Kern Shipwreck
25 Miles offshore.
Virginia Beach, VA.
Not much is known about the Kern wreck. But what it lacks in history, it makes up for in life. Schools of fish, corals, sea fans, and other creatures cover the wreck. The Kern sits upside down in 100 ft of water. The large bow and stern are separated by a short swim and connected by an inch-thick cable still connecting the two pieces.
100 feet Down.
Cold-water corals and anemones cling to the hull of the wreck while a large school of sea bass swims above. The abundance of wildlife shows how shipwrecks become oases in the sand deserts of the Atlantic.
Fishing for flats.
Paul poses with his catch after searching for flounder on the sand around the Kern. He forgot his gloves on the boat - which I definitely don’t recommend!
While the Chesapeake Light Tower, the Bay Bridge Tunnel, and the Windmills are popular for spearfishing, the wrecks provide more varied structure for different species of fish to inhabit and spearfishermen to probe.
Jellies float by the diver down line under the boat
Hanging on the down line.
Dive boats here run a rig where a weighted line sits at 15 ft below the boat, enabling divers to have a reference for a safety stop or final decompression stop before hitting the waves on the way back on board the boat. With the wrecks often far below, divers are entertained by an abundance of jellies floating by.