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℃)

Deadman's Turtle Tales - Part 2

Todd 'sneaking up' on a turtle..


Painted Turtle..


Bow section of the Princess Charlotte..


Stern section of the Princess Charlotte..

Today's near-ideal conditions prompted Todd and I to make another expedition out to the Princess Charlotte. Todd navigated today and put us, near as dammit, right on the wreck. I was experimenting with photography using a tripod and the results were pleasing. It gives you the opportunity to obtain maximum depth of field and a sharp result. We both took some time to 'bother' the resident turtles. Please understand that this does NOT involve actually touching or otherwise disturbing these animals; something which no diver should do. For those who care about the cooling of the Lake, note that the lowest temperature observed during this dive was 36℉ (2℃).

By the way, Todd left the dive site to go and collect a spiffy new DUI drysuit. Look out for news and pictures of this very shortly.

DIVE - ER HARD OR NOT AT ALL!!!

Today, Mike and I decided to venture out in the frigid icy cold water (4 C). With the sun shining, the air temp. was - 14 C. We were in the water by 10:30 making our way, at a very leisurely pace on a bearing of 205 deg. After a 5 min swim we were upon the Princess Charlotte. This is one of the wrecks in the local area from the war of 1812 that is accessible from shore. She must have been a fascinating ship in her day. Her ribs are proof she was not only built with pride, but more importantly, (being a warship) she was built to give and take punishment. She lays in 13 to 19 ft of water (time of year), with visibility between 20 to 30 ft. Not just visited by divers, she has a host of fish that lay claim her home. Today, Gobi's were the only species of fish present, however we were welcomed by a couple of Painted Turtles. They too, were making the best of the day by absorbing the sun on the rocks at the bottom and not buried in the mud. Once out of the water, it became a rush to get our gear off so we could unzip our dry suits. Definitely worth diving again, however, I think there will be more pictures taken tomorrow, and the weather shouldn't be as cold as today.

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.

Night + Shallow = Fun!

I will say something that will maybe offend the intense tech. divers that believe that you need to go deep to get a good dive. Last night proved that wrong. A max depth of 12 feet with an average depth of 6 feet, that's a good dive! Ask Suzanne, she was cheering and screaming after her first night experience.

Mike, Todd, Suzanne and I (and DIanne, but a "congestion" forced her to stay on the shore) met at the base marina by deadman's bay for a night dive. My primary goal in that dive was to get a warm sheltered environment to get as many fish as possible to go on a picture hunting night. Mike brought his camera also and we paired up wandering the marina's bottom on our quest to blind fishes with strobe light! During that time, Suzanne discovered the pleasure of night diving with Todd. Believe me, some fishes, must hate me now, my second strobe light finally works, so I got twice the light power to blind them! Poor little fishes

Here are few of my best shots. Enjoy!


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

The concentration of the photographer...

Marc-Etienne's pictures are great - see them in the blog entry above - his mastery of his equipment is obvious, but seizing the right moment takes concentration. The pic shows him hovering over some unsuspecting underwater subject - wreathed in weeds..

Deadman - live turtle...

During just over an hour's meanderings around Deadman Bay today I had the interesting experience of being approached by an inquisitive turtle. It was one of the painted variety - about 6-8 inches long in the shell - and clearly curious about the creature slowly approaching it. It took a direct path towards my mask and I had to gently fend it off by lifting it under the shell and away. it continued on its way to the surface for a breather quite unfazed. The water in the Bay, despite heavy and persistent rain yesterday was very clear - and quite warm - about 48℉ (9℃). During the dive a little bit of capital was banked with the Yacht Club by retrieving a couple of objects that had been lost over the side during lift-in this weekend.

Dippin' in Deadman...

So, five of us took the opportunity offered by the only recently departed ice to brave the still cold waters of Deadman Bay this morning. After the recent heavy rains and high winds, it was no great surprise to find the visibility poor for this time of year - at about 20'. The water temperature, probably only in the shallow confines of the Bay was relatively warm at somewhere around 36℉ (2℃). Highlights of the dive - sightings of a turtle and a salamander, both looking slightly stunned.

Hannah handles operations...

Today's dive was dedicated to conducting research for Hannah Cole (Matt Cole's daughter) to complete a heritage project on the HMS Princess Charlotte, a War of 1812 wooden warship wreck lying on the bottom of Deadman's Bay. Hannah mustered 4 divers, including her father (pictured) to make a dive through the 14" (36cm) thick ice of the Bay and complete survey videos and measurements of the wreck. The party was blessed with excellent topside conditions (sunny, with maximum air temperatures of 7C (44F)). Frankly, for dry-suited divers, it was way too warm...

The water, on the other hand, fulfilled all expectations, showing 32F (0C) on the gauges.

Visibility below the ice was really good - in excess of 40 feet. All Hannah's tasking was successfully completed in two dives; each of about 25 minutes duration. A large, very sleepy turtle was left undisturbed on one of the wreck's main frames. The whole event was really satisfying. It's always important to have a good reason for a dive - and this one couldn't have been better.

More pictures can be viewed on the Club's Flickr site.

Bringing the Past to Life...

Last night's talk by Jonathan Moore, a marine archaeologist with Parks Canada, drew more than 20 people, who were fascinated for about 90 minutes by his remarkable knowledge of Kingston's maritime history, particularly the period surrounding the War of 1812. Jonathan concentrated attention on the area around Fort Henry and Point Frederick. Opening with a fascinating review of the work of Canada's underwater survey team, he stressed the importance of regarding sites of historical and archaeological significance as elements of an overall 'landscape'. Parks Canada was actively engaged in research and conservation work with many other departments, notably in Kingston with the St Lawrence Parks body and the Department of National Defence.

The liberally illustrated presentation featured images that many of us had never seen before and brought history to life quite vividly. During the talk, Jonathan encouraged us, as divers, to participate in the work of recording and preserving the sites that lie in local waters. This, he explained, can be done as simply as casting an eye, periodically, over key wrecks to record change. He also hoped that the Club would be prepared to undertake dives in support of Parks Canada research in the months and years ahead. There was immediate evidence of enthusiasm for this work. Opportunities will also arise this Summer to assist a researcher who is going to be investigating a wreck in Navy Bay.

Jonathan was good enough to bring along copies of the Report he published in 2006 on three War of 1812 wrecks. These were made available for sale at cost - $30. If any Club member who was unable to attend the presentation wishes to buy one, they should contact me.



On a lighter note, I am seriously considering having someone else select the dates for future presentations. This is the third time this Winter that one of our talks has coincided with the arrival of a major storm...!

Deadman Bay ...

The opportunity was seized today to make another trip to the remarkable wreck that lies just south of the CFB Marina. Four of us (including a dive buddy met through the recent NAS course) spent just over 45 minutes delighting in the sheer strength and presence of the timbers of this old warship. Almost as impressive - and certainly equally delightful - were the hosts of fish around the wreck. Small schools of baby Bass were hanging over the open areas and several Catfish were hugging the muddy bottom or drifting through the wooden walls.

Visibility was very poor for Kingston, just 15-20'. The water is like a thin soup these days. Temperature - 64F (18C).

Back to Deadman Bay..

A little warm-up dive this morning for the main event this evening, the first Club charter of the 2007 season. Theresa and I enjoyed the Southern wreck in Deadman Bay shortly after 9am, spending some 38 minutes taking in its features. The only significant sighting was of a fairly large Smallmouth Bass, which seemed very interested in us, making a close approach; its obviously diseased state could explain this unusual behaviour.

The water was pleasantly warm (comparatively) at 52F (11C). But visibility, partly due to the brisk Sou'wester, partly to floating algae, was only fair - at about 35 feet.

History Hunters...

Armed with a copy of the report on wrecks of the War of 1812 prepared recently by Parks Canada's Marine Archaeologist, Jonathan Moore, four of us explored Deadman Bay this morning, visiting the more northern site, often referred to as HMS Psyche.

The wreck showed up well in the intermittent sunshine - visibility was about 35 feet. Better news lay in the fact that the water temperature is now registering 45F (7C). Besides the wreck, the biggest attraction today was the numerous Painted Turtles (some really quite large) seen on the swim out and back.

A few pictures showing views of the wreck are on the Club's Flickr Site.

I was pleased to provide some assistance before and after the dive to members of the CFB Kingston Yacht Club. I recovered an expensive pair of prescription Oakley sunglasses and re-attached a mooring buoy to make it more useful to the Club.

Fun with a Deadman...

Despite dire warnings of thunderstorms and high winds, conditions in Deadman Bay this afternoon were pretty good. Six members of the Club made a gentle foray to the wreck just South of the Forces' Marina. Theresa had a particularly good outing - her first as a certified Open Water diver - spotting a turtle in the shallows just before exiting.

The rain overnight and earlier in the day had brought the water temperature up to 45F (7C). Visibility was somewhere around the 30-40 foot range. Some other pictures from the outing have been posted to the Club's Flickr site.