What are your favorite wreck dives and what does it take to get to them?

[Darth Fishhead]

I've only dove one wreck so far in my short diving career. It was the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire. It was really cool, and easy to get at as a shore dive. Since I have few dives under my weight belt, (just hit 25 this summer) I don't know what kinds of wrecks I am ready for. Obviously, with just and OW cert, I'm not going to be doing any tec diving. Also, as a teacher I can't afford to do a charter right away. I'd love to hear about any and all wrecks that people have dove, with particular interest in East Coast wrecks that could be done as shore dives. Great Lakes are not out of the question for me.
To wrap up my rambling, I think any stories would be cool, but I also want to get ideas for myself.

Thanks!

[crpntr133]

Even though I have only dove a few wrecks my favorite is the New York in Lake Huron.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZgA9OMLqBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RwgO_sNFzk
Above are two links of video that I shot last month on it. This is unedited raw footage so it isn't the greatest.

Unfortunately it sits in about 114+' of water so it is a bit out of the OW range.

I would love to dive the wrecks in Bermuda. A lot of them are well within the OW limits.

[plot]

Off north carolina there's a lot in the 100-120 foot range. Require AOW and Nitrox cert. (Nitrox is actually optional, but if you want to see the wreck for more than 2 minutes before hitting NDL's then you'll want it)

They are all boat dives though.

We saw the U-352, a u-boat sunk in 1942 about 30 miles off the coast of NC. The Papoose, a tanker sunk by a different U-Boat in 1942, as well as a few wrecks sunk on purpose for artificial reefs.

Also saw a world war 1 ship called the USS Schurz which sank in 1918... it collided with the USS Florida I think...

The USS Schurz was a decent dive, could make out the boilers but the vis overall was only about 3 feet becuase there were so many fish when we were on it! The history of this boat is extremely fascinating though. It was originally a german ship called the Geier that was in Honolulu when World War 1 started. The US Siezed it when the war started, and eventually discovered that it had been relaying messages to mexico and canada trying to get them to attack the US! The discovery of these messages probably played a role in the US declaring war on Germany during WW1.

The wreck is still full of artifacts you can dig up and find despite divers going to it frequently. When the US took it over, any brass nameplate that said "Geier" was taken off, turned over, engraved with "USS Schurz", and put back on... so people really dig for these types of things.

When Germany had the ship prior to world war 1, it participated in the Spanish American war and the Boxer Rebellion in china. It was a well traveled ship in the early 1900's (built in the 1890's) that now lays ~32 miles off the coast of North Carolina in 100-120 feet of water.

[quasimoto]

I like the Oriskany in the Gulf off FL. It still has a long ways to go before it has much growth on it but it was still cool. Bad part is that the weather really has to cooperate or you aren't going out. Also most of it is well below the 60' OW "limit". We actually went to the flight deck at 135' and saw the escalator that the pilots used to come from their quarters to the deck. Swimming through the bridge (control room) was pretty neat as well.

[Krakenn]

HMAS Perth and HMAS Swan

Perth is a Guided Missile Destroyer sank off of Albany WA, nice dive with lots of fish. Ill leave you the underwater camera address so you can pop in and see her. - You will need Java though.

http://www.hmasperth.com.au/home.html

There is also a nice poem about the USS Houston and former HMAS (Her Majesties Australian Ship) Perth in WW2 fighiting impossible odds and a dive site I would love to do one day in the Sundra Straight.

Then there is the dive on HMAS Swan off of Dunsborough which is a favourite of mine she is a little River Class Destroyer Escort sunk for divers like me to learn their Wreck quals.

Kraks

[PlatypusMan]

I will gladly dive the Bianca C.in Grenada with anyone who wishes to pay my way there and back!

[Divingguy]

Rodeo 25 and the Sea Emporer off Fort Lauderdale, and Spiegel Grove, Duane and Bibb off Key Largo. Oriskany off Pensacola is still on the to-do list. I went down last November but it was too late in the season, and I got blown out.

[crpntr133]

Originally Posted by Divingguy

Rodeo 25 and the Sea Emporer off Fort Lauderdale, and Spiegel Grove, Duane and Bibb off Key Largo. Oriskany off Pensacola is still on the to-do list. I went down last November but it was too late in the season, and I got blown out.

From what I am hearing either March, April or October, November are the best times. It seems that after that you really have to watch the weather. I don't know this for fact but most of the people that I have talked to that have dove the "O" did it in those two time frames.

[Divingguy]

Yea, it was just bad luck for me when a huge front went through last year. I hope to try again this fall.

[Krakenn]

Do you yanks have any battleships sunk for dive sites that have a military service record in the US?

Kraks