SO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO DIVE THE “DORIA” ?
The Doria is considered by many, to be the mount Everest of diving. There are deeper dives. There are more difficult dives. But none, have the mystique of the Doria. The Doria also presents some unique challenges. Just being a “good diver” is NOT enough. You must be able to handle rough seas, long boat rides, strong currents, living on a boat off shore for 3 days with up to 13 other people, among many other things.

It is one thing to sleep in your own bed, get up early on a Saturday, take a 20 mile boat ride and make a 240' tri-mix dive, then back to the comforts of home. And sleep late on Sunday to recuperate. It is another to make a Doria expedition. You gather up enough breathing gas, tanks, stage bottles, scuba gear, and personal stuff for three days. Then drive it 150 miles to Montauk, and load the boat. Sleep on board, and make a 100 nautical mile trip, off shore to the wreck. This is not taking into account months/years of preparation, training, and work up dives to get ready. Many divers plan their trip 12 - 18 months in advance. This gives them enough time to properly prepare them selves for an expedition of this magnitude. The Doria lies under 190 - 250 Ft. of cold North Atlantic water. Sorry, but this is definitely not anything like, a warm water Aggressor trip, no mater how long the flight was, or remote the location.

When you sign up for this trip, you must be ready to be totally self sufficient. There are no medical facilities or a chamber near by. It is a LOOONG time, even by helicopter to advanced medical care. An appendicitis attack is bad enough at home, a real bummer out here. A toothache out here, can ruin your trip. While I am not sure, I doubt the Coast Guard would scramble a helicopter for a bad case of hemorrhoids, or the flu either. But on the flip side, it can be one of the most rewarding, and challenging things you ever do in your life. To get the most out of your Doria experience, you must be properly prepared. In addition to the obvious diving skills involved, you should try to get in as many multi day, cold water, diving trips as possible. This will give you a chance to get acclimated to long boat rides, and living on a boat for several days. It is not exactly the same, eating and sleeping on a rocking boat, as on land.

Many, would be, Doria divers, start out great guns, with high hopes. But, while men make plans, the gods laugh. You planned on several deep trips in May & June to ramp up for the Doria, but bad weather can wreak havoc on your training schedule. Some divers plan 8 - 10 trips as warm up dives, but arrive at Doria season with only 2-4 of them completed. Now what ?? some times, discretion is the greater part of valor. It is just as important to know when NOT to dive, as how to dive. But you laid out a lot of money right ?? Lets talk about the money, for a minute.

Money is a nice thing, and affords us the opportunity to do many activities. But we should never let it control, or even figure into, our decision making, when it comes to deciding whether or not to make a dive. A Doria trip is not cheap, it generally runs around $1,000. to 1,500. before you figure in Tri-Mix or travel expenses. Not to mention, taking time off from work too. If you are spending your kid’s college fund to dive the Doria, DON’T. Once you book the trip, you must consider that money spent & gone ( with the exception of a weather call) If spending that kind of money causes you stress, and financial hardship, you should not book the trip. If things go wrong, or problems crop up, you should be able to walk away from the trip, without having palpitations over the cash. If you can’t get in the practice dives, get ill, or have an emergency at home, you must be able to make a decision based on the facts, not the money. There is a saying that, desperate people, do desperate things. I can deal with the blind, cripple, or crazy, desperate people, scare me, I don’t like being scared. Consider the trip like a vacation, and budget for it the same way. The wreck will be there next year too.

Time, lets discuss that. A Doria trip is generally 3 days, but you need to budget more time than that. Some divers show up for a trip, 2 Hrs. before departure, throw their gear on board, and then run around harried, trying to get organized, find a bunk, stow their stuff, ETC. This rushed feeling follows them during the trip, making them feel pressured for no reason. Setting the tone for their entire trip. You should plan on arriving 6-12 Hrs before departure. This gives you time to get settled in, load and stow your gear, meet the Captain, and crew, as well, as the other passengers. Often the crew & passengers will go out for a nice meal before departure. This is a good time to ask questions and bring up any immediate concerns you might have. 20 Min before departure, is not the time to ask the Captain, or crew about the trip, where to stow your gear, and who’s on first. At this time, they will be preoccupied with final preparations for leaving.

At the end of the trip, there is usually a mass exodus, from the boat. Allow time in your schedule to unload, unwind, and travel home, at a leisurely pace. We often arrive back late at night, make arrangements to get a good nights sleep, a solid meal on land, load the car, and grab a quick shower, before you hit the road. People often come from far away to make a Doria trip. Allow enough time on the back end of the trip, as well as the beginning.

Weather:
A word about the weather. A Doria trip is a 3 day trip. Weather permitting, we will leave on time. But be prepared to “hang out” and wait out the weather. We will some times delay our departure 12,24, or even 48 hours, if the weather is not right. The exceptional speed of the John Jack gives me the ability to run out to the wreck, make two dives & get back in, in less than 24 hours. With this speed, we can work with the smallest weather window possible, and still get you out to the wreck. The Sea can build very quickly, but it can also lay back down just as quickly. Even if the weather reports are not good, please arrive at the boat on time. The Captain makes all final decisions about the weather. You do NOT need to show up brandishing the latest offshore report from your computer. I know what the forecast is. We may also opt for a different destination, and run to the Doria after that. There is always the tried and true method of sticking our noses out, accessing the weather for our selves. I have spent many rough days hearing 2 -4 Ft. seas on the radio, as 6 - 8 footers ski by.

Diving:
The Doria can be a kind goddess, or a bitch, like most women, she is usually some where in between. The visibility on the wreck, ranges between 10 - 75 Ft. I have seen the vis change in a few hours on the tide. The Doria is subject to extreme currents. There are often two different currents at one time, depending on your depth. The current can change direction or speed during the course of your dive. I once had to abandon a bag of china 12 - 15 Ft. from the anchor line. The current had picked up, and I was not able to swim with the china, so I dropped it. Fortunately the conditions changed over night, and I retrieved it, the next day. You must be dynamic in your dive planning, to accommodate these changes. Please be very careful with your gas and time management. This is where divers make mistakes. If the current changes, it can take much more gas/time than you budgeted, to get back to the anchor line. Extending your bottom time, will increase the amount of Deco gas you need as well. The rule of “thirds” is a good one. Please heed it.

Number of Dives:
During the course of a three day trip, it may be possible to make as many as 5 dives. BUT, if you get in one good dive each day, I think you have done very well. Please be prepared to wait out the current. There are times when the current is RIPPING !! no one goes in the water, not even to swim. Again, we have the money thing, some divers try to balance out, or lower their “cost per dive”. The Doria is NOT the place for this. It is possible to come to the Doria, and only get in one dive. It happens once in awhile, get over it. No amount of dives are guaranteed

Equipment:
With the exception of a few spares and tanks. When you suit up for a dive, your gear bag/box should be empty. People try to bring all the gear they own “just in case” on a Doria trip. As a result, the boat is crammed with gear, divers never use. As such, I have had, to impose some gear restrictions. You may only bring three sets of doubles, and six stage bottles. Using proper gas/mix planning, along with air top offs from the boats’ compressor, this should be enough for you to make all your dives. ( call me about double fills, and gas planning) One gear box/bag, one bag of dry clothes, dry suit(s) and sleeping gear. Other than a camera or some snacks, and a laptop, this should cover you. If your buddy, or another diver, brings less tanks, NO you can not bring “his”. The three sets, six stages rule, is strictly enforced. If you dive a rebreather, great, more room for all of us. There is a compressor on the boat to provide air fills. Please make sure your tanks are in current hydo & VIP. We do NOT over fill tanks, especial old or aluminum ones.

Food:
Meals with snacks & drinks will be provided on the trip. Meals will still be served even if we are waiting out the weather at the dock. Beverages will include water, coffee, hot tea, lemonade, & iced tea. The meals will vary with the trip. You can call close to your trip date for a specific menu. Please make us aware of any special dietary needs you may have, at the time of booking. You can bring drinks or snacks if you like. Alcohol: while allowed, one beer/drink ends your diving for the day. Obviously, too much alcohol, is contradictive of diving at all.

Waivers:
You will be required to sign, have notarized, and signed by next of kin an extensive multi page waiver. You will be required to initial every paragraph, indicating that you both understand, and agree to that paragraph. You must have that waiver back to me, at least 2 weeks, prior to your trip. If I do not have your waiver on time, this will indicate to me that you no longer wish to participate in your trip, but you will still be responsible for the full cost of the trip. Please remember, because of legal reasons, I CAN NOT accept your waivers on the boat, on the day of the trip. All of our waivers can be down loaded from the web, or sent to you, if need be. These waivers are a binding legal document. Please treat them as such. I will not accept waivers printed on the back of your child’s homework, or other such none sense to save paper. Only plain white paper will be accepted. Please take the time to review the waiver with both legal counsel, and your family. You are probably aware, that diving the Doria is dangerous. Make certain, your family knows it as well.

Things Not to Bring:
The John Jack enforces zero tolerance. No illegal drugs or drug parafanalia of any kind. Passengers found in violation of this, will be remanded to the custody of the Coast Guard. The John Jack does not allow firearms of any kind. If you are a law enforcement officer, please leave your weapon at home for the trip. Portable GPS units, are not allowed on the John Jack with out prior written permission from the Captain. Those that are found, will be tested for water tightness, without the battery cover on. Please leave you personal cooler at the dock. We have several large boat coolers on board. Ice, would be nice.

You are probably saying to your self “ is this Captain trying to discourage me from diving the Doria, he answer is YES I AM. The Doria is not for every one. It is the diving equivalent of a double or triple black diamond ski slope. Not only may you injure or kill your self, some one, has got to bring you down the slope. The same holds true for the Doria. Others may be injured trying to help you. While I do dive the Doria, I am an easy green slope skier at best. I know that, and stay within my comfort zone. This attitude may seem counter productive to filling trips. You’re’ right, it is. I do not need to fill my Doria trips, (the money thing again) I have a good day job, and intend to keep it. I do not let money interfere with my decision to run or cancel any trip. The Captain reserves the right to cancel any ones trip, or diving on any trip, for ANY reason what so ever, at any time what so ever.

If you are still interested in diving the Doria with us, please feel free to give us a call or, send us an email. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have.