GPO MISSING ?

[MorningDiverBob]

Kimo and me dove at T-Dock in Mukilteo this morning 1/20/10. We checked a Giant Pacific Octopus under the small boat near Geodome few times before. Now, We were surprised when a boat not there. We looked around (vis 15') and found it few feet away from previous place. A boat was upside down. A GPO was missing ? We suspected somebody lifted a boat Anyone know about what happen about GPO ? We saw him/her last time week ago.

[Sounder]

It couldn't possibly be... naaah. Although Valentines Day is right around the corner... :luv:

[fmerkel]

Before folks go flying off the handle I will personally guarantee it was not the Aquarium.

FWIW, I dove DIW a couple weeks ago and something like 10 GPO were spotted on the north shelves. On Monday Joyce and I did a good majority of that area and didn't see a single one. They do move. I think a lot of rain and fresh water has sent them packing. This is the time of year dive sites start to get barren.

[Sounder]

Before folks go flying off the handle I will personally guarantee it was not the Aquarium.

FWIW, I dove DIW a couple weeks ago and something like 10 GPO were spotted on the north shelves. On Monday Joyce and I did a good majority of that area and didn't see a single one. They do move. I think a lot of rain and fresh water has sent them packing. This is the time of year dive sites start to get barren.

Do they turn over boats when they move? I'm inclined to believe the Aquarium wouldn't do it again, but you have to admit the timing is suspicious.

[Joshua Smith]

Divers are constantly rearranging all the crap underwater at Muk. There was a big flap when that boat showed up there all of a sudden last year, remember? Now, there's gonna be a big flap because someone moved it.

[Mattleycrue76]

Unfortunately I have been seeing alot of this type of thing latley. First the Jungle Gym, then the first boat, now the second. Someone seems to dissatisfied with their presence and has taken it upon themselves to move these things (usually down the slope) disrupting any life that has taken hold on (or under) the structure and in the case of the jungle gym creating a significant entanglement hazard at 100 fsw. That was the first big GPO den that we had in shallower rec depths in Mukilteo in a long time. Too bad some things can't just be left alone.

[spatman]

First the Jungle Gym

what ever happened to that jungle gym? it just disappeared and no one ever mentioned it again...

[H20doctor]

we are diving there in about an Hour .... was it the Tackle Box boat Off to the left of the Geo dome ? or the other Boat off the suction Line toward the Navy Pier..? the boat towards the Navy Pier has been uprooted for quite awhile ... If its the Tackle box boat , I will also Be upset because that has taken a home there now for about 3 months... I will update the Board in a few Hours .. Last week i did see some type of large Rebar jammed into the Blue Barrels that had a young GPO in it about the size of a basket ball.. and It looked like someone had used this rebar to poke and Jab into the Barrel .. because it was stuck and logged in it , I took it out and put it deep ... stay tuned

[Mattleycrue76]

First the Jungle Gym

what ever happened to that jungle gym? it just disappeared and no one ever mentioned it again...

Over night someone (not the guy Ron who put it up) moved it down the slope to 100fws. They had to have used liftbags because there were no marks from dragging and it was initially completely intact. I ran into it right after it had been moved. I then asked Ron about it and he told me he had been completely surprised by it and that he would move it back but not until some time had passed. Well over time and maybe the help of some divers who didn't like it the jungle gym has been reduced to a pile of pipes and rope going all over the place. Quite the mess. I was skeptical of the structure when it was put up but I whish it had stayed where it was and under Ron's maintenance. Now it really is just garbage

[spatman]

First the Jungle Gym

what ever happened to that jungle gym? it just disappeared and no one ever mentioned it again...

Over night someone (not the guy Ron who put it up) moved it down the slope to 100fws. They had to have used liftbags because there were no marks from dragging and it was initially completely intact. I ran into it right after it had been moved. I then asked Ron about it and he told me he had been completely surprised by it and that he would move it back but not until some time had passed. Well over time and maybe the help of some divers who didn't like it the jungle gym has been reduced to a pile of pipes and rope going all over the place. Quite the mess. I was skeptical of the structure when it was put up but I whish it had stayed where it was and under Ron's maintenance. Now it really is just garbage

that really is a shame. thanks for the update.

[MorningDiverBob]

we are diving there in about an Hour .... was it the Tackle Box boat Off to the left of the Geo dome ? or the other Boat off the suction Line toward the Navy Pier..? the boat towards the Navy Pier has been uprooted for quite awhile ... If its the Tackle box boat , I will also Be upset because that has taken a home there now for about 3 months... I will update the Board in a few Hours .. Last week i did see some type of large Rebar jammed into the Blue Barrels that had a young GPO in it about the size of a basket ball.. and It looked like someone had used this rebar to poke and Jab into the Barrel .. because it was stuck and logged in it , I took it out and put it deep ... stay tuned

Tackle Box boat was moved from place and upside down with four steel poles.

Really ? I didn't check the blue barrel today. I have seen some damaged things by somebody.

[H20doctor]

Well this is some sad news.. We will Re set the Boat tonight and fix this mess and Hopefully The GPO will come Home .. After we get the Home repair done tonight

[Nwbrewer]

Wow. No secret that I wasn't a fan of the boats going in, but it's too bad that people have been messing with them now that they were home to some cool wildlife. I wonder if someone has been harvesting them, or if they have just been harassed into moving on.

[sheahanmcculla]

Well this is some sad news.. We will Re set the Boat tonight and fix this mess and Hopefully The GPO will come Home .. After we get the Home repair done tonight

[dsteding]

Do they turn over boats when they move? I'm inclined to believe the Aquarium wouldn't do it again, but you have to admit the timing is suspicious.

Dude. The weather was so bad out there earlier this week (Monday) that a ferry I was on had two windows broken by the waves. Water over the top, no cars parked in the front kinda stuff.

Boat could have easily rolled over on its own during that storm, GPO splits . . .

[Mattleycrue76]

Do they turn over boats when they move? I'm inclined to believe the Aquarium wouldn't do it again, but you have to admit the timing is suspicious.

Dude. The weather was so bad out there earlier this week (Monday) that a ferry I was on had two windows broken by the waves. Water over the top, no cars parked in the front kinda stuff.

Boat could have easily rolled over on its own during that storm, GPO splits . . .

While that's presumably possible, the boat was at about 60 fsw and anchored into the bottom with 4ft stakes. I kinda doubt that surface waves caused this. I mean it would take some SERIOUS waves to caue that kind of surge at 60ft.

[dsteding]

While that's presumably possible, the boat was at about 60 fsw and anchored into the bottom with 4ft stakes. I kinda doubt that surface waves caused this. I mean it would take some SERIOUS waves to caue that kind of surge at 60ft.

Not really. Waves with a 7 second period reach down to around 130 feet. We were getting those in the Sound Sunday evening--especially up north in the Mukilteo area. Monday morning, early, waves were hitting the Edmonds ferry hard enough that it was slowing down, not to mention breaking windows.

Open ocean swells will reach down to over a thousand feet. Interesting discussion is here, about half way down the page:

http://stormsurf.com/page2/tutorials/wavebasics.shtml

[octo$teve43]

the octo was getting big too :angry: . hopefully he will go to the deeper boat and be less likely to be harassed.

[H20doctor]

Ok ... We got in the water tonight at 7pm at made our way down to the boat, Me Norris and Renoun.. The tide was in so we hit the boat at 75 feet .. As I looked at the 4 pieces of Rebar that anchored the boat Down into the sand I noticed that all 4 has the same bend pattern.. They all were Bent in a left curve direction .. We did not have enough air to do anything at this depth for getting the Boat fixed... Now toward the end of the dive at the dock I noticed the Metal stuff next to the suctions pipes had about 4 inches of sand Missing..And I haven't seen these metal things for 5 years .. So it would appear that our massive tides we had sunday / Monday caused the boat from Uprooting.. There was some major Bottom erosion from some Hard core current going through Mukilteo.. There wasn't Much keeping the tackle Boat down , and if the current was going good it could have very easily gotten in the front of the boat and tossed it over... So I believe the cultprit here was the tide + the current , and the signs of erosion... So can someone with Dubs plan a work party to re set the Boat ? ..

[pogiguy05]

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!

[renoun]

I don't think that there were any nefarious doings involving this boat. As H20Doc mentioned the bottom was disturbed all over the place. The peak winds Monday Morning occurred around a fairly low low tide. Since both of the boats have moved during major storms this winter I think that we can safely conclude that cement weights and rebar stakes are inadequate to secure them in relatively shallow depths at this location. Somehow I can't imagine anybody heading out there with helical anchors to secure them in place.

[Metal man]

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!

Nope! No Kraken, fairytales... piffle What are we, children?
This is obviously the work of giant squid in the attempt to lure divers into deeper water

[airsix]

Doug and Chris schooling us in hydraulics. I love this place!

[Mattleycrue76]

Thanks for the report guys. Glad to hear that it dosn't apear hat we have a dive site vandal (althought the jungle gym was definitely moved by humans).

Doug after you posted that I started thinking back to a night dive we did at neah bay last summer where we were 50-60ft down and the surge was rocking us back and forth something like 15 feet. Pretty crazy and I guess it could happen at Mukilteo especially since a couple of years ago a wave took out Ivar's there.

[pensacoladiver]

Doug after you posted that I started thinking back to a night dive we did at neah bay last summer where we were 50-60ft down and the surge was rocking us back and forth something like 15 feet.

The night boat dive, while spearfishing, polespearing (for the first time), with a 7 plus foot surge, and 3-5 foot waves, from hell.

Boy do I miss the summer months.