Jamie joins the certified divers..

Congratulations to Jamie, who opted for Brule Road's more sheltered environment to complete his Open Water dives today over a rather lumpy lake. Each of the dives lasted almost an hour and required skills were all mastered without fuss. The Quarry was very busy - did we mention that there's now a barbecue running, with hot dogs and other snacks, as well as cold sodas available?

The tiny Bass fry which were very evident a few weeks ago are now reaching recognizable Bass form. They've stopped shoaling in large numbers and now move around singly, or in small groups of up to about a dozen fish. At about an inch long - and quite curious - they are great fun to watch. In and around the the old car chassis, three or four of the largest Bluegills I've ever seen are also lazily swimming around.

Each visit to the Quarry these days shows up new objects underwater. Take a trip and have a look around yourself.

Wildlife on the Wolfe...

The opportunity arose today to get out to the Wolfe Islander and enjoy the extraordinary wildlife that abounds there at this time of year. Disappointingly (perhaps the dive traffic is proving to be a little intimidating) there were only fleeting glimpses of the Freshwater Drum that have been haunting the after portions of the wreck recently. There were, however, abundant shoals of Bluegill Sunfish. I think that the video tells the story quite well...

Quarry Time...

The wind was making the Lake look less hospitable again today, so it seemed a good time to go and check out the quarry at Brule Road. As it happened, the visit was made more exciting by disturbing a couple of lovers, who had rather carelessly parked on the top of the approach road. There's something incredibly amusing about watching two people rapidly dressing while trying to appear innocent...

After this frisson, the dive was almost routine. A theory that the water there would be colder than the Lake, because it's got less flow and, as a smaller, shallower body of water it's more directly influenced by the air temperature, was proved spot on. The low reading on our two computers was 44℉ (7℃). I made a mental note, as the numbers on my display descended into the 40s, to fit my dry gloves this weekend.

Although we didn't hit all the corners of the site, there didn't appear to be any new additions to the local 'attractions'. A solitary Bluegill was spotted. Viz wasn't too bad - given the rain and high winds we've had recently; probably about 40'.

Back to Gan...

Another expedition to the Canoe Club 'lake' in Gananoque. The most interesting feature today was the fairly marked drop in water temperature over the last week or so. The minimum noted today was 57℉ (14℃). This is down about 10℉. Otherwise, the nose cone of a kayak was recovered to close the books on one lost from the Club and a few lonely Bluegills were amused by the passage of a pair of divers through their territory.

Blown off course - we're at the quarry again...

Given the impact of the tail end of Hurricane Gustav on the lakeshore, it was more prudent today to head for Brule Road. The picture of Kevin LeBlanc was taken by an AOW student completing their Underwater Photography Adventure. Pretty good results in murky water. The quarry was warm and sunny - with the rippling surface causing no significant disturbance below. Bluegills and Bass were around in large numbers - and very approachable. Great training - even if it wasn't raining...

Checking out the Marine Museum Barge...

This evening presented a great opportunity to get wet with Kevin and Gaetan at West St. Conditions were great and we entered the water just beside Ahoy Rentals. Kevin was keen to practice navigation and led a faultless dive across to the corner of the pier and on to the barge, where we completed a circuit before reversing our course for an exit at West St Ramp. Conditions in the water were good, though the viz could have been better. It was about 20 feet over most of the range. There weren't many exciting sightings, though a large Sheepshead was spotted near the logs on the return journey and a Pike was cruising the shallows on the ramp; something that is entirely typical of this area. There were also a lot of Bluegills on and around the car below the ramp. Water temperature was a balmy 70°F (21°C).

Ain't Raining? Still Training...

A series of three days with students culminated this morning with certification of Eric, a student who had (wisely?) elected to postpone his Open Water dives after completing pool training last Winter. Two dips in the Quarry yesterday were quickly followed up today with immersions at KPH and Morton's Wharf. While the fish life was fascinating - and included encounters with large Freshwater Drum in both locations - the visibility was less impressive at about 20 feet. Water temperature of 68F (20C) made up for much though. The topsides weather was outstanding - and here's a top tip - there is abundant shade at Morton's in which to park and get dressed...
Couldn't help but think what a great day our buddies must be having on the two tanker out of Caigers. Really looking forward to this evening's report...

Fresh Fry tonight...

Kim mentioned disappointment at a lack of fish sightings during last night's charter dive. Well, tonight at the quarry we literally swam through shoals of small Bass fry. Numbering in the hundreds and present in two or more locations, these tiny fish were teeming around the cruiser and in the corner of the bowl beyond it to the South. Also seen during a night dive with Theresa and Neil were the large Carp often spotted in the same bowl and a nocturnally hunting Catfish, which was totally undisturbed by examination under our lights.

The night dive was the second training dive of the evening. The first had seen a couple of students complete their Open Water Dive 2. They too had seen the clouds of small fry and been impressed. For anyone who remains at all reticent about the water temperature, the quarry is the place to dive. The minimum temperature recorded was 73F (the same as the air temperature). The many swimmers and bathers visiting the site these days have knocked visibility back to less than 30 feet, but that's pretty good in most books..

Navy Bay ...

Six of us made it into Navy Bay for a dive this morning. Conditions were good, though what seemed like very promising visibility from the dockside turned out to be just 20' or so in the water. A lot of silt and weed in the water are combining currently to reduce light and range of vision.

However, that didn't prevent most of us seeing a couple of very large Carp and at least one buddy pair spotting (and briefly pursuing) a Muskie. The sunken piers are hosting large numbers of Bluegills and some decent Bass. I also spooked a catfish in the shallows by the exit ramp

Perhaps the most interesting sighting of the day occurred before we got into the water. Spotting a large Snapping Turtle snorting at the surface, I was able to show everyone the beast as it swam back down to the weedy depths. Its shell was probably as big as a dinner plate.

An air temperature of 68F (20C) was almost matched by the bottom temperature of the water, which was recorded as 60F (16C).

Photo Morning..

This was the day for taking on the Underwater Photography adventure, the final dive of Theresa's AOW. The larger picture shows that she grasped the basics well. Truth to tell, conditions were challenging for any kind of photography. The torrential rain, hail and thunderstorms of yesterday had left their mark on the quarry's waters. A great cloud of silt was hanging in the water below the surface and overall visibility - even below the thermocline - was only something like 20' or less. Nevertheless, more than an hour was spent in trying out various lighting and camera settings.

I took the second picture towards the end of the dive, having seized control of the camera to accomplish an ambition to photograph the Bluegills in this location. Water temperature at the bottom - 67F (19C). The surface waters are actually in the 70sF.

Busy at Brule Road

Today's dive at Brule Road answered a request from one of the 5 Club members making the trip to be introduced to this handy little, sheltered site. The Quarry was busy. About a dozen other people - in various stages of undress - were soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the swimming opportunities the location offers. Despite distractions, the divers made it into the water for about 70 minutes, checking out the sights and reflecting on the increasingly bold fish behaviours of the Largemouth Bass and Bluegills encountered. The Bluegills are particularly colourfully marked currently. It's tempting to speculate that they are in courtship colours. Other fish are clearly past this stage, because at several points we found dense shoals of small fry.

Chris Haslip had reported the presence of a new boat in the quarry last week. This lies in about 17 feet of water immediately to the left of the entrance beach. It should also be noted that the bowrider (which sat beneath the rock edge on the Western side) has been moved towards the cruiser in deeper water. It now stands proudly isolated between the Hyundai and the Cruiser.

Visibility this afternoon was about 35 feet and the water temperature varied from 72F (22C) at the surface to 62F (17C) beneath the thermocline, which sits at about 17 feet.

Triple Dipping...

The weather must be getting better and the Lake warmer. I got in three dives today. Two with Steve and Marcus, who was finishing off his NAS work in the water at Portsmouth and another in Navy Bay exploring the pier supports at the Lake end of the Bay.

Portsmouth Harbour, first thing, was serene. A light dusting of yellow pollen lay on the inshore surface and the water was almost glassy calm. For the first time ever, I was able to see the nearest wreck segment clearly from the breakwater. I've placed a white line on the outer edge of the concrete sill to mark the wreck's location.

I got into the water in advance of the survey work Marc had to complete to place a baseline on the relevant wreck and lodge some datum points. This was interesting work and poses both buoyancy and accuracy challenges. Just the thing for an early Sunday dive. Once the set-up was complete, there was a chance to visit the anchors and check out some bearings to points of interest. The second dive at Portsmouth was simply to observe the survey activity and recover the artifacts used to set up the location. But, it offered a rare view of a large Bass preparing a spawning circle.

This afternoon's dive was almost as enjoyable. Looking for a location closer to home, and the Club, I dropped into Navy Bay. The initial ambition had been to visit the 'new' wreck near the car parks, but sail training put an end to this. So, the opportunity was taken to check out the old pier structures further South and West, towards Ft Frederick. I answered one question I had posed myself; how many are there? The answer seems to be six, two of which go all the way to shore. All of them were alive with fish, mainly Bass, but also some Bluegills and other small fry.

The best sighting of the day came on the trip back to the jetty. A huge Muskie was spotted busily devouring something on the bottom, totally unconcerned by my approach. In fact, as he finished his meal, he turned towards me and approached to within a few feet, giving me a really good view of a rather broad and intimidating brow.

Water temperatures all day were about 58F (14C) with visibility averaging about 35 feet.

Warm work at Brewer's Mills..

It was reasonable to expect warmer water in the Canal today, but none of us would have predicted 60F (16C), which is what Dianne, Chris and I actually enjoyed. It may explain why we spent about 90 minutes on two dives, with a negligible surface interval between them. We used the Sunbury Road approach to the parking area on the West side of the Lock complex and dove in the 'lake' on the upstream side initially. This proved uninspiring, offering just about 5 feet of visibility and no more than 8 feet of depth. After just 25 minutes, we elected to walk down the bank and make a giant stride into the lower waters. A period of exploration of the downstream area followed, with an exit eventually made back up on the East bank by the usual side stream bridge and 'bowl'.

The whole experience was relaxing and uneventful. The find of a couple of rounds of live pistol ammunition under the bridge is nothing extraordinary at this site. We didn't turn a hair. Interestingly, the Crayfish are now much harder to find, but we had an attendant band of very bold Bluegills towards the conclusion of the dive.

If anyone is wondering where to test their wetsuit, the temperatures up here in the Canal are now ideal...