Friday, April 16, 2010

Ongoing Learning

This evening Rick and myself travelled down the 401 to DiveTech to take a Visual Inspectors Course through TDI. It was a pleasure to go through the course material with Kris our instructor. Some of the highlights were using the eddy machine and optical plus machine. After an enjoyable time we both successfully completed the course and now are certified to complete visuals.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

THE TREASURER STRIKES BACK....


Well, after basking in the afterglow of spending the afternoon diving the Marine Museum site
this afternoon, no less than 5 of us decided on visiting an old friend... Murney Tower Wreck. Todd, Dan, Nancy, Josée and I braved the breaking surf to spend some quality time with the fishies. So lazy were they, that I was actually able to touch one of them, before he swam off into the sunset.
Our resident shutterbug, Gaetan was there to see us off...jealous no doubt that he was missing out on another great dive. But keeping true to his legacy of poking fun at his fellow divers, he sent me these pictures from his secret photo lab... Enjoy.... (Dive with a knife, Matt....)
Now to the more serious business at hand... Total dive time, 41 minutes. 60 feet max depth. Water temperature, 39 deg F. A fun time had by all, and overall a good night...

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Over the Bridge and not so far away...





Kevin, Josée, Gaétan and I made the exhausting (Not!) journey to Alexandria Bay this morning to dive the wreck of the Islander. Conditions were excellent, though the water temperature's the same as in Canadian waters. Strange that ...

For the first time, taking advantage of local advice, we ventured North to discover the dining chairs, tables and silverware in 60 feet of water below A Bay's Floating Restaurant.

This is a great wreck to do - and you can be back in Kingston (depending on lines at the Border) within three hours.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Charlotte loves Turtles..




Today's small task (amongst a myriad of others) was to show Joseé the turtles on the Princess Charlotte wreck in Deadman Bay. After all, it had been remarked on all the dives late last year that turtles were regularly spotted. I did warn that in the intervening period we had gone through Winter and that all the turtles might be missing, for one reason or another. However, we need not have been concerned. We spotted at least four of the creatures - and a large Carp - on the wreck.

The visit also provided another opportunity to hone my skills with an external flash. Tricky stuff balancing the available light with another source and keeping a reasonably natural appearance. But, fun...

By the way - water temperature in the Bay's shallow waters - 41℉ (5℃)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Stacked Hulls ? An Hour in the Water ? Why Not ?













The weather is definitely taking a turn for the better. When Todd, Jim, Gaetan, Matt and I made our way out to the Stacked Hulls this morning, it was quite clear that the water is warming up. We recorded 41℉ (5℃) on the shelf, and 39℉ (4℃) at depth. Visibility was probably about 30-40'. Two cameras were deployed. Todd's excellent available light shots will feature later. For the time being there's a mix of ambient and flash-lit pics here. Matt's day was made by sighting a Long-Nose Gar on the bottom on the way out. Less said about the encounter, the better though.. The line's in good shape, but may need a little bit of interpretation on the homeward leg. Just remember to maintain 310° Mag as you head for shore. Best way to pick up the line on the way out is to swim off shore at 130°, turn left at the bottom of the shelf and pick up the intact guideline from there.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Who Knew The Internet Is a Powerful Divers Tool



At 6:45 pm yesterday, I posted on Face Book" anyone want to go diving? Tonight? Well within 15 minutes a phone call comes in, and plans are made for a night dive. Dan a club member said he would like to go. So the plan was made to meet at the club and leave for the dive site. On the way I thought why not try Morton's Wharf. A dive earlier in the week proved to produce some fish on the site. Once on site, a detailed dive brief was given on the details of the dive and the wharf, after gearing up and a final check was complete Dan and I headed into the water. The normal entry and descent, everything seemed to be going good, I looked at my computer and the water temperature was 37F. Wow, starting to warm up I thought. Then a large bass swims by, and I think this is going to be good, since my other night dives have produced little fish. Well the fish are back, and are plentiful, which Dan tried his attempt in night photography. We had the pleasure of seeing several large Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, White Suckers, Perch, Catfish, a small Northern Pike, and surprisingly a very very large Silver Muskie. The Muskie wasn't around for long when he realized he wasn't alone. But a thrill no less to spot such a large Muskie in the shallows. We turned the dive and headed back to our entry point. When in 15 feet of water it was noticeable that it was windy and the waves were building at the surface. Exiting took a little patience and good timing, however another excellent dive. With another diver convinced that night diving is a lot of fun, and worth repeating.

Friday, April 2, 2010

A dive on the Ole KGH Wreck






Now that the pool is open, some of us are taking quite the advantage of it. Photography was the aim of to day, except for one of us, who wanted to make this a, "test to see if my reg's are good (Matt) dive". Well after a brief return to shore to see Matt wave us off. Gaetan, Jim and myself set out to the KGH. The line out is in good shape, after a 12 min swim at a decent pace the wreck comes into view with the vis to be around 45 ft. Today she had a school of Bass visiting her besides us divers. After pictures were taken and a swim around the wreck we made our wayback to shore.

It was a great dive, with the fish coming back into the wrecks and structure the water is warming up another degree. 37 F was the temp today, and after 53 min, it was time to come out of the water and go for our traditional coffee.




Quarry warmer - ready for Easter event...



Chris was keen to make sure that nothing unpleasant had made it into the quarry before this weekend's Easter Egg Hunt - and it was useful to have an idea of the general conditions. Consequently, we spent about 50 minutes touring the margins to check it out. Besides finding enough bicycles to open a small shop, and a couple of other sporting goods, it was an uneventful dive. The water temp is warmer than the Lake at 43℉ (6℃). Visibility was reasonable - at about 30 feet.

April Fools Dive 2010

The club lived up to the national standard today with a small but not planned chuckle. Never tell Gaetan where you are actualy diving, he might just forget anyways, and go where you were before. So after a small 30 minute delay as he drove from Brule Road Quarry to Mortons Wharf where the dive actualy was, the gang was ready to test out Josees new DUI suit. We would of said april fools to him, but Kevin did tell him Mortons Wharf. I'm just gonna put it down to old age. Soon we will have to trade Gaetan in for a younger more effeicent model with more hair on his head. JK bro we wouldnt have quite as much fun with the newer one.

While the Weather is pure summer fantastic, the water is still bitterly winter. Here we see Kevin and Josee practicing thier Kung Fu in thier new DUI drysuits, look how spry they appear as they wait for Mr "I forgot my fins" Grondin. 30 min, 25 feet, and 39F later we all came out dry and happy. The vis is anywhere from 20 to 40 feet even in the dark, despite my best efforts to kick up the bottom taking pictures.

Lots to see at the Wharf today:

A baby Northern Pike, Perch, Mudpubby salamander and the elusive April Fools Grondy!
Couple of points to note: 1. When doing a dive that is late in the day, take lights, you never know if your gonna need them.
2. The folks who are running the Brule Road Quarry dont appear to be answering the phone, as they likely are waiting for the real summer to arrive. Plan accordingly.
As allways "Dive with a Knife", and the pool is open see you in the drink soon!
Matt