto level sand and then to
lift her onto the bed of the town's pickup. Suzie was 9 feet long and
weighed approximately 600 pounds. Moving her was done purely by human
muscle and it succeeded nicely. The pickup needed a pull from a bobcat
tractor to make it off the beach and again manpower lifted Suzie onto
the MMSC's truck.

A loud cheer was finally made to the satisfaction of a growing crowd of
interested and supporting onlookers. This was a job well done out of
love and admiration for our fellow creatures that live so close to us
in our Atlantic Ocean. A big thank you goes to all who participated and
assisted. The dive team could not have done the job alone though they
were a strong reason for the success.



Several local and statewide media services came to the scene and
interviewed Flo and Chet on behalf of the dive team. We made news in a
very favorable way today.

The call was completed at 1820 hours and the team completed cleaning
gear by 2030 hours. It was a long day. The sad news is that Suzie
succumbed to her condition on the way to Brigantine despite our efforts
to keep her wet, cool, and protected from sunlight. We had done our
best and would do this again in a Point Pleasant heartbeat.

Report by Tom Gormley for the Pt Pleasant First Aid Dive team

Local media coverage here...
and here...

Ilya is released...

MIAMI, Fla- Ilya the wayward Manatee that was rescued by the Coast Guard in the frigid waters, near New York City, and flown back to Miami for rehabilitation, has been released this morning by his Florida caretakers into the warm waters of Biscayne Bay.The 1,100 lb mammal, who's closest genetic relative is the Elephant, was lifted out of his tank by a mechanical crane, then carried over by Sequarium staff, and freed into the placid settings of his natural habitat"...

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Save the Manatee Club has a detailed press release here...

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and FoxNews has this coverage of the event...

Thanksgiving 2009 ~Seal~

The DiveTeam responded to another call of a Seal on the beach and found the above individual catching some rays and avoiding the usual LARGE crowds that inhabit the Jersey Shore during the Summer months...

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The Marine Mammal Stranding Center responded and removed the Seal with the help of team members and took the Seal to the center in Brigantine for observation. More info and status to follow...

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Manatee Rescue media...

Ilya the manatee has made the NY Mag with photos and text found here....

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"He had been in the Harbor for two weeks and the temperature was dipping into the 50s, meaning he might have had just days to live if he didn't stay warm in the ConocoPhillips outflow, where water was 75 degrees. Workers at the plant told U.S. Fish and Wildlife's manatee rescue program when he resurfaced, and they brought in a massive multi-agency rescue that included the Point Pleasant Dive and Rescue Team, who wrestled with the net underwater."
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Nice work team!...