Outing to the William Jamieson...

Nine divers made it out this morning to the wreck of the William Jamieson at the far end of Amherst Island. The weather was a mixed bag. Occasional patches of sunshine were interspersed with light rain. None of that affected a good dive on an interesting wreck. The visibility, except where bottom disturbance played a role, was about 40 feet. Despite the fact that, elsewhere, the thermocline is now at about 55 feet, the water was a pretty reasonable 64℉ (18℃) from top to bottom. I almost regretted the hood and gloves I'd donned in anticipation of a colder, bottom layer. There wasn't a lot of fish life, but that's not unusual just now - especially in broad daylight.

Stacking up another dive...

After sailing plans were cancelled by high winds and an ominous weather forecast, and a quiet afternoon at home proved too quiet, the decision was made to go and check out the Stacked Hulls again. No bad thing, as it turned out, because the line had parted about half way out to the wrecks. Whether this is the result of an unintended anchor strike, or pressure from accumulated weed proving to be too much for the line at its weakest, most extended point, it turned out to be easy to by pass and temporarily address. The dive was otherwise unremarkable. That said, the number of fish seeking shelter in and around the hulls was considerable. Oh to have a video camera on days like this. Visibility was average, probably about 30-40 feet. Interestingly, particularly since I had elected to dive wet (Hyperstretch 7mm), the water temperature was down to 66℉ (19℃). If anyone is keen to make this new, line-guided trip to the Hulls, and considers their air consumption better than average (this dive was 63 minutes long and brought home 600 psi), give me a call.

Wilderness Battleship - Public Lecture - September 30th

Anyone interested in the naval history of Lake Ontario should pencil in September 30th at 7 pm to attend a public lecture in Kingston's Memorial Hall (inside City Hall). The lecture, celebrating the '25th Anniversary Archaeology Public Lecture' series will be given by Timothy J. Abel, Director of the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown , New York. The title 'Wildnerness Battleship' will tell the story of Lake Ontario's Forgotten Naval Shipyard.

Admission is FREE...

Leisure Show and the Stacked Hulls - all in a diver's day..

Today started with representation of the Club at the Base Fall Leisure Show. This seemed to draw a decent attendance and Dianne and I were certainly kept busy answering the questions of many visitors to our stand. It seems likely that we'll pick up about half a dozen new members who are already certified - and likely as many or more people who want to take training.

This evening there was a golden opportunity to hit the Stacked Hulls from a boat and take a really leisurely tour of this interesting site. The fish life was incredible, literally dozens of Perch and Bass. We were out there, once again, beyond the onset of darkness. It's a magical experience to enjoy a dive on a calm lake with the lights of the City on the skyline and the various navigation beacons twinkling out on the darkness of the water. Difficulty in getting divers to join us made it impossible to fulfill an ambition to run a line ashore from the site, but we'll get that done very soon. These wrecks are deserving of more visits. Thanks to Adam for making his fine dive boat available - and to Tom and the team aboard Seadeucer, who gave us numbers that put us right on the wrecks in short order...

Aloha !

This evening's charter went out in fairly heavy seas - heading for the Aloha and the Effie Mae. Despite a certain amount of apprehension, the decision was taken to enter the water on the site, avoiding another trip to the Wolfe Islander. As it turned out, and as our trusty skipper (Steve) had suggested, the conditions improved during the dive and exits were much less exciting than they might have been. Eleven divers made the trip, which enjoyed reasonable visibility of about 40 feet at depth and water temperatures in the high 60s F (High teens C).

Cory completes certification in style...

Completing the course that began three weeks ago, Cory enjoyed near perfect conditions for his last two open water dives. He made it out to the KGH wreck in good form and then moved down to the Psych Hospital for a shallower dive to round off his training. It's been great to work with him and he's going to be a great addition to the Club. He's keen to get more dives in this season, so keep him in mind when you're planning outings, please.

Lining up to visit the KGH wreck..

No fewer than seven divers hit the water by Murney Tower tonight to take advantage of the recently-laid line that goes to what is, for the meantime, being called the KGH wreck. Transit times from shore are generally about 15 minutes - at a leisurely pace. Everyone had lots of time to enjoy the features of the site, including examination of the wooden knees (one pictured here) that are quite conspicuous on either side. I think that everyone is looking forward to seeing some high quality pics of the wreck. It's great to note that divers from the Great Lakes Underwater Explorers have improved access further by laying a right-angled, white guideline at the 15 foot level running eastward from the yellow line's start point. This makes location of the start really easy. Thanks to all concerned.

New shore dive for your delight...

Following up on an exploratory dive last week, local divers tonight placed a line from shore near Kingston General Hospital to a wreck that lies in 60 feet of water, just 20 minutes gentle swim away. The line starts around the 20 foot depth contour and is most easily located by entering the water somewhere near the middle of the car park close to Murney Tower and swimming eastwards along the 20 foot contour until you pick it up. It's bright yellow and leads almost directly south to the bow of the wreck.

The wreck is in very good condition; one of the more intact examples of what is certainly a sailing vessel and probably associated with use on the canal systems. It's almost a hundred feet long and about 24 feet wide. Care should be taken by visiting divers to avoid disturbing and damaging many upright features that have stood the test of time.

The wreck is well known already; it features on local charts, but it has not previously been of great interest, since it lies in the path of frequent boat traffic and didn't have any line to it from shore. For ease of reference, it may be useful (borrowing the example of the KPH wreck) to refer to it as the KGH wreck, unless and until someone can provide a precise identity.

Visibility tonight was about 40 feet on the wreck and the water temperature about 64F.

Keystorm big hit again.

10 of us made the trek down to Caiger's where we got on one of the boats owned by Thousand Island Pleasure Divers. We had great weather and we couldn't have asked for better. Some of us came back with a little more colour than when we left. The Keystorm was the big draw today. I think I counted about 7 boats on the wreck at one point today. On our first dive there were a lot of divers in the water at the same time. At one point I stopped and looked up and there were about 15 divers above me. It would have made an amazing picture with the sun shinning through the water above the divers. Alas I left my camera on the boat. Isn't that always the case. My buddy and I went down as far as the mast and looked in some of the small holes at the bass that were hiding in the wreck. We then made our way back up to the wheel house and had a look around there. By this point it was time to turn the dive and head back to the shoal. At our safety stop we had a chance to check out the small Gobbies as they fed on the zebra mussels. There were a few small bass as well.

After a one hour plus surface interval we had our second dive on the Keystorm but the other boats had pretty much moved on so we could get a good look at the wreck this time. The silt had settled down and you could see inside the wreck. We spent about 36 minutes in the water and the water temp was 73 degrees.

I would like to say thanks to Jim our boat captain for a great day out on the water and we hope to dive with you again soon.

Wolfe Islander II

This week the Dolphins had Captain Steve (Limestone) take them out to the Wolfe Islander II because the winds were high. The weather was warm and the water much warmer than previous dives. The visibility was not very good but that was expected with the storms that went through recently. We went down the bow line to the bottom and circled the boat clockwise. When we came back around the far side of the boat we came up over the side to the car deck. We had a look in the hatch and then moved on to the motorcycle. The ten speed was beside the motorcycle and the bowling ball wasn't very from from that . We then went and had a look at the winch on the front. After a short time here we followed the line back to the stern and had a look inside the doors and windows. We spend about 5 minutes here and then turned the dive. After getting changed we shared a few stories and a couple of laughs on the way back to shore. As always we then went to Tim Horton's to debrief and have a much needed coffee.

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..

Great dive with a great Club turnout...

It's great to see a good Club turnout for any dive, but when you field 11 divers and visit an unfamiliar wreck - in this case, the massive remains of the vessel known as the Lusitania - life doesn't get much better. Despite slightly lumpy waters, the visibility at depth was very good indeed, certainly in excess of 60 feet. All the divers were impressed with the site and the service provided by the two boats laid on by Northern Tech Diver. It should also be noted that NTD moored this particular wreck recently - and it's a welcome addition to Kingston dive destinations. For the record, the water temperature at depth was about 50°F (10°C). Watch out for more pictures and information from the other photographers on the boat - Kim and Kevin.

Survey work commences in Navy Bay...

Members of the Club began work today in support of the marine archaeological survey of a wreck in Navy Bay that will be the subject of a Masters Thesis for Nadine Kopp. Nadine is completing a course at the University of East Carolina that she hopes will secure her a marine archaeology position closer to her Canadian home. Video and still photography was taken to provide an initial record and a reference for future activity. An overall examination was also completed with the aim of determining the most appropriate positions for datum points and to confirm the extent and condition of the site.
A second dive allowed some 'gardening' to be done to clear weed and loose algae and rough sketches to be drawn up. Nadine's intention is to dive daily for the next week, completing her researches by next Sunday, when it is hoped that an electronic positioning survey can be undertaken that will definitively fix the wreck's position and tie it in to existing data on the shoreline. Follow this blog to hear how each day's work goes. For the record, the water today was 54°F (12°C) and visibility was about 20 feet.

A dry Whites

With the nice weather today not many would think of diving in a dry suit. That being said about 20 club members took advantage of diving in new Whites dry suits. There were a few first time dry suit divers who enjoyed diving with out getting totally wet. Generally groups of four went out to the stop sign and back in about 35mins. The visibility was good considering all the divers in the water. I have to say that I was impressed with the fusion dry suit. It is a great suit that does not require a lot of extra thought. The water temperature was 46F/8C but I felt very warm in the dry suit. The max depth that we obtained was in the area of 50 ft. I must say it was great to see so many people from the club out and diving and a thanks needs to go to Adam for organizing the rep to come down and to the Whites rep for taking time out of his schedule to see us.

The Early Diver gets the Viz

It's said that there are seasoned divers in Kingston who dive exclusively in the early and late periods of each dive season. Their logic is that those are the times that you can place reasonable reliance on seeing our wrecks at their best. This morning's charter lent credence to the notion. A gentle trip to the Comet put us in place to enjoy visibility in the order of 70 feet or so. In water temperatures of 43°F (6°C), conditions were really rather pleasant. Even our one wetsuited diver didn't freeze...! Jim Dunfield - down visiting from Ottawa - was a very welcome addition to the team. It would be nice to think that the Sunday Club could make a charter trip every week, but this may have been a one-off bonus dive for most.

Rounding off the RMC Year...

Taking advantage of the small, slack period at the end of the RMC year, some of our most active divers, Marc-Etienne, Donovan and Olivier got in a couple of dives this week just before they departed for phase training over the Summer. As well as a shore dive, they were able to use a boat belonging to the Rod and Gun Club at RMC to get out to the Wolfe Islander. The accompanying photograph, taken by Marc-Etienne, was taken there. All credit to these guys, who have been diving consistently when the opportunity arose - and always in wetsuits.

A night at the theatre...

With longer days and warmer water, the temptation to dive in the evenings is irresistible, especially for our members who work for a living. Tonight, four of us went exploring around the old wharf that lies off the area of the Domino Theatre. The trip was worthwhile, with several large Bass swimming around the logs and the first sighting this year of a long string of (frog) spawn at one point. For Kevin, whose first dive it was on this site, it was interesting to turn over the old tin plates and mugs that are strewn about the area close to shore. It's heartening to see that the water is creeping up in temperature almost daily. Tonight, the lowest temperature registered was 42F (6C) - a degree or so warmer than just a couple of days ago. (Picture courtesy of Kevin Leblanc)

Warm Water...?

With the Sun beating down over several days and a spring-fed source, there was a reasonable expectation that water temperatures in the quarry at Brule Road would be kinder to divers than the still frigid expanse of the Lake. It proved to be the case today, when 40 minutes in 46F (8C) water (warmer in the first 6 feet) provided a really relaxed dive experience. Visibility, below a milky, upper layer, was about 50 feet. It has to be admitted that there's not much life around yet. A couple of small fry were seen and the odd scuttling retreat amongst the rocks suggested crayfish, but only the mussels were commonly sighted. The good news is that the approaches are dry and firm and the water's substantially warmer than elsewhere right now. Time to think about the wetsuits folks..

Post Exam Plunge...

Today marked the last day of exams at RMC - reason enough for some of our most adventurous members from the College to take to the water. Marc-Etienne and Olivier survived the 39F (4C) temperature to spend 36 minutes touring the old pilings and other areas just South of the St Lawrence Pier. The pictures are theirs and they show considerable enthusiasm, despite painfully cold hands. Adam and Matt came along for the swim. As an example of what we all aspire to as divers, it would be good to have them along on every dive...

Evening Outing...

It really was like a Summer evening... until we hit the water... But even there it was evident that temperatures are rising. The low temperature 40F (4C), was several degrees warmer than last weekend. Visibility was average at about 20 feet. But the rapid discovery of the little wreck and a gentle trip over to the Ordnance Dock, with a photo call at the surface in the warm, evening light, made the whole dive a great experience. All that said, there's not much life in the water yet. A few unidentified fish were darting around, but no large Bass were seen.