Jay Wolfe, and Harry Wilcox of Axe Murderer Tours with Brynn Karch and Logan Anderson pose for Variety on Monday.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
Jay Wolfe and Harry Wilcox reach a depth of 135 meters (444 feet).
TWO divers — Axe Murderer Tours owner and operator Jay Wolfe, and Harry Wilcox — set another CNMI record on Sunday by reaching a depth of more than 135 meters (444 feet).
Last year, Wolfe and Wilcox, along with four other divers, reached a depth of more than 100 meters (328 feet).
According to Wolfe, the pair had been planning a deeper dive ever since.
“When we did that dive, we noticed that it wasn’t the bottom — the bottom is much deeper,” Wolfe said. “We started planning and chose the goal of 135 meters, not for any particular reason.”
The record-setting dive took place near the Tinian Grotto on Aug. 24 with support from divers Brynn Karch and Logan Anderson, boat captain Yoshi Izuka, and staff member Bill Capayas.
The divers used a Closed Circuit Rebreather system, including the Dive Rite O2ptima CM, AP Diving Inspiration Evo, and IQSub XCCR.
“It’s a diving system that cleans your air and gives you a better gas mix depending on the depth. It allows us to go deeper more safely,” Wolfe explained.
Wilcox added, “The preparation was there — the planning, the gear, the familiarity. In all honesty, a feat like this is years in the making in terms of education and equipment. While the actual accomplishment was planned within a month, it’s not something you can just hop into.”
Although Wolfe doesn’t consider this dive among the world’s top-tier deep dives, he said it is significant for the Marianas.
“We think it’s the deepest dive that’s ever been done here,” Wolfe said. “We’d be interested to hear from anyone who knows otherwise or can point us to past dives in the Marianas. We know there have been some, but from what we’ve heard and from talking to people, it hasn’t been quite this deep.”
Wolfe added that the dive was rewarding regardless of the record.
“It’s not really about the depth. The planning itself is rewarding, and the idea of seeing something no one else has seen still puts this in the top one percent of dives that are done.”
At that depth, Wolfe noted, the pressure is nearly 15 times higher than at the surface.
“High pressure can affect things like your nervous system,” he said. “But we planned the gas so we would be free from narcosis. Clarity in my head was good. Of course, it’s a new depth, so we were apprehensive.”
Both divers stressed that they do not encourage anyone to dive outside their certification level.
For more information on technical diving, contact Axe Murderer Tours at (670) 287-2337 or visit www.axemurderertours.com/.