Revisiting the Infidel
Location: Catalina Island, California
Wreck/Site: The Infidel
Divers:
Team 1 (Photogrammetry/Documentation Team): Nir Maimon, Curtis Wolfslau
Team 2 (Survey/Net handling Team): Jim Babor, Karim Hamza, Terry Koroitz
Surface Support: Angie Biggs, Laurie Dickson
Mission Impact: 300 square feet of net removed
Team Ghost Diving USA returned to visit an old friend, the wreck of The Infidel.
Divers had a few objectives during their visit to The Infidel. First, they were hoping to complete a photogrammetry model of the wreck. Second, they were hoping to complete a survey of the wreck and remove any net that may have accrued.
Dive Team 1, Nir and Curtis, were tasked with taking photos for the photogrammetry model. They descended first with hopes of capturing all of the pictures they needed to complete a photogrammetry model. The team successfully gathered all the photos required for the model in one dive!
Dive Team 2, Jim, Karim, and Terry, were tasked with surveying the wreck and removing any net they found. After completing a long dive, the team was able to remove 2 large sections of net that were later taken to a local partner to be recycled and upcycled into sustainable products.
A Ghost Diving USA project is never truly done, it simply transitions into a monitoring phase rather than an active clean up phase. GDUSA has a long history with The Infidel. Many of our divers worked to clean thousands of pounds of net off of the wreck in the 2010s. As time passes, we like to go back and survey sites we’ve previously cleaned. Checking in on these sites can serve multiple purposes. First, it allows us to proactively check for nets that may be accruing. Next, we can collect data. We work with members of the scientific community to collect various types of data. Depending on the data needing to collection, we are able to visit sites that are actively being cleaned or sites that are completed.