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.

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

Pumpkin dive

There is not much more to say. This was a perfect day even for the "real" divers going wet, the way out was pretty comfortable compared to last year.

For those that had something better to do, no but seriously, what better thing could you have to do than dive! Here is my little taste of today in pictures and videos.

Hey Matt, Do you know who is awesome??

You're awesome!!

A dive without a camera is a wasted dive!
See you next dive!

Pumpkin Dive a Perfect Pastime...

Thanks to Kim and Scott, with a little help from their friends, today's Pumpkin Dive was a great success. Although only three buddy pairs participated in the actual competition, there were more than a dozen divers actually in the water, many busy with recording the event photographically. It was particularly pleasing to see Eric and Anton in the water; Anton only gained his Open Water certification earlier this month. Suzanne and Ken, who were guests at the event, but intend to bring their AOW skills to the Club as full members next year, were also very welcome. Well done to all the Pumpkin mutilators.. and many, many thanks to Kim for a fabulous spread and a knockout Chili..

All the photos on our Flickr site... - see link to the right...

New Rescuers Boost the Club's Ranks...

Many congratulations are due to the four Club members who became Rescue Divers this evening. They have met the challenge of mastering many new skills and then exercising them in real-World conditions. Kim, Scott, Todd and Kevin all encountered and applied new techniques and appeared to enjoy the experience. Jesse, who was committed to Recspo at RMC, will very quickly catch up to complete the course.

Achieving the Rescue Diver certification marks a major change in any diver's circumstances. No longer is their diving largely introspective, it becomes much more outward-looking and they contribute actively to anticipating and addressing problems that others might be experiencing. All five of the divers who have been on the Rescue Course will be even more valuable members of our dive community in future. Gaining this certification is also, frequently, the last major step before tackling divemaster and taking on the task of 'Going Pro'. I think that all the divers who have worked so hard over the last week or so are well prepared and able to advance...

Another Diver earns certification...

Blown off the Lake by blustery (and cold) southerly winds, three of us headed for Kingston Oasis (also known as Brule Road Quarry) yesterday to complete Alex's certification requirements. It's always a shame when you can't provide a variety of dive site experiences at the conclusion of an Open Water class, but the Oasis worked out pretty well. You'll gather from the picture that Alex was in full control by the end of the day.


Conditions in the quarry were good - and this must have been appreciated by at least three other groups of divers who appeared, complaining about being denied access to the Lake. Visibility was somewhere close to 40 feet and the temperature very much the same as in the Lake's more exposed waters at 64℉ (18℃). There were a lot of fish to see, including what Todd identified as a large Koi Carp. The number of little power boat hulks in the water seems to be increasing with every visit. We counted at least 5 yesterday.

There's no longer a permanent presence at the Oasis taking in admission monies, but if you're planning on a visit it would be a courtesy to call the owner, Dan, to advise him. He has taken a lot of trouble to improve the site and to clean it up - and he has many more plans. He can be reached at 613 386 5289 / Cell 613 329 7790.