Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Westerly wind works for us...


Yesterday, I would have expected to be forced out of the water by ice for a while. Today, thanks to a brisk Westerly wind, forecast to reach gale force this evening, the ice at Portsmouth had all been broken up and blown away from the entry point, giving Dianne, Jeremie and I perfect diving conditions. The Sun was shining and the air temperature was just below freezing at -3C (28F). In the water, there was very little life. One Bass was seen sheltering under the wreck close to shore and something else shot off at one stage during the dive, which took us out to and around the STOP sign. The neatest experience of 2007 so far was observing the 7/8 of some large, isolated, broken ice chunks around us in the water. The only way to describe them is as mini icebergs. The surface water, predictably, was registering 32F (0C) - but slightly deeper - it remained the anticipated 35F (2C). Visibility, slightly upset by the surge brought on by the wind, was only about 25 feet.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The ice is encroaching steadily...





I did a little circuit of popular Kingston shore sites this morning and can report the following:

Deadman's Bay is completely iced in, with snow cover on the surface.

There is a small amount of open water around the pier at RMC, but access would be challenging - and egress even more so, perhaps..

The Alexander Henry basin is thinly iced, but sufficient to make entry and exit impossible - ditto the adjacent bay.

The Yacht Club beach is thinly iced - but enough to thwart divers, I believe.

Portsmouth has open stretches, with an abundance of ducks making the most of them. Entry would be possible. The ice that's present is only about a 1/4" thick.

The same detail applies to KPH, where limited entry options give way to thin ice cover - that could be broken through, or broken up, if necessary

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Maintenance Course




Lee, Dominique, Steven Chew, Tim Lightowler and I participated in an extensive course put on by Adam today, with the assistance or Rick to learn about the maintenance and workings of a variety of gear from regulator 1st and second stages, to inflators, tanks, webbing etc.
Great course.
Thanks Adam.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Short lived dive at Rockport...

Geoff and Pat had a short lived dive at Rockport today. Entry and exit were difficult as the river has finally frozen over and the ice is quite thick at the boat ramp. We managed to break a hole open by the Rockport Boat Lines dock ladder where the ice was only about 1" thick. Unfortunately the weather man was grossly wrong today with the temperatures at least 10˚ colder than forecast (-3˚ C). Geoff had a freeflow shortly after entering the water which wouldn't thaw itself out. The ladder also iced over a bit in the freezing rain and is not recommended as a winter entry point when air temps are below freezing. Shortest dive yet this year, but still better than sitting around inside!!

Friday, January 26, 2007

Sunshine - but oh, so cold...


Seizing the opportunity presented by yet another brilliantly sunny and calm day, Dianne and I ventured out from the Kingston Yacht Club beach to explore the breakwater and retrieve an abandoned anchor spotted last Sunday. Our first significant sighting was a large, sick Carp in the shallows close to the entry point. It showed the fungus infestation on its fore end that so many fish seem to be afflicted with recently. The sighting raised our expectations and we weren't disappointed. Around the rocks that mark the corner of the Yacht Club wall, there were many Bass and other fish, some in small shoals of up to 6 or 8 individuals.

After checking out the car wreck, we re-located the 7Kg anchor that we had discovered last Sunday and freed it (very easily) from its entrapment between two rocks. Removing it from its 3/4" line was no great challenge for my sea snips. Recovery was then straightforward - with great care being taken not to let it go once lifted from its place of rest.

Despite a lot of surface ice around Kingston's other sites, there was none on this sheltered area. The only downside of the dive - dealing with very cold temperatures on exiting the water. An issue alleviated by the opportunity to warm up briefly in the Yacht Club lobby. All in all - a dive worth doing. For the record, visibility was about 35' and the water temperature a brisk 33F (1C).

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Sunshine Rocks !!!


It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, Sun streaming down, wind from the North and the water at Portsmouth flat calm. Perfect diving conditions, if you set aside an air temperature of -8C (18F), things couldn't have been any better. The viz in the water was probably better than 40 feet and the sunshine highlighted the wrecks near the entry point. Only a few Gobies seem to be active just now, although the silhouette of a Pike was spotted near the Anchors. Despite careful scrutiny, no Crayfish were found lurking near the pipe or amongst the rocks. For the record, the water temperature was 34F (1C) and the inner harbour - frozen yesterday - was free of ice today. Go figure!

Pool Play

Sometimes getting in the warm clear water of a pool is just about as good as diving in the Caribbean. This would seem to be the feeling as 14 club members came out for the pool session this evening. Everyone had a great chance to practice their skills, play a bit of Frisbee and swim through hoops. The next pool session will be on 20 Feb.

Jim

Pool Session a great success !

Tonight's second open pool session of the season for Club members was a great success. All credit to Dianne, Tracey, Chris, Jim, Al, Rick, Donovan, Marc-Etienne, Dominique, Sylvain, Jeffy, Mike and Adam, who all turned out pretty late on a cold Winter night to practice skills and re-acquaint themselves with their gear. A lot of pretty creative drills were observed and everyone obviously had a good time, which is really important. Adam was shooting video, so the risk exists that some of those creative moments will come back to haunt their practitioners at some stage...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

There are days....


There are days when you might as well have stayed in bed...

Today was one of those frustrating ones where a combination of freshening Southerly winds, frequent snow flurries and drifting ice slush made it unwise to dive. The picture is provided to demonstrate the conditions at the little bay beside the Marine Museum in Kingston.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day - though the forecast is for colder weather....

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Divers look good in black (on white)..













The Sunday Dive Club met again today to dive from the 'beach' of the Kingston Yacht Club. Dianne, Steve, Jim and I found the air temperature of -12C (10F) quite bracing. Although it is inconvenient when your mask de-fog freezes before you can cover the whole lens and when your suit is freezing fast as you disrobe. The conditions below the surface were excellent. Visibility of about 50 feet afforded good views of several large fish around the breakwater rocks and the car by the exit from the Club marina. The water temperature was about 35F (2C). The saving grace today was the almost complete absence of wind and the bright, warm sunshine bathing the area. That and the hot chocolate Dianne graciously obtained for us from the Club bar after the dive.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

What ice ??? or What !!! Ice...


Despite an inch of ice in places, Geoff, Pat and Jean-Olivier took to the water this morning for maintenance checks on dock anchors at Pat's sailing club. The temperature can be guessed at from the pictures, but for the record, rising from an overnight low of about -18C (0F), it was still a bitterly cold -11C (12F) in a fairly penetrating wind. Pat reports the water temperature, clear of ice effects, to have been 36F (2C). Thank Heavens for a little bit of sunshine....

Friday, January 19, 2007

Back to the Brick Barge...


Given the sunshine and the relatively calm waters, Dianne and I took the opportunity to visit the Brick Barge (Cora Post) on Howe Island this afternoon. Yes, we ignored the other factors like snowdrifts, gale warnings and occasional flurries. Did I mention near freezing water temperatures as well...

But nothing matters when you get below the surface and enjoy the tranquillity of the underwater environment. Visibility was pretty fair at something like 30 feet and the line out was quickly and easily picked up and followed. There was a secondary aim for the day of taking Dianne down to 60 feet for the first time. Conveniently (and unexpectedly) we found that someone has placed a line down to about 65 feet from the South side of the wreck. Total dive time was just under 35 minutes and the water temperature 34F (1C). The air temperature, little helped by a brisk Westerly wind - was just on freezing.

And the dive was made all the more interesting by the sighting of a Pike in the shallows on the return leg..

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Roller Coaster Ride at Brewer's Mills



Joan Mercier, Jim Dunfield and I headed North this morning to Brewer's Mills looking for ice-free water and a site to dive. We succeeded in both ambitions, but had to resign ourselves to a pretty exciting and unusual dive in the currents and eddies that are a feature of this inland site.

Boasting a maximum depth of only about 24 feet and a water temperature right on freezing, this wasn't one of the year's great dives, but it was an experience. Entering and exiting the water with an ice margin right beside you is stimulating - and concentrates the mind...

We got about 15 minutes in the water - making circuits of the bowl that lies beneath the bridge. Needless to say, in water this cold, a couple of free flows reared their ugly heads, curtailing the dive prematurely.

Highlight - apart from riding the current eddies - playing with a crayfish found sheltering under one of the rocks.

Thank you to Jim for the pics...

Tuesday, January 16, 2007


I recently had the pleasure of making 20 dives in Cayman Brac over a 7 day period. Pictured here is a Leopard Worm, which is a rare find, our Dive Master had only seen one other.

This was my first experience diving south as a "real" diver. It was very easy to make 3 dives a day, often I wished there was a 4th. The first dive of the day was not to exceed 110 feet, nor be in the water more than 45 minutes, realizing that you can't spend that amount of time at depth. Cayman Brac is mostly Reef diving, where there is a lot to see at the various depths. We would descend to the deepest point and then explore the wall while ascending, usually to spend some time exploring the reef at about 35 feet.

I stayed at Brac Reef Resort, the only resort on Cayman Brac, a 15 mile long island which is part of the Cayman Islands . The resort is comfortable and well set up for diving, the staff both on and off the boats were wonderful.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Sunday Outing...


In the second of the New Year's Sunday dives, five Club members ventured out at Morton's Wharf. Rob, Olivier, Dianne, Steve and myself found our way around the submerged wharf and then moved southwards to find what little depth we could. Eventually, we turned around at about 20 minutes and 52 feet to make our way home. The water temperature was 38F (3C) and the air temperature a tolerable -3C (28F) in still conditions. Visibility was in the order of about 40 feet at best - but there wasn't much to see. The picture shows an interesting range of drysuits. Bare get the popular vote, with two HD Tech Drys and a NexGen. Olivier sports a natty White's trilam and Steve a beautifully fitted and very smart Diving Concepts trilam suit.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Ice Lady Cometh...




It must have been cold today - at least above the surface. Tracey provided some amusement for the rest of us by forming a pretty decent ice layer on her suit after exiting the water. It was only fortunate that the wind was relatively light and the sun shining brightly.

The dive, which Steve Chew, Jim and Tracey Dunfield and I completed was the standard 'once around the barge' from the basin of the Marine Museum. Timings varied from just under to just over 30 minutes in water showing a temperature of 38F (3C). The air temperature was on the minus side of zero at about -2C (28F) by the time we emerged. Visibility was poor by recent standards at something between 15 and 25 feet. Hardly suprising when you consider the high winds and heavy rain of the last day or two.

Steve had a great dive in a new drysuit - although pre-owned - it could have been made for him - as the pic shows.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Starry, starry night...



Not entirely evident in the picture - which does faithfully show the chill in the evening - were the stars shining brightly in a clear sky. But it may be more relevant to discuss the dive. Chris Columbus, Rob Kirkby, Jeremie Verville and I found the courage to venture (briefly) into the quarry tonight for a night dive. Briefly is accurate, because we turned the dive around at about 15 minutes when the chill got to at least two pairs of hands.

But those minutes gave us a chance to visit the cabin cruiser and the car - and to remark on the night-time presence of many Bluegills - not at all as bold by day. Undressing after the dive was not as daunting as we had expected. The wind had dropped, making the temperature of -7C (19F) a little more tolerable. It was certainly colder than the water temperature of 36F (2C). Visibility was a little disappointing, but at 35-40 feet, quite acceptable.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Back to the Quarry..



When it's a sunny day and the temperature's on the plus side of zero (just) what else should you do but go for a dive. That's what Dianne and I concluded this morning. We hit the quarry again to check out the artifacts and widen exploration a little. There are a couple of 'landmark' objects that I can add to my site plan now. There's still much work to do in touring all the farther reaches, so company will be welcome at any stage. For those who are interested, the visibility, despite the sunshine and dry spell overnight, remains at just 30-40 feet and the water temperature was 37F (3C).

Monday, January 8, 2007

Once more into the Beach...




Despite some strong winds and intermittent rain, Joan and I completed a local dive this morning at the quarry. The site impressed her on her first visit just as much as it had me last week. Although visibility was down at about 30-40 feet today, the fish were still abundant and the boats and car just as interesting. As we had discovered yesterday, the rain has one positive effect - to raise the water temperature. Today we recorded 37F (3C) - which compares well with last week's 35F (2C).

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Caption Competition




We haven't had a caption competition before and when I saw this shot it just cried out for one. Just use the comments option to make your selection.

Three divers pictured were just some of the ten Club members who turned out for a Sunday morning expedition from the Marine Museum in wonderful conditions. Still conditions and occasional Sun made for easy preparation and gentle recovery. The water temperature was, astonishingly, warmer than last week - at 40F (4C). And the good news didn't end there - visibility was something like 40 feet - and more in places.

Well done to everyone who turned out - especially Lee, who elected to dive wet and managed a very creditable 30 minutes.

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Heritage Symposium a great success



The second annual Limestone City Marine Heritage Symposium took place today and ten Club members participated; by far the largest party of any group represented on the day. The Symposium was flawlessly administered, generously catered and featured excellent speakers. Their subjects ranged from the fate of Herod's harbour in Caesarea to the Second World War wrecks off Newfoundland's Bell Island, with information about advanced technical exploration near Halifax and the survey of the 'Twisted Sisters' off the St Lawrence Seaway's Grenadier Island amongst other topics. The event's obvious success was a great tribute to local organisers working to support 'Preserve our Wrecks' - a Kingston-based non-profit body dedicated to the preservation and protection of shipwrecks near Kingston.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Wow! - no Zebra Mussels...



Today's dive was absolutely magical. I visited the quarry at Brule Road with Dan and Christopher and discovered a whole new diving experience in Kingston - a site free of Zebra Mussels. Add to that delightful feature the presence of a cabin cruiser, another smaller boat and an inverted car, as well as a sizeable shoal of Striped Bass - all in visibility that approached 100 feet, and you may understand my excitement.

There's not much depth - the lowest recorded was just 27 feet, but there are walls and boulders and some real features to the bottom contours. All of them make the dive interesting. For the record, the water temperature was a chilly 35F (2C) and the air temperature, with bright sunshine 7C (45F).

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Is it really Winter..?



It’s hard to believe, with Sunshine streaming down and clear, blue skies, that it’s really Winter. But, while these conditions persist - dive on!

Dianne and I ventured out to the Barge by the Marine Museum this morning and had a really gentle and enjoyable dive. Visibility was in the order of 40 feet or more and the temperature had crept up a degree to 38F (3C) - precisely matching the air temperature above.

The pic is a frame grab from video taken towards the end of the dive, under the stern of the Henry. The light on the prop and rudder was beautiful, but doesn’t completely come through in this shot - oh, for a wide angle lens on the little camera...

Monday, January 1, 2007

Happy New (Dive) Year...



If it's January 1st, it must be time for a New Year's Day dive. That seemed to be the philosophy that attracted five divers to enter the water today at the Marine Museum. Whatever the background, Dan, Rob, Jim, Chris and Mike seemed to be undaunted by a cold wind and some relatively choppy water. After a night of high winds and some heavy rain, the visibility was quite poor - about 15 - 20 feet. It's now noticeable that the water temperature is slipping back steadily. Today, the low recorded was 37F (3C). The air temperature wasn't balmy either at 6C (43F). The unsettled conditions seemed to intimidate the marine life too. Only a few Gobies and the usual handful of Bass were spotted.

But the dive's the thing - and it felt good to christen the New Year with an early immersion.

An honourable mention must be given today to Christopher, who, despite being a little unwell, was a huge help to the dive party.

Happy New Year to one and all - Dive Safe...