Scuba Geek

Local government officials recommend caution and extra training before diving the USS Oriskany May 31, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , trackback

The USS Oriskany is the largest artifical reef in the world. It is a decommissioned US aircraft carrier and was sank on 17th May 2006. I have read many reports about the wreck and the fact that the flight deck is at a depth of around 130 ft (40mtrs) is somewhat of a disadvantage. It seems that some divers are viewing that as a challenge, but it is at a depth where single cylinders just don’t give you any time at all. Indeed, with a bottom time of 12 minutes, what is the point? The tower is at around 70ft (20 mtrs) which still is at the limit of the basic open water qualified scuba diver.

It is not surprising therefore that local government officials have recommended caution when scuba diving this wreck, which in my oinion, is good advice. Here is their statement;

The Oriskany Reef was deployed on the morning of May 17, 2006 at a water depth of 212 feet, approximately 22.5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass. The exact position was selected because it had the needed water depth to allow the ship to be reefed and maintain the 55-foot navigational clearance required by US Army Corps of Engineers permit. Because the ship is wider than it is tall, and there was no guarantee that the ship would not land on her side, the ship’s 157-foot beam was used to determine the water depth. The Oriskany landed on the EXACT planned coordinates, and is sitting perfectly upright on the seafloor facing due south.

Because the Oriskany is in deep water and can be affected by strong water currents, divers are strongly encouraged to use extreme caution when diving this reef. Novice divers should gain additional training and experience before attempting to dive Oriskany. All divers should follow the guidelines and safe diving practices provided during their training.

Due to the complex nature of the ship’s interior and the unknown extent of structural damages caused by the reefing process, divers should not enter the ship under any circumstances. Divers should not remove any items from the ship, and there is no reason for anyone to enter the ship’s interior. There is nothing inside the ship worth dying for!

The Oriskany Reef is located at 30 degrees 2 minutes 36 seconds north latitude, 87 degrees 0 minutes 24 seconds west longitude. The uppermost structure is located at 30 degrees 2 minutes 33.3 seconds north latitude, 87 degrees 0 minutes 23.8 seconds west longitude.

[via DiveNewswire]