Sunken carrier reels in the divers (4/4ページ)

"On their first dive of the Oriskany, everybody, almost to a person, is breathless with awe when they come up," Scuba Shack dive instructor Gary Schnurer said. "The second dive is even better because they know the wreck better and can take their time."

It's that experience that has many first-time divers planning their second trip before they leave. And it's not just out-of-towners hooked on the experience.

Cantonment, Fla., resident Rhonda Dollas began diving in July, and her first major underwater excursion was at the Oriskany.

Down about 90 feet, Dollas, 43, swam through open areas of the control tower, then emerged to "stand" on a small landing.

"Here I was surrounded by schools of amberjack, and I looked up and there was the stars and stripes and a POW/MIA flag and they were just taut in the current," she said. "I simply stopped and stared in awe."

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