Friday, December 29, 2006

Gently does it at Portsmouth..



Pleasant dive today with Dan and Christopher at Portsmouth Harbour. There was a specific objective, which was to get some decent pics of the STOP sign on the line to the Stacked Hulls. This was comprehensively achieved, helped by excellent visibility; probably as much as 50 feet in the shallows and not much less in deeper water.

The water temperature showed up on my computer as 39F (4C), but Christopher had 38F. Balmy conditions compared to an air temperature of -11C (12F). Despite the sunny skies, it was still a little disconcerting to watch a mini ice rink form at your feet as your suit drained off during the undressing phase. Little fish life today, less the ubiquitous (and seemingly invulnerable) Gobies. but we did see a beautiful little Crayfish half under the pipe on the way out.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006



Wonderful dive today on the Rothesay near Prescott. Dianne and I ventured forth on one of the coldest days this year so far (-5C / 23F). The good news was that the Sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t much of a wind. The site provided calm water and visibility - on the wreck - of about 35-40 feet. Slightly less good news was the temperature of the water - 38F (3C).

It wouldn’t be a dive at this time of the year if we didn’t see a Pike. Today’s was a beauty, drifting casually about the stern of the wreck with no concern for our presence. There were also several large Bass around and a Freshwater Drum (Sheepshead).

All in all though, a great dive in pleasant conditions. I guess we’ll just have to get used to the ice that forms instantly on your suit and scuba gear on exit - it may be that way for a while...

This link will take you to a couple of minutes of video taken during the dive.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Dive Report - December 24th, 2006



Grabbing the chance to sneak in another dive before Christmas commitments took priority, Dianne and Mike slipped into the water off the Marine Museum and explored the logs and structures on the Western side. The seemingly obligatory Northern Pike was spotted late in the dive. There were also several Bass around and the usual Gobies. Bright sunshine made suiting up and undressing pretty pleasant - and a welcoming cup of hot chocolate provided by Chris, Andrew and Ben warmed up the exit.

The water temperature remained pretty stuck at 40F (4C) and visibility was in the order of 35 feet or so - typical of recent days.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Club Shirts are in...




As promised - and beautifully finished - the Club Golf Shirts are in and ready to serve on whatever Winter holidays you may have planned. Everyone who ordered a shirt has been contacted with delivery / pickup details.

Next project - in the New Year - a fleece top. If you have ideas about its appearance or features, let Mike Hill know.

Your President issues a challenge..


Some of you may have noticed that Dan has suggested that those of us who are sober enough and sufficiently thermally confident should meet to dive on New Year's Day. If you believe that you will qualify on both counts, the plan is to gather at the Club at 1pm and select a suitable dive site before heading off for the water.

There's no need to register interest in advance - we'll see you if we see you.

Meantime - enjoy Christmas and trying to put another millimetre of protection on your skin layer before the 1st...

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Dive Report - December 21st, 2006





Today's dive was made in bright sunlight and little wind. The Lake was relatively calm and conditions pretty good. Jim, Dianne and I spent about 38 minutes wandering around Morton's Wharf and inspecting the (very shallow) remains of the HMS St Lawrence nearby.

Highlight - apart from actually being close to the massive timbers of a 19th century warship - spotting a couple of large, and pretty implacable, Northern Pike on the return journey.



A few minutes of low-res video of the dive can be found on Google Video. More work needed on this particular discipline.

Water temperature remains stubbornly stuck at about 40F (5C). Visibility was something like 35 feet.






Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Dive Report - December 20th, 2006

Today was a great example of how expectations can be pleasantly swept aside. Standing on the dock at the basin of the Alexander Henry, despite beautiful sunshine, the howling gale and substantial seas it was churning up led us all to believe that visibility would be limited. As it turned out, we could see from 25-35 feet throughout the dive. That allowed us to see a Northern Pike, a shoal of small Perch (in the Eastern basin), several Large Mouth Bass and a probable Freshwater Drum.

For those who like to keep track of the water conditions, the Lake was down to 40F (4C). It can't be long before we get down into the rather intimidating 30s. All power to Chris Haslip, who dived wet today - uncomplainingly.










Welcome to our Blogspot - now start posting, please

Here's an early Christmas present for the Club. At no small expense - actually, no expense at all, I've set up a Blog site for us to use to post information, dive reports and other nuggets for one another's benefit.

Please feel free to use it - on first attempts, I will have to authorise users, but then you're on your own.

Let's make it something that is relevant and useful - with timely information and announcements.

Merry Christmas

Mike