Both I and my buddy splashed around 8:59am.  Water temp. about 46-47°F. I believe we
were anchored at the stern (Anchor line tied at 95fsw).  I must confess I was slightly
disappointed with the wreck itself. Perhaps it was the fog or viz, but it seemed just like
most of the other wrecks I  visited off the NJ shore, no "prettier." Just a pile of rubble
actually, only more active with fish and bugs etc. My buddy immediately found two bugs
(the 1st of which he handed off to me to put in his bag). I had gone down to 117fsw on
this dive (not as deep as the APL-31), but our "buddy" agreement was that when I got
low on NDL, he would escort me back to the anchor line and I would ascend on my own.
So while capturing his 3rd bug, I signaled the return (I was down to 8 min. of NDL), and
he duly escorted me back. He went on to hunt for  his 3rd bug. I did  my own ascent and
safety stop with plenty of gas, and completed a 24min. run time.  My nemesis had finally
been concurred!

        2)      Never bring "bananas" (the real ones) on a boat like this  - extremely superstitious.......    

On Jul 20, 9:46 am, mag3 <zmpmag3-plon... at (no spam) yahoo.com> wrote:

Both I and my buddy splashed around 8:59am.  Water temp. about 46-47°F. I believe we
were anchored at the stern (Anchor line tied at 95fsw).  I must confess I was slightly
disappointed with the wreck itself. Perhaps it was the fog or viz, but it seemed just like
most of the other wrecks I  visited off the NJ shore, no "prettier." Just a pile of rubble
actually, only more active with fish and bugs etc. My buddy immediately found two bugs
(the 1st of which he handed off to me to put in his bag). I had gone down to 117fsw on
this dive (not as deep as the APL-31), but our "buddy" agreement was that when I got
low on NDL, he would escort me back to the anchor line and I would ascend on my own.
So while capturing his 3rd bug, I signaled the return (I was down to 8 min. of NDL), and
he duly escorted me back. He went on to hunt for  his 3rd bug. I did  my own ascent and
safety stop with plenty of gas, and completed a 24min. run time.  My nemesis had finally
been concurred!

Congratulations on the solo ascent. I concur that you conquered your
nemesis. Did you get to keep any of the bugs or was your buddy
selfish?

Website Reference: http://njscuba.net/sites/site_rp_resor.html

This was a long and challenging day for me, but ultimately, one filled
with success on
many levels. This wreck had always been my nemesis - A 2 hour trip from
Brielle, I had
been out to the wreck twice last year only to find that I couldn't dive it
for one reason
or another. First time, I got seasick. Second time, I suffered a "1st
stage seat failure"
with no backup. This time, I was ready. I had two functioning primary
regulator sets
Apeks DS4's with TX-50's (one with an Octo) and even 1 backup DS4. I had
plenty of
Bonine on hand, having taken 2 the night before and two upon my arrival in
Brielle.

We departed at 6:00am per the standard for the Resor. Marine forecast was
SW
winds 10-15kts with 2-4ft seas. It was only moderately choppy on the way
out.. Nothing
out of the ordinary for the Resor. It was a full boat of course... This is
an extremely popular
wreck for "groceries." Upon arrival, the day met us with a bit of fog,
and the 2-4ft seas as
previously advertised. Nonetheless, the pool was open.

Both I and my buddy splashed around 8:59am. Water temp. about 46-47°F. I
believe we
were anchored at the stern (Anchor line tied at 95fsw). I must confess I
was slightly
disappointed with the wreck itself. Perhaps it was the fog or viz, but it
seemed just like
most of the other wrecks I visited off the NJ shore, no "prettier." Just
a pile of rubble
actually, only more active with fish and bugs etc. My buddy immediately
found two bugs
(the 1st of which he handed off to me to put in his bag). I had gone down
to 117fsw on
this dive (not as deep as the APL-31), but our "buddy" agreement was that
when I got
low on NDL, he would escort me back to the anchor line and I would ascend
on my own.
So while capturing his 3rd bug, I signaled the return (I was down to 8
min. of NDL), and
he duly escorted me back. He went on to hunt for his 3rd bug. I did my
own ascent and
safety stop with plenty of gas, and completed a 24min. run time. My
nemesis had finally
been concurred!

After a two hour surface interval, we splashed again for another "shorter"
dive (although
it was longer for me as I was awaiting my buddy on the Carolina rig for
5-7minutes). We
weren't going to make it long because my buddy felt a bit colder. No
sweat. We made our
way around the stern (I think) rubble pile, encountering moderate current
on our round
trip so we ducked inside the main area to avoid the current. Not much
happening on the
wreck (everyone had pretty much cleared the wreck of bugs and scallops on
the 1st dive)
so after 2+ round trips around the main rubble pile, we went back up and
again completed
an un-eventful safety stop. Total Run time for me, 32 min. Of course, by
then the surf had
laid down and the sun was out. Oh well.

Two cautionary lessons learned on this trip (I was not involved in either
issue).

1) Don't ever fish (with rod/reel etc.) from the boat while divers (or the
Carolina
Rig) are down. That's a very easy way to piss off the crew and very
strongly.
The monofilament can easily get caught in many things, including the
Carolina
rig itself, as well as other divers, staged deco bottles, etc.

2) Never bring "bananas" (the real ones) on a boat like this - extremely
superstitious.......

Just trust me on this one.....

Next week - The "Tolten" - http://njscuba.net/sites/site_tolten.html Not
as deep, but
hopefully, a bit more bottom time...

____________________________________________
Regards,

Arnold

Congratulations on your dive. Did you get to see her deck gun?
I dove the Ressor several years ago at night and had an incredible 50 ft
horizontal viz and perhaps 90 ft vertical, as I remember seeing the moon and
the dive boat lights from the tie in hook.

On Jul 20, 9:46 am, mag3 <zmpmag3-plon... at (no spam) yahoo.com> wrote:
He caught'em - He keeps'em. No sweat. I'm not into this yet for the
"groceries." Maybe some day, but I'm still gradually increasing the
task management etc.

In essence that's why these boats up here permit (if not encourage)
solo diving. Most people up
here who do this for groceries or artifacts want to dive solo, as
they really don't want to share....
So everyone aboard must be "solo ready" (ie. have approriate gear,
RAS, reel, lift bag etc), or
they aren't even allowed on the boat. Many here dive doubles as the
RAS. One need not have
the solo cert, but it couldn't hurt.

Glad you had a good dive. The Solt is an amazing wreck. Easy penetration
(did you go to the engine room?), plenty to see at all depths on the wreck.

You were tied in a little low considering the "top" (which is really the
back of the stern) is about 65'.

As for diving "solo", we all do it. We have different agendas. Some hunt,
some sightsee, some explore. I do a little of all of that. If someone wants
to tag along, no problem. Oh, I share what I catch. I give the lobsters to the new people
on the boat.

Yes, most dive doubles (me, LP98's pumped to 3500psi even though they are
2400psi tanks) and sling for ascent.

scrambling for a politcally correct term >> "female boat enthusiasts"???

"Bow Bunnies"