Farnsworth Bank and The Midnight Hour
Location: Farnsworth Bank & The Midnight Hour - Catalina Island
Date: October 10, 2022
Open Circuit Team: Norbert Lee, Rene Tetter, Curtis Wolfslau
Closed Circuit Team: Jim Babor, Karim Hamza, Tianyi Lu
The Goal
Team Ghost Diving USA set out to survey two targets: Farnsworth Bank and the wreck of the Midnight Hour. The objective of these surveys is to collect data and images that will help the teams evaluate the impact the net is having on the environment around it, the potential risks of removing the net and, ultimately, the logistics of removing the net.
Target #1 - Farnsworth Bank
Farnsworth Bank is a state marine conservation area (SMCA_ on the windward side of Catalina Island. As an SMCA, some recreational and commercial take is allowed with varying restrictions. Farnsworth Bank offers some of the most beautiful and unique diving that Catalina has to offer. The dive site is a series of pinnacles that range from approximately 60 - 150 feet in depth. Recreational and technical divers alike flock to Farnsworth Bank to experience the wide variety of unique marine flora and fauna. A 200 foot net was previously reported by Karim and Jim after they found a drowned cormorant in the net.
The teams descended on the middle pinnacle, called middle 68, to 143 feet and located the net. Upon arriving, the teams collected GPS data, survey notes and video of the net. the teams also found lobster traps and small pieces of net on top of a pinnacle at 90 feet. After a successful survey dive, the team moved to their next target: The Midnight Hour.
Target #2 - The Midnight Hour
The Midnight Hour is a commercial purse seiner that sank off the west end of Catalina on August 30, 2011. She is 61 feet long and resting on her starboard side at approximately 100 feet. The crew was rescued with no injuries or fatalities, but the cause of her sinking is unknown. The Ghost Diving team descended upon the wreck and found that the drum, which holds the majority of the net, has now separated from the wreck. The team collected data as well as video of the wreck and the drum. They feel that they, with appropriate planning, can successfully clean up the net. One of the most significant logistical factors will be conditions at the site of the wreck. It is well known that the site has strong currents and rough surface conditions. The team will have to plan conservatively.
