Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Drysuits Rock..!


Today was the final dive of Suzanne's drysuit course and she completed it in Deadman Bay on the wreck of the Princess Charlotte. Cold water holds no terrors for the drysuited diver, but Ken, Suzanne's buddy was diving wet - and that's a different story altogether. Ken did really well to enjoy the 30 minutes or so of the dive - in 46℉ (8℃) water.

Before we entered the water, I had mentioned that this is a particularly good time of year to see turtles settling on the bottom of the Lake. Sure enough, up at the stern of the wreck, we encountered a very large Painted Turtle nestled in amongst the timbers. It showed no fear and we were careful to avoid disturbing it beyond taking a couple of pictures.

The pictures show that it's clearly possible to have fun in the water, even at this time of year.



Monday, November 23, 2009

I liked it so much...

Yesterday's dive was so much fun that Dianne and I returned to Rockport and the Kinghorn today. It was no less enjoyable an experience, although there were fewer Crayfish to be seen. Conditions were very similar to yesterday, so I'll avoid repetition on that score. I'm providing a few pictures taken today with a wide-angle lens.






And here's a picture of the speedboat hull that lies about halfway out to the wreck along the line. It's adjacent to the 'STOP' sign that warns divers about the perils of being tempted beyond their personal levels of competence and training.



I didn't mention it yesterday, but it's important that anyone attempting this dive from shore appreciate the distance involved and the depth at the final destination (90' ±2' / 27m). While it's by no means essential to use enriched air on this dive, a larger capacity tank and, ideally, a redundant air source are advisable.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Kinghorn Expedition...





Kevin, Jim and I made it down to Rockport today to fulfill a long-held ambition for all three of us; to make the Kinghorn on a shore dive. Respect for the wreck's depth and the presence of current, demanded careful preparation, including assurances of redundant air supplies for each of us (doubles or stage bottle) and the use of enriched air.

The guideline was very easy to locate and follow. An important hint was given before we set off by a local expert. The line ends just west of the bow of the wreck, upstream. Running a jump line across as you drift down onto the wreck is advisable. It makes picking up the main line for the return journey much easier. Actual conditions were near ideal. We had about 40 feet of viz on the wreck (perhaps better) and a very light current. The bottom temp was 46℉ (8℃).

Kevin took much video and some stills, including pictures of large and very brave Crayfish on the clay bank just below the docks. Here are some examples:





Saturday, November 21, 2009

Todd becomes our Man of the Century...


The headline should not be misconstrued; it's too early just yet for award ceremonies. But, there is some significance to Todd's latest dive. It was his 100th in Open Water. Many congratulations are due and it seems very fitting, and a mark of Todd's commitment to the sport, that he is currently well into his Divemaster course.

His century was completed on that most testing of Kingston's shore dives, the Stacked Hulls. In 48℉ (7℃), with visibility curiously low at about 20 feet, the dive was conducted in calm conditions at a gentle pace. A total dive time of 55 minutes included a full 15 minutes of wreck sightseeing. Many large Bass were present (one pictured - a Smallmouth ?), at least one big Carp and a Walleye.



Future visitors, do note that there is a short break in the guideline close to shore. Maintaining the line heading will quickly pick up the other side though. Directions and a guide to the wreck are available on the POW website.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday Session at Morton's


Several divers took to the water at Morton's Wharf this morning, enjoying the calm conditions that this season brings. I was diving with Ben, a young man whose father I'd spent some time with in the water earlier this year. Ben proved to be a great buddy too. Todd, who's getting well into the Divemaster syllabus, accompanied and supported us. Ken and Suzanne were also diving, with Suzanne completing her first open water certifying dive for the drysuit specialty. Everyone had fun - and the visibility, somewhere between about 25 - 30 feet didn't hurt at all.

Some of us saw the large Pike which was also present last Thursday night. Bass were pretty commonplace. The water temperature remains the same as yesterday at 48℉ (7℃).

Many thanks to Todd for his picture of Ben and I.

Dusky dive for dynamic divers..



It's tough trying to fit diving into a hectic lifestyle. But Kevin, Gaetan, Josée and I managed to find a niche in our busy diaries to take a dip off Murney Tower tonight. Meeting at 4 pm these days is a guarantee of a dusk / night dive - and that's just fine. The water offered excellent visibility all the way out to the wreck, with a very light current running westward. You could see it working when you lifted sections of the line to clean it and the detached weed drifted slowly away. The temperature remains at 48℉ (7℃). Altogether we spent about 42 minutes underwater. Not bad for three wet-suited divers. I don't need to tell you who was diving dry, do I ?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Triple Treat Thursday...

Three dives today. Great result for this time of year. The first two immersions rectified a failure in communication last week, when Bill (a Flying Frogman keen to learn the layout at Brewer's) and I waited for one another at different locks. This week we planned more efficiently, met at Timmy's on Highway 15 and then made our way in convoy to first Upper Brewer's and then to Lower Brewer's, diving in each location. It has to be admitted that we might have spared ourselves the trip if we'd known that the viz would be limited to about 5' in both locations. Another unforeseen element was a water temperature of just 45℉ (7℃). That's just a few degrees less than the Lake in recent days, but it sure makes a difference. The rewarding aspect of the afternoon's activities (fostering friendships is taken for granted) was the small pile of 'treasure' recovered by the docks at Lower Brewer's. It included several items of cutlery, a dive tool, pair of sunglasses and other odds and ends.

This evening, Todd and I made our Thursday night pilgrimage to the Lake, opting to check out Morton's Wharf again. Tonight's sightings were exceptional. We spent about 10 minutes in very close proximity to a large Northern Pike (estimated at about 30"). It appeared to be every bit as interested in us as we were in it. Nearby, a pair of very large Carp were equally unconcerned and allowed close examination. These key sightings were supported by the usual Bass, Mudpuppies, Perch and Catfish. All in all, with nearly 45 minutes in very clear water, which remains at about 50℉ (10℃), this was one of those, 'you should have been with us' dives.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Night Diving Fun at KGH

Todd and I geared up just after 7 pm this evening to check out the line to the KGH Wreck. The good news is that the line is intact and in good shape. Accumulations of weed and other debris at the outer end were removed on the homeward journey. And this good deed provided the perfect excuse to spend about 45 minutes in the water visiting the wreck and its many large Bass. Visibility was in excess of 30 feet and the water temperature remains at 50℉ (10℃). This increasingly contrasts with colder air temperatures on shore. Tonight, when we exited, the air temperature was -2℃.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Deep, Dark and Delightful...

It was great to get a note from James Young earlier this week inviting participation in what might be a final dive of the season on the Munson. It was even better to discover that it was an evening that I could actually get out on the water. So, to cut a long story short, Dianne, Marc-Etienne, Todd and I joined a small group heading for the site last night. Unsurprisingly, it was a night dive, and the near full moon was delivering little light through a high, overcast sky. That just made the descent on the Munson's large line more inviting. At depth, the visibility was pretty good, likely in the order of 35-40 feet. The temperature, although slightly colder than in recent days, didn't plummet at depth. Most divers reported 50℉ (10℃). One little treat for the early visitors was to see some short, slim, silver-coloured fish hugging the bottom. Positive identification wasn't achieved, but candidates include Walleye Fry, Emerald Shiners or maybe Rainbow Smelt. None of these particularly common. It may have been a little cool on the homeward run, but the mood of the divers was very positive. Many thanks to James and Nancy for making this dive possible.

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Golden Hour...

Sometimes a dive is just magical. When Kevin, Dianne and I entered the water to head for the Stacked Hulls this afternoon, it was just another dive; check out the line, have a good swim yahdi yahdi yahdah ! It turned out that it was one of those 'everything just clicked' occasions that you rarely enjoy. The line was easily found and followed, only a very slight current impeded the direct passage and the visibility wasn't too bad at about 25-30 feet. That's all well and good, but somehow it all came together for us. The swim seemed effortless, maintaining attitude and pace came naturally and all was well with the World. We were on the wrecks in 20 minutes. Huge Bass lazily and inquisitively nudged towards us and we had a really good look around the Hulls, noting features that we hadn't seen before. In all, we spent about 20 minutes nosing around. The return journey was just as straightforward. Nosing up over the ledge and swimming in over the shelf, it became clear that we were approaching an hour underwater, without really trying. What a great way to enjoy a November afternoon. There were rosy hues in the western sky as we emerged after 63 minutes - and a near full moon to the East. Genuinely, a Golden Hour !

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sometimes you just have to get wet...


Kevin got back from Meaford last night and had diving in his mind all night. This afternoon, he dragooned some company (essentially folk who didn't have the desire to go any great distance for their diving) and took a plunge around the Marine Museum. The picture says it all - one happy camper !


Matt (Mr Awesome) was one of those who willingly accepted the offer to dive. He was tempted by Kevin's promise of a Long Nosed Gar sighting. More fool him.. none was seen on this dive, despite checking out the area of previous occurrences. What the two of them did manage to scare up - right at the end of the dive - was a big, lazy Northern Pike.

For the record books, the water is still 52℉ (11℃). Visibility was generally poor; only to be expected after yesterday's torrential rain and gale force winds. The other bad news is that the weeds beside the ramp at the Museum bay are still pretty robust, although they are brown and dying.

A voyage of discovery..



This morning, due largely to the initiatives of Gerhard and Jesse, the Club ran a small Discover Scuba session at the pool. Many thanks to Dianne, Todd and Adam, who supported the activity and made it fun for the 5 participants.

We'll judge the value of the morning by the number of candidates who eventually take training with us, but it's always a good thing for our sport if people are exposed to it and come away with a smile on their face....