The Northern Light -Technical Scuba Cache- Traditional Geocache
The Northern Light -Technical Scuba Cache-
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Located 185' below the waves of the ocean this cache will take special training and special planning to collect!
This cache is part of a series of scuba caches I am placing through out the world. This is a very special cache indeed due to its placement nature. This cache is outside of the range of recreational scuba divers and requires advanced level dive training including the use of trimix and decompression procedures.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THIS CACHE WITH OUT PROPER TRAINING OR IT JUST MIGHT BE THE LAST CACHE YOU EVER ATTEMPT TO COLLECT!
You are looking for a Pelican Container that is located on the bow section of the wreck. The container is weighted to keep it underwater. Inside the container you will find a Divers Notebook with waterproof pages as well as a pencil! Please ensure you sign the log book. If you can get a picture of yourself on the wreck all the better. Located on the inside of the pelican container is also a hint that is part of my scuba multi-for the Florida Keys. Make sure you collect the hint even if you are not doing the multi-cache you have the hint in the event you decide to attempt it in the future.
The cache container is able to be opened underwater please do not bring the container back to the surface for any reason! Any items placed in this cache should be placed with the expectation that it may be months or even years before someone else comes to collect them. Those placing trackables should do so knowing they may rest here for a very long time. This is also a great final resting place for trackables that have a goal of living under the waves of the ocean.
Container is large enough for a number of trackables.
A special gift (limited edition collectable custom scuba geocoin) is in store for the first 50 people who collect this cache but you will need to take a few extra steps to get your gift. To collect your prize you will need to not only prove you visited the cache but also that you had the proper training for collecting it. To collect the special prize send a message to the cache owner (azchipka@thechipkahouse.com) and include a copy of your dive computer log, a photo of you with the cache, and your certification information that permits diving to 185' or greater. These steps are not required to collect the cache itself but are required to get the special gift. Clearly your mailing information will also be needed to send you the geocoin.
When replacing the cache please please ensure it is returned to the location you found it and in the same condition or better that you found it in.
There are only a select number of dive operators in the keys who are able to provide the training and charters to get to this location so you will need to locate one of the technical dive shops in the upper keys.
The Northern Light wreck is sometimes referred to as the “Elbow Wreck”. It was a steel freighter built in 1888, which was newer technology at the time of its construction, and it was one of 6 ships similar in design built for Great Lakes service. Early in the ships life ownership passed through many hands and it faithfully provided the owners with income as it plied the Great Lakes waterways up until about 1917 when for whatever reason a decision was made to transfer the vessel to salt water service. Due to the fact that the system of locks connecting the Great Lakes could not accommodate the ship’s size, it was actually split in two by burning out the rivets which held her together. Later, it was a simple matter to re-rivet the hull sections together after the vessel was ferried by barge to docks that would give it access to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Northern Light operated out of Mobile Alabama during the 1920’s until the cost of maintaining it made it unprofitable as a cargo ship. Its here that the history of the ship becomes interesting as the owners attempted to scuttle the vessel as well as several other ships by setting them on fire in a unsuccessful attempt to collect an insurance settlement. This fraud was eventually exposed and the owners brought to justice. The Northern Light seems to have weathered this storm and emerged intact enough for a new owner to convert the ship into a “barge” by removing damaged superstructures and rearranging its remains. The vessel carried out its new assignment reliably but would meet its final fate in the 1930’s when passing up past the Florida Keys it encountered a storm then described as one of the worst in recent memory. It was reported to have become de-attached from its tow vessel and simply slipped below the surface to its now resting place in Key Largo with a loss of 5 lives. The exact cause for this still remains unknown, but speculation centers around the weakened hull from its earlier split in two. Only one seaman onboard the vessel was rescued and 5 others of the 6 onboard were never found. Today the Northern Light lays in 185fsw exactly where it sunk around 70 years ago.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)